please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Sat in the Saloon bar, didn't go into the vaults bar but it looked very small and less characterful. The saloon bar was quite interesting with a few booths, deer heads and a lot of stuffed birds. Had some barrels behind the bar, statues of queen Victoria and Albert. Just had some very random things on the wall, like old alcohol adverts. There are also antiques on the bar, including a fire burning lamp type thing. There is music playing but its not loud at all and makes for nice background music, the pub has a good ambience overall. The bar in the Saloon bar is a long J shape. Ales on were Bass, Theakston best bitter, Daleside old leg over, Leeds pale, Daleside Bales Ale, Robinsons dizzy blonde. I went for old leg over at 4.10, a bit pricey but well priced, they use autovacs at this pub as well, pint was nice and tasty. A very interesting pub which is certainly a must visit whilst in Harrogate.
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Nice quiet pub. Traditional interior, when you go in the front, only door, turn right, larger and more interesting room, if you turn left you are likely to be the only people in a fairly small room. Does food but fairly expensive( I want to pay £4-£6 for a meal so expensive is all relative, meals £8-£10) and did not see anyone eating. Lots of character and worth a visit.
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Historically interesting pub.Worth a visit.Shame the Bass was finished when I visited last week.
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Clean well presented pub serving a few decent ales though not a great choice - the Daleside brew was palatable enough. The kind of pub you could bring your missus to.
anonymous - 5 Jun 2015 18:27 |
Apparently the oldest pub in Harrogate.Victorian-style interior with original gas lighting over the bar and there’s a separate snug. There are six beers serving a local range of beers including Hales Ale specially brewed by Daleside. I tried the Daleside Old Leg Over and proved to be a good choice. Well kept and served. Also to note, they serve good pub grub as well. Very friendly bar staff helped make the visit.
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There's 6 pubs in Harrogate in the 2014 GBG and it was my intention to visit them all in a 6 hour visit, first stop of the day was Hales Bar on Crescent Road.
A very interesting bar, we sat in the lounge bar with its glassed taxidermy and bar top cigar lighters. There's also walls full of mirrors, old notices and framed pictures of the local area.
6 pumps in the luxurious lounge bar offering 6 different ales. A display on the bar shows what the beers are, where they are from and what the distance is to the pub from the brewery.
I opted for a pint of Daleside's Hales Ale @ 3.7%, the nearest brewery to the pub with a distance of 1.9 miles!
A few other punters in bit it was only just after 12 noon so it was pretty empty.
This is Harrogate's oldest pub and it really is a cracker, a great place to start the day.
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See below, yes it�s characterful etc, yes 6 beers BUT at least 4 are common or garden, Hales Ale I guess will be some Daleside beer rebadged, Old Leg Over�s not to my taste. What made me laugh is the way they offer a �tasting tray� of 6 beers, presumably for extremely inexperienced drinkers and foreigners.
The Golden Pippin was not particularly good. Barmaid was friendly etc but loud and WAY over the top with endearments, every other word darling or sweetheart etc.
We had the Tuesday night special - 2 �sizzlers� for �10. OK you don�t expect chateaubriand for a fiver but my steak would have been better last Saturday and probably off by tomorrow. My mother�s Cajun chicken was very good.
So the beer�s not worth crossing the road for, food�s ok if you like pub grub, atmosphere�s a matter of taste � all in all worth going once if you�ve never been.
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Hales bar has a very pleasant atmosphere like pubs should be with a good array of hand pulled ales i think i must of counted at least 6 beers i tried a pint of bass for olde times sake and it was kept well and having an ale called hales ale i thought it would be rude not to try and i wasnt disappointed.
I found the bar staff very welcoming and very informative not just on beverages but also the history of Hales bar and had plenty of ghostly tales to tell.
Wholesome home cooked food is on offer and my hot beef ciabatta went well with the beer and kept me full for a long time.
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I visited early evening and the ambience was nice and relaxed. The staff were more than helpful as i wanted to try a different bitter of which there were 6 to choose from and a taster was offered. I decided on trying a pint of the locally brewed "Hales Ale" which is made for the pub itself. The barmaid told us all about the history of the pub, the stuffed birds, the gas lighting and the cigar lighters were a real nice touch to the place, very old fashoined and was told a scene from chariots of fire was filmed there. We ate a lovely mealand a few more hales ale. Was told the place was a totally different atmosphere on a weekend evening, might have to visit again soon and check it out, well done Hales bar, a fantastic visit to end a perfect break away, will be back again to see you all soon
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Like most pubs in Harrogate this is very expensive with all real ales over �3.00. My pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord was �3.30. Maybe I'm getting old but I think this is extortionate. The pub itself was completely empty when we walked in. Cavernous with dark wood, stuffed animals on the shelves, Victorian adverts & pictures, sumptious leather alcove seats & interestingly a bunsen burner built into the bar - don't tell Health & Safety - they'll have a fit! Other beers on my visit were Daleside Old Legover, Bass Cask Ale, CopperDragon Golden Pippin, Black Sheep Bitter & their own Daleside Hale's Ale. The barman was utterly miserable & seemed to grunt a lot. Maybe he didn't speak English - I'll never know. Eventually a few people came in & we got talking to a friendly local who told us its normally quite busy. Apparently its the oldest pub in Harrogate with the lower part dating from the 17th Century. There are also 2 ghosts that haunt the building too. No doubt more friendly & talkative than the barman!
