Biased and heavily rotarised staff. Preference of the "sensible" which is highly off-putting, as is…read moretheir language and psychological barriers. Not enjoyable to drink to at all with their lack of empathy. Yikes.

Were a declaration of love to be made to this pub, it would only be fair that it came fully attired…read morein some kind of grunge-y dress, loose long hair, a pint of their finest ale in one hand, and possibly a banjo or kazoo in the other. That might not make much sense, but until you've snuck in through the doors, and beseated yourself at their bar, you probably won't get what I'm talking about. It's a place of excellent real ales, fantastic old school proper pub décor, the most friendly and chilled out bar staff, and some of Leeds' finest rock and acoustic music. I'll admit, I'm not even nearly regular enough to describe the range of bands that play here, but every time I hear of a gig I regret not having made it across town to sup amongst the regulars and musos. Cross Cut Saw play here, for goodness' sake. (And if you've not had the pleasure of their fine sounds, you're missing out.) They've recently (although how recent, I couldn't say) had a beer garden extension out the back, and it's a fantastic little enclosure. I mean enclosure, as you're safely gated in from the flotsam and jetsum that might wander by on Kirkgate, and safely ensconsed in a space decorated by decking, cool shaded benches, interestingly arranged architecture where old-mysterious iron stairs meet new build high rises, and a piano bursting with plant life. The old outhouse loo still remains. For real. Those with a thirst can sup on a range of local and guest ales, from dark to light, and if you're feeling fruity there's always a Southern Comfort and coke. Do not call it Soco, no one will serve you. (Well, they probably would, but you'd lose my respect - if that counts for anything.) Be wary not to make the same mistake I did, and wander into the men's instead of out the back door. That was embarrassing. On our recent visit, post Yelp supper club at Tong Palace, we were even served after last orders because the bar lady forgot we'd snuck outside to drink. There's not many a pub that'd be so kind these days. Come the winter months, when the weather turns, you'll struggle to find as cosy a spot, complete with brilliant beardy old ale-ers, students, music lovers, and general good folk. It's a keeper.

After a long day, post-launch for Yelp's Passport Event, I was in need of some serious sustenance…read more A few folk had already planned for a few pints in The Palace, so after the clean down, I bobbed along to join them and grab a drink. (Non-alcoholic sadly, still on antibiotics.) There, gleaming on the side of the bar, was a Sunday Roast menu-happy days! Of course, that was exactly what I desired. We all picked our fare, from the choice of lamb, beef, chicken and nut roast. I opted for the beef, which came in at just under £8. Fortunately the kitchen was still open at 8pm -if it's busy they'll serve until about 10pm, but things had quietened off due to the rain. Even so, we were grand. The chicken, it has to be noted, is a whole half a chicken and the lamb (just under £12) is a lamb shoulder -so if you're hungry, go for those options. The service was fabulous; all the staff we dealt with were super friendly, helpful and full of smiles, which goes such a long way. The range of drinks is fantastic -there are plenty of good ales to choose from, and the pub itself is a beautiful building. They've tons of outdoor space for the summer months, with tables and umbrellas out front, and a sheltered space out back. The only let down, unfortunately, was the food. I'm still a fan of this pub, as the locals seem pretty friendly, and it's a great place for a pint, but I doubt I'll dine here again. The 'roast' potatoes clearly came from some kind of Aunt Bessie's style frozen packet, the Yorkshire was a little overly crispy, and the beef was a little tough. It was late in the day, so that perhaps accounts for the beef, but the overall standard of the food just wasn't quite worth the £8 paid! The gravy was delicious, and I thought it was a reasonable portion, though. Somehow, if I'd have paid £5, I'd have felt it was worth it. Perhaps I'm a roast dinner snob. I've not tried the quiz, so can't comment on Hannah's poor experience, except that hopefully no one else has had similar treatment! Regardless, this is a fabulous spot for an excelllent pint, and plenty of warmth and welcome from the lovely bar tenders -if anything, definitely go along for the range of ales and proper pub style vibe.

