5 August 2026

Beer and sandwiches: At the Grayston Unity in Halifax

This column is our weekly pub review, written by pintsmen, women and children across the nation. Suggestions to letters@newstatesman.co.uk

By New Statesman

The Grayston Unity is a three-minute walk from Halifax train station. It’s called Grayston after the proprietor’s mum, and Unity because it’s a community pub with liberal leanings. Michael, the proprietor, has long been a gig promoter in Halifax, so the cellar of the Grayston puts on acts most nights. The pub also runs a record label and teams up with a local bookshop to run the Town words and music festival, as well as a goth weekend.

Aside from music, there are spoken-word evenings and yoga and creative-writing classes.

’Ow much?

But what if you just want a beer? Well there’s a wide range of IPAs, pale ales, lagers and stouts. Highlights include the low-alcohol Lora beer from York and the delicious Chinook blonde from Goose Eye which is £4. On a balmy day there are £9 cocktails to take up to the roomy rooftop beer garden. There’s sometimes music up there too.

Sofa, so good

Your correspondent is Irish, and therefore prefers to be indoors. The main bar is a hodgepodge of styles, sofas, public transport seats and traditional stools. It has a front-room feel and the clientele like either their music or their beer. There’s also a piano, which once had to be modified to be taken down to the cellar for a James Yorkston gig – luckily, there was an engineer drinking in the bar at the time.

If you are peckish, there are chilli pork pies and vegetable samosas at £2.50 a pop. These are locally sourced and delicious, especially if washed down by a pale ale.

Grayston Unity, Halifax, West Yorkshire

[Further reading: Beer and sandwiches: At the Ram Inn at Firle]