Now, Wakefield can strike the fear in some of the less well travelled Yorskhire folk but sure…read moreenough, like any small town, it has it's absolute gems. I think you have to live in a city to truly seek out the best it has to offer, unless you're fantastically lucky on your constitutionals, and this place is not exactly somewhere you'd stumble upon along the standard routes through town. It's situated on a little back street, which at first glance might appear to be leading no where, but my goodness it leads somewhere. This fantastic little micro-brewery-cum-pub is an excellent venue for ale drinkers, musicians and deliberating scholars alike. I used to frequent this place as a young undergraduate with my musical companions, often with guitars in tow for an impromptu session. I distinctly remember polishing off many a half of their Moonshine, a flat pale cider if memory serves, and promptly setting off into the night merry as Christmas. That stuff was lethal! But nonetheless an excellent way to kick off the night. Although the pub catered to the CAMRA drinkers among us, it had plenty of other options, although seldom drank by myself - it was real ale or orange juice all the way, and the orange juice rarely got a look in! The décor is lovely; rustic pub paraphenalia adorns the space. The staff were always accommodating, in spite of the pandemic of us student-types flocking in each term and over all I couldn't fault this diamond in the rough.

If you happen to find yourself in Wakefield and are looking for a lovely and quirky pub - then…read moreFernandes should be high on your list. Owned by Ossett Brewery, the building which was formerly a malthouse is down a bit of a dingy alley and behind a row of small shops off Kirkgate but it's definitely worth overcoming your preconceptions and heading inside. There's a brewery in the basement, continental Bier keller on the first floor and brewery tap on the second floor, complete with high vaulted ceilings and impressive bar with 11 hand pumps. To me it looked like a cross between a saloon and the backstage of a theatre with its rescued pub signs and unusual breweriana. We loved it all. It's a comfortable, homely space to have some drinks - and it's dog-friendly. The hospitableness of the young barman with his impressive handlebar moustache just added to our enjoyment; if we didn't have to head back home we'd have easily stayed until they closed. A local gem.

Don't get to this pub enough! Recently met some friends for lunch and had a wonderful meal which…read morewas excellent value and plenty of it. A good menu selection of good, homely, traditional English pub food with the additional 'special' thrown in for good measure. Superb, great hosts and comfortable surroundings. The ale's not bad as well!! Well appointed with a plenty of car parking.

Excellent food, real ale. Licensed for weddings, banqueting suite. Reputedly haunted! Outdoor…read morechild's play area.

Best find on holiday ever!!…read more Set in a beautiful little village with a huge village green with loads of parking round and about (although im sure that on a mid summer sunny day parking may be somewhat difficult!). The pub has a bar area and a restaurant area - we only ever went into the bar as you could eat int here and it was really cosy (dogs are also allowed!). The staff were incredibly friendly and chatty (lets face it, Yorkshire, particularly North Yorkshire folk are possibly the most friendly on the planet - i challenge you to disprove this!). The food was INCREDIBLE. Nothing fancy pants, just really good food, VERY big portions (trust me on this, you dont need three courses - choose your weapon of starter or dessert to go alongside your main - we made the mistake one night and 1) couldnt eat it all and 2)pretty much rolled home). We spent an evening in the pub, had a meal and then sat playing card games - we felt incredibly welcome. So welcome that we ended up visiting three times in a week long holiday. You cant really get a better recommendation than that can you??

If you are looking for a posh night out don't go to the Unicorn but if you want to spend a pleasant…read moreevening in a friendly, traditional pub and eat excellent, freshly cooked food then head for Carlton. The chef\owner\barman\entertainer is happy to discuss any special dietary needs (he advised phoning ahead so he can be well prepared) and, although it seems an old fashioned attitude, he obviously takes great pride in his art. Looking around it appears that there are lots of music nights, quizzes etc at various times and the Unicorn has had some great themed nights.

Simple food - cooked well. Good portions, good price and…read morevery friendly staff - if you're a meat lover then you'll love this pub as you certainly get your money's worth.

