Pin

This turned out to be a a very unexpected 2^nd first of the day after having a very epic lunch at Rare.
Pin has lots of comfy places to rest your behind.
There are games in a corner if that is your thing or you can bring your own, as we did.
I had a Leeds Pale Ale as it followed on very nicely from the Jaipur that I was drinking at Rare. But there was no shortage of beers, tea and coffee.
In fact the coffee was endless as you could have a re fill for no extra charge.
They don’t do food but is you want to order in yourself a pizza then that can be handled at the bar.
What a brilliant idea.
They have a projector and screen for all the major sporting events if that is your thing.
Spent a lovely relaxed afternoon in here and I will definitely be back.

Pin is unlike all it’s brethren within the Leeds Brewery bar group but is none the worst for it. First is is pretty small with a small bar area and only seats for about 35 people. However, this provides an intimate atmosphere (provided you get one of those seats).
Second, is that Pin is set up as a live sports bar and is a good bet for football, rugby and perhaps more surprisingly NFL games. Check out the bar’s twitter feed for confirmation of what is showing on any given day. It is my go to venue in Leeds for live sport.
Thankfully the sport never takes over as this could make the bar a smaller version of walkabout (a bad thing). Instead, you can take it or leave it. Today, for example, only half the bar is interested in the rugby so you shouldn’t let this put you off if a quiet drink is all you have in mind. If you do, you will certainly find something of interest on the real ale front thanks to the aforementioned Leeds Brewery connection.

It’s got to be one of the smallest bars/​pubs in Leeds hasn’t it? And while we’re at it, is it a bar or is it a pub? And yes, it’s in a weird location where you pretty much have to be local or want to walk out of your way to find it. And yes, the toilets are small and wallpapered in the pages of magazines and comics from when the pub/​bar was opened. And yes, it doesn’t have the largest menu, and what the do serve is for the most part bought in whole.
BUT… once you get beyond all that you realise that Pin is a stunning little place that works because of all of those things!
It’s bijou; or as the real estate folks would call it, cosy (a PIN is, I believe, actually the name of the smallest sized cask that you can cram beer into) and with the sofas and homely furniture it has a friendlier vibe than lots of Leeds’ bar scene could muster on their best days. It’s not got the greatest food or beer menu, but what it does have is perfect for the local customer base — it’s Leeds Brewery beers, and PieMinister pies with mash… homely, good quality and very reasonably priced.
And it’s with this homely vibe in mind that the staff fulfil their tasks — they get to know your name and call you by it, they get to know your usual and ask you if you want it, the whole place is almost set up as an extension of your lounge.
And then you get on to extracurriculars … every pub in Leeds has a quiz these days, and one day maybe someone should create a league table of the best in town, but Pin goes beyond this with poker nights, cheese & wine nights, board games, and events around TV specials like Eurovision, Football and Christmas/​New Year. In this, Pin, and to a wider extent all of the Leeds brewery pubs, are less about places to go to get drunk, and more about places to go to have fun with friends and family.
Beyond the initial faux niggles? it’s opening hours, which are evenings only for the most part, it’s cider selection, which is mostly just Addlestons and Rekorderlig (yuk), and how full it gets around any kind of TV spectacular.

Reviews on here made me want to try this place out, so I tried it out last night and I have nothing bad to say all very positive…
Lovely staff, recommended very good wine at a reasonable price.
Good selection of drinks — wine, beer, cocktails.
Tasty Pies full of filling with good quality mash and mushy peas as a bonus.
Cheap, well good value for money anyway.
Board games on offer.
Chilled but then later buzzing atmosphere.
Variety of seats to suit your mood and group.
Highly recommend this place and will be going back :)

Just recently stumbled upon this please, and was pleasantly pleased… good atmosphere and very friendly staff. To be honest I don’t think I’ve received better service at a bar in Leeds. And while it was great for the bartender to recommend a beer for a wine lover like myself (a beer that most wine lovers like) — a sour not too bad beer from Beligum — what I didn’t like was the price… £8 for a bottle of beer! Maybe I take that back about the service — who recommends a really expensive bottle of beer without telling you the price???

Last night I was treated to a mini bar crawl in this area, which I’ve never actually explored before. But Pin was probably my pick of the bunch.
It’s not a place I’d easily stumble across — luckily I was with someone who knew the area well so knew where it was. However it is a little treat. The main plus point is the selection of drinks available. Whilst my friends went for a bog standard pint (of Amstel if I remember right, which is decent enough), I was compelled to try one of the less ordinary pints. I don’t remember the name of it, but it was lovely, and trying the many drinks that I’ve not tried before is definitely the thing to do here.
Another pointer was the quality of the bar staff. Well, the one guy who was there anyway! He was very informative about the drinks and was happy to have a chat about the various drinks (Raging Bitch definitely needs to be tried at some point!). There was also a guy sat at the bar who was similarly chatty about them, which was nice to find.
We didn’t spend long here, but I’ll definitely be visiting again to sample more of their selection.

