Best pub in Leeds, I reckon. Really good selection of beers…read moreand very friendly staff. Good amount of space to sit outside if it happens to be a sunny day. Food is always nice. Sunday roast in particular is delicious. MASSIVE Yorkshire pudding!

Despite having lived in leeds for a number of years, moving out to Bramley still felt like another…read moreworld. So to have a long time resident (and now housemate) say on my first night in, "there's this brilliant pub down the road. You can go there for a drink and just to chill out", well it seemed too good to be true. It takes years to find that perfect little spot where you can get the beer you like for the price you want, surrounded by people who don't vex you or drink till they want to fight you. Where you can chat if you want, or squirrel yourself away with a pint and a book if you don't.... doesn't it? Well apparently not. I found the renovated Bridge to be incredibly welcoming. Really comfortable,an authentic pub. The staff are really nice and are happy to chat away. The beers (being Kirkstall brewery) are all excellent. Some of the "guest beers" are a little on the pricey side but that ok (Save them for your birthday). Upstairs is a very nice "proper pub" setup and the downstairs (which you could be forgiven for missing) is another bar entirely, with little nooks to hideaway in and access to outside. Its also where they keep the loos so be sure to go looking for it eventually. They have a quiz night, which is a win. They're set in a really nice area. And if you want they'll serve you next to any drink in a tankard (these things matter you see). I've not tried the food but i'm sure it'll do the trick if the rest is anything to go by. I've been three times in my first week in bramley and will probably make a habit of going much more often. Well done guys :-)

We stopped here soon after they opened for lunch, having just finished visiting the abbey. The…read moreserver lady behind the bar was very hostile and rude while taking my order, unable to handle a simple clarifying question. It was the most disappointing experience we've had across all the many British isle cities we've visited. Disgusting. Ruined an otherwise perfect morning.

Some pubs are more adept at providing an eating environment than a drinking environment, which is…read moreseemingly the case with the West End House in Kirkstall. The bar area gets sort of eclipsed by tables of people enjoying the food, which is unsurprising due to the quality of it. Unlike the frozen-microwaved fare that most pubs settle for nowadays, the food here is rustic, hearty and exactly what a pub should offer. It's slightly more expensive than most pub-grub but it's much, much better so this is unimportant. But, it is a pub after all, and perhaps it should be more accommodating to those who wish to drink, rather than those who want to eat. Unfortunately, the drinking area is small, and the beers, like the atmosphere, are often flat.

Having been back once again to a warm reception, great beer selection and friendly locals I feel…read morethe need to reinstate my love for this fantastic pub. There's not much more to add to what's already been declared, except that even on a Saturday night this is the loveliest place you hope to grab a pint. No louts, no fancy dress Otley runners, no hassle - just a fabulous place in which to consume your favourite tipples. If you need advice on what to sup, these guys are expert in here, even the odd person propping up the bar might chime in. Love it. Yet again, props to the wonderful bar staff who always patiently allow me to finish my beer at almost 11.30pm - it's always appreciated. Got to check out their Monday quiz sometime, I'm sure it'll be one of the best around!

Before I was of drinking age, I barely noticed Arcadia, and any notice I did pay to the place left…read moreme thinking it was a cafe for some reason. To be fair, on first glance, it does look to be more of a cafe than a classy wine bar, with its simple exterior and location amongst run-of-the-mill shops such as Wilkinsons and Sainsbury's. Once you realise it's actually a watering hole and go in, however, you are rewarded - music plays quietly, old connoisseurs and occasionally wealthy students alike sample the various continental beers (the best of which is Erdinger) and wines, a few lone readers and writers sit about with papers or notebooks, and a couple play one of the many free board games on offer. Arcadia is different from anywhere else in Headingley in terms of it's atmosphere, it's booze, and what it offers. However, it's rates are similar to some places in Headingley - the pricey ones.

Viva Cuba is a brilliant Tapas bar, far and away the best in Leeds in my book…read more It's easily missed really, inside an ordinary looking building that looks more like it should house a bank than a funky restaurant. Because of this, I had gone past it on Kirkstall Road for years, without really ever noticing it, but a group of my friends have been eating there every week for the last few months, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I joined them a few weeks back. It's the sort of place with that has an effortlessly cool decor and atmosphere - the dark wooden interior and loud (but not too loud) music are the main reason that the place has such an informal, relaxed atmosphere. Onto the food - I've eaten tapas in Spain a fair few times, and I have to say, this place recreates the real thing better than anywhere else I've eaten at, including a few places IN Spain. The usual dishes are present, but they all seem elevated to a higher level than other tapas bars - particularly the chorizo and the olive bread. Oh my. In short, it's authentic, it's cheap, it has an amazing atmosphere and attracts amazing people, and it should be tried by anyone remotely interested in tapas.

