The Brewery Tap

Located right by the station, it’s hard not to find yourself drawn in to The Brewery Tap.
We went in twice during our weekend in Leeds, once after lunch at Friends of Ham on a busy Saturday, and then on the way back to the station after lunch on a Monday — and the second visit was much nicer.
When we first headed in, the majority of the clientele was in the ‘lad’ category, drinking god only knows how much and taking up the majority of the bar space. However, we did get served very quickly, and a nice older Scottish man pointed us in the direction of a table that no-​one else seemed to have spotted. I went for a draught cider, which was good, and Josh went for the 7% Hawskhead. Needless to say, after that pint it was time to head to the hotel for a sit/​lie down.
On the Monday it was much calmer, with only a few other couples having a pint, and it was (naturally) a nicer atmosphere. A Thatcher’s for me this time, and a more reasonable 4%-er for the other half. On this occasion, I definitely could have spent a long lazy afternoon there.
The pub grub looks good, and is the same as The White Swan further in the city. Toilets located upstairs could do with a bit of love and loo roll.
A good place to know about if you’re keen for a drink once you’re off the train and before (or after) exploring the city.

Great beer! Great pizza! Need I say more? Love this place. And it’s right by the station so wonderful if you are trying to waste time waiting for your train

This place is always busy every time I walk past! It is popular for a reason:
Firstly it’s near the train station. It’s probably the first decent looking bar you’re gonna walk past as you enter Leeds by train, or if you’re leaving it’s the last decent bar if you’re leaving Leeds by train. Face it: people get sick of Wetherspoons or just don’t like the atmosphere! It makes sense for the office worker who lives in e.g. Skipton to have drinkies here, which means only under 1 mins stagger to the station after!
Secondly you can get a good ol’ Yorkshire Ale in here. I love the Leeds Pale which is real good ‘session ale’. If you are looking for traditional local beers that are more Yorkshire than a whippets arse then this place is a good place to start! The beers are very reasonably priced too!
I am not a fan of the atmosphere myself. Don’t get me wrong I like the chilled out vibe that exists on weekdays and the bar does look nice and is more spacey than it looks from outside. It’s just the ‘train station pub’ thing again. There’s just something about pubs and bars near train stations that just don’t work. If this place was away from the station I would score it higher!
Why would I?
It’s mainly because of the sorts of clientele that visit. ‘After work drinks’ people. The bar of course caters for this majority and this effects the atmosphere. Trendy suits and ties everywhere! The Leeds equivalents of the ‘salarymen’ in Japan. Popped collars, iPads and laptops out, confusing management speak, the awkward clash you feel of people having to be professional and socialising and not being a bore, etc, etc… It’s not what I go to a bar to hear and see. Colleagues who go out for a drink are very different from friends who go out for a drink!
Of course due to the closeness of the station you will get occasional arseholes in here too (they are dealt with professionally and with a smile!) and also the rowdy and noisy lot. This is more prevalent on a weekend evening when the ‘weekend warriors’ are out from their small arse town nobody cares about *cough*Pontefract*cough*.
In conclusion: The Brewery Tap is a great bar that is cursed by location. If you can put up with loads of suits, a bit of a tame atmosphere (which is an atmosphere that is needed at times) and on weekend evenings a load of noisy outsiders then go for it. The beer is quality and the staff are sound.
Best times to visit are probably before the office workers get let out and on weekend afternoons.

Proper Yorkshire ale at its best … And a great aerial photo of Leeds from the seventies … It gets more interesting with every pint !

Just outside the station and round the corner you’ll find a great little bar. Offering a lively post work atmosphere with a lot of the trendy suits and ties this bar sells a great range of ales and lagers.
Down the pointy end square tables and chairs give couples some privacy, whilst the bar area is open and allows service at the bar despite some crowds.
Sitting by the window gives great people watching opportunity for those that like their fashion as commuters pass by.
Great place to drop in for a pint, but it can get loud.

A very attractive modern watering hole and the chap behind the bar had beer smarts to bely his tender years. Between the different sections of the bar there were 13 ales for him to help me choose between!
Leeds Pale is a top session ale and the music to enjoy it by could hardly have been better; In Rainbows, OK Computer and The Bends. great albums in most circumstances, particularly ones that involve a relaxing beer!
The only thing I wasn’t comfortable with was the children’s party upstairs. I don’t like to encourage this practice! And nothing cuts through a pleasant beery haze like several high pitched voices (providing the backing vocals to Radiohead) giving the Hokey Cokey a proper kicking!

