I do like a good drink

After being in Leeds for 5 years, Like many others I moved here for University and never left, I thought to myself "well I drink a lot of Ale, I like to venture to many pubs, bars and restaurants and the pub industry is something I care a lot about so why not write some of my thoughts, ideas and reviews down?". It does not matter if anyone reads them but they can be there for me. So that is what I am doing.
So where to begin? Well I think maybe a good place to start is a roundup of my favourite pubs and bars. Leeds is fantastic for drinking holes and there is a variety to make sure any type of drinker or occasion is catered for. I do not consider myself a beer snob but I do not drink Carling or Fosters and I rarely, if ever, venture to places like Yates or Varsity but my tastes are varied.
Depending on what sort of event I was out for some of the places in Leeds I enjoy spending my hard earned cash in include Calls Landing, The Hop, The Adelphi, The Pin, Call Lane Social, The Cross Keys, Whitelocks, The White Swan, Sela Bar, North Bar, The Botanist, Mojo, The Victoria Hotel, Veritas and many more that will come up in this Blog at some point. These pubs and bars, to all in the know will recognise, are all in the City Centre and I have many favourite pubs in Horsforth, Chapel Allerton, Hunslet  and other areas of Leeds and we will also get to these but for now we will stick to the City Centre.

For this first entry I am going to do my five favourite places for an Ale in the City Centre. These are a personal choice and it may not only be about the Ale on offer but also the pub itself. The feel of the place, The service, The atmosphere or even historical and personal reasons that mean they are places I enjoy going back to again and again.

In no particular order........................

1. The Victoria Hotel  

A pub that was scheduled for

With 9 Pumps it is hard to find something you will not like.

Demolition in the 70's to make way for a new Shopping Centre will always be on my list. I found this pub when I first moved to Leeds and The decor and the awesome selection of beers available was enough for me to make regular stops whether during an evening out, after a shopping trip or after a long day at work. The Grand, wide vestibule gives the sense of what the main room is going to be like. Big doors to the front, right and left as you walk in tells you that this pub has not been amended much since its inception with the separate lounge rooms which is common within many Victorian and Georgian pubs. The Main bar has a Mainly wooden floor (I would have wooden floors in every pub by choice) and a highly varnished wooden bar with nice brass features. The bar is long and opposite hosts five or six impressive booths all covered by a very high ceiling. The feeling is a warm, welcoming one with a clean bar that has kept its traditions well, apart from the recently added TV which is the only thing I dislike about the place and would of not put it up if given the choice but hell, for everything else it offers I can live with the telly, And it is at least slightly camouflaged with a picture frame type facade. The Ale selection is very welcome with sometimes up to 9 hand pumps offering different ales from all over the country from Cornwall to Scotland and even America. Tetley's and their own Nicholson's Ale seems to be semi permanent fixtures whilst the other pumps rotate on a very regular basis and it is good that the same beers are not on rotation all the time. There is very often one of the Leeds Brewery ales on but this is not a bad thing in my eyes. The food available is perfectly acceptable pub grub and very reasonably priced. This pub is great as a meeting place for a few people on a night out and also as a session pub for a nice chilled out Sunday Afternoon and, As long as their are no major changes this pub will continue to be frequented by myself and my friends.

Best by name Best by Nature

2. The White Swan

The 2nd incarnation of the pub I have known since moving up to Leeds, The original shut down around the same time the renovation of the City Varieties began and on its completion opened a new pub the same in name only. Attached directly to the City Varieties Box Office the pub is often full of the waiting audiences of whatever is on in the theatre and due its differing nature of performances, Noddy Holder in conversation to the Vagina Monologues and Michael Mcintyre can mean a varied group of pug goers and the place is all the better for it. Part of the highly successful portfolio from the guys at Leeds Brewery The White Swan is an open space with a long bar taking up the back wall, certainly not as grand as the Victoria but it is not meant to be and works just as well on entering. The music is often indie sounding but never played too loud to disturb whilst enjoying one of the Leeds Brewery Ales, Leeds Best being my personal favourite. They also give a group of their hand pumps to a different brewery on a monthly basis so a good variety of Ales is always on. I have often made this a meeting pub from nights out with friends to first dates and it never fails to impress. The food on offer is very enjoyable fare with the Fish Finger Sandwich being so much more than just a Fish Finger Sandwich. The pub plays host to different events from an American Diner takeover evening with American food and 50's and 60's music to a book club for anyone to go along and enjoy a drink and a chat about the book for that month and I personally love how pubs and bars are realising and trying new ways of bringing customers into their haunts after all there are not many places more social than a pub and believe anywhere that is opening up to different events needs to be commended and deserves support. The White Swan certainly has mine.

