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The Grove Inn, Leeds

Back Row
Leeds
LS11 5PL

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Thuck Phat left this review about The Grove Inn

The Grove has been well written up already so I won't repeat the descriptions.
It's a delightful, traditional and very friendly town pub run by extremely knowledgable and welcoming bar staff who are happy to chat about the ale they serve and the breweries which brew that ale. Invaluable if you're new to the area and want an idea as to which beers to look out for.
There are 3 regular ales: Moorhouse Black Cat and Pride o' Pendle and Daleside Blonde which was refreshing and well kept. Guests were: Ridgeside Southern Cross and Last Horizon, Kirkstall Black Band, Leeds Gathering Storm and Ilkley Mary Jane. A fine selection of local ales across a variety of strengths and styles. The Southern Cross was an outstanding IPA, recommended by the governor from a brewery previously unknown to me, and is easily my beer of the year. No choice but to award full marks.

On 16th June 2012 - rating: 10
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Grove Inn

This is a fantastic, multiple room traditional pub in a part of town that has undergone a serious amount of redevelopment, making it look rather incongruous amongst the new steel and glass buildings that now surround it. The entrance takes you into a corridor, from which you have a choice of rooms. Rather unusually, the corridor also provides access to the bar, with a sizable stretch including several handpumps running along the left hand side. The servery can also be reached from the public bar on the left hand side as you enter. This is a simple room with bare floorboards and low stool seating. A range was lit in the fireplace, making it feel nice and cosy and a few locals were already starting to fill the room out a bit on my early afternoon visit. On the right hand side of the corridor there are two small rooms, the first of which had some banquette and low stool seating with a comfy armchair in front of a large fireplace. The second room is painted red, with a much smaller fireplace and a really nice bench with an unusual curved back. The door and internal window have stained glass scenes depicting boats on the nearby canal.
The largest room is at the rear, but unfortunately there was some sort of private function taking place in here which made it impossible to explore - whenever I poked my head through the doorway one of the occupants would give me a dirty look, perhaps afraid that I might pinch the ham and cress sandwiches from their buffet. Anyway, I did manage to establish that there is a good deal of seating in here and that they normally host live music on the stage at the back. Music was being played throughout my stay and was surprisingly loud considering the time of day, although this may well have been as a result of the aforementioned function.
There was a great choice of ales at the bar, in the form of Leeds Frostie, Ilkley Mary Jane (£2.80), Moorhouse Lap Prancer, Pride of Pendle and Black Cat, Riverside Desert Aire and Jailbreak and Daleside Blonde. The Mary Jane was as wonderful as always and the barmaid was quick and served with a smile.
A really wonderful pub that deserves to be given far more time than I had to spare. I wouldn't hesitate to call back here the next time I find myself in Leeds.

On 8th January 2012 - rating: 9
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


ROB Camra left this review about The Grove Inn

A proper pub surrounded by a plethora of corporate tower blocks and trendy flats. A real survivor. The inside has been fully described previously, so I won't bother, except to say that we loved the stained glass canal scenes on the window and door on the right as you enter. An excellent selection of cask ales including the local Ridgeside brewery when we called in last week. Both the pints I had were in excellent condition and I can't imagine ever visiting Holbeck without calling in this pub. My Pub Of The Month for June 2011, despite some stiff competition.

On 28th June 2011 - rating: 10
[User has posted 3216 recommendations about 3127 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


aleand hearty left this review about The Grove Inn

West Yorkshire blogger ‘Olthwaite’ compares The Grove to The Crimson Permanent Assurance building in Monty Python’s ‘Meaning of Life’ and that’s a wonderful image, given that the pub is indeed surrounded by jutting, corporate architecture and modern office blocks. By the law of averages, it probably shouldn’t even be there. Found on the edge of the Holbeck redevelopment area and a few minutes walk from Leeds station, The Grove is a fantastic example of a West Riding corridor style pub.

