Pint Of Ale

North Bar is one of the best bars in Leeds and all seem to be agreed. It’s in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide year after year and was recently voted by the Observer Food Monthly as the Best Bar in Britain. It also happens to be one of Pint of Ale’s favourite bars too!

The establishment is far from imposing and you’d be forgiven for simply walking on past. It’s a narrow place with blue-framed floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a pretty standard shop door. Once inside, the narrowness is evident as you are drawn through the dark, industrial-feeling interior towards the bar. The floors are plain wood and art hangs on the walls. This changes frequently so there is always something interesting to look at if the beer menu does not occupy you all day. The chairs are wooden, the tables aluminium and there are large air conditioning ducts above. The feeling is friendly though and in no way pretentious. The clientèle ranges in age and this is not a bar that caters for one ‘type’.

The choice of beers is astounding. They are printed on the back wall and the list takes some reading. The beers are arranged by country of origin and the list is truly global. We did a rough estimate and guessed that there were about 60 beers, but some websites tell us it’s nearer 70.

We counted some 16 taps on the bar serving chilled lagers, continental beers, weissbiers, cherry beers and more. There were two hand pumps. One was off and the other was serving a Roosters beer. There are several glass fronted fridges behind the bar full of different bottles, most unfamiliar, exciting and enticing.

We opted for a bottle of Paulaner Weissbier after a friendly conversation with the knowledgeable barman who helped us make our choice. And a good choice too - the beer was smooth, pale and tasted fantastic.

In all, North Bar is one of our favourite places in Leeds and is well worth a visit. We feel another Grand Adventure coming on - over the course of several weeks, can we drink every one of the North Bar’s beers!!?