Leeds pub guide - information about pubs and bars in Leeds # beerintheevening.com

Leeds pub and bar guide

Here's a guide to the pubs and bars of Leeds - good or bad, we bring you the most talked about venues and the places you have to visit at least once. We've included a few user reviews, to give you an idea of what to expect when you get there. Or you can follow the links to see full details and all reviews for each pub.

The North Bar, Leeds

Address: 24, New Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6NU
Phone: 0113 242 4540
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Reviews by BITE users:

I'm always interested to go to this bar.
They don't sell guinness though, which is annoying, but the alternatives are perfectly acceptable.

16 Jul 2008 11:51

A cracking little bar. Always busy in the evening but usually somewhere to sit. Great handpull and bottled beers. Friendly staff but clearly not employed for their ale knowledge. Good music, simple decor, chatty atmosphere. The loo's need a sprucing up though. Go to get away from televised anything and enjoy!

12 Jun 2008 18:58

Cramped, but worth it. Super selection and unpretentious surroundings. Nice.

25 Apr 2008 14:40

The Grove Inn, Holbeck

Address: Back Row, Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS11 5PL [map]
Phone: 0113 243 9254
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.2 miles), Burley Park (2.1 miles), Cottingley (2.4 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Gem of a pub, might be a bit 'working mans' for some tastes, but well worth a visit for the ales and character of the place. Has strong music links too so a good place to chill or rock depending upon your mood.

5 Jul 2008 11:26

Great pub with an excellent selection of beer, all in good nick. The highlight of the day - spent a happy couple of hours in here before watching my hopeless football team get relegated at Elland Road. Bit off the beaten track so great location if you want a quiet pre-match pint

4 May 2008 20:50

An unspoilt old fashioned rough and ready boozer on the corner of a main road, surrounded by vast new buildings. It's a lovely warren of a place with four regular ales plus four guests. Only criticism is that there was no ale stronger than 4.2%ABV on my visit.

20 Feb 2008 21:45

Mr Foley's Cask Ale House, Leeds

Address: 159 The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5RG [map]
Phone: 0113 2429674
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.4 miles), Burley Park (1.6 miles), Headingley (2.4 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

The poster below me is spot on. What has happened to all the obscure Belgian beer? It is still a good pub the staff are all grumpy and never have a smile on there faces but apart from that its very good.

25 Jun 2008 02:39

This place was much better when it was O’Kells.
The beer is still as good but the food isn’t. The menu has gone all fancy (what happened to the huge chunky chip butties?). I was last in a few months ago and the only thing that I found appealing on the menu was burger & chips which wasn’t bad but could have been better.

28 May 2008 20:46

I have since had a chat with Dean Pugh the manager & owner of Mr Foley's, he has offered a complimentary meal and apologised for the actions of his staff. I just wanted to emphasis that a poor attitude to customers will drive customers away, I just hope that the relevant bar staff get a good telling of by Dean.

30 Apr 2008 13:47

The Scarbrough Hotel, Leeds

Address: Bishopgate Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5DY [map]
Phone: 0113 243 4590
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.1 miles), Burley Park (1.9 miles), Cottingley (2.6 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Great selection of ales. Busiest pub in Leeds on a Friday after the office bods are let out of their cages. Now that Leeds United aren't good anymore, matchday isn't a problem so much here either(Football fans do indeed only sing when they're winning). Food is ok but its the beer you'll come back for. Checkout my pub crawl to either start or finish at the taps.

13 Jun 2008 13:15

Too crowded and too many BT types in there.
Better to go to The Prince of Wales over the road.

25 Feb 2008 11:57

Had a great pint of Bradfords brewers Ruby Mild (4.4%)....good atmosphere in the pub... unlike its past rep as home of Leeds' football 'reception committee'

23 Feb 2008 01:12

The Adelphi, Leeds

Address: 1-5, Hunslet Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1JQ [map]
Phone: 0113 245 6377
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.3 miles), Burley Park (2.2 miles), Cottingley (2.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

The Adelphi is a mixed bag. Usually a decent guest ale to accompany the tetleys. I had the fishfinger sandwich mentioned a few weeks ago. I didn't expect birdeyes finest plonked down in front of me but that is what I got! I told the bar person to thank the Captain personaaly for me. Can be a bit too busy on a fri/sat night due to the twenty something art school (didn't go to art school but wear the trendy non perscription glasses anyway)crowd who hang around the bar nursing a poncy lager in a stupid glass. Not cheap but the wasabi peas are recommended.

