The Eldon

It’s alright is The Eldon, that seems to be a typical response to, whaddya think of The Eldon? It’s alright it is. Hmmmm. I can’t quite decide if The Eldon tries too hard or doesn’t try enough.
It is a bit student central, as Rowena said it’s not far at all from the main Leeds campus, and many of the students tend to pour into here of a dinner and evening time. Which is pretty odd, because minus the student blood, there’s a lot of old timer regulars propping up the bar and generally killing time, discussing how unfair everything is and sucking air through their teeth.
It’s definitely cheap and cheerful, and would have probably appealed to my 18 year old self, with the £1.50 nights, open mic nights and quiz nights when the prize is beer, cheapo pub grub and gathering for the big screen viewing of the footy matches, but now, it’s a bit not to my liking, for all of the reasons above, it appeals to the fresh out of college crowd, which is fine, and also irritating when the place gets a bit alcohol fuelled lary. It’s alright for a post work day pint, it’s alright for food and cheap beer, it’s alright for lots of things, but it doesn’t go beyond that for me.

The Eldon is one of those pubs on the periphery of Leeds city centre and as such seems to try and fit a few categories. It’s pretty sutdenty for the most part, being a stone’s throw away from the main campus of Leeds University this isn’t too much of a surprise.
In the way of drinks it goes down a more traditional pub route although I couldn’t testify that their lager is anything to write home about, nor particularly their choice of ales. It is a pub without much of the exciting things that make a pub worth choosing over a bar.
It can be rowdy at times, either packed with students on the Otley Run, or full of pub goers for whichever sports event that might be showing. My friend used to come here to watch cricket, though I’m not sure why he picked here over a perfectly reasonable living room.
This place is cheap and fair, but not my favourite place to be.

To me, all the pubs between Hyde Park and town are somewhat of a let down, which is bizarre as this is the exact area where the university is located.
The four or five pubs on this stretch of road are all a little bit confused — they are old man pubs full of students but with a very local feel. This should work well really, but for some reason, it doesn’t.
The Eldon is perhaps the best example of this — right opposite the uni and near a few colleges, it is always bustling during term time, and the fact that it’s on the Otley Run means that even at non-​term time weekends, there’s usually a lively atmosphere.
It can be a bit too full on sometimes, especially if there’s a football match on, but, on the upside, it is darn cheap and it is a real pub. Probably better to stop off here on the way into down rather than to finish up here, though.

While studying for my Masters at Leeds University I was introduced to the Eldon as the ‘Postgraduate Bar’. Although at the time I was less than convinced, largely due to the huge crowd of shouting men whom I initially presumed were watching a match but in actual fact were cheering a game of football on the Xbox, I have revisited on a number of less boisterous occasions and found it a great place for a relaxing afternoon drink before the students (the University is opposite) come out in force. Regular quiz nights, karaōke and drinks offers cater for them well and ensure the Eldon’s place on the Otley run, and the food is ridiculously cheap, but I can’t help yearning for that traditional, scholarly haunt that never was. The pub’s Tuesday social sessions for foreign students hints at what might have been, but the sad truth seems to be that big screen TVs and cheap lager draw more punters than expensive whisky and political debate.

This pub is OK. There are many students that come here, as it is directly opposite the University of Leeds, but is good as it has the atmosphere of being an Old Man Pub, that is without loud music pumping out, and a dark interior which is how a pub should be! The food is of a good quality too and isn’t that expensive. There’s also a beer garden for smokers as well.

Cheap cheap pub. Suggest you go if your a student! its always packed but the atmosphere is great, no music so u can chat to friends. Its a good pub.

I’ve liked The Eldon for years and I still do. My friend did Mechanical Engineering at university (The Eldon’s opposite that department) so we’d meet here for a pint (or seven) after her lectures. But that was a long time ago, and I digress.
The Eldon’s a proper pub. It’s the sort of place where the staff know your name and you have your own cushion and they dangle dried hops from the ceiling.
Some of the tables are made from beer barrels (just in case you didn’t know it was a pub), and the food is tasty and the wine is of a decent standard.
A cheaper round than you’d get in town.