On entering, there’s a lovely terrazzo floor and some fabulous old wall tiles, before a choice of four rooms. The room on the left houses the main part of the bar, although a section may be accessed from the corridor. There are two small side rooms to the right and a larger concert room to the rear.

Both the walls and the bar in the left hand room are wood panelled and above the counter there’s a large collection of pump clips from previously featured beers. The low ceiling and wood burning stove give the room a cosy feel, further character being added by the nicotine stain effect walls, etched windows and a collection of caricatures of regular drinkers down the years. Wall mounted wooden cogs hint at the area’s previous industrial heritage. Seating is mostly low circular tables and stools with a few high stools at the bar.

The first right hand room is a plain white affair. There are wall benches, an old armchair and a disused fireplace, complete with mirror. One or two old prints break up the wall space. It feels light and airy, but the plasterwork does look a little battered in places, unfortunately.

The second right hand room is darker, but cosier, with its red décor and a working fire. The wall next to the corridor features a stained glass panel of a canal scene and there are some unusual inlaid wooden benches. A cluster of industrial prints lines the walls.

The back room regularly features live music and not surprisingly has a small stage, musical memorabilia and prints of various musicians. It’s bare floor boarded, with continuous wall benches and has a wood-burning stove. As it’s so geared towards concerts it does lack a little heart during the day.

Eight beers were on offer during this visit: WharfeBank ‘Tether Blonde’ & ‘Cam Fell’, Moorhouse’s ‘Black Cat’ & ‘Pride Of Pendle’, Daleside ‘Blonde’, Ilkley ‘Black’, Leeds ‘Pale’ and Salamander ‘Twinkle Toes’. (Also a decent cider in ‘Old Rosie’.) I tried several of them and they were all in good condition and well poured, but did find the beer temperature a little variable, on this occasion.

I do like the staff here: Friendly, helpful, passionate about beer and more than willing to chat, in between serving customers. The atmosphere tends to change, along with the custom base, during the day. Obviously, the business community tends to dominate at lunchtime and early evening, but gradually the regulars, beer lovers and music fans take over.

The Grove is a wonderful place and is definitely one of my all time favourites. I always recommend it to fans of good beer and real pubs visiting the city. Currently celebrating its tenth consecutive year in The Good Beer Guide. A must visit when in Leeds.

On 3rd July 2010 - rating: 9
[User has posted 573 recommendations about 555 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


James Joines left this review about The Grove Inn

Real Ales from Cains, Charles Wells, Adnams, Deuchars IPA. A Mild always available along with a Batemans offering. Plus changing guest beer.

Food available at lunch times

On 28th December 2009 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 841 recommendations about 835 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Old Boots left this review about The Grove Inn

Excellent, traditional back street boozer surrounded by modern office buildings. Multi-room layout with décor mellowed by age to gentle golden hues, an outstanding unfancy Victorian interior. Nine hand pumps spread between the corridor serving hatch and the front bar, serving a range of mainly UK microbrewery beers all in fine condition but a little cold. You can easily spend many happy hours here. Mixed group of punters ranging from suits at lunchtime to student types and regulars. Attentive and friendly Irish staff who make bar work look easy. Regular music of different sorts and just a short walk from the railway station.

On 24th October 2009 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3209 recommendations about 2920 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve of N21 left this review about The Grove Inn

Wow, wasn’t prepared for The Grove Inn, as it’s the last thing you expect to find in the middle of the office tower blocks on the canal side developments. It’s like walking into a time warp and finding yourself back in the days when pubs were there to dispense good ale and be a social meeting point for the local community. A no frills social drinking house.
Really excellent preserved interior, the wife spotted that the iron legs of the tables in the larger back music room were from Singer sowing machine stands and the smaller of the two rooms off the corridor was a ringer for my old nan’s front room.
Several beers on and the ones at the serving hatch were Moorhouse Black Cat and Witches Brew, Deuchars IPA, and Salamander Scatterbrain, which I believe is a local Microbrewery.
Never made it to the front bar before the bell went, so will definately be coming back here when next in Leeds..

On 13th April 2009 - rating: 9
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]

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