The Bridge — Restaurant in Leeds

From reading the reviews and seeing the pictures on-line we were all really looking forward to going for a nice roast at the bridge. I rang in advance to book tables for a large party which was fine and the guy on the phone was really accommodating. When we arrived we all sat together and the vibe of the place was really good, I've never been in before but it's a really old quirky pub with open brickwork and good sized televisions for watching sport. The staff were really friendly and answered any questions we had. Some of us ordered what I would call main menu food, so burgers, lasagne, fish and chips etc. Most of the others ordered a roast. Now I've had a few roasts in my time, I've had poor to excellent and from reading Google reviews I was expecting near excellent. Now imagine my disappointment when I was served what I would expect Armley Prisons version of a roast is, the mash was smash, the veg was hard and dry, the meat tasted bland, the gravy was none existent and the Yorkshire Puds were nowhere to be seen. One of our party having to argue to get some and then when they came out they were burnt yet uncooked in the middle ... That's rush cooking at its finest. We did however see the main menu food, which was lovely and the rest of our party had no complaints. The burger especially looks lush! We definitely won't be back though...

Was an alright meal for the price of it. Loads of food on the Sunday Roast, lots of meat and vegetables, and they gave us extra gravy. However, the Yorkshire puddings were a bit on the burnt side and the beef getting towards being overcooked, as it was quite tough. I got a burger, and it was nice, loaded with loads of salad. However, the burger patty itself was a bit like a large meatball, not a smooth patty, but lots of mince packed together, which made it quite tough in some parts of the patty. The fries were alright, got cold quickly. The shandy was more lemonade than alcohol, making it very sweet. And the atmosphere was mediocre, landlady could be seen abruptly telling the staff what to do quite rudely. The whole place could do with a deep clean, and the tables had these cheap, white, plastic tablecloths, making it less like a pub and more like a café. Can’t fault the waitress, was very nice and helpful. However, we won’t...

Food is excellent, staff are friendly & provide a good service, but what lets this place down is the atmosphere. It’s clear it’s one of those “locals/regulars pubs” & you get stared at if you aren’t one. Plus you have to put up with the loud sweary behaviour of the regulars (seen this mentioned in other reviews so it isn’t just me). Fair enough yes, it’s their local, but I don’t want to listen to that.

Another review I’ve seen mentions seeing someone snorting cocaine in the gents (then chucking the bag in the urinals) & people stood outside smoking weed (the smell drifting in through the open door) - lovely!

From the website it’s clear the team are working very hard to attract new customers but please deal with these issues first. Then I’d happily return because everything...