The Fly in the Loaf

One of the few buildings along Hardman Street to have retained much of the original features, The Fly in the Loaf is one of the most popular real ale pubs in town. Its name comes from the old Kirklands Bakery, which was situated in this building and used the phrase as its slogan. These days you can expect plenty of ale choice, live sport on the TV, and a buzzing environment every night of the week.

The Vibe

It’s changed a bit in the last few years, The Fly, and for us it’s just not quite like it once was. The elegant bar and the extremely wide choice of beers from all over the world is still there. The staff are still as friendly as they ever were, but for some reason everything has been dialled up a notch. The TVs seem to be on that little bit too loud when there is live sport on (whether it is football or rugby), the music is always that little bit too loud, and the lights are REALLY bright no matter what time of day you go in (maybe TiL is getting old). Despite this, there is still plenty to warm to and to enjoy at The Fly. As well as the bright and (very) long bar downstairs, there is some lovely raised seating in the front windows, right at the back and along the back left of the pub (all of which give the Fly that feeling of privacy and seclusion in what is otherwise one big open space. Upstairs there is a pretty big event space too. The other thing we’d say, is that the main toilets are a bit of a trek, like you’d expect in a Wetherspoons. The Fly is still a wonderfully ornate pub, and one which has remained on the map of proper pubs in the city centre. It’s also a fantastic place to take visitors to the city if you are on a bit of a crawl.

The Price

Last time the TiL team popped into the The Fly, we ordered 3 pints of a guest ale, and two big bottles of non-alcoholic beer and it cost £16. For real ale drinkers the average price of £3.40 per pint is pretty reasonable for this part of town, whilst the range of bottled beer, ciders, gins, and other spirits are all just above the average that you would expect to pay in town. It’s not expensive, but it’s certainly not cheap in The Fly.