Whitelocks First City Luncheon Bar, Leeds

Tucked away up an alley off Briggate, as you may imagine this is a long thin pub along one side of the alley, chairs and tables take up the other side. The impressively mirrored interior is a wonderful example of late victorian exuberance, with a long counter filling one side and bench seats and copper topped britannia tables and stools ranged down the other, at the far end is a luncheon room. The counter itself is a decadent brown, green and yellow tiled affair, with an equally impressive bar back of twisted columns, plain shelves and stained glass, echoing the staining glass windows of the pub. One end of the bar back has a small shrine to Elvis. The counter has a glass and brass food servery at one end, a bank of four handpumps on a raised block dominating the middle and there are two other handpumps to each side. These dispense a mix of regional and local ales, with Theakstons, Daleside, Adnams, Brass Monkey and Deuchars on during my last visit, a single T-bar serves a mundane range of kegs. Oddly for a city centre pub in a major shopping street the customers were quite local and friendly, the staff very efficient. A Good Beer Guide regular.

Weird, mirrors, arrgghhh, what, huh?!?! Just go and visit if in Leeds, a little gem, if you can find it!