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The Hop, Leeds
Leeds
LS1 4BR
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Graham Coombs left this review about The Hop
One of the three Ossett/Salt bars in the Granary Wharf development. This is the Ossett Brewery attempt at an atmospheric railway arch pub and certainly feels more traditional than the other two. It is mostly brick and woodwork, with some historic touches including old street names, but they couldn't resist a few arty touches. The beer range is by far the best of the three, with a wide selection of cask from Ossett and guests, plus a few craft IPAs on keg. Even the music seemed better!
On 29th June 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Hop
With the nearby Salt Granary Wharf having already closed before 11pm on our weekday visit, we did manage to find the Hop still open. So, we chose to finish our evening here.
Whilst situated in the railway arches for the nearby Leeds station, you soon forget that your in an arch when inside, apart from the occasional rumble of a train overhead. The pub has two floors and feels quite spacious too, where many of the warehouse/brewery type bars often feel cramped.
The bar itself for this pub can be found deep in the arch and around a corner. Being owned by Ossett, there is a good selection of their cask ales. Regulars are Silver King, Butterley, Yorkshire Blonde, Voodoo & Excelsius. The White Rat clip was turned round. Guests were Ossett Strawberry Fields, Rat Rata Nui & Brass Castle Bad Kitty. There was also a good selection of ciders - Lilley's Tropical Cider & Weston's Family Reserve & Old Rosie.
Voodoo is normally a very palatable orange stout, but we could instantly tell that this was way past its best. The barman said that it must be near the end of barrel and offered to replace it. We chose the Bad Kitty instead, which was far better. I have to say that the Strawberry Fields was also very nice indeed and all 3 ciders were in good condition, having been fetched directly from the cellar. A friend had the Rata Nui, which was as bad as the Voodoo. That was replaced by Excelsius, which was worse still. He ended up with one of their keg beers instead, which was fine. But it is beyond me how so many of the cask ales could be in such poor condition. It is also really bad practice to leave all 3 dodgy beers on. Whilst the White Rat clip was already turned when we arrived, none of the others were turned despite us returning a total of 3½ pints to the bar.
This pub is useful to know about, as it seems to be one of the few to stay open until 11pm around here. It did in fact stay open until almost midnight. But the beer quality and shoddy cellarmanship would deter me from heading back here.
On 1st September 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2501 recommendations about 2500 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Hop
I've been to this Hop before, but probably before I started reviewing pubs, and the Hop that used to be in Sheffield (a couple of times) and the one in Wakefield (several times), and I can't say I've been impressed with any of them. Partly this is because I find Ossett beers a bit samey and mostly not to my taste, but my recent visit here brought it home to me that it's just not my type of pub. It occupies an interesting space near where the River Aire plunges down through a channel beneath Leeds City station and out into the Aire & Calder Navigation. But there's little sense of this once in the pub, which is impersonal and noisy, but not with the invigorating rush of white water. OK, I seem to have been here at a quiet time, but you've got to ask yourself, why is North Brewery Tap busy, why are people going in to Whitelocks and the Duck & Drake, why was I almost the only customer here at 8:30 of a Wednesday evening in high summer. It may seem a bit harsh, but to me this pub is a waste of what should be an interesting space.
On 21st June 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3751 recommendations about 3486 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about The Hop
This relatively new Osset house is set under the railway arches in Granary Wharf but has been done out in reasonably traditional fashion.
There are plenty of detailed descriptions so I'll keep it brief.
It was busy on our Friday evening visit with assorted after work drinkers and this is clearly a popular spot but it's a decent size and plenty were taking advantage of the outside space so it never felt overwhelming. Service was also swift and efficient despite the high demand.
Beers on were largely from the wider Osset stable: Osset Big Red, Yorkshire Blonde, Silver King and Jester, Rat White Rat and Number of the Rat with guests being Wimbledon Common, Vocation Chop and Change and Jennings Cocker Hoop with two handpumps unused. That's plenty to go at and the Chop and Change was in very good shape and whistled down.
Well worth a visit.
On 26th July 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Hop
The Hop is a newish pub that is situated under railway arches.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room which has a tiled floor,there is a mix of seating types all in use on my Saturday evening visit,so i propped the bar up,there is also some more seating upstairs.
The pub is an Ossett brewery tied house,there was a very good choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Rat rat Attack which went down well,the other beers noted were Ossett Yorkshire Blonde,Excelsior,Silver King,Blonde,Gold and Bad Co Comfortably Numb.
This is a decent pub,i would have been happier visiting it during the day when it is less busy.
Pub visited 13/2/2016
On 28th March 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Hop
We popped in here on Saturday afternoon about 4pm and it was quiet busy. There was music playing at a decent level, the place had a good atmosphere to it. Even though it was busy, there was no problem getting served as the bar was well staffed. There was a choice of 5 Osset beers and 5 guests. We went for the Osset Silver King, Pure Gold and Fernandes Columbus. I would return here as the beer is excellent.
