Menston Arms, Ilkley

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about Menston Arms

I'd forgotten just how cheap the drinks are in Sam Smiths pubs - just £1.50 a pint for Old Brewery Bitter. Now I know that this is the only real ale they do, and it's not to everyone's taste, but the beer here was in superb condition and slipped down a treat. The main bar was fairly lively, and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be rather noisy later on.

I made myself comfortable in a room the other side of the main entrance, where a very welcome coal fire was burning. The bar has a rather unusual thatched roof, otherwise the fittings and fixtures are fairly typical: benches and low stools all in soft furnishings, curtains at the windows and carpets on the floors, so that even if the crowd in the other bar did get a bit noisy, it wouldn't end up with everyone shouting to be heard, like in some modern refurbishments.

Unless you're looking for a choice of real ales, this is definitely worth a visit.

On 27^th February 2011 - rating: 6
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