TINNED FISH. THE RECORD CAFE, BRADFORD

May 2026. Bradford.

We’ve been stalking the Southworths on their 2026 UK (well, mainly Yorkshire) Tour, which inevitably reached Bradford last Sunday.

I’m sure Dave really comes for the marvellous street art, recently enhanced by the addition of Greggs wrappers,

but in truth it’s the curry that brings the boys to the door.

Mrs RM joined me on an overnighter, even cheaper than usual on Sundays, and we took a look at the culture before the curry.

That’s the Waterstones, surely the UK’s most gorgeous bookshop unless WH Smiths TG Jones have a better example.

The town centre trade was concentrated in the Broadway Centre, but quiet elsewhere,

and the bran’ new Darley Street Market (soundtrack – “Walk of Life”) only had the food court open, but that looked great.

Despite the nods to history,

Bradford moves forward, and nowhere is the transformation more obvious than North Parade,

where the Record Cafe continues to have the sort of beer range (I know, I know) most cities would dream of.

A bit of Waterbeach in West Yorkshire

The Brass Castle and North Riding were astonishingly good, cool and rich and chewy,

but it’s the deli with its cheese, ham and tinned fish we’re here for.

Served with sourdough, the tuna is worthy but dull, those sardines astonishing. Honestly, you could imagine you were in Fuggles in Tunbridge Wells.

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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.

18 thoughts on “TINNED FISH. THE RECORD CAFE, BRADFORD”

  1. The whole leg of jamon was a rather surprising thing on offer there, and the cheeses, more fancy London deli than side Street Bradford. Gets a bit too busy, along with the Exchange in town, when ~citeh~ Bradford City are at home, but good none the less.

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  3. Didn’t we get in that Record Cafe eight years ago this month with the Corn Dolly not being open.
    It’s such a shame that the New Beehive is longer there for beer and beds.
    Tinned fish must be a new Yorkshire pub speciality. Staying in the Black Horse last week I enjoyed tuna with bread sticks. As Whitby is well known as a fishing port I’m not sure why my four tuna fillets had come all the way from the Azores.

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    1. Lana, Do you not remember tinned sardines or pilchards when you were a young lass, the sardines having a special ‘key’ to open their flat tins ?

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      3. There used to be one in Gateway shopping centre above rail station. Never seemed that busy, a complete rip off.

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    1. Never eaten oysters, don’t like the idea of swallowing a big lump of mucus that is somehow alive.
      Sardines and pilchards on the other hand, yes. I remember an advert for Glenryck pilchards featuring a cartoon pilchard in a slinky dress singing, to the tune of “I’m a Woman” by Peggy Lee:
      “Cause I’m a pilchard
      P-I-L-C-H-A-R-D
      I’m talkin’ ’bout me…”
      Nobody else remembers this. Of course, I may have been smoking some good stuff at the time. Or going through a surrealist phase.

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