Cross Keys, Holbeckback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went here on a Monday eve in June 2016. No food due to a new extractor being installed in the kitchen. My pint of North Prototype was very good and at £3.00 was good value. Do not know if that is a Monday price or not.Nice decor with wood floors and furniture etc which seem to the norm these days. Staff were as they should be attentive and polite. What a difference from the previous comment, but that was 4 years ago.
|
I had the misfortune to visit The Cross Keys recently with a friend. When we arrived, we were kept waiting to be served at the bar for about 10 minutes, despite the fact the pub was (understandably) almost empty, and there were at least 3 staff on duty. They seemed to think that standing around gossiping and wiping glasses was more important than providing service. The beers we ordered were horrible. I had an ale(?) which tasted like bitter mixed with washing up liquid. My friend had a larger which wasn't much better. The beer is fine if you like one's you have never heard of that cost about �3.70 a pint (providing you don't have any taste buds).
Later, my friend decided to try a different pint, and went to the bar. He was told by the barman/manager(?) who was sat at the bar using a lap-top, that he would serve him 'in a minute'. Nearly 5 minutes later, my friend was still waiting! Obviously customer service isn't a priority at The Cross Keys!
The pints we had were also short measures - despite the fact the glasses had clear 'to the line' pint measures on them. When we asked for our beers to be topped up, the person staring glared at us. True, they topped the pints up, but we were appalled that we had even had to ask. Maybe a visit from Weights and Measures would be in order?
I have visited The Cross Keys on one previous occasion, when I had something to eat. On that occasion, the food was cold and extremely average, and extremely over-priced. The venue don't feel the need to put the prices up on their menu board - another clear example of their commitment to customer service!
Overall, The Cross Keys is one of the most horrendous, pretentious pubs I have ever been to. The staff obviously feel it is beneath them to provide anything approaching decent customer service, or a welcoming atmosphere. A truly awful pub - avoid at all costs!
|
Pleasant pub with an excellent choice of 4 beers from small breweries. I tried them all and they were in excellent condition. Staff were really welcoming and service was excellent.
Food was nice if a tad pricy, but the one gripe was that the "OLd Spot Sausage sandwich" should either be re-branded to include the word "mustard", or said mustard should be offered as an option on the side. Some swapping of mustard/ non-mustard bread helped resolve the problem, but there was still a lingering mustard taste ruining an otherwise excellent sandwich.
I will be back next time in Leeds, but much more 'mustard-aware'.
|
Run by the same people as the North Bar, this pub is somewhat different to that tiny bar on New Briggate; A more traditional boozer layout which has been sympathetically refurbished, with exposed beams and low tables & stools. The outdoor courtyard was packed upon our visit so we elected to remain indoors. As with the North Bar, Roosters ales play a large part and Foghorn was the chosen ale. As my flatmate worked his way through the variety of exotic lagers, I enjoyed two delicious pints of Abbeydale Speculation. Little Valley brewery (Hebden Bridge) was also represented at the bar. I can see myself returning many a time; An excellent pub, modern yet still charismatic.
|
Visited on Dec 19 as Saints were in Leeds. The below review is very accurate. Beers were Roosters Outlaw Boneshaker IPA, York Three Kings and Acorn Old Moor Porter, Barnsley Bitter was off. A selection of foreign bottled Christmas beers were listed on the blackboard. Good pub.
|
In ambiance the Cross Keys is very like its near neighbour the Midnight Bell but not quite so stylish, lots of exposed brickwork, light coloured ceiling beams, quarry tiles and a spiral staircase leading to an upstairs function room. This is named after James Watt, the Scottish engineer who worked mainly in Birmingham, not sure what his connection with Leeds is however. Two downstairs rooms, one a cosy bar the other a larger room with bench seating and tall stools beside a drinking shelf. There is also a patio or �sunny courtyard� which is very pleasant on a sunny afternoon. The rooms have plenty of seating on cream coloured leather benches and lots of short stools. Four handpulls in the two bars with a changing range of mainly Yorkshire microbrewery beers, Elland, and Roosters on my visit. The beer was slightly warm but still in good condition. Also on the bar; Erdingers, Lindeboom from the Netherlands and the super Kuppers Kolsch, plus a range of Belgian bottles. Although slightly less overtly foody than the Midnight Bell, unlike there the Cross Keys staff have more of a restaurant ethos but still work well.
|
Interesting pub with good beer. Before 9pm on a Friday evening it is a standard gastropub, but suddenly it empties out. Our party ordered food at 8.30 and it took an age to arrive (perhaps the last order of the evening). My oxtail stew was tasty if not very warm. Still worth a visit
|
Now it�s not often (if at all), that I walk into a pub to find four real ale handpumps , and I don�t recognise any of them. But then its not every day that you find a pub that takes its Beers from local Micro breweries as I now understand from the previous postings below. For the record the beers on offer this bank holiday weekend were Roosters IPA, Acorn Old Moor Porter, Silverback from the Brass Monkey Brewery and Doctor Mortons Famous Ancient Greece from Abbeydale brewery, all from Yorkshire I believe. Really liked the Roosters IPA but wasn�t so keen on the Silverback.
As for the pub it�s of a high standard of traditional d�cor laid out as one bar but in two sections, a main and larger one to the right and then smaller section to the left which has large wooden tables mainly for dining. There is a function room upstairs which is reached by use of a metal spiral staircase, which somehow seems to become a feature of the bar area instead of an intrusion.
Agree with the food menu as it was more in line with what I would describe as �posh nosh� and priced accordingly. For example the chalk board offered for Sunday lunch a whole Roast Rib of Beef, served whole at the table so that you can carve it yourself. Has to be pre-ordered and serves 5 and will set you back �75.00. I guess a great idea for a special occasion, but I still have the feeling that if I were shelling out �15.00 for Roast Beef I�d be looking for someone else to do the donkeywork.
So in conclusion, a really nice comfortable pub where I�d definitely come back for the beer.
|
Excuse my earlier curmudgeonly comments regarding the salad..
Food is prepared with care and very tasty. Beers very good and change regularly.
Staff are very friendly and welcoming.
|
Agree with Rich in terms of the target market of the pub but nonetheless difficult to fault on range of beers (had a very good 'Decade' last week but beers change regularly). Food was good quality although sometimes smallish portions. Prices generally acceptable but not �2.50 for a side salad.
Definitely return for the good beer but would shop around for the food.
|
An old backstreet pub in the former industrial area of Holbeck, just south of Leeds city centre. The interior has a very modern feel - open plan with lots of exposed brickwork, bare plaster walls and recycled oak beams. It was fairly quiet on a Saturday evening in the main bar, although there was a private funcion in full swing upstairs which sounded to be heaving.
Clearly targetted at the aspiring classes, with a posh sounding food menu and no mainstream beers as far as I recall. Four ales from smaller local brewers on handpump and half a dozen or so imported continental beers on draught.
Some traditionalists might find it a bit pretentious, but it's good at what it does and well worth a visit for the range of beers.
|
Recent addition to Leeds real ale scene (opened summer 2005). Owned by same people that brought you North Bar on Briggate. 4-5 real ales plus quality European lagers and wide range of bottled beers. Superb food available. The place is sold as more of a gastro-pub. Lovely old characterful building.
|
|
