The Blue Bell in Wakefield

Lovely tapas food wine and cocktails.

The Blue Bell is a lovely, tranquil eatery to sit and enjoy a delicious meal or snack in a comfortable environment.

I called in on 30/10/24 for lunch with my 5 year old son, who has multiple food allergies and complex needs and i wanted to express my gratitude to the Lady working called Lynne (if i remember correctly) . She went above and beyond to help me with accommodating his needs. It can be very difficult eating out sometimes, especially with children’s menus being more limited but she was amazing. Thank you so much 😊 a true created to your team x

Great pizza. Great service. Thanks Amber!

What can be said about the Blue Bell that hasn't already been said in previous reviews? Almost every time we have been we have had an incredible time. There was only one instance where this wasn't the case, and this was in no way anything to do with the actual establishment, just an unnecessarily loud and obnoxious customer - if your laugh can be heard in another postcode, it's probably time to dial it down. Now back onto the pub. The drinks are outstanding, every cocktail is made with care and attention, and quality assured before it even lands on your table - or in my case, on one occasion, my shoes. The options for spirits are myriad as long as you're not much of a whiskey drinker. The drinks that are available on tap, range from pub mainstays like Guinness, all the way through to relatively obscure IPAs like Neck Oil. Service always comes with a smile, and very often a laugh. You are made to feel 100% welcome, and comfortable. The music is never too loud and always offers something for everyone thanks to the range of things they play. So whether you're a pop fan or a jazz maniac, there is gonna be something for you - it just might take a little time. Now the food. The chefs at Blue Bell understand rule number 1 of dining: You eat with your eyes first. The meals are quickly prepared, but never so quick as to question the quality. We have had a range of things from here, and every time they have been delicious. We had one occasion where the food wasn't quite up to scratch, and this was addressed and rectified immediately. If you do happen to eat here, and are a big fan of chips, do yourself a favour and grab a portion, because it's not hyperbolic to say they make the best chips around. Combining, the food, the atmosphere, the drinks and the top-notch service, Blue Bell delivers on every single aspect and is sure to be one of - if not THE - place you go when drinking in Pontefract. Also special shout-out to Alan, the GM, he is an absolutely wonderful person who makes everyone feel welcome and accepted, also never a dry glass in the place when he's there and you have to love that in a pub. My one and only gripe about Blue Bell is recently they have had GB "News" on their TVs, I don't think it is fair to be subjected to Russian propaganda channels while we enjoy British hospitality. So I would urge them to turn back to BBC or Sky News urgently.

Cocktails are absolutely beautiful, really nice food. Unfortunately they just don't seem to have enough staff on. Except for that it's a lovely place xx

Had my granddaughters baptism meal there today I've never ever known a manager so rude and obnoxious in all my life and this is after 41 years in hospitality myself whoever hired her needs to fire her fact!!!!

Went for the first time on a Wednesday for the burger deal. 4 of us had burgers and all enjoyed them, the chips were also very tasty. The service was great, very friendly. Will definitely return.

Excellent, burgers good which are 8oz, service good, atmosphere laid back and chilled will go again 😄

Perfect Food, Lovely atmosphere the pie of the day was to die for!

Poor food and service never again

Lovely food, friendly atmosphere.

Popped in for a drink before going to a nearby restaurant. Good atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonable selection of drinks.

The pub is beautiful, food was average but was extremely disappointed that there was no desserts or ice cream.

Despite all the claims of Cask Conditioned Real Ale, both on the pub itself and on the website, there is no such thing. All the usual Lager, and the usual Beavertown. Food, it was nice, but honestly nothing to write home about. The menu on page one says 6 tapas and 2 cocktails for £30, with no mention on that page of the availability. Upon trying to order this, we're told that it's Tuesdays only. Maybe reflect this on the same page as the tapas part of the menu then......

THE MOST OBNOXIOUS PLACE IN THE UK, VILE RUDE IGNORANT STAFF,

Went last night for my works Xmas party we paid for the bottomless drinks brunch which started at 5pm we were not served our first drink until 5:45pm after having to speak with a very rude manager. The food we got was not worth the money at all the Yorkshire pudding wrap was burnt and had a horrible filling with zero veg also had to ask them 3 times before they brought us the gravy that came with our meals.

I've been to The Blue Bell several times and always enjoyed it. I was super excited to go back and enjoy some tapas with my partner. It's gone down hill so much. Firstly after we got seated we waited 15 minutes to be served. We ordered our drinks and food and 20 minutes later, nothing. After going to the bar the said they just forgot. Mistakes happen and we got our drinks. Another 20 minutes later we got our food (had to ditch tapas due to a terrible menu choice for tapas, literally chips and prawns). I ordered a side of salad and chips and these didn't come out either. I must say the food was lovely and had no complaints. However if you are vegan, GF, Dairy intolerant then don't bother as there is nothing at all on the menu for you. Maybe chips. We were not offered more drinks or even a dessert menu. They wouldn't have even noticed if we walked out. Such a shame as the venue is beautiful but it's gone down hill and run by people who have no idea about the hospitality and catering industry.