Came in at 1pm and it was quiet, ordered a Peroni which was minging like vinegar so took it back…read more The barman could not have been more apologetic and sorted it right out resulting in me having a good pint. Asides the staff testing the beer before they open I could not expect better service so credit to the guy with the long blonde hair behind the bar. Can't comment on food etc but the other customers seemed happy. There was a few regulars in too so if you are in the area and want a beer get stuck in. There's a good selection of lagers and 10+ hand pulls. (While I am editing this for spelling mistakes please may I add: Pay rise please for the long blonde haired lad behind the bar. Unless he was the landlord. )

On the site of one of the cities best loved fish & chip shops Leeds Brewery has opened its 6th city…read morecetre effort, and by golly it's a far cry away from all that has come before it. The smart, clean yet pedestrian look & feel that is the signature of its other pubs is gone and instead the guys behind it have gone for what I can only describe as a younger, more bar-like feel... I was there at the opening on Friday and my first thoughts were that it reminds me a little of a combination of Call Lane Social and Jakes Bar with a smattering of The Adelphi for good measure. Unclad brickwork, wooden floors, period bookcases making up the bar... some might see it as grungy (in a bad way), I choose to see it as what it really is - a pub with personality that is striving to be different. And this doesn't end with the decor, the staff are a bunch of smiling happy young people who really add to the feel of the place; though it does appear that it may be the first bar job for a few of the guys and girls behind the bar, and I'm hoping that training and experience will square away some of the more crazy teething problems that were experienced on the opening nights (a large vodka and coke being delivered in a pint glass for example). The drinks are what you would expect and match the other pubs from the Brewery, which is to say they have some really good Leeds Brewery ales supported by guest ales from around the country, finished off with a random selection of lagers, ciders and spirits to complete the offering. Whilst I've not yet been in and tried the full food menu, if the finger food on the opening night was anything to go by then I'm expecting the usual high standard of freshly prepared grub to be coming out of the kitchen to delight the tastebuds. I'm assured that the fish & chip heritage of the site will not be followed through and that battered sausages will not be making an appearance on the menu. The only real negative about the pub is the location, it's about 3 minutes walk out of the city centre's centre, and in an area that most I've talked to have described as 'rough'... we, and more importantly Leeds Brewery, can only hope that The Crowd of Favours marks step one in having rid of this impression for the whole area - either way, the young trendy crowd that were propping up the bar on Saturday definitely seemed not to care too much about how it, as they danced to the DJs tunes until they were thrown out at closing!

Visited Leeds from Chicago for a month, and Crowd of Favours became my favorite of the pubs I had…read morevisited. Not pretentious, the staff was very welcoming, and we had Sunday brunch twice during my visit, and all attending thought it was quite good.. Saw O Brother, Where Art Thou on a secret cinema night, and it was a great time. Came the next week and drank white Russians while watching The Big Lebowski. It's a great, warm place and I hope I get to go again.

Sitting proudly in the iconic Calls Landing building, this little restaurant and bar is cool and…read moreinviting. Billed as a stew and oyster kitchen, the menu does not apologise for offering a limited choice. Nor should it, the quality of the food more than justifies this. I have been to this somewhat hidden away place for stew on numerous occasions and have never been disappointed. The specials board displays the chalked up daily fare, and recently I have enjoyed a Cumberland sausage and root vegetable casserole topped with seeds, natural yogurt, cheese and rocket. The quality of the meat was apparent, the vegetables were beautifully caramelised and the topping added that extra flavour and texture. The oysters are presented in a small counter packed with crushed ice, and are accompanied with a variety of dressings when served. Calls Landing also offer cheeses and cold meats, this antipasti providing the ideal partner to a tipple or two. On the bar, inviting barrels of succulent olives nestle up to an attractive array of cupcakes. The bar is always adorned with wonderful cask ales on draught, I have renewed my love of the Bishops Finger ale as a result of this. Bottled beers, wines and spirits are also well stocked and varied. Locality of ales and produce is of the utmost importance here, which is wonderful to see. I can not speak highly enough of this sister venue to lovely Leeds based shop Simpsons, the highest of my accolades it does receive.

