A study by The Bottle Club found that a bar on Call Lane is the 'most secret' in the country.
In Leeds, there are bars aplenty- but have you ever found yourself walking through a barbers or laundrette and found yourself inside a speakeasy?
Thanks to some of the most inventive creatives around, the hidden bar scene in Leeds is growing and thriving, despite many of these prohibition bars hiding in plain sight. If you're lucky enough to find your way into one, you'll understand the fascination behind finding that front door.
Read More: Where to find the best secret and hidden bars in Leeds
Hidden bars aren't exclusively in Leeds, they're popping up all over the country, but according to The Bottle Club, we officially have the most secret bars in the UK.
The Maven was crowned as 'officially the best-kept secret bar in Leeds' by The Bottle Club, after the company used their lack of Instagram followers, when compare to larger bars across the UK, as an indicator of secrecy.
The cocktail bar opens from 5pm and remains closed in the daytime. / Image: The Maven Bar
The company described The Maven as a hidden gem, stating "The Maven is a classic prohibition-era inspired cocktail bar located close to the Leeds Corn Exchange behind an unlabelled black door. Not only is this bar well hidden, it is also relatively inexpensive, with cocktail prices ranging reasonably between £8 and £10".
If you've ever been on a night out on Call Lane, you might have a different opinion about the secrecy of the bar but given that The Maven remains nondescript during the daytime, we can certainly vouch for its ability to hide in plain sight.
The Maven was crowned the most secret bar in the UK. / Image: The Maven Bar
The Maven was the first secret bar to open in our city and is loved for its 6-flight cocktail tasting menu and an aperitivo menu packed with negronis and Campari sodas, dedicated to the Italian drinking culture. The bar also offers a range of gins and rums.
According to insiders, there's an additional secret bar, within the secret bar. Sponsored by Monkey 47, and a second-floor party room known as the Green Room, and can be used alongside the two private rooms for hire for large events.
The additional private rooms are just as hidden. / Image: The Maven Bar
As a city, Leeds ranked 7th in the UK for mysterious bars- but no other secret bars appeared in the top 10 of any other category, showing how much of the weight The Maven carried for Leeds to reach a respectable 7th place.
Bottle Club searched high and low for some of the best 'hard to find' bars, stating that:
"We at The Bottle Club wanted to find the best-hidden gem bars from around the UK. But with so many bars doing their best to stay secret, this took some extensive research, both online and on the ground. However, several large drinks later, we uncovered the best ‘mystery’ bars that 25 of the UK’s most vibrant cities had to offer".
Ranked: Top 10 most secret bars in the UK. / Image: The Bottle Club
For each speakeasy to qualify as one of the UK’s most mysterious bars, each bar was ranked against five important factors, for a score out of ten for each factor: secrecy, creativity, cocktail range, cost and Google ratings.
To find The Maven, you need to look out for a black, unmarked door on Call Lane. We won't give you any more clues than that.
Feature Image- The Maven Bar
Eats
Popular Leeds cafe known for its fluffy Japanese sandos is moving to a bigger space
One of the city's best independents is expanding into a bigger premises.
Shokupan on Wellington Street is a proper little gem that food-lovers across Leeds will rave nonstop about if given the opportunity.
Husband and wife team Alan and Alison took inspiration from trips around the world to bring a taste of Japan to the city and over the past few years it's gained a loyal following.
They're famed for their delicious Japanese sandos made with pillow-like fluffy shokupan bread, stuffed with everything from crunchy chicken katsu and flavourful pork to fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
But it's not all just about sandwiches, they also serve rice bowls and katsu curries as well as small bites such as chicken karaage and octopus balls.
Their food is so bloody good, that they've had to find a better location and this time it's slap bang in the city centre on Central Road.
And they're joining brilliant company too, with the likes of House of Koko and Vinyl Grounds as neighbours.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Shokupan said: "You guessed right…we are moving to Central Road, LS1 6DE. We are nearly there…
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"All the building work is complete and now we are finishing off the decorating. You might also start to see some signage appearing over the next few days…It has been lovely seeing some of our customers dropping by to see us whilst we slowly lose our sanity.
"Powered on caffeine and determination! Not long to go before we can announce our opening date and welcome you through the doors."
We can't wait to check out the new space, keep an eye on their opening date here.
Cult favourite burger chain Burgerism is officially coming to Leeds this August
Clementine Hall
An award-winning burger chain is coming to one of Leeds' suburbs.
If you don't know Burgerism, then get to know.
The Manchester-based burger chain is known by many for its incredible smash patties and quick, reliable service.
Their concept is simple: good burgers made with quality ingredients and cooked fresh to order. Delicious.
And it's not just burgers, they've also got some great wings and fries available too with a range of homemade sauces on offer for dunking, drizzling and devouring. We're a particular fan of the buffalo wings with their garlic ranch dip.
The chain used to have a dark kitchen on the outskirts of the city where people could order via Deliveroo, however this closed down and since then there's been a Burgerism-shaped hole left in our foodie scene.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Burgerism recently applied to move into a vacant shop unit in Meanwood at 605 Meanwood Road, seeking change-of-use planning permission for the former Papa Johns site which was previously only allowed to serve...well, pizzas.
And the plans have now been approved, which means Burgerism will officially be coming to Leeds. Hurray!
Burgerism's new takeaway will be walking distance from the The Meanwood Tavern, perfect for those looking for some post-pint burgers.
It will be strictly takeaway with no dine-in option available.
The brand-new Burgerism will employ 15 people from the local area with food being served between 11am and 11pm.
We'll keep you up to date as and when we find out more, but for now we're aware that Burgerism Leeds is set to open this August.
Sophie Smith -
7th January 2022 
