The Hop

It’s very busy weekends and during the week for after the club work especially on sunny days. Not a particularly friendly atmosphere, staff ok but don’t ask them anything about the beers they have, as you’ll get a blank look.
There’s usually live music on a Saturday night which can be ok.
Not eaten in there so don’t know about the food.

Went here for the first time last Wednesday and it was really pleasant. Lots of cool beers with some great local ales. Nice atmosphere! Will visit again!

Great beers from the Ossett Brewery as well as guest ales. Also has regular live music on and great location next to the station and city centre

I like this place a little more every time I go.
They had a guitarist playing on the balcony last night and it was a fantastic idea.
Lots of beers to chose from.
Give it a go!

Nice location, although a bit weird to get to! I personally thoroughly enjoyed the walk past the rushing river under the station, to get to this pleasant waterside location. Nice atmosphere too, aided and abetted by the chilled music.
Although this is very much a modern bar there are some very cosy areas to it and I would have happily killed even more time here!
I initially thought I wasn’t hungry enough to take advantage of their 5 quid, pie, peas, mash and pint offer. Turns out that a few minutes later I was after all and it was very tasty grub and an extremely reasonable price.
They had on 9 interesting beers out of their maximum of 12. The first beer I went for was the good Osset King Egbert. Osset seemed to be their favourite local brewery. My pie came with a beer that is likely to infuriate most ale aficionados Yorkshire Gold Extra Cold. I’m not afraid to say itI like cold beer. I also think in this case it really serves a purpose, making ale more accesible to those who cannot countenance their drink being warm! A gateway drug, if you will.

Cheapest beer in Leeds. That there is the headline.
You’d be surprised how that isn’t always a good thing though, because especially with it’s outside patio the place becomes a heaving mess after work and over the weekend whenever the sun looks like it might even think about popping out.
And I’m not talking just the lovely people that you’re happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with, I’m talking people that smell. And should probably stay at home. And definitely shouldn’t be getting hammered on my doorstep and being noisy «chav-​esque» creatures who probably ride souped up sports cars.
The staff are a nice enough bunch from a personality perspective, but in terms of their ability to serve alcohol, the old adage «you pay peanuts, you get monkeys» has never been truer — and I imagine at the price of the beer, that the staff pay is probably through some Ossett bylaw (the pub is ran by Ossett Brewery) a good few quid cheaper than minimum wage. I’ve literally waited at the bar for over 15 minutes while the staff criss crossed each other and generally displayed not small amounts of ineptness in their ability to collect bottles and pull pints.
The interior is nice enough, though the levels of light are such that I’m sure that thievery and assault are made all the more likely in the dark nooks and crannies of the pub… could definitely do with a few more lights.
But did I mention they have the cheapest beer in Leeds?
And the pie and mash offer is a bargain too!

Bit hard to find, its behind The Hilton Hotel under the dark arches at the bottom end of town. Definately worth looking for tho. I love everything about it. The stone walls, the live bands, the wood and brass décor. Its Homely, its friendly and it has a good atmosphere.

Come for the beer, stay for the atmosphere.
An amazing pub, with an excellent array of ales, cider and imported beers.
It has a really good buzz about it, nice and quiet in the day and busier at night! There’s a brilliant view of the riverfront as well!
Pie, peas and a pint at lunch is a definite winner!

This past Saturday morning after cleaning the house after a heavy cheese and wine night. Me and my house mate Sebb went for a stroll down canal and we ended up at the Hop.
The Hop is one of my fav’s in Leeds for a pint but this time I sampled the Chicken and black pepper pie. Selected pie and ale for £5.and it was alright ya know. A bit too pre-​prepared but still alright.
Also the Hop are running some kind of pie eating contest!

The Hop is (one of) my locals. It’s the nearest pub to my flat and I’m pretty glad about that.
This is a place for everyone — my mum likes it for a cup of tea, especially if we get a seat by the window. If you like live music they have it aplenty upstairs. For those who like pie, mash and peas or beans (and quite frankly, who doesn’t!!!) you can get some from the Piehole for a mere £3.50 to eat in or take out. I don’t really drink beer but I understand that The Hop is all about real ale too — perfect for the beer drinkers!!!
It really is one of those places that welcomes everyone and is a great place to sit out in nice weather and watch the world go by at Granary Wharf.
Hop to it and get to The Hop! (Lame, I know)

Good location and a great concept to combine real ale, cider and music but badly let down by a lack of bar staff and dirty toilets.

