Victoria Family and Commercial (Nicholson’s)

No Longer In Business

Behind the Town Hall, this pub close to the Universities’ has a fine Victorian decor and is perfectly atmospheric for it. A typically traditional city centre pub, it has three rooms, two of which may be out of bounds on a visit due to private hire which has been the case on both of my visits here so far. The larger main room is as decadent as these though with large booth tables right opposite the main bar which sports a long row of cask ales between the keg lager taps. Food is served here.

My once fav Leeds pub, make occasional returns when back in town.

Of the three Nicholson’s pubs I visited during a crawl in Leeds this was definitely the best one. The pub, now clalled The Victoria Hotel, has got a central location next to the town hall, within walking distance from the railway station and very close to other ale related pubs like Veritas, Mr Foley’s and Town Hall Tavern. It’s a large pub with an impressive Victorian-like exterior and interior giving a clean, airy and grandeur impression. Nine active hand pumps on my stay displaying quite different cask ales. I tried five of them and the quality of the one called Nethergate Basing Park Blonde was far from satisfying. For food I had the Beef Rib Pie which tasted good. Decent service (visited, 11.07.2012).

Old Victorian bar with wood, mirrors and booths. Busy.

Visited on 23/06/09. Good range of beers from Tetleys, T Taylor, Acorn, Leeds, Cairngorm, Newmans and Caledonian. Cumberland sausages and mash were very good value at £4.75. Worth visiting.

Lovely old Victorian bar which looks like it’s been transplanted from Scotland with all those mirrors! Lots of booths to ensconce yourself in, ten cask ales of the Yorkshire variety and a historic interior makes the beers go down easy as you gawp at the fixtures and fittings.

Classy restored Victorian pub, former hotel, dripping with brass, glass and wood panels. Well-kept Yorkshire beers (including guests like Anglo-Dutch), booths to hide away in, raised areas in the windows to get noticed in, couple of extra rooms away from the bar, this is a shiny and sumptuous bar in the heart of the city.Proof positive that large bars can turn on the style.