Arcadia Ale House

This glass-fronted beer bar in the centre of Headingley occupies the end of a former 1960s shopping arcade. Once home to the Arndale Centre, and later to Lloyds Bank, today its former vault houses a special beer cellar whilst above the walls are adorned with beer posters and brewery memorabilia. Tucked beneath the concrete pillars of a former office block, you’ll find the team at Arcadia Ale House serving up a selection of real ales, wines, keg lagers and bar snacks to a mixed crowd seven nights a week.

The busy neighbourhood bar is popular for its regular Sunday and Monday night pop quizzes, and runs a number of deals throughout the week. Split across two floors, with two downstairs rooms and an upper mezzanine level, Arcadia Ale House has long been a favourite amongst local beer lovers. Featured by CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) for its offering, on the taps you’ll find four regularly-changing guest pumps pouring real ales from Northern breweries like Hawkshead, Vocation and Rooster’s, as well as a good selection of popular craft and draught to choose from. 

The ale house has a popular Sky Sports offering with three large screen TVs showing all the sports fixtures, making it a favourite with locals who want to catch the football on the weekend. It also has a sun trap beer garden at its front, which is great for the summer when you simply want to sit outside, sip on a pint and watch the world go by.

Once known for its collection of rare beers, challenges in recent years have led Arcadia’s owners to cut back on the specialist offering and offer a more condensed list of drinks instead. Arcadia also now features as the fifth stop on the area’s famous Otley Run pub crawl, having previously marketed itself as an anti-Otley Run pub, so you’re likely to spot some fancy dress-clad students hanging about if you pop in here for a drink on a weekend.  

A long standing local beer bar, the drinks list may be shorter than it once was but Arcadia Ale House is still a great place to spend a few hours catching up over drinks and sampling different beers with friends. Just avoid it on the weekend if you’re not a fan of the Otley Runners, and you’ll have a lovely time.