Been here a few times now and the food is always well cooked and service is spot on…read more The only small negative is, that despite asking our waitress if it would be possible to bring our 13 separate dishes to our table not all at the same time, as has happened before, she totally ignored our request. As I said earlier the food is delicious but with 4 people on a table with 13 dishes, you feel really cramped and a lot of food is cold when you finally get round to eating it. Surely it would make more sense to bring out 3 or 4 dishes at a time.

As Cardigan Fields' resident public house, the pun-heavy Aire of the Dog does a solid job of…read moreproviding a place to booze within what is basically a family entertainment park. My only experience here was when me and a gang on friends went here because the film we were going to see at the neighbouring cinema was sold out and we had to wait an hour for the next showing. So we ventured in here, not expecting to come, and not expecting such a well rounded pub experience in such a family orientated place. We were served quickly despite it being quite busy inside, and two of my mates decided to fill the hour's wait by ordering pub grub from the two for £10 offer. I expected their food to be of the poor quality that you often get in these pub meal deals, but when their plates came, the portions were huge, and while the food looked basic, it was gorgeous (I finished my mate's burger off, wimp). The atmosphere was friendly inside, and we all left feeling rather glad that our film-viewing had been delayed an hour.

There is something about cinema complexes that brings out the worst in food. I'm not sure why, it…read morejust does. You've probably guessed then that I'm not really a fan of chain tasteless joints or fast food outlets. That's why it's nice to actually have a pub near the Vue complex on Kirkstall Road . Don't get me wrong, when I first went past it I never ventured in. Why would it be any good? However, when trying to kill 30 minutes before meeting my friends I chanced it and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a decent pub, hoorah! Yes, it really is. Nice booze selection, helpful staff and nice inside. A perfect stop off point before a film. In summer, the beer garden claims to sit 50 people and inside you'll get all your live sport and usual mod con bonus'. The added bonus is the food looks tasty as well and with all the promotions they have on is a real goer on the old purse. Maybe mass entertainment factories such as Kirkstall won't be the death of good food, real pints and the like. Good form and a cheeky little name too.

I can see myself in The Arc. No, really, look. In the glass? Alright, so, that was a rubbish joke…read morebut come on - you got any better? Add them in the chat bit why dontcha. Anyway, The Arc, isn't it nice to look at? All curvy. Like a good woman. And glassy. Like, er, a pint glass? See what I did there? Let's cut to the chase, The Arc looks nice. It's swanky on the inside too. There's comfy seats, the usual 'we're an alright bar, look at us, we're all shiny' interior that some bars proffer. My tip? Go for food in the day. Not at night. It's more expensive than it's Headingley contemporaries, which means it gets a quieter more mature crowd. It's good to go if you're after a quiet drink, but not on a weekend - when it's heaving with Headingley's young professionals. And aspirational unprofessionals.

Like most bars in Headingley, you may have to fight your way through the throng of students to find…read moreyourself a seat, but The Arc has something else going for it that other establishments don't Steak n Chicken Tuesdays. Does what it says on the tin. Steak and chips or chicken and chips for £5.95 (it went up 95p a couple of months ago and I was distraught). Bag yourself a nice bit of sirloin and some very tasty BK-esque fries, along with a pint, for under a tenner. Unless they've had new staff though, watch your boyfriends, ladies. The waitresses aren't backward at coming forward. Cheeky bints. UPDATE I went here last night to bag a bargain steak and it was delicious. Cooked to perfection, with a lovely mushroom sauce for an extra quid, with yummy fries and a salad, and a glass of the house red, and some belgian waffles to follow. Can't fault the food, it was bang on. The service, however, was TERRIBLE! Our waitress was not only rude, but stupid! Before we'd even sat down she had mumbled the specials at us and demanded 'so do you want a drink?'. We ordered dessert, and I'd asked for cream rather than ice cream with mine, which I didn't get, and after the plates were unceremoniously slammed on our table we wondered quite how we were going to eat our waffles given that all we had were the knives that had been left on the table when our steak ones had been brought over. I called the stupid/rude waitress over and asked if we could have some cutlery, which caused her to blink a couple of times, look at our knives, say 'cutlery? You want cutlery?' like it was the most ridiculous thing she'd heard of, because we clearly had cutlery on our table (two knives - they're cutlery, right?), and then when I said 'yes, to eat our dessert with', she stomped off and brought back a fork and spoon each, which she carried with the eating end and put her stupid/rude fingers all over. I enjoyed tipping with the coppers in the bottom of my purse. Also, the place was full of ridiculously posh Headingley student people, who annoy the sh*t out of me with their 'Well I got two Bs at A-level, so Daddy bought me a Mini Cooper and new veneers rah rah rah snort snort'. Shut up. Seriously.