This was our last port of call on the famous/​infamous Ale Trail.
We had walked and drunk and walked and joined in the odd train encased sing song. Then walked and drunk… I think you get the picture.
What a lovely way to end a tiring day.
I have seen this place many a time but never ventured in.
I ordered the Leeds Best Bitter and it was the best pint of the day.
I seems to be a lot more spacious on the inside than it looks from the pavements the atmosphere was very relaxed too.
When I visited the rest room I was surprised to find a very nicely kitted out restaurant upstairs.
To the side of that is the actual brewery section of the establishment. Which was a great surprise.
I intend to pay it another visit when I am not quite as tired.

My least favourite of the Leeds Brewery stable of pubs is still a good little pub.
The long shape, the smell of «history», the long waits for food, and the train station clientele that is so changeable in its makeup… all of these things annoy me about The Brewery Tap. But hand in hand with them go reasonably priced beer, reasonably priced food, really good quality food (although again, in this area I think that The Brewery Tap as good as it is, is still the worst of the Leeds Brewery stable of city centre pubs that do full on food), and really friendly staff who even when the punters turn «arsehole» still usually manage to keep a smile on their faces. These things make me smile about The Brewery Tap.
Yes, it’s a good pub, but for my money I’d rather walk the 500 meters to either The Midnight Bell or The White Swan, both Leeds Brewery pubs and both for Leeds locals, as opposed to The Brewery Tap, which all too often feels like the last place people go before leaving the city, or the first place they go having arrived here; and in that occasionally suffers fools and often a lack of ambiance which its siblings both avoid and have in spades — respectively.

Squeeze past all the suits,
It’s a haunt for commuters.
Try the Leodis.

i love this place– its great and it quiet, with no rowdy football hooligans or ugly carpets (a clear bonus on any level). The bartenders are simply wonderful, so chatty and welcoming and yet didn’t disturb me and my piles of work that I had to do (whilst sipping on a cold beer, naturally). Perfectly situated and great for a catch up with a friend thanks to the modern, spacious layout and relaxed atmosphere.

LOVE the Leodis Dark! Oh my god it’s delicious. One sip of it and it’s like I’m whisked away to some teensy bar in Prague overlooking the Vltava Very happy with the range of beers on offer here, and really nice to talk to knowledgeable bar staff too who can recommend stuff based on what you like.

Popped in here while waiting for friends coming to Leeds on the train. Read all the reviews on Unilocal and it didn’t dissapoint. A fine brewery that serves Leeds brewery beers is fine by me. Prices are what you would expect from a place in town but I wasn’t at all expecting them to have a proper food menu. I didn’t get to try anything while I only went in there for half an hour or so but I will be going back and indulging myself in more tastiness. It seemed the place was in love with itself a bit too much but what good bar isn’t so that’s why it didn’t recieve the full 5 stars but it does deserve 4 and a half because well I’m a bit in love with the place and trying midnight belle in the near future. If you aren’t a fan of waiting in the train station for your train then stop in for a pint of Leeds best and relax till your train is due you won’t be let down.

If ever there was a reason to not judge a book by its cover (and location) this is it! Me and my partner recently took his family to this pub for tea on a Friday night. We walked in downstairs and it was loud with not much seating and I was more than a little dubious but then we discovered the upstairs part… How wrong I was! There was a decent amount of seating, it was much quieter, with great music, and although there was only a limited menu the food was faultless! The staff were very friendly and the ambiance was great. We will definitely be going back here soon!

Brilliant pub — great range of fantastic beers from Leeds Brewery, in addition to guest ales and a good range of other lagers. On a weekend the palce is lively and buzzing, and usually has a DJ playing. Great place to start an evening in Leeds if you’re coming in by train!

Ideal if you have a bit of time before your train (2 mins to the station).
Good selection of well kept ale with Leeds pale and best always on tap.
Food is pretty bog standard but would fill the gap or keep you going if thanks what you’re after.
Pub itself is nothing to write home about but is quite pleasant with wooden floors and funtional seating.
Punters are a mixed bag. Music selection hits the spot.
⁷⁄₁₀. My top choice for a pint when catching the train.