I went here as I fancied somewhere different that serves tastier beers/​lagers other than the usual filth they serve at a lot of the bars I town. It was just a little walk out of down near the dark arches but when I got there I was really happy at the choice of drinks on offer for a very reasonable price. If you fancy a nice quiet quality pint either after work or to start your night off I’d recommend here as a starting point

It’s been rather a long time, but I still love The Hop. For all the standard reasons: the cheap lovely beer, the friendly staff, the cool space and the ridiculously tasty pies considering how much they cost. However, on this most recent occasion, my love has grown from the fun had at their pub quiz.
So far, it’s been one of my favourites-​great range of questions, cool picture round, fun quiz master and no stupidly niche knowledge required. There were some concerns that the winners on that trip had in fact cheated, and they had about 6 extra members on their team compared to the rest of us, but even so a lot of fun was had. (I thank the two teams Unilocal for that, of course.)
Basically, there’s nothing quite like having a great pint of beer, under a railway arch, where the looming overhead trains rumble atop the building every now and again. Add to that the growing number of cool businesses in the vicinity, and their excellent outdoor space (a rarity in Leeds) and you’ve one of my favourite hang outs right there.
I’ve heard great things of their open mic night too. Will have to get in on that action sometime soon. Love it!

Great place for a drink, nice wine, variety of beer and sometimes stocks my favourite rum ‘Brugal’. They even have live bands which works in the small little bits upstairs. The place is full of little areas so seems little but has loads of them. Saw Ryan Spendlove last week adn he was fab!
Only thing I wouldn’t recommended is the pies — they are raved about on the menu but are really not that tasty. You get a cardboard box full of mash, mushy peas and a pie of your choice for £3.50, Withe wooden cutlery you feel a little like you’re at the beach. Good for the price but I wouldn’t go out of your way to eat there.
Def go for a drink :)

Met some work colleagues here as part of a birthday/​leaving Do Friday eve (4^th May).
I’ve been to this venue a few times and each visit offers something different from the experience.
Obviously, as ‘colleagues’, there was a variety of ages to cater for and I’d conclude that everyone was happy. From late twenty somethings to mid 50’s everyone seemed comfortable here and during the ²⁄₃ hours we spent here there was an eclectic mix of suits/​casuals/​trendy/​kooky/​rocker type drinkers to refresh the space the venue offers.
I think the set up is excellent and have enjoyed a few bands here to I think the best of their potential with the acoustic sound provided from the building structure (oooo, i almost think I know what I’m talking about there!) — In my opinion, the bands sound good without being in you face due to being ‘above’ you on the stage/​platform area. If your more inclined you can also stand upstairs where they perform but I like not to.
Plenty of choice on the bar for beer/​wine/​cider drinkers however please get 1 – 2 more staff in on a Friday night as the service seems to resemble that of a dodgy nightclub– not very organised or with any great speed! Also, £3.80 for a Pint of Tuborg was a little steep when the place next door was doing 241 beer & cocktails!
Had a good night though. the band (sorry, not interested enough to have got their name but did have a tap of the foot along to their covers) was entertaining and all my co-​drinkers enjoyed them.
Sadly the lure of Call-​lane met with the younger crowd and the oldies had to drive home so we left mid-​set.
This is a great place to head after work, has tables to accommodate them not wanting to stand in the bar and lots of floor space for band support.
The sound is excellent (as far as I am concerned, expert that I am! lol!) and there are no pretentious ‘looky up & down’ people here.
Go for a good drink & some live music –and let your hair down.