Well I may've just hit the wrong side of 30 but I still like to think of myself as down with the…read morekids. Please someone tell me I am still cool and can legimately dance in clubs and eat greasy kebabs at 4 in the morning. Just to make sure I've decided to venture into student land and the Three Horseshoes fits the criteria. That's not to say it's exclusively what it is, not at all. You can grab yourself a real ale but it's also good on the more mass market drinks and appeals to your purse more than some city centre counterparts. It is geared for a good drinking session though if that is what you want and a Sunday watching the football with mates is always a winner. You can even cram in a nice roast and make a day of it. You'll find an eclectic mixture of people too but if you don't like students, you may not like it. But if you really don't like students, what's the matter with you anyway?!? Go stand in the naughty corner in the beer garden. Oh and they do regular quiz nights too so you can show off your knowledge or lack of it to the world at large. Just keep me away from the Strongbow please or it could get messy. After all I'm not 21 any more.

The Three Horseshoes, located on the corner of the road-fork in Far Headingley, is very similar to…read moreits neighbour Woodies. Like Woodies, it probably houses more locals than students on an average day, and, like Woodies, it is a rather traditional ale house which is always a good place to start your evening. It is also a good place for watching sports, with televisions seemingly on every last wall, and it has ample room for smokers or alfresco drinkers, with benches at the front and back of the establishment. One area in which it is markedly different from Woodies, however, is it's food - probably the best pub grub in Headingley: cheap, tasty, huge portions, and served quickly. Because of this and the other things mentioned, the this place gets more stars than it has Horseshoes.

Woodies is probably most well known for being the start of the Otley run (although, traditionally,…read moreit should be started at the Lawnswood Arms in Adel), but there is much more to this place than merely a starting post for a pub crawl. As is is on the very edge of Headingley, it has as more locals than students, and as such feels more authentic than some of the drinking holes in Headingley, something that is evident by the fact that it still calls itself an 'ale house'. One of the best things about Woodies is this devotion to ale: it serves, for example, Deuchars, a fruity pale ale that you are unlikely to find anywhere else in Headingley (except maybe Arcadia). There is a pool table, a dart-board and a huge projector screen for important sporting occasions, as well as a huge heated smoking area out the back. The food is good and cheap, like the drinks, and you never have to wait too long to get served. Woodies is undeniably a good place to start your evening, but it's not a bad place to finish it either.

To be honest, a pub that serves a decent selection of real ales, including guest beers, has go to…read moredo a lot wrong for me to get less than four stars, but has to be something really special to get five. And for me that sums Woodies up - great real ale pub but lacking a special something that would earn that 5th star. Situated at the top end of Headingley. I nipped in there for a pint last night for the first time in ages with Mr MacDoo on our monthly Date Night. There was a decent range of ales on. I went for the lovely Golden Sheep by Balck Sheep Brewery. We're out of term time at the moment, but there was still a group of students in the customary fancy dress that comes with doing the Otley run (for those not familiar, this is a big pub crawl that starts at the top of Otley Road and takes you right down towards the city centre. If you stay standing that long!) Thankfully, Woodies is the first pub on the Otley run so the revellers weren't too rowdy and things hadn't got that messy yet! Woodies has a pool table and a big screen tv for sports events, as well as smaller tvs dotted about the place. There are also a couple of nice little hidey spots when you can have a bit more privacy and enjoy a quieter drink. The beer was lovely and the atmos nice. I'll definitely return again.