please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Of the few pubs I've visited since lockdown eased, this was the one where they've taken coronavirus precautions the most seriously (temperature/contact details taken, staff wearing visors). Pub was heaving for a Friday lunchtime (no doubt due to its outlook over the river) but staff seemed to have the table service mostly under control. My pint of newly tapped Riverhead Happy Valley was good but still a slight disappointment (the Butterley Bitter on someone else's table looked in fine condition).
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Beer quality has been "very average" for some time now. Too much choice to be honest, perhaps they don't sell enough.
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If you only go to one pub in Marsden, make it this one. Great selection of beers and interesting interior. Very popular with the locals at 5pm.
maybe - 13 May 2015 09:21 |
Spent a few evenings here lately due to taxi driver having broken arm.
Wide choice of beers but a bit restricted to Osset group, as you’d expect. Beer seems to be in consistently good form, at last. Staff better as well, by and large service is good.
The only thing that really, really, really PISSES ME OFF is how many dickheads stand or sit at the bar all night to the extent that you can’t find a single gap to get served and consequently sometimes get overlooked.
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Excellent pub was very busy but the staff were very efficient and friendly, beers in top form, a highly recommended pub.
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Good beer and service, great selection of cask ales. Well worth a visit.
alexw - 28 Oct 2012 19:07 |
Didn't see anything of the inside but the beer that came out of this rammed pub was excellent (Ossett Pale Gold). This pub gets "Ale Trail" treatment which explains why it was rammed.
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The Riverhead Brewery Tap is located in the heart of the village of Marsden. There was a selection of Riverhead and Ossett beers, which are served from a long bar on the left as you enter the pub. We all tried some of the Riverhead beers, all of which were in good condition. The pub was very popular, and quite right too!!
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Tried 2 very nice Riverhead brews - my memory seems to be letting me down on their names though. Can't think why... Great place - was bustling but friendly on a Saturday night. Easily the best pub in Marsden, will definitely come back again.
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Second time here - good busy pub with everyone having a good time - lovely outside by the weir and the great topo sculpture...try and locate the pub! Beers we had were all from the on-site Riverhead and all good, included;
Butterley Bitter
March Haigh
Red Brook Premium
Galena IPA
Cupwith Special
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Really nice pub and a great find in the picturesque Colne Valley village of Marsden. The ground floor is the drinking area with dining upstairs; On a saturday afternoon it was busy indoors but took no time at all to get served. It also benefits from an enviable outside patio space next to the river, which proved to be something of a suntrap on a gorgeous afternoon. I sat on the wall adjacent to the nearby weir and marvelled at some of the fattest ducks I've ever seen, it was brilliant. As mentioned, Ossett Brewery appears to own the pub but Riverhead beers, brewed on site, take precedence and I had a very agreeable pint of Lockeepers Bitter (�2.40). This pub is 15 minutes from Huddersfield or 40 minutes from Leeds, and is very much worth the journey.
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Very popular and noisy pub with a great atmosphere (the noise is from people having a good time nothing else!). The beers brewed on the premises and the parent Ossett Brewery were available. All the ones I tried were good, without being brilliant, Ossett probably had the edge. The food in the restaurant up stairs was excellent and definitely not pub grub.
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i find the riverhead brewerys beer very sweet the pint of march haigh i tried was like a sugar rush...2 friends and myself tried a few of the riverheads and ossetts range and strangley enough a pint of fullers london pride was voted best this all in the amusment of a chap keeling over at the bar through drink.tut...
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The are an outlet for their own excellent Riverhead Brewery ales and also for Ossett Brewery. 5+ handpumps. Very popular with locals and train users alike. Upstairs restaurant looks good.
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Something�s changed!
Went in Thursday before last and tried about 5 different beers � all very good quality and fresh, even mid-week, and the pub was fairly quite.
Then went upstairs for a meal, which was excellent. Goose salad as a starter - the meat was pink and like butter, and �trio� of game, again the meat was divine. Can�t remember what the missus had but she was very impressed as well.
It�s not cheap � starters about �4-8, mains about �12-19, but you certainly won�t go away hungry and the presentation was super.
So it�s well worth a visit.
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To cut a long story short, the Riverhead originally opened with a great ethos and great beer and many good years were had.
Eventually it ran out of steam and was thankfully taken over by Osset Brewery.
At first we could forgive the mediocre beer, at least it was better than the erratic rubbish that we had come to expect. But they�ve now had long enough to sort things out, so at he expense of upsetting the other reviewers I�ll say the beer is still very average indeed. We go in every few months to make sure, hoping for improvement. Osset beers are lovely and most Osset pubs� beers are superb, but the Riverhead still ain�t one of �em. Sad to say, however, it�s probably still the best beer in Marsden.
It�s still a lovely setting (spoiled by the huge red Kirklees Council bins outside) and still is busy with a good crowd. I�ve not eaten there but I�ve never heard anyone who has say it�s less than very good.
So hurry Osset up and get the beer right!
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Don't agree with the "beers tend to be of the same kind" quote fom the previous comment, because the March Haigh Special at 4.6% is definitely NOT yellowish! Good, dark pint of beer, went down very well.
My second pint of the visit, the Redbrook Premium Bitter at 5.5%, felt like an old friend had called by and invited me out for a pint. Great drink.
I DO agree with the micro brewery / pub / restaurant etc comments, very nice olde pub with lots of wood and stone walls for people who appreciate that kind of thing, of which I am one, and the river tumbling over the rocks outside only adds to the overall atmosphere.
Loved it.
