Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Random news of the day with Real Ale Ray
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Rat & Ratchet, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
HD1 3EB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Ian Mapp left this review about Rat & Ratchet
Everything that I look for in a pub. Large room with partitions, tiled floor, beer paraphernalia aplenty.
Ossett house - enjoyed a perfect Butterley.
On 2nd June 2023
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Rat & Ratchet
Another excellent Huddersfield pub. A single room with various set out areas to drink. 13 handpulls (which, after visiting the nearish Grove, seemed to be on the stingey side!) with a number of Rat Brewery beers a couple of Ossett and a variety of other beers to choose from. I liked this pub and as with The Grove, this is a must visit when in Huddersfield.
On 15th April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Rat & Ratchet
One of my favourite pubs during our crawl of Huddersfield. Descriptions and beer lists are eleswhere, but I really liked it. I was pleased to find an Addams Family pinball machine that I promptly had a few games on and a fine jukebox. My pint of Abbeydale Dr Morton’s Mandarin Claw of Death was in very good nick and I could easily have spent quite some time here going through the pumps. Sadly The Star was beckoning, so we had to leave.
On 8th December 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Rat & Ratchet
First time to visit what has been part of Huddersfield’s real ale scene for many year and regular winner of CAMRA awards. Just beyond the southern section of the ring road it’s an inviting stone building that stands out well against the blandness of the architecture of the new Kirklees College that dwarfs it from behind.
As already reported below internally this no nonsense ale house now one space but with several adjoining different seating areas and the use of different floor types to the main bar area gives the impression of being a series of different connected areas.
As well as a good use of large mirrors to give the impression of larger spaces, every wall surface is covered with music and different beer and brewery memorabilia. Other distractions are kept to a minimum with a pinball machine, a dart board, a wall mounted TV and a top notch rock jukebox.
Twelve of the thirteen handpumps were in operation for our visit and as well as the Rat Brewery Rat attack, King Rat, White Rat, Nosferatu and Rata Nui there was Yorkshire Blonde and Silver King from the Ossett Brewery, Abbeydale Full English Breakfast Stout, Phoenix Monkeytown Mild, Roosters Eighty Eight, Dr Morton’s Mandarin Claw of Death and Bradford Odsal Top.
The couple of Rat brews I tried were in good nick and as one of the posters stated on the wall, you are never more that 6ft from a Rat and that’s certainly very true here.
On 26th November 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Rat & Ratchet
Very traditional - albeit partly opened-out, multi-space - pub that really looks the business. However, seems to have a bit of a problem about accommodating a group of visitors (if my first visit is anything to go by), despite not being overcrowded at the time. However, with all but one of the 13 handpumps in use - and five of their own beers (including Rat Attack, £1.38 half) available - the real ale selection is undoubtedly first class. Overall, the only place during a day in Huddersfield where we didn't feel particularly welcome, but I'm sure that I would enjoy it more another time so will no doubt return.
On 26th November 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Rat & Ratchet
This is a classic old Northern pub which although now just a single room does retain separate areas. The entrance is tiled and has the wooden floored bar area on the left. Both the pinball machine and dart board mentioned below are still here.
I counted twelve hand pumps here with an extra one for cider although a board lists many available ciders. Beers available included Rat White Rat, Lab Rat, King Rat & Ratsputin, a Fernandes / Rat collaboration Fraternity, Osset Silver King & Yorkshire Blonde, a Blue Bee beer, Elland Goldrush, Shiny New World and a North Cotswold mild that went off.
I went for the Rat beers Lab Rat (£2.95), King Rat (£3.05) and Ratsputin (£3.45). All three were superb beers in immaculate condition. I did notice some "craft" kegs on the bar one of which was called "Rat Poison",
I thought not long after arriving here that it doesn't get much better than this and it didn't. I reckon this one is the best of a very good bunch of Huddersfield pubs.
On 13th June 2016
- rating: 10
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Rat & Ratchet
This was our first port of call when visiting Huddersfield, and what a great place to start. There were 11 ales on handpump on our visit, the barmaid was friendly and welcoming, and the beer quality excellent. The other added bonus here were the prices, my Ossett Inception was £2.45 and the White Rat £2.50 a pint. Allow some time when visiting here.
On 11th April 2015
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Rat & Ratchet
A superb traditional town pub which has undergone recent, fairly sympathetic, refurbishment and prides itself on quality ale.
There are many detailed reviews below so I won't repeat the details.
