Old Bridge Inn, Kirkstall A Pint Of Ale Pub Review
A good pub beside the canal and railway, The Bridge has perhaps one of the best beer gardens in Leeds.
An early morning walk from Pudsey to Leeds along the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath brought us to on old regular of ours, the Old Bridge Inn in Kirkstall at opening time. We used to work near here and this was a favourite place of ours although it used to be very up and down in terms of its beer quality. It had been a while since we last visited as part of our 2005 Grand Adventure, so we thought we’d pop in for a swift pint.
The pub stands next to the road bridge over the Aire and the railway in Kirkstall. Positioned between a student halls of residence and a small shopping complex, there is plenty scope for clientèle. It’s a pretty pub from the outside with well-kept hanging baskets inviting you in. The main bar area is L-shaped with a wood-panelled bar and a large fireplace with stove. Above the fireplace is a mounted stag’s head. A couple of fruit machines, a juke-box selection panel, TV and a golf machine are scattered around the room. Stairs lead down to a lower bar and perhaps one of the best city beer gardens we know. We’ve spent many a lunchtime under the sun with the river running by and the odd train rattling its way to Skipton or beyond.
On tap during our visit was Greene King IPA and Black Sheep. We admit to not trying either as it was so early and we were thirsty from our walk. We drank coke! Being barely 11 in the morning, the pub was understandably quiet but one or two loners wandered in, followed by a couple ready for their lunch. It’s difficult to comment on the atmosphere although the barman was chatty enough and seemed a friendly sort.