Pubs and bars in or around train stations are, generally speaking, a bit weird. I am not confident of the explanation as to why this is, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would look no further than the clientele they attract. There are usually a contingent of nervous passengers who are frightened of missing their train, and so continuously check various timepieces. Suited business types linger around, checking electronic diaries for details, and men of a certain age flock to these venues with their reasonable prices and comfortable seats.
The Brewery Tap has managed to buck the trend. As one of three Leeds Brewery supported pubs, there are an impressive range of ales on show. The customary Leeds Best, Leeds Pale and Midnight Bell ales sit proudly on the bar, their dominance providing a welcome example of regional identity for visitors and residents alike. A couple of expertly sourced ciders also adorn the bar, namely West Croft’s Janet’s Jungle Juice and Broadoak’s Premium Perry. Both originating from Somerset, these ciders are CAMRA awarded, and I personally wish to award them too. I may fashion a trophy out of tin foil, depending on how many premium strength ciders I have consumed.
The most impressive aspect of The Brewery Tap, is that they brew their own tipple in a microbrewery in the pub. It is visible for punters to enjoy a close up, when journeying up to the toilets. Just to clarify, a glass wall does seal the pumping equipment from the general public — there could be no unfortunate accidents regarding the location of the toilets.
I have only ever indulged in the bar snacks on offer at this pub, but the sticky chicken skewers I ordered were delightfully succulent. I have jealously envied other people’s food at The Brewery Tap however, practically being floated through the air with my nostrils directing me on the visible aroma, similar to a cartoon. The menu boasts a wonderful selection of pies, fish and chips, burgers and other such classics; as well as some sharing platters, ideal for sociable grazing.
The Brewery Tap hosts a quiz night every Monday evening, a pleasurable distraction to the beginning of the week. The bar shows major sporting events on a pull-​down projector screen, which is generally a civilised affair with a section cordoned off to allow other customers to retain a peaceful atmosphere.
The Brewery Tap is a brilliant venue to enjoy a drink or some food, whether you are catching a train or not. Any bar that provides me with interesting Oscar Wilde, Chuck Kilman and Albert Einstein quotes to read in the bathroom, is outstanding in my eyes.

I’ve been to the Brewery Tap a few times, it’s not far from where I live and on the same street as Leeds train station.
The bar is decorated nicely, kept clean and tidy and generally has a cosmopolitan feel going on. They have a good selection of drinks but the very best thing about Brewery Tap is the sunday lunches — not particuarly cheap (£8/​9) but absolutely worth every penny!
Very nice atmosphere, never seen it overly busy but I’m guessing it gets pretty packed at the weekend. It’s also very close to many other bars, being centrally located, so you’ve no excuse not to drop in next time you’re in town!

There should be some kind of punishment for bars and pubs being allowed in and around train stations. Not because they are rubbish or anything, it’s because I am. I’ve usually had a couple of cheeky vimtos and should really get on that train and head home but it’d be rude not to go for a swift half en route and the brewery Tap is that place.
The Brewery Tap is a really nice bar just opposite the NCP cap park and literally two minutes away from the station. There isn’t too much on New Station Street these days so it really stands out.
Inside it’s a cool little number. Really nicely finished off and a pleasant atmosphere. They’ve also got a good selection of drinks, especially as it’s not the biggest venue on earth. What is really fantastic about it though is the fact it’s independent and part of the Leeds brewery. So you can get proper Leeds beer lass, brewed in our fine city and complete with a large serving of Yorkshireness. Brilliant.
You can also get a few tasty snacks to help wash down that tasty Leeds beverage but it’s all about the drinkettes for me. It’s fast becoming a regular stop off for me on my way home and if I can keep the wealth in our Yorkshire walls, I’ll do it. Well done Leeds for a good pint and a good pub.

Bad points to me for completely underrating this place. Judging it from the outside often led me to believe it was a bit of a dive. Apologies Brewery Tap, you aint half bad. Other preconceptions were that this place is always empty and no one ever comes here. Wrong again, there was a fair hum of people when I wandered in, which again surprised me. Other surprises came in the form of the food, expecting a spicy bean burger and something labelled home made lasagne but not actually being home made I was chuffed to see something tantalising looking on the menu, not the largest selection of food to choose from, but plenty to grab onto the appetites of the majority, even if it does err on the side of teensy pretension. But in many respects it’s got the goods to back it up. Mains average at about £9 which isn’t extortionate, but just a bit on the higher side of pub prices, yet plus point is, it doesn’t taste like pub food. The décor’s really nice too, plain in many respects, coffee coloured paints on the walls and light wood everywhere, sits in contrast to the dingy appearance it creates from the outside. As this is called The Brewery Tap, focus should be given to the beverage dept. You’ve got a standard bar, with a variety of beers to choose from and indulge in. Leeds beers are championed here, and as many as there are in existence The Brewery Tap will endeavour to offer. Don’t be too disheartened if beer’s not your thing, in addition to draught and bottle beer, there’s a variety of wines to choose from, or if you’re in the mood for alcohol free, there’s tea and coffee to whet your pallet, in addition to the usual standard soft drinks.

Bar/​Restaurant with microbrewery on-​site.
Place seems to have opened very recently. Had lunch there and returned in the evening for drinks.
Staff extremely welcoming and helpful. Good atmosphere, reasonably quiet at lunch and pleasantly noisy in the evening, with good «lounge» music playing.
Food was not well cooked, and let them down a little.