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Great pub right in the heart of Marsden with its fantastic little shops. Five beers brewed on the premises, four by Osset and one or two guests. Beers tend to be of the same kind (hoppy and yellowish) and just to differ in strength, but they are brewed to perfection and as fresh as they can be. For around 2 pounds, they're quite cheap too. The mild is superb. Can be a but smelly now and then, but then that's because there's LIFE in here! Upstairs restaurant is just as good with some superb creations; not cheap, but certainly not overexpensive. Recommended!
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Fantasic micro brewery / pub / restaurant. Now owned by Ossett but still brewing great ales on the premises. You tend to get 4 or 5 Riverhead Beers, a few Ossett and one guest to choose from. Upstairs restaurant has daytime & evening menus and amazing specials. Real quality food at reasonable prices. Staff are always helpful and friendly. Outdoor seating overlooks river & weir and is ideal in Summer. Only a short walk from canal and railway station. Dog friendly.
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My brother and I recently arranged our Dad's 60th birthday party here, and I could not have been more impressed by the professional, helpful and friendly way in which Richard, the chef, and the dining room staff made the evening such an enjoyable occasion. We started with a couple of drinks in the very pleasant downstairs bar (Butterley bitter for me!), then moved upstairs for dinner. I had eaten at a top London restaurant the previous evening, but frankly the food at the Riverhead was better (at a fraction of the price and without the pretension). A fantastic menu with a wide range of tempting dishes, simply delicious food, helpful and attentive staff, reasonably priced ... what more do you want? Somewhere to feed the ducks between courses if you have a couple of children in the party? Yes, they even have that too! I shall be back at the earliest opportunity, and hoping the fantastic rump of lamb with black pudding shepherds pie (tasting is believing) will be on the menu again. It might even be worth another 400 mile round trip!
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I used to go here a few years ago and it was good but the transformation is incredible. You can now look out at everything going on by the river while drinking one of a selection of great ales. It does get very busy from Thursday to Sunday and the staff sometimes have difficulty keeping on top of it but it's definitely worth a visit. Also, if it is crowded on entry (unfortunately the bar points out towards the door which can cause a jam) ease your way down to the left where there is generally space.
RussH - 26 Apr 2008 23:03 |
This pub has gone right downhill since Ossett took over it. The beer was always a bit unreliable, but they've took it to a whole new level. Used to be a regular, but got sick of never getting a decent pint. Fair enough, the bar was spruced up, but what about the toilets? Great if you like paddling in piss.
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Never used to like the atmosphere when it was Riverhead and for me the beers were watery. Since Ossett bought it, moved the bar the place is airy and more spacious.
Most importantly they sell Ossett and it's spot on.
One of the greatest beers in England... go and get it, feed the ducks and get a wobble on.
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Recently refurbished and now owned by ossett brewery, who have done a splendid job, retaining much of the character of the place. The range of beers is superb and i am told that the ciders are vequally impressive.The upstairs has been turned into a dinning room that has been tastfully decorated, it is very smart but retains a cosy feel. The menu is very varied without being over fussy and you can see a lot of imagination has gone into it. There is a nice mix of standard dishes and something a little more creative. I understand the chef has 33 years of experience in large hotels and cruise liners, it certainly shows. I have eaten here 4 times and have been impressed with the quality service and value for money each time. The head watress is called Rachae nothing too much trouble for her she is a delight.Obviously I would highly reccommend you visit this pub/restaurant. I think it is overall the best in the area at the moment.10/10
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TOP PUB this! It has been done up (Spring 2007) and is now not half as dark and smokey. Infact it is almost smart! The floors are still stripped and there are always a few dogs around, walkers and visitors always welcome. Big windows now let in the light and good views up the valley side. Upstairs the restaurant is actually quite classy in a rustic way, it always seems busy and the food has a good name. Downstairs in the bar there's no music but always a happy buzz of conversation in the middle of a lovely village, right by the ducks and the weir. Always good selection of ales and other drinks. The staff can be a bit useless and the manageress is a bit of a face ache but it's never put us off our beer and she's ok when she takes time out to smile! You can't go to Marsden and not visit this pub, it is a classic.
anonymous - 15 Nov 2007 20:20 |
The reason why i take my 3 year old son to feed the ducks so often at Marsden. in teh summer he can throw them bread over the fence and i can sit on one of the outside tables enjoying a quality pint.
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Agree with previous comments pub, but their quality ciders
MUST have a mention. Try any.
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Superb beers and a great pub in a great Yorkshire town. Friendly welcome, surrounded by great walking country and an area steeped in history. 10/10.
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Now owned by Ossett Brewery, beers were in good form.
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Well worth a visit. Tried a couple of beers and was not disappointed.
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My first time drinking in Marsden was a couple of weeks ago and we spent the whole night in here at a folk gathering (something to do with a Cuckoo). We'll certainly be back - uneven floorboards, huge selection of own beers, curios on the walls, but still spacious and friendly. Great pub.
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A brewpub in the centre of a lovely little Pennine town. Seven real ales of all styles and strengths, all from the host Riverhead brewery; two of us tried five of them between us and all were in perfect condition. A very high quality pub indeed.
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nice pub friendly people!!!!
Alex - 12 Oct 2004 18:54 |
Lovely old pub with wooden floors and a great atmosphere. Grand after a fine walk on the moors above Marsden. Very popular at 5pm on a Friday when we were there. We tried a great house beer: Redbrook Premium - it said it was 6% in the pub although the website says 5.5%. Really smooth though - not too bitter... Plenty of other beers to suit taste.
Jeremy Bradley - 5 Jul 2004 15:13 |
