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Cafe bar by day, thronging bar by night. Another excellent bar with an excellent music policy (bearing in mind my bias towards indie/rock).
Does do food but I haven't indulged yet as it's always been rammed to the gills when I've been, usually late in the night.
20 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 1AJ 0113 305 0372
A dark and cosy bar in the week, gets louder towards the weekend. In my eyes the best music policy in town (indie/rock) and superior to Mojos (next door) as it doesn't get so bloody rammed, and you can actually get a pint and usually a seat.
Well recommended cocktails too. Open until 4am.
12-14 Merrion St, Leeds, LS1 6PQ 0113 244 4080
Its a right after the Grand Theatre and Arcade and the chavtastic hellhole that is Gatecrasher. next door to Mojos.
Couple of decent curry houses on the same street, of which the Elephant Cfae is probably the better.
A cellar bar on New Briggate, sandwiched between and under North and Franks. A nice little bar with a lovely atmosphere and a good taste in music, usually along jazz/blues lines but branches out now and again.
As can be expected, busy on a weekend, but good for a quiet drink and a light snack when you're knackered from shopping on a Saturday.
Usually has live acts on in the week.
20 New Briggate
Leeds
LS16NU
If you pass North you've also just gone past the entrance to Sela, turn around and look for the red door!
Far and away the cheapest pint in town (it's a Samuel Smith's establishment), squirrelled away up an alleyway off Briggate.
Always guaranteed an 'eclectic' mix of clientele due to the prices (read: winos, students, alternative types, office workers, a proper cross-section), but that also guarantees a cracking laugh.
No jukebox, no tellybox, you actually have to talk to your mates. One night when I was in one room descended into an informal football trivia quiz, with about 20 people all nattering away and throwing in questions.
Does do food, cheap, but I've not had the pleasure yet.
Angel Inn Yard, Leeds, LS1 6LN - 0113 245 1428
(basically go up the alleyway next to Music Zone, opposite Harvey Nicks, on Briggate)
An excellent wee bar close to the Corn Exchange. Pricier than most but worth it with a laidback, friendly atmosphere and a quality mix of music varying every night of the week, including live sets from local talent. Also worth checking out Wire, the club next door.
10-12 Call Lane, Leeds, LS1 6DN - 0113 245 7101
A bar/pool hall/diner/club thing all rolled into one. Part of a small chain. Good for dropping in on for the food (which, when it eventually comes, comes in rather mountainous portions), and for watching the footy.
64 Call Lane (1st & 2nd floor)
Leeds
LS1 6DT
Tel: 0113 245 7011
Fax: 0113 245 7022
A cracking boozer near the Tetley's Brewery. Not particularly cheap, but not extortionate either.
Original Victorian fixtures and fittings. Food is of a good standard and there are a myriad of rooms to get yourself lost in. A quality place to start a night, or for a quiet(ish) drink if you don't fancy having a massive bender.
Corner of Hunslet Road and Dock Street.
1-5 Hunslet Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1JQ.
This pub nestles unexpectedly in a courtyard just off Borough High Street, not far from the southern end of London Bridge.
It’s one of the last surviving coaching inns in London and the only surviving galleried pub. It dates back to medieval times, but the current version dates from 1676 when it was rebuilt after a fire. It’s had Shakespeare and Dickens among its clientele over the years and therein lies the main attraction; it’s one of those places where you can step back in time from the bustle of the city.
The pub was originally built around three sides of the courtyard and must have looked pretty spectacular. Unfortunately two sides were knocked down in the late 1800s to make way for railway warehouses – another blow for progress. The remaining site is owned and run by the National Trust, which hopefully means that there won’t be any more progress for the foreseeable future.
77 Borough High Street, Southwark.
Nearest tube: London Bridge.
People tend to covet two images of Amsterdam: one is of the sleepy city of culture and canals; the other is of one of Europe's hottest party venues. Rarely do you find a place that encompasses both together, but De Zotte is it.
Tucked away in a side street, there are hundreds of Belgian beers on offer to satisfy the connoisseur, yet the hip young crowd and funky sounds keep away the crusties and coach tours.
If you have to drink mass-produced Heineken, don't worry, there's hundreds of other cafes to choose from.
29 Raamstraat
+31(0)20 6268694
Vyne is a fantastic Wine Bar recently opened on the Prinsengracht. We were there in their first week and they had great "wine flights" and food to match.
Very cool (but not "too cool") and the staff were friendly.
