I've handed in my notice, so for the next couple of week I have some time on my hands! :-)
I've handed in my notice, so for the next couple of week I have some time on my hands! :-)
Member since:31.07.2002
Reviews:76
Members who trust:48
Ok so I stole a song from New York. I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure why there's not more songs about Leeds (there's a few strange ones about the yorkshire dales but I don't really get what on earth they're on about, not being a "local"...). Maybe Yorkshire folk prefer to express themselves in more obscure ways, involving flat caps, whippets and Emmerdale. I couldn't possibly comment!
So why on earth is the girl whos heart lies just south of Watford writing a review about a city in Yorkshire (which, as I'm sure you're aware, lies quite a long way north of Watford)?
Well, I moved to Leeds for the same reason as approximately a third of the city's population - Higher Education. Leeds is very much a University city, with the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk), Leeds Metropolitan University (www.lmu.ac.uk), Leeds College of Art and Design (www.leeds-art.ac.uk) and Leeds College of Music (www.lcm.ac.uk) all offering Degree level courses, there's quite a few students to be found roaming the streets in term time.
NIGHTLIFE
The huge student population of Leeds makes for a pretty bustling nightlife. Leeds is known to be one of the best nights out in the UK, and during term times you're guaranteed a mad night out any night of the week in any one of the student-packed bars or clubs in the city centre.
If student-style drinking until you fall over and/or vomit in the street is what you're after, there's a few places I'd recommend:
BAR RISA - This shrine to student drinking seems to try its hardest to exude no class whatsoever. In its defence, it has a Jongleurs Comedy Club attached, but the comedy in here is generally of a lesser quality than other Comedy nights in Leeds. That said, if you want to get drunk, eye up students (Leeds students are regularly voted as the best looking in the UK (why, thank you!)), then you won't find anywhere better than Risa.
BAJA BEACH CLUB - Situated conveniently close to all the other terrible clubs in Leeds, Baja is actually a pretty good night out. With a beach theme to it, a "cheese and student anthems-only" music policy and a friendlier crowd than the Risa, it's a good place to meet students with a sense of humour!
BONDI BEACH CLUB - As beach-themed bars go, Bondi is certainly the better of those in Leeds (don't worry, there's only two!!). It has everything Baja boasts, but with a revolving dancefloor, a stage show, and a "bikinis only" dress code for the female staff, which always seems to appeal to the male population of Leeds. They also have an "all you can drink for £10" night on a Monday - carnage is the only possible way to describe it.
CREATION - Once student heaven, Creation now seems to struggle to tempt the student population into its gigantic club. With great mid-week nights, but
awful weekend ones, Creation seems to have lost a little of its sparkle recently.
MAJESTYK - Leeds' former answer to the "superclub", Majestyk is very difficult to miss opposite the city train station. It's a big sweaty pit, with fantastic drinks offers and good mid-week nights. Those who are into their chart music stars will love this place - on Saturday nights they often play host to characters such as Girls Aloud (oh dear!) and Lemar.
HALO - A new club, near the University of Leeds, built in a church. Enough said.
"Enough of this student hell!" I hear you shout! "What do I do if I want to go somewhere I'll actually enjoy!! I'm far too old to be drinking with the sole aim of making myself sick and groping a fresher!" Well, if you, like me, have had enough of all this insane torture known as student drinking culture, there are some places for you in Leeds too!
THE HIFI CLUB - Hifi is still the club of all clubs in my eyes. With a strict "good music only" policy, it tends to draw a nicer crowd than most clubs in Leeds. With regular Northern Soul, Jazz, 60s and Funk nights, Hifi manages to appeal to a wider variety of people than most clubs in Leeds and is a great place to boogy all night as a result.
THE MINT CLUB - A tiddly little gem of a club, which manages to be cool whatever music they're playing. Host to Funky Wormhole on Thursday nights, which has a "cool" music policy, so "cool" they don't even try to describe it. Has a vague Polo mint theme, but manages to carry it off well, oddly enough.
OPORTO - One of the best bars in the whole wide world, Oporto is situated in the area of Leeds known as the Calls, home to classy restaurants, sexy city centre flats and oddly enough, some not-particularly-great bars. Oporto is the exception to this, with a really laid-back feel to it, a great wine and cocktail menu, and an amazing restaurant to boot. I could quite happily live here! It does get pretty busy on Fridays and Saturdays, so probably one to save for your mid-week visit. Another bonus is that it's practically next door to the Hifi club - what a perfect night out!
MOJO - Another great bar, hailed as one of the best in the UK, Mojo is situated right in the north of the city centre, hidden away from the beaten track. The cocktail menu is extensive, the bar staff very informative and professional, the music policy is fantastic and it always manages to be full! The atmosphere in here is great, with everyone out to enjoy themselves. A great break from the "cattle-market"s of the student clubs.
THE REFORM - The best way to describe the Reform is "Mojo Overflow"! Situated next-door-but-one to the famous Mojo, The Reform is a little more spacious, newly refurbished bar with a very similar music policy and a very relaxed and friendly clientele. I'd recommend trying the coconut mojito (it's not on the cocktail menu, just ask one of the very helpful bar staff!).
