Leeds is inundated with bars, but there's few places that you can guarantee will have space for the whole team and serve a decent pint.
There's far more to consider when drinking with a large crowd too: will you all fit around a single table? Can your team travelling home by train still make their once-an-hour slot back in time? Perhaps most pressing, what will the drinking options be like?
We've rounded up our favourite watering holes that offer a combination of all the factors needed for the perfect post-work drink. Each bar has enough space for businesses big and small with vast drinking options, including non-alcoholic options for those tee-total or driving, and we've even considered places where you can forget about the working day and the proximity to the train station.
Keep reading to find out top picks for places to have a drink after work in and around Leeds city centre.
Salt Leeds City Centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Serving up cocktails on tap, there's no worry here about having to waste time waiting for a drink. Both of Salt's bars in the city centre, on East Parade and Granary Wharf, are equipped with the state-of-the-art draught cocktail machines and located within a half mile of the train station, so regardless of if you're a city centre commuter or live within close proximity of Leeds, you can make the most of a post-work tipple before heading off into the evening.
The cocktail trees will be a crowd-pleaser for the whole team too. You can mix and match with the likes of strawberry cosmos, espresso martinis and classic pornstar and passionfruit combos amongst other favourites too- an exciting alternative to buying in rounds that will suit all cocktail drinkers, regardless of their individual preferences.
Located right in the heart of the city centre, Revolución de Cuba is the post-work hotspot that serves up everything you need to forget about the day's activities and transition into that after hours euphoric state. Helping you to leave those anxieties behind is a vast range of cocktails and specialist rums.
Save the sharer teapots for a Friday early finish: they're refreshing but potent. Made up of Havana Club 3 Year Old rum and Koko Kanu coconut rum with raspberry, mango and fresh pineapple. Served in a giant teapot, it's the perfect way to start off your weekend as you mean to go on.
Pastel
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Pastel may have only opened just a few weeks ago, but it's quickly becoming our go-to for drinks after hours. Promising a unique menu of cocktails- bubble guns, pancetta and Haribo eggs are all featured- this laid-back boho bar will have you in holiday-mode upon entrance.
Plus, every Monday, Pastel offers one of their signature drinks at just a fiver. A new cocktail is chosen every week to keep their menu fresh, innovative and guarantee that your Monday blues will stop the moment the clock strikes 5pm.
Banyan has been serving the city worker crowd in their masses for quite some time and there's a good reason why people keep coming back- besides its convenient location adjacent to Leeds train station. There's plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, so regardless of the size of your workforce, you're likely to all sit around the same table.
Designed to serve larger groups, those feeling generous can treat the whole team with cocktail trees filled with the likes of Espresso and Pornstar Martinis or a perfect-serve gin with Fevertree tonic or keep the fizz a free-flowing affair with their vast range of wine options too.
Canary Bar
The Spiced Pear Fizz and a mocktail. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Swap the city's bright lights for a canalside view over at Leeds Docks and leave the day behind at Canary Bar. The shipping container bar is cosy and intimate, but provides plenty of space for large groups to gather, either round huge wooden benches, outdoor seating area or through private hire of their upstairs space and balcony.
Drinkswise, there's plenty to choose from too. Expect a considered list of classic cocktails and lagers from local breweries, amongst a huge range of non-alcoholic options. Plus, if you make it in before 4pm, there's 30% off food and the laid-back bar actively encourage remote workers to make the most of their work-friendly amenities, so there's always an option to work from here before (or whilst) grabbing a drink or two.
A new family-run Italian deli and coffee house has opened in Ben Rhydding, bringing a little taste of Italy to the outskirts of Ilkley.
Rizia's Bottega, on Bolling Road, officially opened at the end of August following a soft launch, serving authentic schiacciata sandwiches, colourful salads, and light Sicilian breakfasts.
The new neighbourhood spot comes from the team behind Ilkley favourite Emporio Italia and has been created as somewhere locals can pop in for their morning coffee, sit down for a bite to eat, or pick up some high-quality Italian treats to enjoy at home.
The idea for the bottega was inspired by founder Fabrizia Wagstaff-Pignanelli's own childhood memories of Italy and the role her local bottega played in everyday life.
