The Skyrack

Went in here before the rugby. Had been a few years since I’d last been in. Still seems a nice pub and the fish and chips seemed nice. Would have been better if the fish had it’s skin taken off, not a fan of skin being left on fish. But all in all still a nice pub.

I quite like The Skyrack, but am conscious that there may be a touch of nostalgia for my student days in play. It’s a fairly standard pub in terms of its décor, clientele and the food and drink on offer, but it’s a good place for a post-​work pint (or four, as is usually the case!). My friend and I took advantage of the ‘burger and a beer’ deal and were pretty happy with what we got. The burger was well cooked, the salad fresh and there were plenty of chips — I hate it when pubs scrimp!
The seating is comfortable — I particularly like the booths — and the staff are usually pretty friendly. I was a bit disappointed that on this occasion it took about ten minutes for someone to appear behind the bar to serve us our first pint, but in my experience this is not usually the case.
For those of you who, like me, enjoy a bit of people watching; so long as you can get a seat in a corner, The Skyrack is also a great place to enjoy the regular spectacle that is the fancy dress Otley run. Just make sure you get to the bar before them!

Standard ales at a standard price. It’s nothing special to be honest. You start to get bored of this pub though and of all the predictable hedonistic patrons who enter the place.
This pub is also FULL of students (like any Headingley pub), so if you can’t stand a load of rowdy 18 – 22 year old Leeds University/​Met students dressed up in Togas, as the Avengers, as a load of ‘Wallys’ or even as bananas then this place (or any place around here) isn’t for you. Myself, i’m 25 now and I want something else. A place where that is more interesting. I’m not a snob, but pubs where you have loads of pissed up students outside jumping around, on the floor, throwing up and screaming while running across the road for the bus to Hyde Park Corner for the next round of Otley Run… well, I’m put off. This place makes me feel old.
It’s a great quiet night out in July and August when all the students have got the hell out of Leeds and gone (down South probably).

There’s nothing wrong with the skyrack. Standard ales, standard price. It’s just had a face lift which makes it a nicer place to be. This is a great pub to watch your footy, grand national etc. tends to be the home of Leeds rhinos fans which gives it a good atmosphere on match night. Theres pool tables and a nice little beer garden overlooking the headingley cenotaph. There are however a few idiots I’ve seen kicking off before, but then that’s no different to any other pub around England.

good for a cheap night out when the students are’nt around (otherwise you can be waiting to be served for frig knos how long) as drinks can be bout £2 a pint but would strongly recomend finding some where else which is more welcomeing as the staff can be friendly but you feel as though the other customers are judgeing you because they always seem to be stareing at you in a dodgy way and i belive i have been «spiked» on more than 1 occasion whilst being there

So, against my better judgement and against my preference my friends and I have on the odd occasion nipped here for a drink or two since my last review. There’s no mistaking it for what it is, from the signage and styling right down to the custom that frequent this raucous pub. Skyrack is a cheap, rowdy, student-​cum-​sports pub where costumed Otley runners and vocal footie fans alike can booze the night away as loudly as they please. I know that this picture can be taken as preferential or not, really depending on what sounds like your type of haunt, but all in all it’s not really for me.
So why three stars this time? The reasons are two-​fold. The first reason is that I really do enjoy playing on their silly ‘Buck Hunter’ game. More hilarious if you have a friend who gets a tad too into it and poses heavily with the gun! The second reason is that if you have been thoroughly enjoying the partaking of a few ales and need somewhere to go post usual closing times in Headingley this place is almost always open as a last ditch option. I have also had some more reasonable experiences with their staff of late!
Essentially, if you love dressing up and sports this is probably the place for you — it’s a large space and so great for groups, and has some pretty cheap options when it comes to booze. If you’ve more of a quality palette, and enjoy a decent conversation with your poison, then this place is best left out of the options!

In the heart of student-​ville the Skyrack is a brilliant summer venue thanks to it’s huge outdoor seating area. Very popular with students and locals like the Skyrack is a landmark pub in the Headingly/​Burley Park area of Leeds, and not a far walk from Hyde Park and surrounding areas either.
Excellent on a summer evening and always a buzzing atmosphere thanks to the student population.

