The Three Hulats, Chapel Allerton: Amen to a Wetherspoons - a good choice of beer at an affordable price
The Three Hulats has a long history as a coaching inn and public house, going way back to the days when Chapel Allerton was just a village. It’s had several incarnations down the years, including The Bowling Green, the Mexborough Arms and these days The Three Hulats.
Its name is a reference to the Savile family (aka the Earls of Mexborough), who bought Low Hall on nearby Potternewton Lane, and whose coat of arms included three ‘hulats’ or owls.
These days, Chapel Allerton, a gentrified north Leeds suburb, is a flourishing locale with a hive of quirky, independent shops, bars and cafes. The Three Hulats is now a J D Wetherspoon pub, which might seem at odds with this indy ethos though its sizeable band of loyal regulars suggests otherwise.
The pub’s stone façade is impressive, and its sprawling interior characterised by matching tables and fabric seating, brass framed pictures and slot machines, harks back to a time when big pubs like this were the norm.
There’s a chalkboard with a list of guest ales – when I was last in this included Daleside Brewery’s Monkey Wrench malty ale and Moorhouse’s Blonde Witch – as well as resident ales including Greene King’s Abbot and Thornbridge’s Jaipur. While for the less adventurous there’s ubiquitous lagers such as Carlsberg and Carling.
They serve food throughout the day, with an extensive menu that includes everything from pub classics to an array of burgers, pizzas, curries and salads. There’s also a spacious outside seating area which might not be the most picturesque beer garden in the world but is a pleasant enough spot to soak up the sunshine.
Some people can get a bit snooty about ‘Spoons pubs, but they know who their customers are and what they want; namely a good choice of beer at an affordable price – as someone who unwittingly paid £15 for a can of beer in a ‘hipster’ craft ale bar recently, I say ‘amen’ to that.
The Three Hulats, 13 Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds. LS7 3NB.