Podger — Restaurant in Leeds

I have mixed feelings about this place, we have been visiting for years and will no doubt go back. The atmosphere is good, it's in a good location with bus, train, and M1 links.

The layout of the building is great. The car park is a good size and has disabled bays. The staff are always lovely and always try to go out of their way for you. The prices are great and the decoration is nice. The food is usually really good, especially for the price. They have a good option choice and a decent kids menu and offers during midweek.

The bad bits seem to be lack of care and maintenance. The tables keep being moved around and don't always fit the space very well, sometimes leaving you squashed in or next to a door that staff keep going in and out of. The ceiling in the extension clearly has issues with leaking, and there is damp and mould, which has been there for some time (at least a year) and doesn't seem to be having any repairs. Which isn't nice sitting around mould whilst eating. Also, the ladies' toilet windows are the old metal style, which, to be fair, can be damp in winter, unfortunately its summer and its never been cleaned. They are very mouldy. It wouldn't take much for someone to don some PPE and wipe this over with some mould treatment as this is unhealthy for patrons breathing in the spores.

My daughter really enjoyed her burger, and my grandson liked his chicken bites, cheesy chips, and beans. I chose the chicken gyros and skin on fries. I was a bit disappointed as it was clearly misrepresented by the picture. This is the first time I've been disappointed with a meal here. The fries were definitely not skin on. The picture of the gyro showed big chunks of freshly grilled chicken. What turned up was about 6 pieces of small, thin bits of very dried chicken that played peek a boo as they were hard to find.

If the repairs and cleaning were done, I'd probably give this a 5...

A three star review from me does not mean lacklustre. I am someone who takes reviewing seriously. If you are exceptional you will get four stars, and you have to be something really special to get five.

My experience of the podger has always been positive. The beer is good, and the food meets expectations and is good value for money. It is a good working Pub, with a great environment and excellent service. It delivers.

Most days that is what you want, comfort and homeliness. If you are looking for a cutting edge gourmet pub, playing stylish Jazz and serving highly expensive craft beers. Then this is not the pub for you.

In life, middling is often the best place to be. You don't disappoint and you don't present yourself as something that you aren't. I have been many time and will continue to do so. I am at home and I am happy with...

After a pleasant day out touring around the North Yorkshire countryside, we looked for somewhere to eat on our journey home to Huddersfield. From checking a few online pub/restaurants en-route we decided to check out The Podger in Garforth, which was nearby and had good reviews. Our party of 4 arrived at 5.15pm and it was already quite busy inside and out but with quite a relaxed atmosphere. We ordered from the Two for £9.50 menu and the Golden Years menu, our food arrived reasonably quickly, piping hot and portions were quite satisfactory, tasty and excellent value for money. Added to this was very attentive and friendly service from our server and we all left with appetites satisfied and all agreed it was a good choice and certainly worth a visit if we are in the area...