Worth noting in addition are that there is a small television screen in the small area to the left which was being viewed by world cup footy fans on our visit but if you weren't in that area then you wouldn't know that there was a match on.
The service was friendly with tasters offered by the very attractive barmaids and the atmosphere is generally very good with a number of fellow drinkers clearly being regulars.
Mr. F notes the beers offered on the 12 handpumps below and I would echo that the James Herbert and Rat of Khan, both brewed on the premises by the Rat brewery, were excellent.
A very good pub with very good beer.
On 24th June 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Rat & Ratchet
I have to say,I was deeply impressed with this pub which stands close to the vast edifice of the new Kirklees College.The attractive stone frontage gives way to an open plan interior with sections on different levels and a very attractive tiled floor as a centre piece.Elsewhere bare boarded floors enhance the ale house vibe,while beyond a pin ball machine there is a discrete back lounge up a few steps.The two front sections benefit from lots of light through the large plate glass windows and have interesting features such a wood burning stove,a large fireplace to the right and a book case to the left.
The real star of the show is the ale selection with at least three from the excellent Rat Brewery based on the premises.On my trip that meant White Rat,James Herbert and The Rat of Khan all in tip top shape with the other ale choices being Ossett Junga,Yorkshire Blonde and Silver King,Salamander Mr President,Ilkley Black,Phoenix Hopsack,Welbeck Abbey Harley,Black Sheep Riggwelter and Fullers London Pride :a very good selection over 12 handpumps.There were some interesting keg choices with Rat Against the Machine and Summer Wine Brewery The Unholy Monk catching my eye.For apple fans there also appear to the six real ciders to choose from.
The really is an unmissable treat for discerning drinkers,and a great double header with The Grove which is not far away.I will most certainly return,the guarentee of a selection of Rat beers being an added bonus.
On 22nd June 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Rat & Ratchet
This is a large multi award winning traditional pub situated to the west of Huddersfield town centre, just outside the ring road. It’s a brisk 20 minutes or so walk from the station.
Outside the front door, a fascia sign on the wall tells us that “brewing originally began on site in 1994 and continued until 2004”. Brewing resumed in September 2011 under the control of Ossett Brewery. Above a grate nearby, a notice tells us that when steam is coming from this grate, it is because we are brewing. The notice goes on to tell us, in capital letters that, during this time, “the building is not on fire”
Inside, we find one bar, but with a number of adjoining, different seating areas. It’s a bare boarded, split level, ale house style interior, with much wood panelling and traditional seating, including some padded settles. The walls feature much pub and brewery memorabilia, together with old photos of Huddersfield. A collection of music posters ( eg Bob Marley) and a pinball machine give the pub something of a studenty feel, although on my recent early Saturday evening visit, there was a good cross section of customers. It’s an unpretentious, drinkers pub, where beer and conversation very much rule the roost. By the bar counter, we see a fine collection of CAMRA award certificates awarded not only to the pub itself, but also to specific beers winning Beer Festival awards. A fellow poster on this site may be amused to learn that these specific beers included a beer called Rattus Rattus, which won an award at a Beer Festival in Scunthorpe. Above the bar, a circular wooden plaque resembling a barrel tells us that the pub was voted SPBW Pub of the Year for Winter 2013.
There’s 12 handpumps which serve a variety of on site Rat Brewery Beers, Ossett Brewery beers and a selection of other local micros. A blackboard detailing the beers grades beers according to their colour ( A = Pale/ Blonde, B=Amber/Golden, C = Brown/Traditional, D=Dark Brown and E =Black) . Notably, on my visit, 8 of the 12 pumps were serving beers classified as either A, A/B or B, with only 1 beer in each of the C,D and E categories. The flagship beer, White Rat, ( an excellent tasty pint - £ 2.40p ) is classified as A and, notably, this beer seemed to account for around 50% of the total real ale trade during my visit. Other beers on included beers from Boggart, Great Heck, Salamander, Fernandes, Pied Bull ( Chester ) and Fullers London Pride ( which I think reflects the fact that Fullers have some kind of trading agreement with Ossett ). Beers were generally priced at between £ 2.40p and £ 3.05p, apart from one stronger Rat beer – Rat Against The Machine ( ABV – 7% at £ 3.70p ). The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular.
If you’ve only time to do one pub in Huddersfield, I reckon this is the one to go for, but do note that, on Mondays and Tuesdays, it doesn’t open its doors until 3pm.
On 24th March 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]