Good atmosphere and friendly staff.

Unfortunately I'm not one to put negative feedback but today after ordering 2 cocktails and been greeted by angry faces felt the need to...Beautiful place, live music but 2 blond ladies behind the bar today were super rude felt like looked down at us. I popped in with a friend for a bday drink and catch up and cold welcome at bar irritated me. And I do understand people might have issues, I rude customers etc don't want to judge, worked in restaurants myself in student days but there is a lot competition out there and none of other bars gave me this vibe today or ever and they are busier. Blue bell management please look into this. KR

Really nice food . Good service

Stone baked pizza was lovely and great service from the bar lady

The food was amazing it was a spare of the moment thing to go in and it was great ill definitely go back if im in the area

Lovely bar (superb selection of gins) expensively and tastefully decorated. Piped musak unnecessarily loud though.

Had a party which was secluded from the rest of the pub. Found it enjoyable, the food was good and the bar staff were pleasant 😀

Just called and had a drink lovely pub service great bar staff fantastic very friendly

I've had a great chicken burger here. The wedges were also excellent. Recommended!

Pub looks nice well presented but could of told the fella behind the bar to time smile he looked like Charles Manson got his rack Russell pregnant

Always a good idea, friendly staff. It can get busy & a bit loud... some days live music too... Great modern pub interior.

I wish I’d read the reviews instead of the super positive ones that google showed me originally. Our service was poor, we were never given menus and had to locate them ourselves, the guy who served us at the bar didn’t seem to understand the menu items or remember what had been asked for 10 seconds previous. But the worst part is I’d ordered the Sausage and Red Onion Chutney Yorkshire Wrap, you may notice from my photo… it’s missing the red onion chutney. When I pointed this out to the same guy who was bringing us our lightly burnt side dishes, he said yeah we’ve ran out, when I asked why he didn’t tell me, before eating or even ordering, he said he forgot and only then managed to apologise. After looking at the reviews I didn’t bother to take this further as the dry meal was at least edible unlike a lot of other people’s I can see. My first and last visit to this place and if you can, I would avoid.

We went for pizza as there was an offer on...we then waited nearly an hour and a half for our food to arrive - we weren't the only ones by the way. The poor lad behind the bar was very apologetic and explained that they had a new chef and that the pizza oven hadn't been working properly all day...the bar manager ended up going to help in the kitchen. I did ask, if they knew they had a problem with the oven then why weren't we told straight away then we could have chosen something else. We were originally offered cheesy chips as a way of an apology which we didn't accept but after the chef came to apologise personally, we were offered some complimentary drinks. Once the food did arrive however, it was very nice but despite this, we won't be eating here again. Cocktails were spot on though especially the Flirtini.

Nice relaxing pub didn't try the food, but plenty were.

We popped in last night around 8pm for a drink and pizza, i must say the freshly made stonebake meatfeast and chicken n bacon bbq pizzas we had were as nice as any we've had anywhere. Great service also from our waitress ( sorry i forgot her name ). Highly recommended !!

Great pub great atmosphere, and lovely food

Surroundings Pleasant, food was okay, onion rings were oozing fat onto serving board. Nothing to write home about! 🙄

Came here for a surprise baby shower, the food and customer service was brilliant, very nice vibe in here! Thank you! 😊

Very tasty food, prepared with passion. This place deserves the title Restaurant.

Good food, nice place! Ate the nachos and the gyros.

Very slow bar service,and the tables were full of empty glasses

Well what can I say but don't bother....poor quality and poor presentation plus extremely over spiced and salted to the point that pretty much 3/4 of food ordered was left. To add insult to injury we came mainly due to the 2 for 1 cocktails...we got one round only to be told just half HR later that cocktails were then off as they were too busy! Not again thanks I'm off to throw up.

Just went for drinks new years afternoon

We would like to thank everyone for making our wedding meal what we can only describe as perfect. The food was wonderful, we were very well looked after, the table layout was exactly as we wanted. Nothing was too much trouble and we would highly recommend The Bluebell to anybody, we have had a few meals here prior to the wedding and every time the food, staff, atmosphere was fantastic. Thank you again for everything xx

Absolute first class food and service, pleasant atmosphere, tastefully decorated , Kaitlyn looked after us so attentively and nothing was too much trouble, definitely recommend … give it a try x

UPDATE 1 year on… thought we’d give it another go, terrible idea. do not eat here if gluten free. The menu is incorrect and the staff argue with you if you even try to explain to them the food served isn’t reflective of the menu. The dark hair server even said the gluten free food isn’t gluten free due to shared fryers. awful service and awful food. very average and the tapas is underwhelming. 3 for £12.99 but it’s extremely small portions and the ‘honey and mustard glazed sausage’ are cocktail sausages and the ‘glaze’ was burnt like tar on the bottom. The pizzas are a good price, but they did not have any gluten free bases as advertised and there are very little gluten free options otherwise .

