We might have just found the best cocktails in Leeds.
Today is loosely known as World Cocktail Day, so we're using it as an excuse to find the best cocktails in Leeds. Naturally, Leeds' cocktail bars were our point of call for these drinks, but for good reason. The bartenders at each of these bars specialise in providing a sensory exploration of flavour and are trained tirelessly to do so.
Here are our favourite spots to sip a cocktail- and we've even given you our favourite orders to make your choice at the bar even easier.
Curd Your Enthusiasm from Pastel
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Rattan chairs, pineapple tables and decorative features in pink, mint, cream and a teal green: this pastel paradise is going to be an Insta-worthy bar that brings that summer feel-good feeling to the everyday. Located in the beating heart of Leeds metropolis, Kirkgate, Pastel is combining the euphoric feeling of day drinking with the playful romanticism of evening tipple.
The Curd Your Enthusiasm cocktail was also a standout favourite. Portobello Road Gin, fresh lemon juice with lemon Curd and topped with pancetta and a single Haribo Egg. This one combines sweet, sour and salty into a short, crushed-ice cocktail: clashing flavours that definitely shouldn’t be mixed together, but provide a tangy taste that we couldn’t stop talking about all night long. Plus, the pancetta and egg makes a great snack to curb any midnight food cravings.
Located on Cross Belgrave Street, the Watermark is known locally for its late night kitchen, cocktails, endless selection of spirits and all-around laid-back vibes. Inspired by the owner’s home bar in Beeston, the interior is cosily decorated throughout, complete with classic board games and quirky wall features.
The menu here is just as eclectic as the decor, but the quality remains a constant USP of the busy bar. This is where bartenders in Leeds get their cocktails from and given these guys make cocktails every night, they really do know the best places to visit. Try a classic Old Fashioned, set on fire with three types of rum, demerara syrup and Watermark house bitters for a taste of the talent behind the bar.
Finally, a bar has spotted this gap in the market and is changing the post-work drinks scene for the better. SALT, with a newly opened site at Granary Wharf, is serving up the fastest cocktails in the city- and we’re genuinely ecstatic about the concept. Bringing draught cocktails to the masses, their canalside bar is the perfect spot to unwind after a long day of grafting in the city centre.
Grab a glass of Espresso Martini or Strawberry Cosmopolitans within seconds thanks to the selection of seven ‘on tap’ cocktails- which take the same amount of time as a pint to pull, mind-blowing. If that’s not enough, all cocktails are 2 for £12 all day, every day.
Inspired by the roaring 20s, this sophisticated cocktail bar focuses on aperitivo and cocktails, as well as speciality coffee with a modern art-deco design and some of the most irresistible cocktails around. Amongst the unique combinations on the menu is an incredible, colour-changing cocktail inspired by legendary artist, Pablo Picasso.
Starting off as a pale crystal-like blue colour, this magical cocktail transforms into shades of lilac, before becoming a violet-coloured drink using The Botanic Request spirits and pink sugars. Now how many cocktails can do that?
The hugely successful Leeds cocktail bar, known for its grown-up atmosphere, killer cocktails and swanky hidden rooftop garden, Roland's is officially one of the top 50 bars to visit in the UK- and it shows.
Roland's is perfect for a late Saturday night out on the cocktails, but their hangover menu is severely under-rated. On a Sunday, all of the bar's Bloody Mary’s, Red Snappers and Micheladas are £6.50 all day, making it the perfect spot to enjoy the hair of the dog without spending the same as you would the evening before.
Nestled between The Watermark Bar and Tepanyaki, past Belgrave, you’ll find the brains behind Blind Tyger and Smokestack offering out no less than a Coco Pops inspired cocktail.
Known as the ‘Smack, Craic & POP!’, the very grown up drink was inspired by a White Russian and consists of Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey and Nixta Corn Liqueur and then oat milk is mixed with cacao to create that chocolate milk that we all know and love.
The team behind Stuzzi - one of Leeds’ best-loved Italian restaurants - are set to launch a brand-new concept in Farsley this week.
La Grassa will be a new Italian-American ‘Paninoteca’ and diner concept, where you’ll be able to get your hands on paninos filled with house-made meats, cheeses and sauces.
The new concept comes from Stuzzi Leeds co-founders Jimbob Phillips and Brett Lee, and is set to open in Amity Brew Co.