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A good pub, but not quite as good as I thought it would be.
Yes, the interior was old and nice, whilst there were enough ales on offer to provide a decent choice.
As nice as the pub was however, it was difficult to experience the 'gas lights' such were the amount of electric lights on in the place which ruined what could be something very different.
Being slightly pedantic, the service at the bar was poor/slow, despite me being the only one stood there at the time whilst the landlady chose to ignore me and talk to a member of staff instead - The beer was also a little expensive compared to other pubs nearby.
By all means, give this place atry, just don't raise your hopes too much.
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Very atmospheric bar with great ales and friendly service. One of Harrogate's best pubs.
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Very well kept ales in a unique Pub. apparently the Pub was used for some scenes in chariots Of Fire back in the early eighties. Six beers on at alltimes and well worth a look
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A good pint of Landlord here with an excellent atmosphere and reasonable prices - an "interesting" set of customers which made a great night out
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Wonderful interior full of character, good range of well-kept cask beers and friendly, welcoming (and very lively) bar staff. Food OK but nothing special, however the beer and the atmosphere are the main focus here. Highly recommend a visit.
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Lovely old bar; great atmosphere; gaslit interior very unusual; downsides warm, sour beer (CaAk Marque? Really?) and lightfittings that stop you seeing the TV.
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Nipped in here with a friend while the wives went shopping. What a surprise! We turned into the righthand door to find room unchanged from before I was born. There were 3 sets of triple gas fired lights on the ceiling plus 2 tall naked flames on the bar. Very Victorian! Three young barmaids were very helpful offering beer tasting before deciding on which of the six beers available.
lotus - 22 Mar 2010 17:39 |
Called in whilst following the local Mummers team on their tour of Harrogate pubs. An ideal spot for their play - great welcome, plenty of banter, smiles on faces - total contrast to the Muckles (see comments on that "alcohol re-fuelling point"!) Beers were 2 Copper Dragons, Draught Bass and others I couldn't see - but beer was very well kept. Barmaids top notch!
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yes yes yes...go in , ace pub. ale is top notch, barmaids pleasing on the eye.
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Claims to be the oldest pub in Harrogate, and who am I to disagree? Very nice pub, read leather sofa's, large choice of local beers, Strongbow cider on tap (plus Thatcher's Pear, Katy and Gaymers in bottles).
Bar maid was very friendly and offered us several samples of the beer without us even asking.
Highly recomended.
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Came across this gem after emerging from walking the Valley Gardens. Can concur with all the comments below. A truly splendid pub with a great interior. TT Landlord, Bass, Tetley and Copper Dragon Best were on during my visit.
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Splendid gas lit victorian interior in the Saloon bar, now with some electric lights so it's not quite as atmospheric as previously. Decorated with old brewery ad's, stuffed birds and victorianna. Largely Yorkshire beers from local boys at Daleside, plus 3 from Goose Eye, Tetleys Cask with Bass bringing up the rear. Draught Hoegaarden also on along with the usual keg range. Exuberant and slightly mad australian bar staff who keep the beer well but just a bit too cold. A popular tourist destination due to the interior and sometimes probably needs a higher staffing level. Popular events and themed evenings take place although seating can be limited.
anonymous - 16 Feb 2009 11:13 |
As Grovetown quite rightly states, Hales Bar and Britons Protection are two of only a few truly great city centre pubs left. An absolute must visit pub for anyone who likes their beer. Timmy Taylors "Landlord" is worth a jar or two.
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Great bar that we call in regularly when in Harrogate. Because of it's Victorian design and gas lighting and the efforts of the staff this place does Halloween brilliantly. Skulls and cobwebs everywhere, a must visit on the 31st October. It's also great at all other times of the year. The draught Bass is very well kept and reminds you of how good Bass can be if given a little TLC. Usually a couple of guest ales on alongside the regulars, all well kept in my experience. Go and try it, you won't be disappointed.
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Grade II listed 17th Century pub in the Montpellier district of Harrogate, located opposite the Royal Pump Room Museum.
Read about the history of the pub on a plaque outside.
The pub retains old traditional gas lighting together with Victorian fixtures and fittings.
In the main bar, old brewery mirrors, old pictures, stuffed animals over the bar and a row of whisky barrels behind the bar help contribute towards a splendid atmosphere.
Note the separate screened off snug in the main bar divided by a large Tadcaster Brewery mirror and the signage over the bar - "Ales and Porter supplied to the gentry for over a century"
6 real ales were on when I visited in mid-September - Timmy Taylor, Bass, Tetley, Copper Dragon Best and Monkmans Slaughter which is an award winning beer with an OG of 6% from Cropton Brewery.
A good range of food is offered at meal times.
This is a "must visit" pub when you're in Harrogate
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An excellent pub in a town sadly increasingly attracting anodyne, contemporary bars.
Lovely old interior, GAS LIGHTS!!!, and good ale well kept and promptly served. Best in Harrogate by miles; and as good a 'proper' pub as you'll find anywhere.
Always a must-go - along with Manchester's Britons Protection - on my occasional forays to the North.
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