This is a pleasant, unassuming real ale pub halfway between, say, the Leeds Royal Armouries and the…read morecity centre. The inside is not so special, but there's a terrace from which you have a nice view onto the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The selection of hand-pumped real ales is very good indeed, and the beers themselves are well-kept and always fresh. Prices are moderate. Staff are usually nice and helpful. A bit off the beaten track, but worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Well it was so gosh darned good, warm, welcoming and gorgeous to look at that we went back the very…read morenext day for lunch! This is SUCH a friendly pub, I already feel like a regular. The conversation simply flows organically between the bar and the patrons because it is such a homely relaxed environment. Everyone who came in said 'Hello' to the rest of the room, so rare and harking back to a time when people really DID know your name- it reminds me so much of the village pubs I worked in as a teenager, a place where you might go even for just a half pint on the way home...not for the booze but to see a friendly face or two and soak up some much needed human interaction in what is an increasingly insular and lonely world for so many. Tracy was serving and had a very restricted menu due to it being the season and all that, the delivery was due the next day but she managed to rustle us up two roast beef dinners and the richest, most dense and biggest portion of steak and ale pie I have EVER seen. The taste was fabulous. And at £5.95 for the roasts and £6.95 for the pie it was a real treat. We even managed to slug down a pudding, a fruity suet pudding with gravy for Ade and chocolate pud with icecream for me.....again epic portions and perfectly cooked- all for a mere £2.50. It was like going home for Sunday dinner...and Tracy was Mum. Just complete pleasure and contentment from start to finish. I couldn't like this place more. Please, do give it a whirl.....I promise you will fall in love x

Having read the reviews I was brimming over with excitement to visit this little diamond. The food…read moresounded incredible, the building a treasure, and the staff a delight. As is sometimes the case, reading so many high reviews, your expectations can be raised beyond the achievable and so I was hoping for magic. We mightn't have found magic, but what we did find was a truly delightful pub in the midst of Hunslet. Let me start by attempting to paint the picture of just how gorgeous the architecture is. So bizarre is it to see such an amazing building in the midst of some rather droll redbrick housing estate, that it almost beggars belief. I found it fascinating - was Hunslet previously some kind of high end area of Leeds back in its day? How did this gem come about? Fortunately, the pub has kept various historical documents as to its origins, some of which are in a display cabinet detailing the story, a lot of which are used to decorate this fabulous structure. The pub is built in traditional fashion, with a long hallway as the entry, bar and tap room to the left, snugs and little nooks to the right. It reminds me of The Grove, both delightful anachronisms, and worth visiting to gaze upon. It's also now a Grade II* listed building. We were welcomed in, and I keenly asked about the, now Yelp-infamous, lunch. We were given a somewhat cryptic response - it wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes. It wasn't really even a maybe! Apparently they'd a group booking so might not have been able to accommodate, so we ordered drinks, after hearing that is was possible potentially in an hour or so. Being now a Leeds Brewery owned spot, there's plenty of decent ale to keep you busy, whilst you have a gander and a natter. Another of our group bravely decided to ask about lunch after about half an hour, and the happy news was that they'd discovered some veg from their stores, so we could indeed dine that afternoon! I'm guessing, being so far out, that Sundays aren't always a busy affair - my advice might be to ring ahead and plan the visit, making sure they stock up before! After working out what the vegetarian in the party could eat (all the roast veg, and a veggie lasagne as the main part - random but suitable!) we ordered more drinks whilst we waited. Everyone was delighted that veggie gravy was also available. Soon enough, four stacked plates arrived before our eyes, and we tucked in. It's a proper home cooked vibe, so don't expect the likes of fine dining, but where it lacked in that area it made up for it in spades by being so damned hearty and cheap. I believe it was about six quid for a sizeable plate. The gravy, I thought, was delicious and the Yorkshire pud really tasty. I could have had several more! As much as there were quirks to the afternoon, the staff were all very lovely, and really helpful - especially since we mightn't have been fed at all that afternoon! There's nothing like a decent ale, a post-dinner game of random scrabble, a gorgeous pub, and an afternoon of laughter so for that I'm definitely a fan. I really want to come back and try the food again, especially as others have loved it so, so watch this space for an update. Another interesting thing would be to sink a few on an eve, and check out the vibe on a weekend. We'll see! Give them a visit, it's a beaut.

