Eats

The best places in and around Leeds for after work drinks

We've rounded up our favourite watering holes that offer a combination of all the factors needed for the perfect post-work drink.

Sophie Smith - 19th April 2022

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

A cocktail tree with lots of different options underneath a sign. — 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.

Revs de Cuba

A cocktail with tobacco-style packaging next to it. — Image: The Hoot Leeds

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

A cocktail held in a hand. — 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

Three drinks on a table. — Image: Banyan

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

Two cocktails. — 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.

Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds (SALT)