Prinsendgracht 411
1016 hm Amsterdam
020 344 64 08
info@vyne.nl
Jump on a number 9 or 20 bus from the city centre to the always welcoming Hecla Arms (formerly the renowned "The Butty").
What is there not to praise about this warm and welcoming pub? The punters are a loud and friendly bunch, and the food on offer is absolutely top drawer! Get along for a singsong before addressing yon haggis.
Weel done cutty sark!
Hecla Arms
Hecla Avenue
Glasgow
G15 8NA
Upstairs or downstairs, both are a charm. Downstairs holds the exceptional restaurant and upstairs belongs to the more laid-back bar.
Fabulous selection of wine and whiskies and much better than the rest of the G1 guff that populates much of Glasgow's bar scene.
www.ubiquitouschip.co.uk
Nearest Underground station: Hillhead, and then literally around the corner to the West End's famous Ashton Lane - all fairy lights and cobbled street!
It is a small, cosy, beautifully thought out bar on Queen Street away from the crowds of George Street. Lovely generous cocktail menu, gorgeous friendly staff, perfect lighting, comfy seats and cocktail menus bound inside the shells of literary gems (the guts of which went to a good home). It's the attention to detail which stands out here.
Weekends see decent house music played by friends and guests. Just don't tell anyone you don't like about it.
Queen St, Edinburgh
Ocana is a bar/restaurant/ bocadilleria/pizzeria. It's an interesting place with friendly staff, and away from the main tourist areas.
The thing that made it special when we visited (about 5 years ago) was that it was still serving tapas in the traditional way - with every beer, you get a free snack, each one different. The chef was a bit perplexed when we got up to our ninth beer one night!
Parts of the building are pretty old, and the staff were proud to show us around the areas that weren't in use at the time when they saw we were interested.
The patron is a great supporter of local musicians, and eagerly told us (despite very limited English) about a recital of flamenco guitar and singing that was taking place nearby.
If you don't speak Spanish, take a phrase book and be prepared to use it!
Plaza del Realejo, 1
Tel: 958 25 64 70
Eltville is known for its wine, sekt, and roses. Some of the most renown German wineyards are located within the city limits (Steinberg, Rauenthaler Baiken, Erbacher Marcobrunn).
The Rheingau is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine river between Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine.
Many small cities with wine taverns invite you to have a drink. It is famous for its wines, especially the "Rheingauer Riesling".
Very relaxed...nice landscape!!!
The next larger city is Wiesbaden (Frankfurt), about 10 km to the east. Culturally, Eltville belongs to the Rheingau region.
Brilliant cocktails and live jazz radio. Berlin is the only European city with its own 24-hour FM jazz station.
JazzRadio 101.9 broadcasts live every evening from 18.00 - 24.00 from its studio in the Hotel Bar, where you can see (and hear) the show go out live, presented by the station's cool young DJs.
Inge-Beisheim-Platz 1, S-Bahn Potsdamer Platz
The view of Dresden Altstadt from the other side of the river Elbe is probably one of the most spectacular in Germany. The area around the Frauenkirche is still being developed but it's starting to look magnificent already. There are schickymicky bars on the Altsdtadt side, or head for the Neuestadt if you like your entertainment a little more edgy.
One of the best Turkish Döner shops in Berlin, open until 6am.
Extremely reasonable, good quality fast food, including vegetarian options. Compared to kebab in the UK, the version here is way tastier, with lots of crispy salad.
The walls are decorated with technicolour murals of how the Pergamon altar might have originally looked in Turkey, pretty different from how it looks in the nearby museum today. Also serves beer, pizza etc.
Under the bridge at the entrance to Friedrichstr Station.
Every Cologne brewery has its own beer hall, but Gaffel, Paeffgen and Muehlen have the best beer and food (especially Gaffel).
They are also far enough away from the train station and cathedral to be less full of tourists.
Gaffel - Alter Markt
Paeffgen - Friesenstrasse
Muehlen - Heumarkt
Pub and guesthouse (hotel is a rather grand word for it) in Broughty Ferry, just outside Dundee.
Wonderful setting on the Tay - enjoy the spectacular sunsets from the end of the street or the pier. Real ale, rooms renovated in modern but cosy style. Good food. Excellent base for exploring Dundee and environs.
10-16 Fort Street, Broughty Ferry
Dundee DD5 2AD
Tel: +44 (01382) 775941
Fax: +44 (01382) 477466
www.fishermans-tavern-hotel.co.uk
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