Saturday nite 6.30pm, table booked, 4 of us had food from the Festive menu, great service staff were really attentive to our needs, food was freshly cooked to order, defo a return visit in store

Lovely place. What more can I say

Food was bland and services was slow. We visited on a Monday dinner time so wasn't busy.

Had a meal with some friends and was shocked at the service. My carbonara was delicious, however the attitude of the waiter, Laura, was below par. To start - the menu had cocktails advertised (2 for 1) and the waiter said they aren't doing them tonight. Then as the meals came out, the lady brought out the wrong order - and accused us of lying when we said we didn't order that meal. My friend ordered a chocolate fudge cake and after an hour it had still not arrived. When we asked where the dessert was, we were told its very busy tonight as you can see (despite us ordering an hour before). Then as we waited another 20 minutes, it finally came and we were told "not to heckle as it will come even later". The peri peri chicken had no taste, the vegetables were raw and the wrap was stale.

Place was well decorated tho the spirit bottles used as candle holders looked a bit out of place. Food was nice but a bit over priced for what was on the plate. Staff were very friendly and overall I honestly would visit again.

Had a steak kebab on Monday we ordered two and they were terrible. 4 pieces of steak which was tough wouldn’t give it to my dog. Terrible experience and expensive.

Nice food very lovely staff very helpful can't fault them.

We went last night at 6.30 for cocktails as it is advertised at 2 4 1 till 7.30, the manager was very abrupt to both us as customers and towards her staff, refusing two of our party cocktails saying they were too busy to make them. Not impressed!!!!

terrible food and even worse customer service

I was part of the party of three who had a terrible experience with you. The food I was served was inedible. The lettuce wilted and the shredded chicken really unpleasant. You said you had glowing reviews of dishes with prawns but the king prawn ‘linguine’ with chilli (spaghetti in an awful cheese sauce with NO chilli I tried myself and it was awful, my friend felt sick into the next day from the prawn which aren’t fresh so customers know, they told us the chef said they were frozen, and they tasted undercooked. I would never complain if there was no issue. I ate a few chips from my plate and had to go get more food as I was offered neither a replacement or a refund. You said you took our number but you didn’t call? So what use is that, as much as a chocolate tea pot. You had a chance to redeem yourself and you instead chose to ignore the issue and paint us as liars. We won’t be returning and will warn others away. Ta!

Went for Sunday meal and kitchen was closed 30 minutes before it’s official closing time. What is the point in having times on web site if it closes half an hour before closing time?

Food and drink came to sopping £40 for 1 pizza 1 burger, and a kids meal, 2 drinks at lunch, so expensive and the food came out wrong a lacking ingredients, won’t be going again

Nice strawberry and apple cider. . Great atmosphere. Good service. Great music.

The food was mediocre at best. Rose wine was not cold.

Lovely friendly atmosphere, new menu launched 2 weeks ago. Fab quality food, generous portions. Exciting menu, will definitely be back for more sampling.. xx

Nice place to go made to feel welcome

First pub I've been to in ponte, very nice

Lovely food, good selection of pizzas, burgers, tapas

Beautiful food fantastic service

Friendly staff nice atmosphere had a lovely evening

Taken customers regularly always say very sensibly price great pup grub and nice selection of beers and ciders

Fantastic food and impeccable staff. Highly recommend this great establishment.

Lovely food. However, the price of gin is extortionate compared to everywhere else in town. £16 for two single beefeater gins and lemonade. You come away feeling ripped off and ready to move on.

First time we've been here but will definitely not be our last, after 12mths living in the area its been hard to find a pub that provides such a high standard, cocktails are amazing plus it's 241. Didn't eat this time but after seeing some of the food come out...we will be this week. We'll done guys. "Build it, they WILL come".

Over priced, tacky, and certain member of staff has a tendency to rub their self on other people's partners

Lovely atmosphere. Very nicely decorated. Slightly expensive

Great food and atmosphere..food was good and staff friendly

Was in Sunday and cocktails were nice but women behind bar miserable! No please or thank you and doesn’t smile think she was owner or manager the blonde haired girl was very pleasant. Just letting kids come in of the streets and use the toilets very dirty and no soap not very covid compliant. First time visiting won’t go again

Bar staff was very Smart and helpful exerle

Called here on a Saturday afternoon. Was cleam,tidy and the staff accomodating. Would drink here again. They also served food which looked nice.

