Duck & Drake, Leeds

Having read the recent good reviews, I called in out of curiosity, on the way to meet friends in The Palace nearby and was so glad I did. The old girl finally seems to have got her mojo back. The last time I visited, a couple of years ago, The Duck really did seem in terminal decline and was a shadow of its former self, so different from when I used to drink there regularly in the late eighties. Overall, the interior remains largely the same as it’s always been, although there have been some minor modifications as mentioned below. Certainly, the small balustraded stage area in front of the main corner entrance, the overhead lighting stack and unless my memory is playing tricks on me, the overhead fans, globe lighting and the etched (effect?) windows. Also, there are now some much needed tables and chairs in the floor space in front of the bar. However, some things never change, including the pleasingly monolithic urinals, in the gents, made by J.Duckett & Sons of Burnley. Unfortunately, as Roger highlights, neither has the sinus clearing odour that hums like the planets! Nine pumps were on the go, during my visit, largely featuring the beers of the Northumberland brewery. However, the lure of Salamander ‘Golden Salamander’ proved too great. A fabulous pint it was too, nicely poured, fresh as a daisy and a decent temperature. The young barmaid that served me was friendly and welcoming. A fantastic holiday weekend atmosphere when I called, on the eve of Good Friday. As virtually every watering hole in Leeds seemed to be rammed that night, it’s difficult to assess how much the increased trade was down to the pub itself, or the Easter break. However, there did seem to be a fair sprinkling of regulars. I’ll definitely call again now, possibly in combination with The Palace and The Adelphi, or the pubs in Holbeck. The crawl permutations have certainly been added to. One final point, if you’re feeling peckish on leaving The Duck, the Persian cafe across the road is very good.

A real spit and sawdust music pub that I understand has had a bit of a rocky period recently when it was closed and faced an uncertain future. It is certainly fully operational now and, as well as its diet of of live music, offers a particularly healthy selection of Real Ales. I counted 10 hand pumps, most of which were populated by ales (and a few breweries) previously unknown to me. The 2 bars are about as basic as things can get with bare floors, scant furnishings and not much that can be described as being made for comfort. The main bar has a large mural containing 14 musicians that will keep you occupied as you argue over their identities (I think I managed 12). In the main bar is a low stage area that is bizarrely situated in front of what would have once been the main entrance. The sizeable rear bar has a dart board and a giant picture of old Leeds dominates the wallspace. The bogs stink (all part of the character of course) but worthy of a visit for the giant old enamel urinals. The average beer drinker will probably hate the music and the average music fan will probably hate the beers but if both things make you tick, you may have found your Shangri La.

Small pub with 3 ales pumps and it looks like there is a good rotation of beers.

A Leeds beer institution that closed after what many thought was a long slow decline, it is now open again and has repositioned itself as a music and real ale venue. The array of ten handpumps is still there offering a choice of well kept mainly micro brewer beers. The two room set up still remains with the small cosy back bar largely unchanged and the big bare front bar now with a balustraded stage by what used to be the main door complete with a small but professional looking lighting rig. The wall behind and around the bar counter sports a large mural of musicians, Elvis and Hendrix among the more easily recognisable, the rest are mainly famous axemen of the 60s and 70s - go in and see how many you know. There are a few more chairs and tables in mixed styles in the middle of the big room and the benches have, at last, been reupholstered but nothing of value seems to have been lost, the clientele look as eccentric as before and there's possibly more women using the place. Service from a young trainee barmaid was OK considering she was extremely overworked - JDW style. The small bar has six pulls but they are not in use, a listings blackboard is available in both bars, the small one also houses the screen and machines plus a nice open fire in winter and a mural showing a blown up photo of old Leeds. One of the tasteful old flying duck (misprint) cartoons is still in situ in this room and of course in the etched windows. Notices in the bar say music is on Thursday – Sunday, with a jam session Tuesdays and coming soon a young bands spot on Wednesdays. Smoking out the back under a very, very big Stella umbrella.