Tap House, Holmfirth

Official site of Tap House - thenookbrewhouse.co.uk

Official site of Tap House - thenookbrewhouse.co.uk

Sister venue to the Nook pub close by, although it’s very different in feel, being a modern café bar. The name pays homage to the venue’s previous incarnation as a pork butcher: Spanish tapas dishes feature strongly on the menu and ‘carniceria’ is Spanish for butcher. Internally, the narrow main room is quite dark and cosy, with its low ceiling and tables perpendicular to the bar. However, the rooms to the rear and upstairs feel a little stark by comparison. Most modern cafe bars try and cover all the bases, often leaving ale drinkers short-changed. However, a real plus here are the four hand-pumps on the counter. Three Nook Brewery beers were featured: ‘Best’, ‘Yorks’ and ‘Red’, all at a reasonable £2.50 each. The ‘Best’ was in good nick, as you’d expect with it being brewed nearby. Food appears to be good quality. I certainly enjoyed my herb battered hake in ciabatta, with salad (good value at £4.50) and comments from surrounding diners were all favourable. A good atmosphere when we called early Saturday afternoon, although this was almost certainly buoyed up by those attending the folk festival. Staff were only reasonably friendly, but possibly a little frazzled by the unusual rush. However, one thing that grated was the two-tier service behind the bar, where the young teenage girls were not allowed to serve alcohol. If visiting Holmfirth again, I’d certainly consider calling once more. For me, it’s not a place to linger in, but as a pit-stop with good quality food and a decent pint it fits the bill rather nicely.