Lunch at The Black Hat in Ilkley

Ilkley again!? My 2nd visit this year, I just can’t seem to stay away!

This time I was visiting Clarke Foley Centre again for a journalling workshop. The last wellness workshop I attended was brilliant so of course I wanted to return. Read about my last blog post visiting the centre here.

I arrived a little later than usual – The traffic between Ben Rhydding and Burley is terrible at the moment! So my plan to treat myself to that important morning hot chocolate went out of the window! Instead I only had time for a lunch stop after the workshop.

It took every bone in my body not to go back to Vitello Lounge for that delicious coconut Thai soup again! But I told myself I should try something new.

So I headed for The Black Hat. The Black Hat is a pub located right in the centre of town just off Brook Street. Opposite the church and surrounded by little shops and restaurants. I have never been in The Black Hat itself however over the many years, this building has worn many hats. As a child in the 90s I remember it as The Rose and Crown. It wasn’t hard to miss since I literally lived opposite the place! Yard parties in the summer were carnage… for you Ilkleyites let’s just leave it at that!

Fast forward to me being of a legal drinking age and I spent many nights tredding on sticky floors here for the pubs ‘nightclub’ phase! Introducing… Renaissance! I’m proud to say… I do not miss this. Haha!

So here I am well over a decade later pretending to be sophisticated as I enjoy some me time with a gin and a good book.

I perched in a corner but I had the pick of the place because being a mere Tuesday lunchtime it was absolutely dead. I wasn’t the only customer but I had a good dozen tables to choose from.

I had decided to come here to try out their lunch menu. £7.50 for a jacket potato or toastie with a drink or £9.50 for a baguette or wrap. I opted for the Chicken and Bacon Club Baguette only to be disappointed because they’d run out of baguettes. So I switched to a Bacon and Cheese Toastie…. rookie mistake.

The food was basic. The chips were fries and the toastie was…. well… a toastie. I didn’t have overly high expectations but I’ve definitely had better for a similar price. I may have been better visiting Wetherspoons round the corner! Infact, I definitely would have. I couldn’t even order the drink I wanted despite it being included on the printed menu – It wouldn’t work on the tills. But hey, you live and you learn.

I enjoyed the peace and the quiet of the place plus I had a view of the church and my childhood home from the window. A nice little blast from the past. The music was chilled too which is all I ask of when I’m reading.

The Black Hat would be great for drinks! They even do 241 cocktails it looks like. It’s typical pub food but not brilliant so don’t have high expectations.

Last month I paid a similar price for the lunch deal at Vitello Lounge. Feel free to check out my post about my last visit here. I highly recommend this as it was very tasty and I would definitely revisit.

Do you live in Ilkley and have somewhere to recommend? I love trying out new places especially in my hometown so please leave me a comment if so!

Until next time Ilkley.