12 Jun 2008 18:25

Definately pricey! Interesting decor though, and worth a visit for that alone. Crisps were £1.10 when I last went in.

10 Feb 2008 22:56

This was always an interesting pub. Overlooked by many as it is over the river from the city centre. Great Tetleys as they only have to bring the barrels from next door. I spent many happy Friday nights here when they had the "Bowie Club" upstairs,

11 Nov 2007 07:18

Whitelocks, Leeds

Address: Turks Head Yard, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6HB [map]
Phone: 0113 245 3950
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.3 miles), Burley Park (1.9 miles), Headingley (2.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Excellent pub hidden down the allyways in Leeds city centre. The rised bar means that the staff tower over you when they serve fine real ale. In my opinion though the smoking ban has improved eveyones health but it has taken away some of the charm of Whitelocks. I like this place at its dingy smokey best. Used to do cracking roast beef dinner but haven't tried it recently. Keith Waterhouse's favorite pub. High praise indeed.

13 Jun 2008 13:31

Very Harry Potter. Suitably dingy, grimy and odd. Good beer range and good quality. Bar maid must have had a bad day as she had a face on her like a smacked trout. Apart from that well worth a visit.

17 Apr 2008 17:45

A contender for the title of most famous pub in Leeds and rightly so. Like several nearby pubs, it is approached by a long, narrow, almost Dickensian alleyway, part of which is used as an outdoor drinking area.

The interior is cosy and atmospheric, consisting of a small bar and a separate dining room. The décor is all wood and mirrors, which gives the place great character.

Seven real ales on my visit: Old Peculier, John Smith’s, Speckled Hen, Black Sheep Bitter, Deuchars IPA, Theakston’s Best and Milestone ‘Olde Home Wrecker’. The quality of the OHW was good, if not the best. It was served a tad cold, which may have contributed to my sense of it being relatively tasteless for a beer of 4.9%.

Young, friendly bar staff.

Fairly quiet on my visit, though I can imagine how busy it gets at times.
A ‘must visit’ pub though.

9 Dec 2007 12:20

The Town Hall Tavern, Leeds

Address: 17 Westgate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2RA [map]
Phone: 01132 453966
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.5 miles), Burley Park (1.5 miles), Headingley (2.2 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

This pub used to be one of my regular haunts many years ago when I lived in Leeds. Back then it was a Tetley's pub serving one of the best pints of Tetley's bitter in town. Visited a couple of years ago and it was still an excellent pub albeit now a Taylors pub - probably just as well considering how downhill Tetley's has gone.

8 Aug 2008 11:48

I made a return trip here on Monday night and wished I could have stayed longer. Although clearly a locals pub, the atmosphere was most welcoming, the people were friendly and the ales were in fine form. I don't normally comment on such things but the place was spotlessly clean - some pubs are a little "daggy" these days.

16 Jul 2008 22:37

It's very clean and smart, serves Timothy Taylors.
I still in a way miss the old place with the best Tetleys in Leeds.... not that I'm a Tetley fan/drinker.

25 Feb 2008 13:30

The West End House, Kirkstall

Address: 26, Abbey Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3HS [map]
Phone: 0113 278 6332
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Nearest train stations: Headingley (0.4 miles), Burley Park (1.1 miles), Bramley - West Yorkshire (1.8 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Great pub food. If your like me and hate 2for1 frozen pub meals then go to the West End House. Not cheap but big plates washed down with great ale. Good for cider drinkers also. Beer garden is an after thought but an enjoyable place to go pre and post Rhinos/cricket matches.