Comfy cosy dining area within the shopping center…read more Superb selection of roasts, I opted for Lamb. Must try when in the area. Utterly satisfying! Perfect with local brews and fresh ice cream for dessert. Excellent service as well, totally recommend!!

Whitelocks is such a fabulous place. You can sense the heritage of the pub from the ginnel, from…read morethe old fixtures, original windows, and winding thing staircase up to the loos. You can even sense it in the crazy old Victorian looking toilet - in the ladies', at least. The bar makes me feel small, as it's raised up, and the ales make me feel happy. The Saltaire they've got on tap at the moment is nectar, but I'm sure all the current range is delicious. I came here for Sunday Lunch with the Yelp crew, and it was marvellous to spend the afternoon here. Luckily, we managed to grab a table at just the right time, since it seemed packed only a few minutes later. (Golden time to arrive must be around 2pm.) Pints have gone up in price from when I last came - over £3 - but I really did enjoy my ale, so perhaps it was worth it. It's just so darned quaint inside! Love the articles on the stairs, that's a great touch. And the alleyway tables here seem a bit roomier/cleaner than their fellow ginnel pubs. Only complaint really was the food. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, huge, and nicely cooked, but there were just a few problems. The first being somehow our order was a little behind, so we ended up receiving ours much after other folks who'd ordered theirs after we had. The other was that the potatoes were a little underdone for my liking, and I wasn't much a fan of the Yorkshire. However, the rest of the table were delighted with theirs (perhaps I lost out there!) and the meat was cooked beautifully. (Beef with a touch of pink. Very nice.) Also, curiously, there was roasted beetroot - no complaints with that, it was really interesting! Regardless, it still remains a favourite spot, albeit a not-oft visited one. I'll certainly be back for more beer, and the service was supremely friendly. Always nice to get a smile!

It's a shame that all along this street there are some lovely looking pubs which, on arriving at…read morethe bar within, you realise that they are perhaps not as inviting as you once thought. I love the actual building iteself, it has the most exciting exterior work around the windows and really looks of another age. Though it has clearly been spruced up since, I wouldn't be surprised if the design was the original building. It really is cool! However, once inside it feels distinctly less cool. Scratch that. Outside the entrance it even feels less cool. With a permanent cloud of stragglers outside each of the pubs on this street, Three Legs included, clogging the street and bus shelters, you would be forgiven for changing your mind. Far from giving off a friendly vibe these locals don't exactly meet and greet. Inside the vibe is much the same, and this is the reason so few actual pubs in the city centre are a viable option to me. I love pubs, I'm from the South West for goodness sake! But not these ones, that's for sure. Yes, sadly the less than friendly atmosphere simply means I can't enjoy a pint, no matter how cheap or how well brewed it is. They have a sign stating that it is 'under new management' so perhaps that might help to reinvigorate the place. Still, I might give it a few months before trying again.

Dear God. No that…read moreisn't an expression of despair, it is actually a letter I've decided to write to God about The Three Legs. So here goes. Dear God, Apparently you gave us everything we would need to live well and happy on your favourite bouncy ball. I refer, of course, to this great Earth. In your munificence you gave us big oak trees to picnic under in summer, animals made out of tasty meat whose skin can be turned into attractive footwear, men with enormously large dingledangles to enable us endless nights of drinking cheap wine whilst watching comedy porn, apricot kernals so that our faces need never be flakey and you even went to the trouble to squish dinosaurs into oil so we could whizz around in metal cages and smash ourselves into interesting new shapes. But most of all, Lord, you gave us hops, grains, water and yeast. So why then, Almighty One, why, would you allow your manservants on Earth to build as BEAUTIFUL a monument to your cheery, beery generosity right in the centre of Leeds then let them fill it with the very worst human detritus scraped from the mudbanks of the Archeron itself? How can you sit back as it slowly slides down the many layers of increasing disappointment to the utterly, utterly, breathtakingly souless Barn of Banal that it so crushingly has become? Why Big Fella, why? Also, why when someone offers me from their bag of crisps do I invariably select the one bad, green crisp in the whole packet? Your disillusioned worm, Angelina x