She said: "The idea for Rizia's Bottega was brought to life whilst me and my family were watching our family videos and sharing memories of how we would spend our days in our local bottega in San Giovanni.
Inside Rizia's BottegaThe menu at Rizia’s BottegaRizia’s Bottega is now open in Ben RhyddingCredit: The Hoot Leeds
"The Bottega was the heart of our little town, where you would pop in for a quick coffee but unknowingly spend hours catching up with old friends and leave with freshly baked bread, pasta and all the weekly essentials."
That sense of community is central to Rizia's Bottega, which aims to recreate the friendliness and relaxed pace of a traditional Italian neighbourhood shop.
Rather than simply being a deli or coffee shop, the idea is to create a space where people can meet friends, enjoy good food and coffee, and take their time.
Schiacciata sandwichesBreakfast and coffeeCredit: The Hoot Leeds
Fabrizia said: "Rizia's Bottega is a reflection of the values that have shaped me growing up in the world of hospitality and what I have been taught in the many years I have worked in my family's restaurant.
"Furthermore the ideals ingrained in me through my Italian upbringing, such as the art of experiencing life at a slower pace, the importance of community and making sure everyone is well fed."
Inside, visitors can expect a deli-style offering packed with Italian products and ingredients, alongside freshly prepared food and bakes.
There are sandwiches and other bites to eat, including a spicy La Calabrese sandwich with both spicy and fennel sausage, plus sweet Romano peppers and nduja lemon butter.
Italian provisions at Rizia's Bottega. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Other fillings you'll find on the menu include burratta and black pepper porchetta, avocado and olive tapenade, and mortadella with pistachio cream.
The shelves are also stocked with Italian provisions and goodies to take home, from olives and oils to pasta and cookbooks.
The family hopes the bottega will become a familiar part of life in the local community, reflecting the welcoming atmosphere they remember from Italy.
"You can think of the Bottega as your neighbourhood space to meet up with friends, enjoy a great coffee, share a bite to eat or pop in to pick up some high-quality Italian provisions," Fabrizia said.
Rizia's Bottega is now open on Bolling Road in Ben Rhydding, offering a relaxed slice of Italian life just outside Ilkley.
It's open Tuesday to Friday, 7.45am–4pm; Saturday, 8.30am–4pm; and Sunday, 10am–2pm.
The independent Leeds cafe speaking up after massive coffee chain opens opposite
Daisy Jackson
An independent bakery and coffee shop in Leeds has spoken out after a huge chain opened its doors opposite her cafe.
Savannah Roqaa, owner of The Savvy Baker, has said that she's on a mission to overtake the sales of Blank Street, the massive matcha chain that opened just metres away within weeks of her new site.
She said that while her brand is best-known for its baked goods, they also specialise in high-quality matcha - something Sav says wasn't in good supply in Leeds at the time she opened.
And now she's publicly spoken out about her mission to tempt people away from the big chain and into her independent business.
In a video shared online, Sav has been inviting customers leaving Blank Street to swap their matcha for one of hers, free of charge.
She then remakes the white chocolate matcha herself, but using quality Callebaut white chocolate, melting real chocolate into the drink.
The customer in the video says: "You can tell, it's way sweeter and like actually white chocolate tasting. And the matcha is greener, which is better."
Sav from The Savvy Baker has spoken of her mission to overtake Blank StreetMatcha from The Savvy Baker in Leeds
Sav said: "So when we signed the lease on literally the biggest risk ever, which is this huge shop in Leeds city centre, we had absolutely no idea that Blank Street were opening their biggest store in the entire world across the road.
"They are a global brand that is obviously very very popular, and we just wanted to try and at least match their sales."
She said that she's heard Blank Street sells 5,000 drinks every single week and is hoping to increase sales at The Savvy Baker enough to match.
Sav said: "Last week we sold 890 drinks. We've converted one, so that is 4,109 more people to convert...
"But we have a lot more tricks up our sleeve, so follow along to see if we can do it. And we would massively appreciate any support that you can give us."
Sophie Smith -
19th April 2022 