On 24th November 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Hop
Hidden away under the arches beneath Leeds train station and fronting the fancy Granary Wharf development, The Hop is an atmospheric pub and live music venue from the Ossett Brewery. The pub fills two arches, with smartly appointed seating areas running from front to back where the servery can be found in an open space connecting the two halves. You enter into a lovely, tiled floor seating area with plush banquettes and low stools running down the right hand wall. There are plenty of bare brick walls and some decorative dark wood panelling, giving the place a bit of a traditional feel which is offset nicely by modern, elaborately decorated mirrors and arty prints of various musicians. A window on the left hand side allows you to take a peek at the cask ales racked up in a central storage room. At the rear of the pub, opposite the bar, there are large windows bearing the pub’s logo, looking out to the service road that runs under the train tracks, although there didn’t appear to be access into the pub from this side. The lack of natural light at this end has resulted in the use of muted lighting, which created a nice, cosy feel despite the fact that I was visiting in broad daylight. The left side of the pub roughly mirrors the right hand seating area, although there is an enormous display case on the staircase on this side, full of various beer bottles. The stairs lead up to a sizeable space where the bands perform, looking down to the bar below. The decor here is a bit incongruous, with lots of graffiti style artwork on the walls, although I suppose it wouldn’t look entirely out of place in most venues on the gig circuit. I arrived to an empty pub, having apparently just missed the lunchtime rush, but it wasn’t long before the next wave of punters started drifting in, livening the place up a bit.
As with other Ossett ‘Hop’ pubs, real ale is a key facet and I had a tough time choosing from a line-up of Ossett Pale Gold, Excelsior, Blonde and Silver King, Mauldons Suffolk Pride, Fullers Red Fox, Wentworth Bumble Beer and Fernandes Ale to the Tsar, eventually opting for an excellent pint of the latter. The keg range seemed quite extensive as well, and veered away from the more mainstream products. I didn’t spot menus, so I’m not sure what sort of food is provided, but posters advertised pie, mash and a pint for a fiver, which seems very reasonable.
I thought this was an excellent pub with an atmospheric location, offering something a bit different and affordable in amongst all the pricey eateries on the Wharf. It’s a versatile venue and I’d happily return here for food, drinks or a gig.
On 12th October 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Hop
It is worth perusing the excellent photos from both Quinno and Jaqptiao to get an accurate picture for this bar beneath the arches.Around the front entrance there is a pub feel ,while the serving area at the back is more like a trendy bar.On my trip there were 10 handpumped ales and a real cider on the go,with among others four Ossett ales,a Goose Eye,Golden Rat and Fernandes Dustcatcher,representing a good range of local micros.Beer quality was good and justifies a visit if crawling around the City centre.
There are tables outside where you can view the Granary Wharf canalside scene.If approaching The Hop from the station,take a walk down Dark Neville Street,great name, if you want to see and hear the atmospheric scene of the subterranian River Aire gushing through the gloomy arches at quite a pace below the narrow street crossing.If you are on your own,late at night with no one else around,this does entail a modicom of nerve.
On 8th July 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2737 recommendations about 2737 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Hop
Ossett Brewery outlet, housed under two railway arches at the west end of Leeds Central station on the Holbeck bank of the River Aire. 'U'-shaped layout at ground-floor level, with the bar to the rear (and thus somewhat hidden at first glance). Additional seating at mezzanine level. The furniture and decor is a mix of traditional and modern, and regular live music is advertised. Patio seating area out front. 11 handpumps, mostly own beers but supplemented by others from local microbreweries, all priced by ABV. My pint of Fugelstou Village Life (4.0%, £2.75) from the Fulstow Brewery was first rate. Overall, well worth seeking out.
On 11th March 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Hop
Situated by the canalside developments, this new bar offers a different dimension to Leeds’ burgeoning real ale scene. Taking the same approach to the concept as its older sister in Wakefield, Ossett brewery have mixed up music, ale and a younger vibe and, like the one in Wakefield, it appears to be just as successful a conversion given the speed at which is was filling up on my late afternoon visit. It is housed in two arches under a platform of Leeds station. There are 10 pumps, loaded with brews from Osset and a number of well-selected micros all priced by abv; alongside this is a real cider and some interesting bottled stuff along with higher-end keg. Due to being built into a couple of rail arches there is inevitably quite a dark interior but this has been neatly overcome by adding in plenty of interesting visuals (such as the large bottle collection ton the staircase), prints (a number of Sheffield band feature) and stained glass, which is then picked out by various coloured lights. A steel mezzanine level adds an elevated level for the bands to play on. There is a section on the ground floor that faces onto the canalside and offers a decent view.
It’s enjoyably trendy in a way that perhaps the two new Leeds Brewery offerings in the city aren't; my sort of ‘modern’ perhaps. I’d happily pop back here at a quiet time or to catch a gig.
On 1st September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5108 recommendations about 5091 pubs]