The stunning retained bar

3. Whitelocks 

If I wrote this 1 year ago you would not have found this pub in my top five. I felt the place was living off its reputation and not backing it up but when the sign "Under new Management" went up there was a sense of intrigue and excitement that this pub could redeem itself and reclaim its proud history and I really think it has. Not much needed to change in Whitelocks, The Brass Bar is an asset and the amount of available pumps is also. A good spring clean and tidy up, a bit of music in the background (which I do not think is always necessary but certainly worked in this instance) some good food and well looked after rotating Ales and Whitelocks was back and hopefully will stay around for a long time. I do not know who the new owners are but they deserve a lot of credit and the bar staff are always friendly and welcoming. There is not a better pub to walk into when the weather outside is cold and nasty. It gives a real sense of a welcoming meeting point that you want to spend time in to escape the elements. With its low roof and low light level it gives you the sense that is how it would of felt 200 years ago which is something I love about pubs that know their history and heritage and do not try to change it much. From visiting once every 6 months to once or twice every six days gives me a great indication of how much this pub has improved. Whitelocks is dead Long live Whitelocks.

4. The Adelphi 

When I first arrived in Leeds I was informed this was a student pub and as I was 24 when I started University I wasn't exactly at the age I was necessarily looking for student pubs so I did not venture there for my first year. A year wasted, This was far from a student pub, the only thing close to student pub territory was the quirky glass topped tables filled with peoples train tickets and other wallet filling cards they wanted to get rid of. These have now been removed and the pub is a delight. From the narrow entrance way towards the bar with individual rooms veering of to the the left and the right to the tiled floor and wooden cramped bar that does not make it the easiest place to get a drink but is part of its charm and it has meant the style and architecture of the bar has not been compromised to help this. The pub has big tall windows which allow a lot of light in and can make it quite warm on sunny days. The beer selection is good with four or five hand pumps to choose from and the beer is always well maintained (just this weekend I had an especially good pint of Landlord) and the atmosphere is always relaxed and the food is worth a gander with the Southern Fried Chicken a highlight. The Landlord is often visible and very welcoming and approachable which is another sign of a good pub and after not visiting the pub for my first year I can now not think of a reason not too.

The small but grand entrance and bar area

5. Friends Of Ham 

The big tables really help with the social feel

One of the new kids on the block Friends Of Ham has already become a must visit on my ventures around Leeds. I do not know whether it should be classed as a pub, bar or something completely different...the sign says Charcuterie.  All I know is it has brought something different to Leeds and it is very welcome. The small entrance into a nondescript deli style front gives an indication of the food on offer, Meats and Cheese platters galore. The beer selection at the bar which does have a feel of an old shop counter perhaps more than a normal pub bar is full of beers from Bristol to Baltimore and on my frequent trips I have seen a variety of ales I have not come across anywhere else and there is always something worth trying. The bar staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and will talk you through any of the drinks on sale and it is nice to meet people who can aid you into new waters. Downstairs is the seating area of Friends Of Ham and it has a very relaxed feel about it. The layout is very social with over sized tables for customers to share with others and a shuffleboard table seems very popular. There are board games and books dotted around to play and read. The sense you get from the place is that some people may spend many hours in there, It feels like a Sunday afternoon bar but really that is doing it an injustice as it is good any day or night of the week. The meat and cheese platters are exquisite and are a nice addition to the table to go along with your chosen drink. Friends of Ham has been able to tap into a market as it really offers something different and it shows with the varied clientele and will be around for a long time.

This is my personal and current top 5 places in Leeds City Centre and is in no way a slight on any of the other fantastic pubs in Leeds,  2 of the pubs on the list would not have been on their 12 months ago and it goes to show the quality and depth in Leeds and who knows who would make the list in another 12 months.

Honourable mentions to places that could have easily also been in the top 5.......The Hop, The Scarborough Hotel, North Bar, The Botanist, The Packhorse, The Midnight Bell, The Cross Keys, The Ship.

As the weather is changing the next entry on the blog will be about my favourite places to drink with outside areas in Leeds.