I think maybe I’ve been a bit spoilt by the range of beers on offer in our local, Further North, because when I came to The Hop I had high hopes and left feeling a bit disappointed. Admittedly, it was a busy Friday night, and the place was full of post-​work groups of chums, so the atmosphere was more ‘proper up for getting well lagered’ than ‘let’s sample some fancy beers in a quiet and civilised setting’. Which is fine, if that’s what you like. Not so much for me though.
Plenty of beers, but not the ones I like (dark lagers) unfortunately. Still, lively place with lots of character, and worth a visit. Also sells pie and peas for when you get mungry :)

I wasn’t here for the beer but I should’ve been because they have a great selection. Unfortunately I was here for the purpose of discourse and, as luck would have it, it was a night for open mike AND IT WAS LOUD. Luckily we had more or less finished our discussion before the noise started.
When I arrived I immediately liked the feel of the place and felt comfortable even though I was on my own. I did fleetingly think that it attracted a bit of a pretentious crowd (this from overheard snippets) but each to his or her own.
So…if you are planning to meet here for any sort of chat check for noisy events as the design of the place means there isn’t a really quiet area.

I immediately felt at home in The Hop, it seemed somehow to cater exactly to my tastes in a manner suggesting that some nefarious super-​villain type character had used his mighty mind probe to formulate the perfect trap in which to ensnare me for some depraved purpose.
Or then again maybe not.
In real terms that means, if you are anything like me you will love it. The best descriptor to come out of our evening was coined by a friend of mine when she called it «Fab Café for grownups». Music in The Hop is of the indie/​rock flavour, and the décor continues the cool sub-​culture vibe; referencing iconic albums and cult films alike in the impressive monochrome mural which stretches up the stairs and across the walls of the mezzanine level.
As I arrived last night I caught sight of a band packing up so there is certainly a program of live music planned for the bar’s future. Another thing to note from my visit that re-​enforces the Fab café comment was the presence of «Village of the Damned being proudly displayed on the projector screen.
So, how is The Hop different from Fab? I hear you cry in a tone which says that you are not convinced enough to saunter all the way to the dark arches when you could happily stay at the same bars you’ve been going to for years. Well I’ll tell you. The Hop has the upper hand in a few areas. Firstly I would say that it is an Ideal place to start your night out, the music is at a good conversational level meaning that you you can drink and chat very freely without feeling like you are yelling (vital for getting into that joyous group mentality). Also, the drinks. For me the main advantage of coming here over Fab is simply that they serve drinks that you actually want to put in your mouth. The selection of ales is very good (the staff also seem to know what they are talking about and are more than willing to give recommendations) and they balance this with a wide selection of quality European beers and lagers for those who haven’t accepted their inner old man yet. Lastly the general vibe of the place is very good, on arrival you are greeted by very friendly bouncers, you order your drinks from chatty and competent bar-​staff then you sit in lovely bar surrounded by clientèle who seem to be just as happy that they have found the place as you are.
In conclusion I really don’t care if Ossett Brewery is run by a scheming super-​villain hell bent on my destruction, because The Hop is the best trap I have ever fallen into.

Lately, I have felt myself getting old. Going for a drink with a friend the other day, I wondered, where do I actually like? There was a resounding silence inside my head. Bars at the top of town (Oceana, Tiger Tiger etc) are inevitably packed with orange girls and boys whose hairs are so packed with gel that you could set them on fire from across the road. Down the bottom of town, Call Lane I find pretentious (which may be a controversial opinion), not to mention expensive with tiny drinks! By tiny I mean with glasses that allow for just a splash of mixer atop the copious ice and the spirit. This will of course have the desired effect, that is, if the desired effect was still to be completely hammered by eight o’clock. Nowadays (and here the age kicks in again) I find myself avoiding a hangover rather than dashing headlong into its welcoming but ultimately deadly embrace.
So… I was thrilled to find The Hop. A new bar from Ossett Brewery which I understand is a follow up of one in Wakefield. It boasts a lovely outdoor area near the canal in the newly developed area of Granary Wharf, and a spacious indoors. Downstairs is decorated like an old-​fashioned pub, upstairs is all about the music. Speaking of the music, there is a mix of rock and indie played at a nice level which doesn’t force you to abandon all conversation and sit in silence cuddling your drink. Another of my gripes about many bars in the city centre!
There is quite a selection of local beers, and they will let you taste before choosing. It is the sort of choice that makes me want to order a beer, even though I know I will hate it. Bravely I went for rum and coke, which was £2.60. £2.60! I nearly fell over! I don’t think I have paid so little for a spirit and mixer (outside The Angel) since 2002.
It is a little way outside the city centre which only adds to the charm for me, but this may mean many people do not encounter this lovely bar. Make the journey. It is well worth the effort.