So there we were driving around on Sunday looking for somewhere to have "Fathers day" lunch…read more Looking for the usual 2 for 1 or all you can eat for a fiver deals (I'm a bloke from Yorkshire, therefore I'm tight) but to no avail....... then I just remembered this place from my youth and headed over and BINGO! Big chalk board outside said Fathers day lunch £7.50, I conned the wife into going halves (she was fed up of driving round by then) so we went in. We were greeted by friendly bar staff and a more restaurant approach but in a rural pub setting which was a bit odd but good, grabbed a couple of pints of rancid old scrotum or some other cask ale and parked at the table which the waitress helpfully showed us to. The menu had a choice of 4 meals, 5 starters and plenty of puddings (desserts if you're from that London) which were all specials for the day. I chose a steak and ale pie with new spuds etc and the wife a beef dinner with all the trimmings....... service took around 10 minutes so I bought more "Armpit sweat" or "Old bags eyeball juice" or some other beer of some strange name. Believe me when I say it was worth the driving around and having to drink beer with twigs in (I don't have a beard or corduroys or a tank top so I prefer my beer twig free) as I can honestly say it was a genuinely home made pie, in a dish with just a crust on top and filled with half a cow and some fungus pieces (mushrooms of the non magic variety) all swimming in gravy that I believe was made from the tears of an angel. The vegetables were a plenty and in bowls to share between us which gets me on to the wifes choice of roast beef dinner, she said it was the best beef she's ever had and believe me when I say she's had a lot of meat in her lifetime ;) It was melt in the mouth and enough to leave her with a smile on her face and the yorkshire pudding (no that's not the wifes nickname) was fresh made and delicious. So next time you're in the Drig area or even not but want a bally good nosh (sorry I just put my Tim Nice But Dim head on) put BD11 1LJ into your Satnav, you will not be dissapointed.

After a long 'day of dance' on Saturday 8 May 2010 in Bradford, we decided to have a look around…read moreBradford on Sunday 9th. We then looked for a pub to have a proper Yorkshire sunday roast. WOW, were we lucky? This is a nice pub with nice staff but doesn't look anything special. However, the food was just wonderful! Fresh veg, proper home made yorkshire pud and real puddings too. You would expect to pay more for this. We will be back in 2011 for another day of dance and will be heading back to The Spotted Cow!! Peter Crosby near Liverpool

A wining combination of fantastic food and wonderful service make the Railway a go to spot for…read moretravelers and locals alike. A wonderful English pub nestled in a beautiful location, the decor is traditional pub but with modern upgrades to the bar, but its the food that's the real winner here. Specials listed on chalkboards around the pub offer alternates to the solid menu, i really wished i could have ordered about 5 appetizers and 6 main's but alas, only one stomach! Prawn cocktail app was traditional English, small prawns in a delicious marie rose sauce with a few slices of granary bread, this was a huge serving, could almost feed two (but there was no way i was sharing!) For mains i went light, grilled salmon with baked potato with seasonal veggies, absolutely cooked to perfection grilled salmon with a decent sized potato with carrots and green beans. Other winners at our table were the Sunday roast, meat and potato pie, ribs and chicken and the southern fried chicken. Great value, clean, and a well diverse menu make The Railway one of my favorite places to visit when i'm in England.

Very surprised to see that nobody has reviewed this great little pub-cum-restaurant yet, as it's…read morebeen popular locally for years! You can always get a really good feed, with food ranging from hearty pasta dishes to Asian favourites like Thai green curry etc. Maybe none of the food is particularly groundbreaking, but it's hard to bear for value for money and me and my wife often come here when we have someone to look after the kids. There's plenty of space and the pricing is very fair for what you get. Only minor quibble might be that the music is sometimes a little on the loud side and I always feel vaguely rushed when that's the case, but like I say: a minor quibble in what is otherwise a very nice little local haunt.

This is probably one of our favourite restaurants in Wakefield. Everytime we've been the food is…read morealways lovely, the vegetables are always fresh and the prices are very reasonable. The staff are friendly and helpful and the pub and upstairs dining room are both equally as nice to spend a couple of hours over a meal - try their Sunday dinners!!

The Hop is the best place in Wakefield to go for a pint! Plus the music is great, staff are…read morefriendly and it's beautiful inside

Recently I had an opportunity to visit The Hop in Wakefield. A friend of mine was holding his…read moreYorkshire album launch here so a bunch of us made the trip over to see the gig and had a fantastic time. The outside patio area is lovely, and a total summer necessity, with plenty of seating available. The bar inside is surprisingly large, with numerous little nooks and rooms to choose from, and various bars to drink from. The downstairs seems to be the main band area, where the heavier music is played, since when we arrived a bigger band was setting up to play. Upstairs there's the Guerrilla Rooms, where the intimate acoustic unveiling was set, a great space for gigs which accommodates at least 60 people - possibly more, I'm not great at judging space! It's a gorgeous building, with lovely brickwork and warming décor. The staff were all excellent, prompt at serving and really friendly, with a fabulous drinks selection from real ale, to foreign bears, to a range of spirits so no taste isn't catered for. It seems it's the perfect venue for a quiet drink, bustling group outing or packed out gig - somehow they've figured the magic formula that has something for all. More than anything this place injects a bit of class and personality into the Westgate (or just off Westgate) run, and they are more than worth your custom. For blues, beer and a fabulous night out this place comes highly on the hitlist.