Rodley Barge review: A refreshingly retro boozer next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal

All cards on the table, I’ll admit I like loaded fries. I don’t even mind a silly gimmick, or when a cocktail comes along in a glass shaped like a horse or whatever the trend is that month.

Fancy new pubs and bars marketed as unique and quirky will always pop up as gentrification runs riot and shunning them entirely is futile. Some of them really aren’t bad and breath life into pockets of the city.

However, their seemingly increasing prevalence makes it refreshing when you stumble across a friendly, no-frills pub.

The Rodley Barge, located next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, serves pints in regular glasses. The interior has no neon signs and there are no photobooths or arcade games to be seen.

What customers do get is a friendly welcome in a cosy environment. Low wooden ceilings create intimacy as the hum of conversation fills the air. Dogs sit warm and cosy under tables as customers catch up in comfortable seating.

There is nothing particularly flashy about the Rodley Barge but that is precisely why it is so charming. When the basics are nailed, what else is really needed?

I visited on a drizzly February evening but the Barge is a different beast in the summer. It has a suntrap beer garden overlooking the canal you could very easily spend hours in.

The drink selection is not extensive but customers can choose from locally brewed guest ales as well as popular lagers and ciders. I opted for a Stella Artois that was brimming with life before moving on to a perfectly poured Guinness.

Among the options available was the easy-drinking Leeds Pale as well as Black Sheep Brewery’s Best Bitter.

Another benefit of a visit to a no-frills pub is that the card machine does not make you audibly weep over the bar. A round consisting of a pint of Stella and a pint of Inch’s cider came to a reasonable £8.60.

The only flashing lights come from the fruit machine and the focus is very much on your pint and your company. Trendy new bars are fine but the lure of a cosy pub will always be strong for me.

Leeds needs places like the Rodley Barge and long may they remain part of the city’s fabric.

Factfile

Address: 184 Town St, Rodley, Leeds LS13 1HP

Telephone: 0113 257 4606

Opening hours: 12-11pm every day

Website: https://therodley-barge.co.uk/

Scores

Drinks: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 8/10