99 Portland Crescent,
Leeds,
LS2 3AD
(0113) 204 8570
The ViewLeeds Review
The interior is a nightmare, the food isn’t great, but here you at least know what you’re getting - drunk.
The Venue
This Wetherspoons pub is in a prime location in Millennium Square. Perfectly poised to be within walking distance from, well, just about everything in the city centre really. Inside it is characterless and souless and feels like nothing other than just another part of a chain.
The large bar is to the back of the room, and you may find you have to fight your way through the tables and crowds to reach it. There are plenty of tables and chairs, but the design and layout seems to have been given very little thought and seems rather slapdash.
Outdoors is this pub’s best point. The large outdoor terrace catches the afternoon sun perfectly, and is a great place to sit and enjoy a cheap drink with friends. The outdoor furniture is less higgledy-piggledy than inside and, as long as the weather is nice, provides a far superior drinking experience than can be found through the entrance doors. Named after one of Leeds’ best loved architects, this pub is hardly a fitting tribute.
The People
There’s really no such thing as a typical Wetherspoons drinker, and Cuthbert Broderick is no exception. The clientele is predictably mixed, with only one shared interest - cheap food and alcohol. Its central location ensures it attracts city workers, shoppers, tourists and general passers-by.
Located next door to the Leeds O2 Academy, the terrace is often over-run by crowds from whichever gig is on that night. This lends a vaguely festival atmosphere to the bar, which is welcome in a mostly characterless pub. Staff meet the busy demand as efficiently as possible, but if you’re expecting service with a smile here you will be disappointed.
The Food
Cuthbert Broderick offers up the usual Wetherspoons menu, and for the cheap prices (a £6 spend is the average price for a meal, although they do have deals such as £3.99 for a meal) the quality of the food is fine. Don’t go expecting anything Heston Blumenthaal would be happy with though.
This is pub grub stuck in a microwave such as beans and chips, burgers and chips, fish and chips, sausage and chips…Don’t like chips? The curries aren’t too bad, and on curry night (Thursday) presents a good deal as it comes with a drink thrown in.
The Drink
Cheap drink is what Wetherspoons is renowned for and Cuthbert Broderick doesn’t deviate from this unwavering principle to let people get drunk quickly and cheaply. A spirit and a mixer (with lots of options to choose from) won’t set you back by much more than £2 and most pints come in at less than this.
There's a pretty good choice of draught beers and the fast turnover helps to ensure that these are all kept well. There’s an excellent range of choice for lager and wine drinkers, all at the famous low prices.
Although the drinks on offer might not be for connoisseurs, alcohol is what Wetherspoons does well, with a large range of drinks (including soft drinks!) on offer at recession friendly prices.
The Last Word
The terrace is the best thing about this painfully average pub, enabling you to enjoy a cheap drink in the (hopefully present) sunshine. If you’re not looking for a classy night out, and just want to get drunk and take home some change, then this is the place to go.
Cuthbert Broderick has been reviewed by 1 users