Beck and Call, Leeds review: classic pub grub in lively atmosphere at spacious Meanwood venue

Located in the quiet suburb of Meanwood, the Beck & Call benefits from a vast beer garden, decked out in pretty string lights and colourful parasols. Arriving on a sunny Wednesday evening, the pub was busy, with a pleasing buzz in the air and plenty of space for social distancing.

We were shown to our table quickly on arrival, though it wasn’t made altogether clear by the waiter how we were supposed to order our food and drinks. After spotting a QR code on the neighbouring table, we managed to get hold of the menu on our phones, finding a good selection of classic pub grub on offer: fish and chips; sausages and mash; steak and chips.

With one diner a vegetarian, however, the menu did offer several options, including a white bean burger, vegan fish and chips and vegan sausage and mash. After ordering two Beavertown Neck Oil IPAs, we ordered the vegan roasted jerk cauliflower wings to start, and two fish and chip portions - one vegan, one normal - for mains.

Using an app made it difficult to organise the arrival of food, with the starter arriving shortly after the main dishes, though this was a small niggle. The food arrived around 20 minutes after ordering, with both main dish portions extremely generous in size.

The cauliflower jerk wings were well spiced with the accompanying lime mayo giving them a pleasing zest, though “wings” was a slightly misleading description here - the cauliflower is simply presented in florets, not in meat-like “wing” form.

The fish tasted surprisingly fresh, given Leeds is not a coastal city, and the batter was light and crisp, without being too greasy. The chip portions - crispy and delicious - were very generous on both plates, with both diners actually struggling to finish by the end. The vegan “fish” was made with tofu, and though the seaweed mimicked a “fishy” taste, the tofu lacked flavour, and was a little bland.

Prices were around what you’d expect for a slightly upmarket gastropub; around the £5 mark for starters and £11-£16 for generous large main portions. Overall, this is a great spot for casual, filling food with large tables perfect for sharing outdoor pints with friends.

Factfile

Address: Beck and Call, Stainbeck Rd, Meanwood, Leeds LS7 2NP

Telephone: 0113 266 1192

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun, 10am-10pm

Website: https://thebeckandcall.co.uk/

Scores

Food: 7/10

Value: 6.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7/10