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Submitted on Saturday, 5^th September 2026
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The Black Hat, Ilkley

Church Street
Ilkley
LS29 9DR

Phone: 01943607214

Correct details

Served areas

Ilkley Town

Reviews of The Black Hat (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Graham Coombs left this review about The Black Hat

A large town pub that has been the victim of a fairly-mediocre corporate makeover so now in shades of grey and some high tables and stools have been added. The five handpumps were doubled up TT Landlord and Boltmaker but were all clip-reversed (and glassed for good measure) and fronted by a sign saying "kitchen permanently closed" so a warm welcome to all. I can only deduce that the place is in the throes of a change of management or even a closure, although the monosyllabic grunting barman didn't shed much light on this. It could be an adequate pub - let's see what the next review finds (if it stays open).

On 28^th August 2026 - rating: 5
[User has posted 4025 recommendations about 3957 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Old Boots left this review about The Black Hat

A quite long single room with a slight L at one end forms this town centre pub. A sort of creamy green colour dominates the tongue and groove and balustrade at one end, otherwise it’s plain woodwork, either with the wide floorboards or the cladding on the counter front. The end walls are tiled, one with a big screen. The ceiling shows evidence of a multi room layout in the past. Furnishing is a mix of tables with mismatched chairs; bringing out the usual terrible OCD desire in me to rearrange them “properly”; and leather covered banquettes. To the beer: two T-bars of fairly standard fare, a Brewdog and a Stella solo, four pulls with two from Ilkley, the rare Theakstons Mild and Pedigree, not one for Custodian42 as only the Pedigree made it over 3.8%. Fair to middling would sum up the quality. No pandemic measures other than staff face masks.

On 15^th January 2022 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 4235 recommendations about 3895 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about The Black Hat

A pub that I have been past many times, stuck in the traffic on my way through Ilkley, but finally got to visit this summer. Their pandemic measures were a little over the top, I thought, with a member of staff at a table in front of the bar to take track & trace particulars, then redirect the customer to another table to the left, where another staff member takes your order and payment. This is then transmitted (presumably by computer) to a member of staff behind the counter, who then appears at your assigned table bearing, in my case, a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord. I imagine that later on a Saturday it would start to get busier, justifying this cautious approach, but at the time of my lunchtime visit there were not many people in. The beer was in very good condition, and I had a second pint, even though it was £4.10 a pint (gasp!). (The only other real ale on was Sharps Doom Bar.) Not my sort of pub, as it is clearly aimed at a much younger clientele than my age group, but it was pleasant enough at a quiet period, and the good quality beer dragged it up to an average score.

Date of visit: 18th July 2020

On 23^rd August 2020 - rating: 5
[User has posted 4910 recommendations about 4493 pubs]

View more reviews of The Black Hat (6)

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