Great atmosphere. New menu which was fab. Will be back.

Went for a quick bite and beer with the missus before exploring ponte Beer was nice and reasonably priced, food was enjoyable and also very reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and polite and the place is nicely decorated, nicely situated just across from the valley gardens and close to the town centre. All in all a very pleasant visit and we will be back again in the future.

Nice pub, good atmosphere and couldn't fault the staff at all, they were friendly and warming. The food was alright, better than some but not as good as others, no denying the Pizza was delicious but the burgers left something to be desired.

Poor. Was told to take a seat, waited 20 mins, no service, only one member of staff waiting. So we left.

Been here a few times, Spot on for food and drinks.

Good quality food and always a fast delivery. Never actually been in but had a few takeaways. 3 stars is because of items constantly missing. First time it was the onion rings dip, second time it was onion rings on the burgers, sauces and salad. Sadly put me off going again because i really do like it. Never expect takeaway to be the same as in the restaurant but at least should be the same size portions and items

Nice relaxed atmosphere. Shared the Tapas - they were delicious. Cocktails were divine. We will definitely go again loved it!!

Great bar!!! Large covered seating area outside. Plenty of seating inside. Good choice of food and great choice of drinks. Cant wait to go back

Lovely pub, with friendly staff. A much better establishment than most of the other dives in Pontefract. What food I've eaten in there has been great too. Just don't get ask the managers questions, get a bit snotty with you and stress out when it's busy.

Ordered pulled pork flatbread meal, it was delicious. Fresh ingredients generous sized portion. Great hospitality friendly staff, made our experience enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic food and service . Glad pontefract has some where nice and clean to eat and drink.

Lovely place friendly staff and lovely food definitely recommended it

Great food and cocktails. Has become a second local for our friends group as it's pretty much dead center of Pontefract. Handled Covid well with big gazebos outdoors when indoors wasn't allowed with blankets and heat lamps.

Great food.Attentive staff. Glad they are sticking to Covid restrictions. Definitely we will be back.

Disappointed. Went last week with girls and service was 1st class. Young lady clearly rushed off feet never stopped smiling nothing to much trouble. Fast forward one week later with hubby. BOOKED FOR 6pm food and drinks. ON ARRIVAL GREETED BY SAME YOUNG LADY AS LAST WEEK JUST AS LOVELY. SAT DOWN 10 minutes later, fine busy. Advised could pick table outside advised where to go. All 3 tables available dirty. A further 20 minute wait until someone came to take drink order. Came within 5 minutes. Didn't hang around to order food, shame as was delicious last week. Disappointed not consistent service.

Lynn and the staff are fantastic, very attentive and always happy to help..

Lovely food, good atmosphere, staff were brilliant, cocktails were fab. Will definately be going back again soon.

Food was nice. Staff friendly. Clean and tidy

Drinks was expensive but friendly staff..

Bottomless brunch had the seafood pasta wow best meal I've had in a long time hats off to the chef drinks not stopped flowing all time we have been here staff so welcoming cant wait to come back cya on our next day such a lovely time thank u so much xxx

Absolutely fabulous afternoon bottomless brunch, seafood pasta Absolutely beautiful drinks free flowing. Staff welcoming and friendly couldn't do enough for us. Definitely coming back great afternoon loved it xx😁😁😁

Been plenty of times as Ponte is a small town. Decent selection of drinks if you like lager (not really any real ales). Drinks are pricey. The food can be hit & miss. Sometimes it's really good and others OK, but never really had a bad meal there and the menu offers something different to other places. The old blonde woman is a nightmare, she's not what you need facing your punters. It's not just a one-off either. It's every time we visit. Pros: Decent selection of drinks and varied menu. Cons: Expensive for what it is and rude manager. Could be loads better if they make it customer-first.

Waited an hour and a half for food, which was average, I could have gone home, made a pizza from scratch, and come back with it in this time, said we didn't have to pay, but we did, said would ring us next day, about a free meal, but didn't. It's a shame, it's got all the ingredients for a nice pub, but staff don't know that recipe either.

Pay as you go service? Paying 20 for 2x g&t? A tenner for a Yorkshire pudding wrap? Less than worth it and I feel bad for the waiting staff.

Great service and nice atmosphere but bad value for money. The drinks cost more than the food and the meal left a lot to be desired

Decent service, arrived as a party of 4 as we had booked via facebook a week earlier. However the host did not have any record of our booking even though we had proof. Luckily managed to squeeze us in, but was outside and we could not hear any of the live music. (Could be useful to connect to the outdoor speakers). We ordered food, but it came with no cutlery or napkins etc. Pizza swamped with cheese all toppings slipped off. Felt sorry for the staff as they looked panicked. The atmosphere was nice though!