Duck & Drake, Leeds

After a period of closure, the Duck and Drake has re-opened ostensibly the same as previous, a music and ale pub. 10 pumps offer a number of beers from smaller breweries with the odd national thrown in, though not all are flowing at any one time. The quality of mine were fine, no complaints and I was impressed to see a musical theme to one, ‘Le Freak’ by Revolutions brewery. The interior of the main bar area is a fairly sparse and scruffy affair with basic wooden furniture, the odd banquette and a well-worn wood floor. As mentioned elsewhere, the whole-wall mural of legendary musicians from a fading age is impressive. There’s also a rear room but I made no notes on this. The locals were chatty, if a tad eccentric; one or two looked like they’d been in since opening time when we arrived just on 4pm. Upcoming gigs are advertised on chalk boards above the bar, as are the ‘award winning pork pies and homemade mushy peas’. One of the pies was proudly displayed on its lonesome in a decorative cake stand at the bar which was promptly snaffled by a fellow crawlee (who I note has also left a review on this page…). Whilst the pub isn’t really my bag for a session, I’d certainly be happy to take in the gigs and beer if I lived locally.

Live music pub housed in a distinctive wedge-shaped building. Very basic furniture and decor in the two main rooms. Seven of the ten handpumps in the main bar were operational, and there may have been more in the other. A good range of mostly local beers was on offer (e.g. Elland Eden, £2.75). All a bit rough and ready, but worth a visit if in the area. (NB - Review dates from August 2011.)