When I think of Skyrack, my initial reaction is a feeling of being stared at! Skyrack is arranged in a very awkward manner with chairs and tables all around the outside of the main pub area. Therefore, when you enter it is often quite embarrassing and far from relaxing!
Despite any of my qualms about Skyrack the service they offer is cheap with meal deals such as 2 meals for £7 on pub classics (e.g mini fish and chips). The food is tasty and typical of public house cuisine.
Skyrack is well known for it’s support of football and other sports events in the sky sports channels. This is another reason I do not instantly take to Skyrack, nevertheless this factor draws in large amounts of custom and creates a vibrant atmosphere during premiership football matches.

As a relatively cheap, spacious and late-​opening pub in the centre of Headingley, the Skyrack offers up no surprises and is exactly what you’d imagine it to be: a relaxed if fairly bland spot for an afternoon drink that morphs into a scene from ‘Binge Drinking Brits’ by night, complete with a cacophony of drunken shrieks and shouts and girls in ‘fancy dress’ outfits which involve flashing as much flesh as possible without getting arrested. A traditional pub that’s been extended to more than twice its original size, presumably in order to accommodate more of said clientele, the Skyrack has embraced student culture with open arms, which will sadden those tricked inside by its pretty, stone exterior and gladden those to whom the price of a pint of Fosters is the most important thing about a pub. There’s a small beer garden out the back, which although not very picturesque is a lot quieter than the one across the road at the Original Oak on a sunny day, and the standard accoutrement of pool tables, fruit machines and arcade games inside. In short, unimaginative drinkers will find nothing lacking here, but anyone who likes their pubs with a bit of character is better off elsewhere.

The Skyrack lies opposite the more popular Original Oak, and, despite being a fine establishment, it comes second to the Oak in every department.
Firstly, the clientèle seem slightly more rowdy and less relaxed than those who are attracted to the Oak, creating a less easy atmosphere. Secondly, the Skyrack’s tiny concrete beer garden simply cannot compete with the huge grassy expanse of the Oak, meaning that, even when the weather’s good, you’ll probably find yourself inside. The Skyrack also feels a little bit tacky, with half-​old/​half-​new décor and pool tables randomly dotted about.
There are a couple of saving graces, however: the Skyrack stays open later than the Oak, and serves very cheap beer. If you want a slightly scaled down, slightly less enjoyable version of the Oak, choose the Skyrack. If you want the real thing, go across the road.

Clearly aimed at the large student market in Headingley and looks quite nice from the outside but looks quite rundown on the inside. The pub itself is like most other pubs, bar, tvs, table, chairs, sofas, quiz machines etc. and there is nothing to set it apart from any other pub. I don’t particularly feel it has much atmosphere like other pubs and the design and layout doesn’t make it cosy or warming. The furniture looks like it’s not looked after as pieces are falling off or breaking and the place could do with a lick of paint and new furniture. The drinks are the standard selection you would find in any pub and the prices are typical for the area. I’ve eaten there a couple times when it has been quiet and the food has been good and served in a reasonable time. The pub has loads of tvs and shows all the major sporting events and is popular with people going to the rugby or cricket at Headingley Stadium. Skyrack isn’t my first choice of pub in the Headingley area but it can get quite busy particularly on a Friday and Saturday night.

A really bog standard pub, nothing really to write home about. The place has got a lot of space, plus a beer garden — it can sometimes be a bit messy but that’s quite rare. The prices are average too, and so if you want to have an OK time, come here, and it’s in a good location too.

Very standard pub. Nothing special at all. Its quiet big and spread out, so there always gonna be space. Like most pubs in headingley though, its over run my students in the evening.
Prices are ok, bar staff are friendly, just an avergae place really.

I don’t like the Rack. Its beer garden isn’t so much a garden as a caged-​in paved area overrun with either students or Rhino fans, neither of which I particularly like.

I went today for a meal with my parents and brother. It looked great and everything was good except the food! It took an hour and a bit to arrive! I wouldnt of minded if it was anything special! They did offer us a free side order of chips, but this was cold and quite low on chips!

It’s a mix of old and new — very traditional from the outside but very studenty on the inside. Brand new sound system is in place with all the new types of bottled beers and a mixture of the traditional ales. The crowd is mixed ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ between regulars and students. They also get the rugby and cricket ground crowds after the matches at Headingly.