Ilkley Moor Vaults

dare i say it’s a pub for ‘the older generation’…usually very busy with the middle aged type but a very friendly pub nevertheless.
drinks are pricey but the atmosphere and interior is nice. a nice place to go on a sunny day to sit outside, or cosey inside with the open fire. however can be very busy and is not a pub me and my friends usually tend to choose to go to!

I’ve come to Ilkley and I’ve not even had any booze yet. What on earth is wrong with me? I know that makes me sound like I have issues (and quite frankly I do but I won’t go into them), but I just like some liquid refreshment. Quick then get me into the Ilkley Moor Vaults.
This is a cracking pub. It’s nicely done out and has a very warm friendly atmosphere. It’s laid back and chilled all the way. Now onto the important bit and the drinks. Well I love it. Simple as that. The wine list has some excellent tipples on and it isn’t ridiculously expensive either. The ale is finely kept and there is a nice selection as well. My only problem is deciding my beverage of choice.
As for the food, it’s real served pub grub of the highest order. This place deserves a good old pat on the back.
They are also super relaxed about dogs and walkers too, which is good to know if you want a walking stop off point to refuel.

While Leeds city centre has no shortage of pubs, bars and restaurants catering to every imaginable taste, if you’re on a mission to impress it’s worth looking to the city’s outskirts for some traditional, log-​fires-​and-​all country pubs. Just down the A65 in Ilkley, this food-​focused walkers’ haunt is one of the best. With low lighting, dark wood and cosy seating to compliment the all-​important open fire, this is prime date territory, and the restaurant-​quality food and extensive wine list (plus a good soft drink selection for the driver) will ensure an evening to remember. On my visit I enjoyed a spinach, squash and goat’s cheese lasagne — a deliciously fresh-​tasting use of seasonal, local produce — and a melt-​in-​the-​mouth cheeseboard accompanied by a tart quince jelly. I can heartily recommend both. Although food is clearly the main event here, a decent selection of house and guest ales means its also worth just popping in for a drink, and with the pub’s position just five minutes from the centre of Ilkley, a quaint, up-​market spa town, and at the start of the Dales Way, there are plenty of opportunities to walk off any excesses.

Known locally for years as ‘The Taps’, this long-​neglected establishment had a complete transformation with new owners about 2 years ago. The beer is now first class (Timothy Taylor’s Landlord) and some of the food is outstanding (pies, ham and pea soup and fish and chips in particular) although the menu could be more ‘gutsy’. Real fire (though there are two, the second in the smaller room to the left of the bar has, disappointingly, not been lit for some time) provides atmosphere and not a little warmth in the stone-​flagged bar. There is some seating on a south-​facing terrace but this pub is at its best in winter. A large dining room on the first floor caters for large groups/​events on a pre-​booked basis only. Popular with discerning locals; child-​friendly with children’s menu; sausages from Lishman’s and beer from Taylor’s: this is the best pub in Ilkley by some margin. Now selling (sometimes) home-​made pork scratchings which are excellent when available. Sunday lunch is outstanding with some good wines to accompany it. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.