One Eyed Rat, Ripon

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This is a cosy, traditional pub located in a row of terraced housing, close to the city centre. The pub has a single room layout with the servery down the left-hand wall of the front part of the pub. The room is bare boarded, with low wood panelled walls beneath plain painted uppers and an anaglypta ceiling. Plenty of bench, pew, chair and low stool seating extends down either side of the room, including around a nice lit fireplace near the entrance. The servery has a two-part counter either side of a chunky structural support pillar, with a wood panelled counter front and a simple shelving unit bar back decorated with pump clips and blackboards detailing the ale, keg and bottled beer ranges. The walls have been quite liberally covered with breweriana, mirrors, old photos of the city, a portrait of Lord Nelson on the back wall and some cool rescued windows panes from an old Parlour Bar and other such rooms, presumably salvaged from another pub but now mounted on the rear right wall. A large, furled screen and projector dominate the rear wall, but this doesn’t feel like the sort of pub where sports coverage would predominate. There’s a beer garden out the back, but I didn’t get around to taking a peek.
On the bar, an extensive ale range comprised Acorn Barnsley Bitter. Saltaire Blonde. Ossett White Rat. Ilkley Black Light, Bosons Down the Hatch and Wilde Child Resplendent Perspective. I took a pint of the Black Light, which was in excellent condition and served to me by one of the friendly bar team. A few interesting keg and bottled options rounded out a strong beer range and the place has a proper alehouse feel, with most folk seemingly on the ale and conversation the main order of the day throughout our busy, late afternoon visit.
I found this to be a very good pub with an excellent, wet-led approach, warm and welcoming atmosphere, comfortable furnishings and of course, some excellent beer. We settled down very quickly and could quite happily have spent the rest of our day in here, had we not needed to head back to Harrogate. With only enough time to check out one pub on this quick stop-off in Ripon, I left feeling I’d picked the right one.

Date of visit - 10th November 2024

On 20^th February 2025 - rating: 8
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