So, as times change so businesses do too, and it’s true what Tyler says: Pin has changed a little. However, change is no bad thing and whilst on my last visit I was unable to get some delicious home made chips, their platter of delights more than made up for it. I don’t know what it is, but for me chips are almost like a security blanket in food, so I was worried about being hungry simply dining on a cold meats platter. Not so.
I enjoyed olives, delicious cheese, pickle, pork pie, and all manner of other tasty bits. The staff, as ever, were a total delight and so friendly which really makes the world of difference in a proper pub. (Which this isn’t, since it’s a bar, but it’s a pub at heart.) The selection of ales has grown and sampling each one prior is a great way to check what you’re having. As well as some seriously cosy seating, the loo’s as funky as ever with its random magazine cut outs, and the overall ambiance means you can do nothing but relax.
A favourite spot in Leeds in a gorgeous little area where you can surround yourself with good folk, food and good beer.

My goal on visiting Leeds was to try some real ale and pork pie.
I got to savour both at this funky spot. Great cold meat plates and a fine selection of ales. The bartender let us sample before trying which was great.
Definitely a good spot for one or two pints.

Recently the pin has gone through a but of an identity change. I never went into the pin before the refit but I’ve been told it was just ok. After I found out they were going to be changing the feel of the pub to more of a bar that focused on beer I was intrigued. I arrived a little past 8 on a Friday evening and sadly the bar didn’t have very many people inside of it, but that didn’t stop me from admiring the new taps and attempting to see the new bottles. The way the bar is set up it makes it quite difficult to see the new bottles but they have examples of some of the bottles they gave on display on shelves behind the bar. If only the fridges were a bit higher so you could see the selection of bottles is my only gripe that and sadly the price you pay for some of the brews but it’s to be expected at this style of bar. Lovers of real ale are catered to as well with 2 of Leeds brewery regular brews on one seasonal and a guest along with an American craft keg line.
All in all the refit has done winders and I will return to sample some more wares. If you interested they will be launching their brew called Hellfire in a week or so.

PIN for breakfast, lunch and dinner (okay fine breakfast, dinner and tea) — it’s all good!
BREAKFAST — Just the right amount of grease on your Full English. Yum.
LUNCH — It doesn’t get much better than the £6 lunch deal. Filling and tasty sangas and a nice local pint.
DINNER — Great fish and chips!
Note: I wouldn’t recommend sharing the sharing pie. It isn’t quite big enough for two!

Making up a third of the formidable Leeds Brewery group, Pin is a charming and contemporary café bar to have in the neighbourhood.
Like its two Leeds based siblings, Pin offers a range of their own brewed ales, namely Leeds Best, Midnight Bell and Leeds Pale. All have a deliciously silky finish, packed full of flavour and an excellent discovery for the passionate ale drinker. If your preferred tipple comes in the form of a cocktail, the extensive list at Pin will not disappoint. A vast array of classics are on offer, but it is the innovative list of Pin’s own creations that are most appealing.
I particularly recommend the ‘Beyond The Pale’ concoction, which consists of Leeds Brewery Pale Ale shaken with pear vodka and apple schnapps and finished with blackberry liqueur. The savoury notes of the ale provide a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the other components. I realise the drink sounds like the work of a maverick, but I was truly convinced after sampling their work.
Pin serves a limited but tasty selection of food consisting of generously proportioned sandwiches, salads and snacks. The evening menu offers a range of classics with a few unique dishes to accompany them. Expect to find beer battered fish and chips with pea purée alongside pan fried rabbit on a bed of roasted root vegetables with a rhubarb jus. Locally sourced ingredients create this excellently priced fare.
Although this café bar may not receive the same level of exposure as their counterparts, The Brewery Tap or The Midnight Bell and may be smaller in size, Pin deserves to be recognised for providing a relaxing environment to enjoy a good pint and a snack.

Pin allowed me to indulge in my latest obsession with cask ales (see also: real ale.)
I enjoyed sitting next in the window yesterday, nursing a Leeds Best (the local brewery’s classic Yorkshire Bitter) and chatting away to a new friend. An added extra treat was the sweet white poodle I petted while drinking my beer. I do love a bar with a dog-​friendly policy!
I thoroughly enjoyed the unflustered atmosphere of Pin; it’s a place I would want to hang out in a lot. I’m excited to go back and try more of their beverages and sample the food on offer as well!

Pin Bar has recently come under new management and has improved in various ways, but it’s still not somewhere I frequent too often.
The drinks selection is okay — nothing to shout about — and pretty much the same could be said for the food. It’s rather pricey for what you get.
The venue is small, intimate on an evening and probably somewhere worth nipping into if you’re in town, but don’t go out of your way.