Former patrons of the Prince of Wales would not recognise this new incarnation. The owners of Baht’ap have done a complete overhaul inside which makes for a pleasant — if a bit dull — atmosphere.
We were encouraged by them marketing themselves, at least in part, as a craft and cask beer place. We found five casks from Theakston’s, Saltaire, Roosters, Ossett and Black Sheep (all Yorkshire, true to the bar’s name), as well as Sam Adams, two Meantimes and Guinness Porter on keg. A few crafts like Point, Dogfish Head and Lagunitas make up a decent but not-hard-to-find bottle selection.
Food seems to be part of the long-term plan as the space has a full kitchen, and the website describes food as “coming soon.”
Baht’ap was very busy on the the Saturday afternoon we visited, full of people either finishing their Leeds shopping or getting ready for a night out. The place has the right ingredients, but something about the execution just didn’t add up for us. Spending £9.15 for two bottles probably didn’t help.
It feels like Baht’ap is trying to peddle the middle of the road and be a pub for all seasons. They succeed in that, but don’t offer anything that would draw us back in. We couldn’t really spot any selling points you wouldn’t find at a Wetherspoon’s, but at twice the price.
Tags: beer garden, coffee, food, free wifi
Slightly harsh by my reckoning. The prices are equivalent to all nearby pubs but it feels like an independent place, not a chain. Also, in my opinion the one thing they have got wrong is the name and styling. The venue is spoilt by the dull branding and getting rid of the traditional pub styling. The layout inside is as trad as you can get so why not build on that rather than being something you aren’t?