PUB OF THE WEEK

Midnight Bell, Leeds

IT’S 15 years since Leeds Brewery opened its first pub, The Midnight Bell.

The brewery itself had been going only a year at the time so opening a pub in Holbeck, a once mighty industrial hinterland whose phalanx of redbrick flax mills and steam engine works had become an unsightly blot on the landscape, was a big risk.

Thankfully for them (and us) it paid off. ‘Holbeck Urban Village’, to use its trendy moniker, is once again at the heart of a regeneration drive that is transforming this historic quarter which hugs the southern fringes of Leeds city centre, with its gentrification, at one time a slow burn, now at full tilt.

In the intervening years Leeds Brewery has spread its wings with an ever growing empire, not only in Leeds, but also in York, though the Midnight Bell remains its ‘flagship pub.’

As such its own cask ales feature heavily here, including Leeds Best, the dark and brooding Midnight Bell, and the ever reliable Leeds Pale – a popular session ale and my personal favourite.

With its flagstone floors, oak beams and exposed brickwork, it wears its history on its sleeve but without feeling manufactured.

And there’s a warm and welcoming vibe which explains why it’s such a popular haunt for locals, office workers and, on match days, Leeds United fans.

If you get an attack of the munchies there’s a decent food menu, with crowd pleasing favourites like steak and ale pie and beer battered fish and chips, and a solid wine list with enough to keep all but the snootiest connoisseurs happy.

Whether the beer garden is “Leeds’ best” as the website claims, is a matter of opinion. But on a sunny afternoon sitting outside with a bunch of old mates enjoying a pint or three of Leeds

Pale, I will happily admit there are worse places to be.

RATINGS

Welcome ............... 5/5 Food ........................ 3/5 Drinks choice ...... 4/5 Prices ...................... 4/5

Midnight Bell, 101 Water Lane, Leeds LS11 5QN.

Tel 0113 244 5044. www. midnightbell.co.uk