13 Jun 2008 13:56

Decent pub with well-kept beer, but pricey, and a visit is often spoilt by the management policy of blasting loud music through the numerous speakers dotted about the place, even when the pub is not busy. The volume is regularly set at a level which makes conversation a strain. Even the outside drinking/smoking area has a speaker! Maybe they think this will pull in the students on non-quiz nights, but from what I have seen this policy fails, and must discourage some who might otherwise become regulars.

8 May 2008 10:53

quite a nice pub very good food more of a food pub than a drinking pub but always has a very good selection of real ales well worth a vist

1 Jan 2008 09:06

The Cross Keys, Holbeck

Address: 107 Water Lane, Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS11 5WD [map]
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.3 miles), Burley Park (2 miles), Cottingley (2.2 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Excuse my earlier curmudgeonly comments regarding the salad..

Food is prepared with care and very tasty. Beers very good and change regularly.

Staff are very friendly and welcoming.

12 Jul 2008 10:27

Agree with Rich in terms of the target market of the pub but nonetheless difficult to fault on range of beers (had a very good 'Decade' last week but beers change regularly). Food was good quality although sometimes smallish portions. Prices generally acceptable but not £2.50 for a side salad.

Definitely return for the good beer but would shop around for the food.

5 Jul 2008 11:19

An old backstreet pub in the former industrial area of Holbeck, just south of Leeds city centre. The interior has a very modern feel - open plan with lots of exposed brickwork, bare plaster walls and recycled oak beams. It was fairly quiet on a Saturday evening in the main bar, although there was a private funcion in full swing upstairs which sounded to be heaving.

Clearly targetted at the aspiring classes, with a posh sounding food menu and no mainstream beers as far as I recall. Four ales from smaller local brewers on handpump and half a dozen or so imported continental beers on draught.

Some traditionalists might find it a bit pretentious, but it's good at what it does and well worth a visit for the range of beers.

20 Feb 2008 21:41

The Victoria Hotel, Leeds

Address: Great George Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3DL [map]
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.6 miles), Burley Park (1.6 miles), Headingley (2.3 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

The beer was in good nick but when I tried to order food at 2030 on Monday evening I was told that the kitchen had closed. This despite there being menus on tables clearly stating that food is served until 2200, and people were served after I had enquired so their orders must have been taken. The staff displayed a "couldn't care less " attitude and the general feeling was of a chain pub not being well-managed. A shame as the place seems to have great potential for a cracking pub. As I was hungry I only had one beer and sought food elsewhere.

16 Jul 2008 22:34

A great everyman pub. Your fussy mother would like it here, as would your other half. Great big booths for groups to sit in(couples, please stop taking up a whole booth please!). Tetley mild on tap, sausage mash and onion gravy, raining outside, warm inside. Perfect day.

12 Jun 2008 19:08

A lovely mid-Victorian city centre pub with a rather grand and largely unspoilt interior - nicely decorated and furnished. Five real ales; I tried three, which were all served in particularly good condition.

20 Feb 2008 21:33

The Three Legs, Leeds

Address: The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PU [map]
Phone: 0113 245 6316
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Nearest train stations: Leeds (0.5 miles), Burley Park (2 miles), Headingley (2.7 miles)

Reviews by BITE users:

Full of vile retarded and deranged clientele, the place smells of wee. truly a horrible pub atmosphere, 3/10

18 Jul 2008 17:37

dodgy old codgers all spending their pittance
toothless old grannies in holy old mittens
bruisers with troosers all tied up with string
these are a few of my favourite things

radgies and cadgers with hooks and eye patches
rain falling in on their heads and mustashes
pebbledashed lavatories filled to the brim
these are some more of my favourite things

when my heart breaks
when the world ends
when my life is sad
I just have to think of my favourite pub
and life doesent seem too bad.

6 Jul 2008 17:13

Oh dear. The worst pub in Leeds it may well be. Always busy with the kind of people who communicate by shouting obsenities. From old soaks to girls weaing dirty tracksuits manouvering pushchairs with fags in their gobs. I'm sure the management would cash giro's here if he could to save his customer time they've got oodles of. Unless you like your pubs with a sprinkle of blood,sweat and knock off gear then avoid like you would the crazy person on the bus.... 'Cos he'll be in the three legs smelling of old wet dog.

12 Jun 2008 19:43

More information

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