Went to Pontefract for drink with my wife and family friend,the bar staff are rude and can't smile to save there life,when the last bell was sounded we were treated so badly to leave the pub,even accused of not drinking!! .the rude guy asking us to leave started to place his hand on my back and push us out.Avoid this pub at all costs there are more welcoming pubs in the area with staff who are only happy to serve.

there's a simple answer here to the contradictory reviews. Don't go here to eat. Go to drink a really good selection of beers in a pleasant environment - a spacious and atmospheric downstairs bar and traditional ground floor bar - with a great selection of real ales. And they served us tea and coffee very happily when we got there early at 4 pm.

We held an informal event here for 30 people and the staff were fine - food is 'traditional' pub fare, a bit deep fried everything, but the ambience and beer were great!

Usually an ok pub, but a friend of mine once booked the area downstairs for a party, and despite having spent lots of money at the bar (which shouldn't matter anyway), some of the bar staff was extremely rude to everyone. There was no rowdy behaviour whatsoever so there was no reason why the staff should behave that way. It was agreed that the bar would remain open until midnight when the room was booked, but they decided to shut the bar at 11. Finally after a lot of negotiation they decided to have the bar open until 11.30, but one barmaid was serving with such venomous attitude you wouldn't believe. And at 11.30 on the spot everyone was nearly physically shoved out of the joint. Pity, as it's a nice space, but I now avoid this place at all costs.

We went here for a Sunday roast as we were staying in the nearby (highly recommended) Mandeville Hotel. Although serving only 2 other tables initially the American waitress seemed very stressed. We were more than happy to wait though, and just relax. I ordered the roast beef with all the trimmings, my companion went for the chicken burger with chips. When it arrived my roast beef with yorkshire pud and measly amount or carrotts and cabbage was stone cold. I brought it to the waitress who seemed not to believe me that it was infact cold and only after my insistence she sent it back to the kitchen. No apology, no offer of another drink...When it returned 15 minutes later (when my companion was completely finished eating)I saw it was the exact plate I had sent down that had obviously been reheated!! My half eaten yorkshire pudding was testament to that!! The meat was now brown, curling and akin to rubber. I ate one potato and then left it. When the American waitress was clearing she asked how the food was. I told her awful, that it had obviously been reheated and that I was normally not one to complain but it was inedible. She stared at me and then said she would tell the kitchen. When she wordlessly dropped the bill to the table I saw the meal was still on the bill. I went to get and said that I could not in all conscience pay for something I was unable to eat, had no problem speaking to a manager. I was calm etc throughout. She turned away, no apology or anything then returned another bill to my table with the meal taken off. I have honestly never expereinced such bad customer service, Mc Donalds could have done it better. Eat here at you peril.

A reasonable pub in a central location, - while there's nothing that really makes this pub stand out from the crowd, the range of beers is good, the food is of a good standard, and there's a fair amount of room, so it's usually not too difficult to get a seat.

I’d really recommend The Pontefract Castle. Always busy but never crowded, good snacks and the usual pub fare.

This is a nice spot for a bit of people watching or catching up with friends, or a good place to start a night out. Pontefract Castle is definitely worth a look.