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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
Adelphi, Leeds
Leeds
LS10 1JQ
Pub Type
Castle (Mitchells & Butlers)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Adelphi
A Victorian classic with the small island bar serving three seperate rooms,the fourth is across the mosaic tiled corridor.A wealth of original features with etched glass and glazed tiling prominent,a shame the fire was only a coal affect gas job.The upstairs function room was closed but is available to hire and also provides overflow seating on Friday and Saturday nights.Owned by M&B,but not part of their Nicholsons chain,although it could easily be,there is a decent selection of real ale,my Leeds Gathering Storm was in fine nick.The friendly barman was a font of knowledge about Leeds pubs and told us about a secret tunnel at The Victoria leading the the law courts,blocked up these days.
My only reservation was about pricing ,with pints at £4 which is steep even by London standards.No CAMRA discount and I got stiffed for a round !However the pub really does warrant a visit,whether you would base yourself here for a session may depend on how flush you feel.
On 23rd November 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Adelphi
This is a large interesting pub with lots of etched glass screens, ornate timberwork and Victorian glazed tiles. The history of the pub is displayed in the main lobby across from the bar and dates from 1837. There was 4 ales on handpump, we went for the Leeds Pale, prices were on the steep side here.
On 23rd November 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3646 recommendations about 3646 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Adelphi
Interesting pub with beers served in the main bar area and also from a corridor. We chose 2 local beers, Leeds Gathering Storm and Ilkley Norseman and got a shock being asked for £4. I said they are London prices for a local brew and the barman just shrugged. The staff seemed friendly enough, and the beer quality couldn't be faulted. Forgot to explore the pub due to the price shock!
On 23rd November 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Adelphi
We really liked it here on our crawl of Leeds city centre, probably the best pub of the day. The bar staff may have changed or may have got a rocket after last year's review, as the two who had dealings with us were friendly, attentive and enthusiastic. I didn't make a note of all the beers that were on, suffice to say that we were offered a taste of Titanic Cappuccino and after that we could look no further. Excellent beer well served in an interesting pub full of history and character.
On 30th May 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4274 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Adelphi
Massive, street corner, ornate, multi-roomed Victorian Gin Palace on the edge of the city centre. Very impressive tiling and lots of interesting things on ledges and around the walls. Serves a selection of cask ales mainly from local micro's with the odd one from further afield. Very pricey though even for Leeds city centre, a pint is around £3.40. Well worth a visit for the decor and the decent range of beers, but you'd need an overdraft to stay here all night.
On 21st September 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Adelphi
A splendid surviving example of a Victorian-style gin palace, this place is justifiably listed on CAMRA’s heritage list. It has been exhaustively described below, so I’ll make do by re-stating that it’s a multi-roomed pub with fabulous architectural features – dark wood panelling, grand entrance lobby, mosaic floor, etched windows, ornate fireplaces etc. Until recently this was the Tetley brewery tap. These days there are a good selection of ales, though very expensive for the area - you’re clearly paying for the surroundings. My Harviestoun was in good shape and I enjoyed it. I’d say this is a must when crawling Leeds, though whether you’d choose to drink in here regularly if you were a local is a different matter.
On 1st September 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Adelphi
As previously described by the estimable Mr Ale & Hearty, a splendid “Gin Palace”, mixed décor within a multi roomed Victorian building at the end of Leeds bridge. Entering off Hunslet Road into a drinking corridor there is a central servery with bar counter, sitting/bar rooms lead off in various directions. Every age since the 1870s has left its mark here with touches of art nouveau, Deco and the 1960s in odd places. A plethora of handpumps on the two faces of the counter, the standards appear to be Tetley Cask, Landlord and Leeds Pale backed up with guests and a more interesting range of kegs than usual, plus a selection of European bottled beers. The staff were a bit inattentive and the prices above average but the choice and quality made it a worth while visit. I'm not sure painting the faces on the Britannia tables gold is entirely a good idea.
On 17th August 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
pint please left this review about The Adelphi
The beer is insultingly over priced, avoid this place.
I will never understand the mugs who buy it. Used to be a good pub a few years ago with a long history of catering for the lads that enjoyed a good pint at a reasonable price. That’s history as they say, its now a yuppie place selling lager to youngsters at inflated prices.
On 6th July 2010
- rating: 2
[User has posted 25 recommendations about 25 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
aleand hearty left this review about The Adelphi
A fantastic example of an ornate, late Victorian, gin palace, one of three Leeds gems designed by local architect Thomas Winn. (The other two were The Rising Sun and The Cardigan Arms). Its curved frontage, on the corner of Dock Street and Hunslet Road is wonderfully imposing and hints at the delights within.
The main entrance opens onto a central lobby bar and an impressive open staircase, (leading to the first floor function room). The original terrazzo floor is still intact, as is much of the original tiling and joinery. To the right are a large lounge and a rear saloon, both retaining the original fireplaces. To the left is the large public bar, which was partitioned in the 1980’s to create a fourth room. Both the front rooms feature lovely etched windows. With so much of architectural interest it’s no surprise that The Adelphi is on CAMRA’s National Inventory Part I of historic pub interiors and that Tetley awarded it Heritage Inn status as far back as 1987.
There are eight lagers on tap and six stronger continental beers. With only four hand pumps, real ale drinkers, by comparison, might feel a little hard done by. Regular beers are ‘Landlord’ and Tetley bitter- hardly surprising with The Adelphi historically being the brewery tap. Guests, on my visit, were Titanic ‘Iceberg’ and Adnam’s ‘American IPA’. Quality was fine and more importantly the temperature was right. After a freezing cold pint, at the nearby PIN bar, I could have kissed the barmaid! Incidentally, she was friendly and welcoming and the staff as a whole seemed to be young and briskly efficient. Both the guest ales were over three pounds, a little dear by local standards. However, I suspect the core clientele can afford, and doesn’t mind paying, a premium price.
Calling at six o’ clock on a Thursday evening, there was already a fantastic atmosphere as the post work crowd were in full swing, along with a sizeable number of students. Some excellent music too, refreshingly left-field. Anywhere that plays Femi Kuti, early in the evening, is OK in my book!
Food is widely available and certainly looks more interesting than your average pub menu. Unfortunately, as I didn’t eat here I can’t comment on quality.
Like many pubs there are mid-week themed nights to keep the place ticking over. On Tuesdays there is a quiz, Wednesdays a wine club. The upstairs room has accoustic showcase nights and a comedy club.
The Adelphi has received a fair bit of flak, in some quarters, for being both expensive and a bit pretentious. However, on the basis of this visit, I loved the place and will definitely return.
On 25th March 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 645 recommendations about 625 pubs]