GREAT PUBS REVISITED No. 8 – WHITELOCK’S, LEEDS

February 2024. Leeds Pub Crawl.

Nearly there now. Our gang of four* pub tourists

were due to meet up again in the most famous Leeds’s most famous pub, if we could find it after six pints.

Bing Maps can’t provide a route to Whitelock’s, tucked away down Turks Head Yard,

and Will has asked me, quite politely, not to mention he couldn’t see the entrance off Briggate.

It’s opposite the Falafel Guys van, Will.

There you go.

Oh, and when did “Whitelock’s First City Luncheon Bar” become “Whitelock’s Ale House” ?

That yard is a gorgeous sight, but I’m still a bit confused by how big it really is, and the proximity of the adjoining Turk’s Head adds to that confusion.

Rightly famous, but is it still “great” ? Well, in 2018 I said “Everyone knows Whitelocks, it’s the Betty’s of pub.  There’s even a “Wait to be seated” sign. Still a Proper Pub, despite that, with folk of all ages and varieties inside and out”. and in 2021 repeated that theme “Whitelock’s is exactly the sort of place everyone goes to, and feels comfortable in. Not a museum piece at all, and very pubby“.

And I’m not sure I can add much on what seems to be my triennial visit.

A beautiful pub, only slightly degraded by Reserved signs (Discuss. No, please don’t), but at least they’d typed (classy) the time of the reservation so we knew we wouldn’t be kicked out and have to complain to Mumsnet,

On those two recent trips the beer had been NBSS 3.5/4, superb stuff, and today it was even better.

The “trad beers” are on the next bank of wickets (ugh) and I shouted “Pint of Old Peculier”, except I spelt it wrong (with an “a”) which is probably why I only got a half. Perhaps they think no-one should drink pints of Old Peculier.

I disagree.

*The Leeds band, not the Liberals.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

5 thoughts on “GREAT PUBS REVISITED No. 8 – WHITELOCK’S, LEEDS”

  1. £5 a pint in May 2018, and “Card Payments Only” makes the prices less obvious nowadays.
    I can’t identify any “Seasonal British Food” on their menu.

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    1. Beer is food, or at least I know several pub goers who consume all their calories through beer (Don’t try that at home).

      £5 a pint must have been a shock to me even though I’d come up from Cambridge, not Sheffield.

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