The Ship Inn

You'll walk past this place a dozen times before you notice the narrow entrance tucked between the shops in Queens Arcade. Once you're through the door though, you've found one of Leeds' proper pubs – all dark wood panelling and wonky bookshelves that look like they've been collecting dust since the '70s. The hand-pulled ales are mostly local, and they know how to keep them, which is half the battle in this city. The food is exactly what you want from a pub that takes itself seriously but not too seriously. Think proper Yorkshire portions of things like bangers and mash or a decent steak and kidney pie, cooked by people who understand that sometimes simple done well beats fancy done badly. It's the sort of place where you pop in for one pint and somehow end up staying until closing time.