This is quite a large pub with a big function room, but it's always been rather quiet when I've…read morebeen in. The staff are quite friendly, they have a pretty good jukebox and a couple of pool tables. The beer is a good clean pint and not too bad a price.

this used to be our favourite pub in the early 70`s when we used the back room with its stage as a…read morerock n roll venue, always had great beer, a wild crowd and very little trouble. dropped in for a drink a few weeks ago, still looks the same but updated a bit, still a decent atmosphere

I have been trying to think of a way to put this without sounding too harsh, but it is just not…read morepossible. Oracle actually makes me feel sick and scrunch up my face in disbelief. It is a bar / restaurant / night club on the waterfront of the river that unfortunately, like so many other bars and clubs, is a cattle market parading around falsely as a sophisticated night out. On a busy night, it is like drowning in a pond of glow stick fluid while bright orange practically naked women pout at you like delirious tropical fish from all angles (see photo of 'sexy santas'). Meanwhile the lazily produced monotonous drones of music repeatedly flick you in the face like an annoying little brother, provoking a tiresome and frustrating headache. Oblivious to any of this, it oozes with pretense, and goes about it's not-even-tactful patriarchal ways as grinning goofy men swagger around trying to look cool and control what's hopefully hidden in their trousers. The only valid reason for going here would be for comedy value, if you can stomach it.

So, Oracle has reopened during the day and I for one was very happy about this…read more If ever anyone would ask me where to go for a burger in Leeds i would have previously not hesitated in recommending this place. The menu however has now changed! And I'm not happy. The speciality here used the be their almighty burgers and the selection was fab,it has been cut down now to a very minimal selection on the menu. :-( My friend and I went for lunch last week and I was surprised to see 2/3 tables of people in there- all eating. As it's down Brewery Wharf it's pretty tucked away so some days I have been in and no other customers have been in the place. This makes the bar space a cavernous and very cold place. The bar is nice and airy, very light with the floor to ceiling windows and features lots of 'bling' style decor touches. Anyway, back to lunch. We were greeted cheerily and seated wherever we wanted. She explained the 'burger lunch special' only featured skinny fries and not wedges or sweet potatoes as says on the usual menu. Other than that its a very good deal. We ordered and sat back to people watch. There seems to be more staff here than is necessary and no-one doing too much. The manager was doing paperwork in one of the booths and another male member of staff seemed to be doing very little except stomping around flexing his muscles. May suit the evening ambiance of this place but not at lunchtime love- I'm waiting to eat! The food came quite quickly and as we had sat opposite the kitchen hatch we saw it was all freshly prepared. We'd ordered the BBQ Ranch burger, the chicken bacon & avocado burger and some cheesy garlic bread. The garlic bread was lovely- very soft ciabatta and cheesy cheese- not overly garlicky so very nice. The burgers were well presented and the portion of fries were HUGE! My chicken burger was minced chicken- a strange consistency really and the guacamole didn't really do much for it. Overall it was OK but I left about a third of it. The ranch burger was nicer, large fresh onion rings and a sweet BBQ sauce provided with it were a great addition. The fries were nice and crisp and overall it was a pleasant lunch. A couple of things let this place down- The dodgy background music The excess of staff doing little to nothing The coldness in the place I wouldn't say I'd now rave about the burgers there but it's going to be one of them places to keep in the back of my mind if I want a filling burger lunch.

The Stew and Oyster bar can be found behind the Riverplate in the Calls Landing building on Call…read moreLane in the centre of Leeds. We discovered this place only last night, having lived opposite it for nearly 18 months. All I can say is we have been missing out and I cannot believe we didn't find this place earlier. It's a small, compact little pub with soft lighting overlooking the river. Exposed brickwork and steal beams are present, preserved from the buildings history, creating an incredible atmosphere. There is a great selection of bottled and pump beers, as well as spirits and wines. We didn't try the oysters; we had the (pork) stew instead. At £5.50 for a large portion with crusty bread you can't go wrong. The service was good, it wasn't too busy and the mood was great. One critism is that from their choice of 3 deserts, none of them were left! I can only assume this was a one off, but we will definitely be returning.