As you may know, I love pubs. Give me a delicious beer, proper pub grub and good company and I'm very happy indeed - happier than I would be in the middle of a crowded nightclub clutching an overpriced alcopop, anyway! I've really come to appreciate the great British pub over the years and have been to some excellent ones in Leeds city centre and beyond. So, when I received an email telling me about the newest pub to open right in the heart of the city, inviting me to the opening night, I of course couldn't say no! The Griffin is a Taylor Walker pub based on Boar Lane, and the company have quite a few dotted up and down the country. However, I believe that this is the first and only one in Leeds.




Taking over the building that was previously Bar Censsa and before that The Griffin Hotel (Hence the name!) The Griffin boasts traditional yet quirky decor, in keeping with the hotel status that it once held back in the day. When we arrived, it was extremely busy, however it was clear to see how much thought and care had been put into the presentation of the pub. There is your usual mixture of comfortable seating and dining tables, along with traditional wallpaper to boot, but the light fittings are surprisingly modern. Me and Martin managed to get a drink and went to go find a table, and I was very surprised to discover a section off from the main bar that looked like the London Underground! It was very unexpected but very cool - it didn't feel like we were sat in a pub at all. They had managed to incorporate some fantastic artwork reflecting Leeds into the design (See the image above), but gave a nod to its London heritage with Underground posters from the 1920s adorning the walls.




Whilst we were there, we were given the opportunity to try some of the food from the "Great British Pub Food" menu. Now, I have to say that whilst we kept seeing members of staff coming out of the kitchen carrying trays of food, whilst we were sat in the Underground part of the pub we kept missing out! Either everyone had managed to try something before us, or we were completely ignored. However, I solved this problem by moving us to a table in the main section - and voila, we eventually managed to try something! By the end of the evening, we had worked our way through a surprisingly varied amount of food, not all of which I can remember, but there were some highlights. The fish and chips, despite not being something I would ever pick from a pub menu, were really excellent - the chips were nice and chunky, and the fish lightly battered and flavoursome. We also enjoyed the "1730" pulled pork wrap, dressed in a barbecue sauce made from their very own "1730" ale, which tasted far better than we expected. It has to be said that the beef burger, pictured below, was pretty underwhelming and also a bit dry, which was a shame as they have some great sounding burgers on the menu.




As the evening wore on, we had to try some of the beers that were on offer - well, it would be rude not to, wouldn't it? That, and we hadn't tried any Taylor Walker beers before, and we were always on the lookout for something new and exciting to try. We of course had a pint of the "1730" ale, which was as traditional a beer as you could get. We also tried the "Velvet Mild" from Naylor's Brewery and "Black Gold" from Copper Dragon, which I think was by far and away our favourite. We enjoy a good strong, dark ale at the best of times and this one hit the nail on the head! They actually had a good and varied selection of drinks available, including spirits as well as the usual beer offerings. Because of that, and tempting food choices that we didn't get to try, I'm sure that we will be back again in the future and it will do well in Leeds - people of the north always appreciate a good pub after all!