Bradford is at a “pivotal time” in its history, the team behind the city’s nightlife economy has said.

Bradford at Night - the group which hopes to make the centre feel safer and more welcoming for evening visitors - said the city has reached a “turning point”.

It was in response to a review by Dale and Holly of The Great British Pub Crawl.

Followed by 23,000 people, the duo have visited more than 2,500 venues across the nation in just under 700 days.

The couple fell in love with North Parade’s real ale establishments with Dale describing The Record Cafe as “a cosy slice of heaven”.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The Great British Pub Crawl came to Bradford for a night out - here's their review

From beer selections and hand-pulled Guinness to an extensive rum menu, the couple vowed to return for another night out again.

“One of the reasons we like to explore different places is because we always go out with an open mind and look for the best a town or city has to offer, and I definitely think we found that in Bradford,” their review said. 

But there was some criticism of Sunbridgewells, the city’s underground tunnels. 

The YouTubers said the venue was "pretty quiet" and felt Sunbridgewells could be "seriously brilliant" with a variety of street food sellers and a couple of bars.

They said: “All the potential is here but the overall delivery and execution is severely lacking from a truly impressive underground gem.”

Harry Hall, Sunbridgewells’ current owner and son of its developer, Graham Hall, described some of the feedback as “damning”.

However, he welcomed their review as a positive way to “showcase our many great bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants”.

Bradford at Night said Sunbridgewells was facing challenges like many hospitality venues across the country, adding it was not “sitting on [its] hands”.

Sunbridgewells is now one of the newest members of Bradford at Night - giving it access to expert advice and guidance. 

Sunbridgewells also announced a new tapas bar will be opening its doors as well as the return of one of the city’s oldest pubs, The Rose & Crown.

Tom Walling, director of Bradford at Night , said: “Firstly, it’s great to see visitors from outside the city coming to Bradford to sample first-hand some of the fantastic independent bars and venues we have to offer.

“Bradford is a sleeping giant that’s about to wake up. The city is at a pivotal time with several major developments opening this year such as NEC Bradford Live which have the potential to significantly kickstart the social economy in Bradford. 

“I think it’s fair to say that the current challenges facing the hospitality sector has impacted the venues in Sunbridgewells, however they’re not sitting on their hands, the team there have some fantastic plans that the city will see come to fruition in the very near future. 

“Only this week have they started the ball rolling to become the latest member in our Bradford at Night network providing them with the opportunity to receive tailored expert advice and guidance for their upcoming plans.

"Their membership will also see them become Best Bar None accredited in time for the February awards.

“'Bradford has really surprised me, it’s been good and much better than expected' is one quote that highlights a turning point for me, what one pub crawl has managed to achieve is a showcase of the fantastic work and sheer determination all these venues have given to make it what it is today and I’m sure all 16 destinations will be ready to welcome the guys back with open arms.

“Bradford at Night has started an exciting journey in the past few months, we’ve naturally developed as an organisation that now encompasses the entire social economy, from evening trade to daytime leisure in turn, putting the progress and development of Bradford's social economy centre of everything we do.”