Is it a bar or is it a restaurant? That’s the question I had to ask the barmaid in Candlebar one of the latest additions to the Leeds city centre scene. I’m not convinced she was entirely sure actually and I definitely wasn’t when I first stepped into Ossett breweries latest venture. After a while it started to become clearer and although it’s not a pub it’s a decent place with some interesting features. In reality Candlebar is a modern bar that serves light meals, craft beer and wine. It’s never going to get into the CAMRA good beer guide because there’s no real ale. What they do have is a selection of fourteen modern craft style keg lines, twenty enomatically preserved wines and a half decent selection of cans and bottles. For the fridge selection think Founder’s, Brewdog, Flying Dog, Left Hand, Camden and Beavertown. There’s not much in the way of continental European beers. If you want real ale and traditional boozer then you’re definitely in the wrong place and you need to be in Ossett breweries nearby premises The Hop, just the other side of the canal basin. Granary Wharf and the dark arches are one of my favourite parts of Leeds and this bar is a genuine addition to this cool part of ‘old’ Leeds, just so long as our friends from Wakey aren’t planning a sly takeover down there?
Inside there has been no expense spared on the quality fit out. Bleached wooden tables and lots of grey things. If there is a theme then I missed it (not unusual). There were a few antlers and a pelt from some sort of deer but I couldn’t fathom any connection. The candle bit is because it’s in Candle house – the cool round building you can see just south of City station. What I will say is that it is very nice and comfortable. I’m a big believer that the key to a really top pub are the toilets. Candlebar’s blogs definitely have the wow factor, design and cleanliness, please keep them like this.
I’m not going to go into the wines but there was a good choice available, by the glass using their eno what-do-you-ma-call-it thingy, you could also get a 50ml tasting measure to help the faint hearted make their minds up and I was offered tasting samples of beer. The keg beers were just slightly overpriced, to give you some idea of the price per pint; Founders all day IPA (4.7%) £3.75, Flying Dog Black honey (7%) £5.60, Ilkley/Yeastie Green tea (6.2%) £5.70, Jaipur £5.00 (it’s £4.20 in a well known victuallers on Boar lane but there’s somewhere else in town currently charging £6.00 for it!!!). Also OTB were Meantime, Brooklyn, Grimbergen and others.
The food is simple, pizzas done in a massive wood fired oven, salads and sharing platters. Almost a fusion between FOH and some of the other bars in town that are doing pizzas. Nothing that would break the bank though, the dearest sharing platter was only fifteen and a half quid.
The only fault I picked up was a (misguided?) insistence on charging 50p surcharge for a contactless card payment. Mr wallet sorted that one out, but I just didn’t get it, sort of defeats the point? If you’re reading Mr/Mrs Ossett brewery it’s one that might be worth clarifying this?
The verdict. Not a boozer. not a bar, not a restaurant but a really good place that sits somewhere in between. Somewhere a little bit upmarket than the norm which is reflected in the pricing, that has a good range of craft style beer and wine. It’s not a rip off though. My take on this is, if you were trying to impress someone on a first date you wouldn’t take them to North bar would you? Okay, you might, but I wouldn’t, I’d take them to Candlebar (prior to going for a meal at a nice restaurant). Guaranteed they would be really impressed.
On Saturday 6th June I visited 
Outside the stone built village hall everything looked really cool. Inside the hall was a bit of a disappointment though. The light and airy wooden panelled area housing the bar was fine and had the look and feel of a beer festival but the main hall was a bit of a dour, dingy, damp smelling sort of a place. Almost a bit Darby and Joan, although it started to gain bit of atmosphere as it filled up.
My first half was 
Exit 33
through until the close at eleven. As we watched the first act ‘Lucy and Jo’, the hall was starting to fill up. You could tell it was going to build into a proper bash and if all the bands were as good as these two young ladies, who had some genuine potential, then the punters were in for a good night.
In my last Northumbrian pub review regarding The Greys inn, Embleton. I said, ‘It doesn’t get much better than this for me.’ I might just have told porkies, little ones, because in this case it does. 
There’s no kids or dogs allowed in the bars. I know different folk have different views, I have a dog and I have children, but I agree here. The saloon bar is a place of adult serenity, an almost club like atmosphere that would be instantly spoiled by children, however well behaved they are. Similarly, dogs sprawled out would get in the way in the busy saloon bar. There is a pleasant area along the corridor from the main bar where children are allowed and families can eat, but it’s not a bar. Dogs are allowed in the beer garden with it’s views out over the harbour to the Farne islands and dog bowls are provided. As well as the main saloon bar there is a smaller cabin bar opposite with the same stipulations.
There’s no service issues at 
My suggestion is to wrap up in proper gear and visit this area out of season. Less tourists, more locals, less hassle, more atmosphere. Although it’s a beautiful place in summer, the light is fantastic at anytime and the magic is that it constantly changes. One minute sunny, the next dull, but nearly always a wonderful luminance. On a bright winters day you can walk on the beach and hardly see another soul. You then wander back to 
Over the years I’ve spent some happy evenings in 
On the bar they had 
My tip, get the bus to Craster, have a wander round, pick up some traditional kippers at 
Craster is a delightful place; small harbour, a couple of fishing boats, inshore life boat station, a traditional smokehouse filling the village with a wonderful aroma, nice cafe, an art gallery and 
The pub is Casque Mark approved, which in this case and many others, seems to say, ‘we’re not a beer pub really, but we’ve got some real ale on and here’s the certificate to prove it.’ Dogs and kids are welcome inside and out and food appears more important than wet trade. At 12.30pm the staff had that flustered, caught in the headlights appearance, which was becoming the norm around here. I was on the verge of walking out when I eventually got served. I thought the food looked expensive at £7.95 for a crab sandwich. So did the two Canadian gents sat at the side of us who paid £17.10 for a crab and a ham sandwich with two bottles of sparkling water. Their faces said it all when the sarnies arrived, basically two slices of bread, arranged on a board around a few tracklements. I bet the fisherman gets nowhere near £7.95 for an entire crab.
The 
On our second visit we went to dine, I’d had their signature fish and chips before, and they allow dogs in which is good. The huge fish was awesome but unfortunately the chips were absolutely dire and spoiled it a bit, hopefully just a busy holiday week blip. Almost everywhere we went it seemed that supply exceeded demand, especially around key food demand time; 12.30 – 1330 and 18.30 – 19.30. Flustered front of house staff, either sixth form age girls or mature local women were friendly but not slick enough to deliver. I understand the vagaries of the local economy a bit, but if one place can achieve it why can’t everywhere? It was the same story on the beer front. The St Mary’s was not right on our second visit, they did tell us this and were trying to sort it and weren’t going to sell it until they did, which is good. The fourth wicket was still empty so it was Secret Kingdom or 
