Bowers Tap Leeds review: I visited a city centre sports bar that strikes the perfect balance

American trends have spilled over onto British shores at quite the pace in recent years, with few scenes quite as affected as the drinking scene.

Stateside-style ‘sport bars’ are fairly commonplace nowadays, particularly in city centres. You know the type - dizzying, headache-inducing walls of commentary with the biggest screens you have ever seen in every direction.

Bowers Tap markets itself as a sports bar, but is more akin to a regular pub that caters well to sport-loving punters.

The decor is more more stylishly understated than your regular ‘sports bar’, with subtlety and simplicity favoured over an in-your-face aesthetic.

There are enough tables and chairs to manage a matchday rush, yet you do not feel like you are on top of your fellow customers. Importantly for me, there was an actual focus on comfort rather than an abundance of those skyscraper-like barstools you essentially have to absail down from.

I visited on a Sunday afternoon on which the centre of Leeds was rather quiet. Even at Bowers Tap’s prime location on Lower Briggate, it was fairly sparse.

Me and a friend wandered in to catch the Manchester derby, unaware of the VAR controversy that was to follow as we sipped our pints. Service was incredibly warm, with staff attentive and courteous throughout our stay.

I settled in with a point of Beavertown’s Neck Oil pale ale, which set me back £6.80. I later moved on to Guinness, which came at a cost of £6.15. I am every inch the northern pint-drinking stereotype, yet I am always reluctant to berate pubs for their pricing. Even with that in mind, I actually though £6.15 for a pint in such a prime city centre location was pretty reasonable.

I am not one of the stout aficionados who demands the head on their pint to be of a very particular density, nor do I whip out a stopwatch to see how long it is allowed to settle for. However, I can attest to the fact it was a very lovely pint of the black stuff.

Bowers Tap is not overwhelmed by TVs but you can see a screen from pretty much anywhere in the establishment, with the balance between visibility and intrusion struck perfectly.

The pub is a no-frills watering hole, serving up good pints at decent prices in a smart-yet-relaxed environment. Sometimes, on a football-heavy Sunday afternoon, that is all you need.

Factfile

Address: 57 - 158 Lower Briggate, Leeds LS1 6BG

Telephone: 0113 244 2275

Opening hours: Monday: 12pm–11pm, Tuesday: 12pm–11pm, Wednesday: 12pm–11pm, Thursday: 12pm–11pm, Friday: 12pm–1am, Saturday: 10am–2am, Sunday: 12pm–11pm

Website: https://www.thebowerstap.co.uk/

Scores

Drinks: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Total: 7.75/10