They’ll be taking over the former brewing area at Sunnybank Mills, after Amity moved their brewery operations over to a new site in Greengates.
This new collaboration between Stuzzy and Amity Brew Co will bring Italian-American flavours to Farsley with quick-service dining - hearty sandwiches and light bites by day, and more substantial plates by night.
Jimbob Phillips of Stuzzi Leeds said, “La Grassa is about bringing people together over food that’s indulgent, fun and full of flavour. Working with Amity gives us the perfect space to explore that in a new way.”
Brett Lee added: “We wanted to create a place that feels lively and approachable, where people can enjoy the quality of Stuzzi Leeds in a quick-service format without compromising on taste.”
Verity Clarke, Director at Amity Brew Co, said: “While we were brewing on-site at Sunny Bank Mills, it did limit the hospitality experience. We could only open four days a week, and there wasn’t a weekday that went by without mill visitors wanting to pop in for a daytime drink or bite to eat.
"Over the past five years, we’ve collaborated with food vendors, and it’s always added another welcome dimension to the experience at Amity. We’re very excited to have such a high-quality team joining us to really fulfil Amity’s potential.”
La Grassa at Amity Brew Co will officially open on Friday 13 February 2026 with new extended opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday every week.
The best places in Leeds to get pancakes on Pancake Day
Clementine Hall
One of the best days in the foodie calendar is hereand it's time to decide where you're going for the ultimate stack.
Whilst homemade pancakes hit the spot and attempting to flip them is definitely a laugh, it's always a treat to get out and about to celebrate the momentous occasion.
From thin crepes with lemon and sugar to pillowy, thick buttermilk stacks which are showered with a whole host of delicious toppings - there's a pancake dish for everyone to devour this Shrove Tuesday.
Keep reading for our top picks of cafes, restaurants and bars to visit this Pancake Day.
House of Koko
Chapel Allerton , Oakwood and Leeds city centre
Images: The Hoot Leeds
House of Koko are the absolute bees knees when it comes to brunch.
Their pancakes are fluffy, pillowy, light, perfectly formed and just down right delicious. The list of toppings is almost overwhelming and you can mix and match yours to your heart's content, we're talking bacon, biscoff, kinder bueno, toasted nuts, white choc chips, banana and even ice cream, the list really does go on but you'll be here all day.
Moose Coffee
Bond Court
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Given Canadian pancakes are a worldwide favourite, you'd expect the best pancakes to come from Moose Coffee. Made fresh to order, there's a stack of three dusted with icing sugar, dotted with blueberries and served with Canadian butter on offer as well as a Biscoff Stack made from three pancakes, biscoff sauce, vanilla ice cream, white choc shards, lotus biscuit.
Whatever your preference this Pancake Day, your combination of sweet and savoury is pretty much guaranteed to live up to the famous Canadian combination- maple syrup included.
Farmhouse
Lands Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Farmhouse are basically famous in the city for their epic stacks of pancakes, fluffy and loaded with all the toppings it's just what you want this Pancake Day.
If Up North
Call Lane or York Place
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If you're a regular on the If Up North Instagram page, you'll know that these guys are big fans of pancakes. Given their obsession with posting their beautifully decorated variations online, we're confident that these pancakes will be lip-smacking, mouth-drooling good and packed with flavour.
Expect flavours like berry and Biscoff, fruits and cream, bacon and maple syrup as well as a whole host of different variations at any of their Leeds-based cafes.
North Star Coffee Shop
Leeds Dock
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Locally renowned for its coffee roast, North Star Coffee Shop is also a great contender for the best-looking pancakes around. Open from 8am this Shrove Tuesday, grab some fluffy pancakes topped with all the seasonal favourites they have on offer.
Galleria
Armley Road
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Running from Monday 16 February until Friday 20 February, you can bag yourself £1 pancakes with a huge range toppings like classic lemon and sugar, maple smoked bacon, fried egg and sausage, or singular toppings such as blueberries, avocado, IPA caramel and more.
You'll need to pre-book to secure your offer and when you arrive, pick up an order form from your server so you can select how many £1 pancakes you want, alongside your chosen toppings. Yeah, it’s really that flipping easy.
Laynes Espresso
New Station Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything Laynes touch turns to gold, and their pancakes are of course no exception.
They of course go perfectly with a heavenly cup of coffee served inside their dazzling bright yellow, life-affirming coffee shop.
Sophie Smith -
24th March 2022 
