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World Cocktail Day: the best drinks to try from Leeds cocktail bars

Celebrate National Cocktail Day with a tipple from the best cocktail bars in town.

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 24th March 2022

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.

Find out more here.

Old Fashioned from The Watermark

Image: The Watermark Bar

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.

Read More: The Watermark Bar has been hunting down lost Croc owner in Leeds- and it’s hilarious

Strawberry Cosmopolitan from SALT

Image: The Hoot Leeds

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.

Find out more here.

The Picasso from Tabula Rasa

Image: Tabula Rasa

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?

Find out more here.

Bloody Mary from Roland's

Image: Roland's

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.

Read More: Beloved Leeds bar Roland’s is opening a second site

Smack Craic & Pop! from Sandinista

Image: Sandinista

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.

Find out more here.

Feature Image- Tabula Rasa

Eats

The family-run neighbourhood Leeds restaurant that’s about more than just pizza – it’s about community

Declan Kelly Declan Kelly

It doesn’t take long to see why this place has become such a firm favourite with the Farsley crowd.

We finally took a trip to Grumpy's Bar and Wood Fired Pizza and safe to say, you were absolutely right about this one.

Tucked away inside Sunny Bank Mills, Grumpy’s has built a huge reputation for its incredible wood-fired pizzas, laid-back atmosphere, that more or less has a proper community feel at the forefront.

Created by sisters Alex and Cassie, the family-run restaurant was even named after their dad, 'Grumpy' himself, and that personal touch runs through everything they do.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

From supporting local community events to creating a genuinely welcoming space where you can rock up in trainers or stay for hours without realising, it feels like much more than just somewhere to grab food. It feels like part of the neighbourhood’s personality.

And then there’s the pizza.

Everything is made fresh in-house, and watching the team stretch out the dough before piling on all the toppings adds a bit of theatre to the whole experience.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

The wood-fired pizzas are definitely the stars of the show, coming out with that perfect crispy base, soft airy crust, and smoky finish that makes you immediately think, “yeah, that’s the good stuff.”

They also offer a gluten-free base, so there’s something on the menu for everyone to dig into.

But the small plates deserve their flowers too. Dishes like their burrata are a proper crowd-pleaser, served with fresh seasonal tomatoes and bread perfect for scooping up every last bit of creamy goodness.

Add in dough balls and arancini, and suddenly the table starts looking less like a couple of starters and more like a full-on sharing feast.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

One thing we loved? The personality behind the menu. A lot of the pizzas are named after famously grumpy TV and film characters, which gives the whole place a bit of humour and fits the vibe perfectly.

And while we came for the pizza, one surprise standout was the banana split dessert. Fun, nostalgic, slightly over-the-top in the best way, and exactly the kind of thing you don’t think you’ll order… until it shows up and suddenly everyone’s fighting for the last spoonful.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

What makes Grumpy’s special, though, is that it never feels like it’s trying too hard - it’s casual, friendly, and welcoming.

Add in the sunny terrace, a few drinks, and a table full of pizzas shared between mates, and it’s easy to see why people end up staying way longer than planned.

There’s no rush here, just good food, good company, and a place that quietly gets everything right without making a fuss about it.

We finally get why Grumpy's Bar + Wood Fired Pizza is such a Farsley favourite… and trust us, we’ll definitely be back.

Read more: Inside Leeds’ new neighbourhood bakehouse from the team behind Silver’s Deli

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

Eats

North Star Coffee announces opening date for new site – and they’re giving away 200 coffees to celebrate

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

One of Leeds' most iconic brands is expanding with two city centre openings.

Coffee lovers, you're going to love this one.

North Star Coffee Roasters are one of the early pioneers of specialty coffee in the North of England and among the UK’s first B Corp-certified coffee roasters.

They've been keeping the people of Leeds awake since 2013, and you'll find their coffee across the country as well as at their current city centre locations.

One of their brand-new locations inside the Victoria Quarter will be opening next Monday 1 June.

Their new kiosk will be located outside Jo Malone London and marks the brand’s third site in Leeds.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

To celebrate the launch, North Star will be giving away 50 free coffees a day from Tuesday 2 June until Friday 5 June - a total of 200 free drinks across the opening week. Customers will be able to claim any coffee from the menu, with one free drink per person available on a first come, first served basis, each day.

Their other new site is expected to be on Great George Street, and we'll keep you updated with any news on that one as and when we know more.

Speaking about the opening, Holly Kragiopoulos, Co-founder of North Star, said: “Opening a third site in the centre of Leeds feels incredibly special for us. Leeds has always been at the heart of North Star, so being able to bring our coffee into Victoria Quarter is a huge milestone.

"We wanted to celebrate by giving something back to the city and welcoming both loyal regulars and new customers with free coffee throughout our opening week.”

Fancy it? Us too, we'll see you there.

Read more: An Italian-American ‘paninoteca’ and diner serving stacked subs has opened in Leeds

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

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