Bar Review Alfred

Tom Goodhand delights at a cosy neighbourhood bar in Meanwood set up by the folks behind North Bar

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Many of Leeds’ more discerning drinkers will know the North Bar group very well. As well as running the beer-lovers haven that is North Bar in Leeds city centre (which must have one of the best international beer selections in the country), they can also boast the magnificent gastro-pub the Cross Keys in Holbeck and the intimate Chapel Allerton drinking den of Further North.

Their latest project has seen them open a brand new bar in Meanwood, a north Leeds suburb which is experiencing something of a resurgence following the arrival of a swanky new Waitrose supermarket and a bar from Market Town Taverns called East of Arcadia.

The new bar is called Alfred – a reference, we believe, to filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest (Alfred being north-west of North Bar, you see) – and is probably the most characterful of North Bar’s establishments so far.

The exterior has dark wooden decking and a swanky logo, while inside it’s all mismatched furniture, a multitude of old light-fittings, wooden beams (complete with brass birds attached), brightly coloured flooring, the odd picture on the wall and a decent sized wooden bar.

This being a North Bar bar, the beer is quite a focus. For the opening weekend the pumps are pouring out Rooster’s Wild Mule (from Knaresborough), Marble’s Ginger (from Manchester) and Elland’s sumptuous, award-winning (and 6.2%!) 1872 Porter (from Elland, obviously).

For those who don’t fancy ale, there’s Lindeboom, Schneider Weiss, Brooklyn Lager and Bacchus raspberry beer, plus a great selection of bottled beers, focusing on Belgium and the US. It’s not all beer either, with a choice few wines and spirits available.

And of course, knowing that drinking on a empty stomach can be a little risky, they also offer platters of cheese or meat with bread – huge hunks of bread and big flavoursome lumps of cheese they are, too. Perfect for soaking up a few lazy pints.

Having only been up and running for a few days, the bar’s been consistently busy, opening all day Saturday and Sunday, and from 5pm every weeknight. A large proportion of the visitors seem to be locals, who generally walk in oohing and aahing, delighted at the new edition to the area. The quirky decorations and array of drinks on offer should attract folks from further afield too though.

With only around 30-odd seats in a fairly small space (bigger than Further North, smaller than North) it is a bit of a squeeze, and getting up to go the toilets can involve a fair bit of shuffling around the seating around you – thankfully trips to the bar are seldom necessary, with staff constantly wandering around offering table service when they see pints running empty.

The actual toilets themselves deserve a mention too – which isn’t something you can say too often. Both male and female toilets are decked in magnificent wallpaper. The men’s has a Roy of the Rovers-esque football theme running through it, while the women’s boasts some cheeky pin-up art (or so I hear).

The talk from the locals is that this bar was exactly what they felt the area needed, and as long as their enthusiasm keeps up, this bar should remain busy for some time to come.

Posted on Tuesday 1st February 2011

Alfred

4-6-8 Stonegate Road, Meanwood, Leeds, LS6 4HY

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