Parkside Tavern Leeds review: I visited the Merrion Street pub with a hidden suntrap beer garden

The task of picking a place for a post-work pint is tougher than you might think.

Picture the scene. It’s 4pm and you’re slowly but surely getting to the end of your day. Sun is beaming in through the city centre office window and the lure of a cold drink is only growing stronger. You start assessing the options in your mind.

There’s the obvious choice, the really cool bar with a lovely beer garden, but it’s mildly warm so will therefore be rammed. There’s the hipster choices, the ones TikTok influencers tell you to run and not walk to, but they’re rarely as good as they’re shown to be on your ‘For You’ page.

I found myself in this scenario recently and opted for Parkside Tavern, a Merrion Street watering hole I had previously come across on one or two occasions in the winter. What I didn’t know what was just how great it is when the sun is shining.

As you approach, you notice there is outdoor seating at the front of the boozer, next to the street. What you may miss is that there is an absolute gem of a suntrap on the upstairs terrace.

The pub itself boasts tasteful black-and-white Revival architecture, but combines the vintage with the new school inside. It is a place with a subtly stylish interior and enough space to swing several cats.

There are bars upstairs and downstairs, although it was just the main one on the first floor in operation when I visited.

All tastes are catered for, with the list of drink options extensive. I went for a pint of Estrella, while my colleagues sipped Beavertown Neck Oil and glasses of Pinot Grigio wine.

The Estrella set me back £6,20, a price I actually thought was really reasonable for a city centre pub in the current economic climate. A pint of Neck Oil was slightly more expensive at £6.60 and the large glass of wine was £7.60.

Summer is not yet in full swing, meaning the window for soaking in the sun was fairly short-lived, but Parkside Tavern proved to be the ideal place to take advantage of it.

It is in a fantastic location too, therefore could be a stop-off on a trail of great pubs in a particularly vibrant pocket of the city centre. Parkside Tavern won the battle to serve my post-work pint - and they made sure my colleagues did not turn against me.

Factfile

Address: St Johns House, Merrion Street, Leeds, LS2 8JE

Telephone: 0113 467 2005

Opening hours: Monday - 3-10pm, Tuesday to Thursday - 3-11pm, Friday - 2pm, 12am, Saturday 12pm-12am, Sunday - 12pm-10pm

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

Scores

Drinks: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Total: 8.25/10