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
Horsforth Brewery to takeover and save beloved Ilkley tap house
A renowned brewery have announced that they will be taking over the reigns of a popular craft beer bottle shop in Ilkley.
Fuggle & Golding opened in 2015 on Leeds road in Ilkley and quickly grew a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.
Sadly they announced last month that their last day of trading would be Saturday 28 February, news which was met with huge disappointment.
However this is no longer the case, as Horsforth Brewery is set to reopen the venue on Wednesday. Hooray!
Announcing the welcomed news to Instagram, Horsforth Brewery wrote: "When we saw they were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene.
"We owe a massive thank you to George and the landlord for getting a deal across the line in quick order.
"We’re going to take a few days to put our stamp on the place and then we will be open on Wednesday!"
"Obviously we will be stocking our beers here but as anyone who knows will know, we love the beer scene so we will continue to have a good amount of guest beer on as well. We’ll even been joining in with the biggest beer launches from around the country.
"Want to know the best news? We’re doing this solo. No outside interests, no investors, no debt. In the current climate being able to organically grow like this is so so hard and it’s thanks to all our team that we’ve been able to do this.
"We’ve always been determined to grow our business in a healthy and sustainable way; it may have (absolutely has) been tough over the years but we’ve got ourselves in a position to take us to the next level in a sustainable way."
British Pie Week 2026 – all the best places to find a pie in and around Leeds
Clementine Hall
Sweet, savoury, filled or plain: pies are a staple in the British diet.
It's the best week of the year...it's British Pie Week, not that we need much of an excuse to celebrate that flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, but we're taking all the excuses we can this week to embrace all things pie related.
We've rounded up al our favourite spots to grab a pie, as a lunchtime snack or on the go in the city centre - so take your pick, whatever the occasion.
Dave's Pies and Ales
Kirkstall Road, Burley | Open from 5pm
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Dave's Pies and Ales is locally known as the smallest pub in Leeds - and whilst the menu and seating area might be teeny, what it does do, it does well.
Choose from a range of pies and peas with classic ales on tap to choose from inside this micropub 12-11pm every day of the week.
Whitelocks Ale House
Turk's Head Yard, just off Briggate | Kitchen open from 12pm
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Whitelocks is known in Leeds for its Sunday Roasts, warm fire and homely pub ambience- but their pies are the unsung heroes on the menu.
The beef and ale pie is made from Yorkshire Meat Co. beef, a Wetherby-based supplier that brings beef from the likes of Tancred Grange Farm in Richmond to Leeds. This one is served with chunky chips and sautéed seasonal veg, seat by the fireplace optional.
Pieminister
Duncan Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 12pm
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Available as a Sunday roast, bottomless brunch or just a plain old (but beautifully presented) pie and mash, Pieminister is famous for its pies for all the right reasons. On the shelves in your local supermarkets and available as a sit-down scran on Boar Lane, Pieminister is a place where pies are guaranteed to make up the majority of the menu options.
Finer Pleasures
Multiple locations
If you don't know about Josh at Finer Pleasures, then you're seriously missing out. Josh is somewhat of a pie-oneer (sorry), and is the master of creating weird and wonderful pie creations from lasagna pies to gammon, egg and pineapple pork pies.
You can find him over in Crossgates most Wednesdays, but you're best bet is to keep an eye on his socials for the best chance on bagging one of his pies. Trust us, they're like gold dust.
Wilsons Butchers
Austhorpe Road, Cross Gates | Open from 7.30am
Image: Wilsons Butchers
Located in Armley, Morley and Pontfract - Wilsons Pies and Pasties is a small indie chain from Wilsons Butchers and crowned champions of the Yorkshire Small Pork Pie Championships.
At lunch time, the shops offer a true Yorkshire delicacy of pie and mushy pies with optional (but essential) mint sauce. All Wilsons pies and pasties are made using locally sourced produce in Garforth, so these a true Leeds pies, and well worth sampling.
Sophie Smith -
7th January 2022 
