You can’t beat a good ol’ boozer and one of Yorkshire’s has been named best pub in Britain for 2025 and we couldn’t be prouder. The Highland Laddie in Leeds has risen from the ashes after closing down in 2023, having been open for nearly 100 years previously. It was on the verge of becoming a convenience store until Sam Pullman had his say.
The pub is everything that you want from a pub upon entering. It has the old-world charm and look that just makes you want to sit down with your mates and waste an evening chatting nonsense whilst slinging back a few ales. Not only does it have that, but it also has some fantastic food on offer as well, which is why it’s been named top by the Good Food Guide.
This year is the Good Food Guide’s first-ever Britain’s 100 best pubs list, partnering with Yorkshire’s number one ale brewers, Timothy Taylor’s. And, the Highland Laddie scored the top marks, making, according to the online reviewers, the best pub in the country. What an accolade. Especially since the pub only opened again in April of last year. Described as offering ‘exactly what a pub should be’, it has to be experienced to be believed. And, we have not managed to get out to it yet, so we can only comment and say that it looks bloody banging.
The pub celebrated its win, posting a message of thanks on Instagram which read: “Feels a bit surreal to be saying just six months since we first opened, but we are all absolutely over the moon to be recognised as the @goodfoodguideuk No.1 pub in Britain!
“Want to say a huge, huge thanks to the teams here and at @empirecafeleeds for all the work they’ve put in to achieving this, to everybody who nominated us, and to everybody who comes down and makes The Laddie the proper local, community pub that we set out to create when it was just a twinkle in our eye this time last year.”
Check out all the pubs named in Britain’s best pub 2026, Good Food Guide, below:
- The Highland Laddie, Leeds
- The Abbey Inn, North Yorkshire
- The Pipe & Glass, East Riding of Yorkshire
- The Star Inn, North Yorkshire
- The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire
- The Owl Hawnby, North Yorkshire
You can read the full 100 Britain’s best pubs list here. We’ve done of lists when it comes to pubs, as we are passionate about the third space element of them. So, if it’s cosy spots for a beer by a warm fire after a walk. We got you covered. Check out our list of the best pubs in the Yorkshire Dales below.
Read More: 16 Of The Best Pubs To Visit In The Yorkshire Dales
Feature Image Credit: The Highland Laddie