THE COCKPIT - If you like your nightlife a little rockier, the Cockpit is definitely the place for you. With an alternative music policy, you can find all your different types of rock in here. "The Garage" on a Saturday has an 80s rock room, a punk room and a metal room; "Slam Dunk" on a Tuesday has a metal/goth room and a punk/ska room. The atmosphere in here is fantastic and the music never fails. They also have a lot of live gigs of varying quality (!).
FIBRE - Although Fibre markets itself as "Gay-Friendly", what it really means is "Straight-Friendly", and it has always been very friendly to me! It's a fantastically decorated bar, with a predominantly dance music policy, and some good 2 for 1 drinks offers on weekdays. It's late opening and is just opposite...
QUEEN'S COURT - As the name suggests, this is also a predominantly gay bar. While not quite as classy as Fibre, they do do a fantastic Monday night, with £1 drinks all night being the main draw. The music is generally pretty varied, ranging from all brands of house, to RnB and the odd bit of cheese!
So what else has Leeds got to offer, apart from places to drink?
SHOPPING
The other thing that Leeds is famed for is its fantastic shopping. With a compact city centre (and that doesn't mean small!), everything you could ask for is within easy reach and there's nothing between your favourite shop and your next favourite shop - apart from a few shops. We'll have none of those road things getting in the way here, thank you Manchester and London. Leeds is pure, unadulterated shopping bliss!
High points include:
HARVEY NICHOLS - Although a little too expensive for me (and very bad for my health if I venture in there on pay day - I have been known to exist on cupasoup for three weeks!), the Leeds branch of Harvey Nicks (as it is affectionately known to the posh crew) is my personal favourite. On four floors, it's very easy to find exactly what you're looking for, and the staff, being Yorkshire folk, are a lot more helpful and friendly than those in the other branches. The food department is fantastic (and actually the cheapest place in Leeds to buy Sushi rice - now you know!), the ground floor make-up department is great, and they wrap up anything you want for free in their own wrapping paper (looks very good when given as a present, I can tell you!), and the esspresso bar and the fourth floor cafe are much nicer options than Starbucks or McDonalds for that mid-shop snack!
THE VICTORIA QUARTER - Home to Harvey Nichols, Kurt Geiger, Vivienne Westwood, Links of London and a few other big name designer stores, The Victoria Quarter is the classier end of Leeds city centre. It's a beautiful Victorian arcade, with an ornate ceiling, big plants, a pretty floor and a few cafes dotted within it.
THE CORN EXCHANGE - Every mini-mosher's favourite weekend hang-out, the Corn Exchange is Leeds' alternative shopping heaven. With little beauties such as "Grin", an alternative clothing shop, "Grin Home", a crazy homewares shop, "The Condom Shop", a predictably rude shop which sells joke toys, hen night accessories, cards and rude mugs amongst other things, and "The Bead Shop", which surprisingly sells beads, the Corn Exchange should definitely be your first stop if you're looking for an unusual gift.
ROSE & CO - A little gem of a shop, situated in one of the many arcades that run between the main streets of the city centre, Rose & Co caters for your every girly whim. They sell beautiful toiletries, bags, perfumes, make-up and vintage jewellry. Boys, if you need a present for your girlfriend don't even think about looking anywhere before you look in here!
OFFICE, DUNE, SCHUH, FAITH, SHELLEYS, JONES BOOTMAKERS, KURT GEIGER - Leeds has shoe shops to rival any city in the world. The above are just the beginning. Add to these your high street staples of Barratts, Clarks and the like, the shoe departments Harvey Nichols, all the department stores, the enormous Topshop and all the designer boutiques in the Victoria Quarter and you have shoe paradise! (Oh and you can get some cracking bags in all of the above too!)
BORDERS - Worth a special mention as this is a truly great shop. With a Starbucks and a Paperchase inside and three floors full of books, CDs and DVDs to suit all tastes this shop would be amazing anyway, but throw in the fact that it's open til 10pm every weeknight and we have one of the best shops in the North!
So you're not a shopper and you're not a clubber. Is it still worth visiting Leeds? Well, in short, YES!!
CULTURE
ART - With the Henry Moore Institute and the City Art Gallery, there's always an art exhibition in Leeds to whet your appetite. See www.henry-moore.co.uk and http://www.itchyleeds.co.uk/venues/414.html for more details.
MUSIC - The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University both regularly play host to fantastic bands on tour. See the Universities websites (above) for further details. The Cockpit is another firm favourite on the music front, and other venues within Leeds such as The Vine pub and Joseph's Well are great places to catch some live music. The Hifi Club also have weekly live Jazz on Sundays, and the Wardrobe is an amazing Jazz bar almost next door to the Music College.
THEATRE - There are numerous theatres in Leeds, the most well known being the West Yorkshire Playhouse (www.wyplayhouse.com), a stopping point for a great number of touring companies and often host to great regional theatre productions.
OPERA - The Grand Theatre in Leeds is the home to the acclaimed company, Opera North. Their productions are without doubt amongst the best you will ever encounter. Their ability to stage anything from Britten, to Puccini, to Kurt Weil is quite astounding!
Ok, so you're convinced. But where are you going to stay when you come and visit? And what are you going to eat?
RESTAURANTS
THE CALLS GRILL - Let's start with my favourite! A great restaurant, in the classy end of town, serving a range of fantastic steaks, cooked to perfection. Will also cater for those who don't enjoy steak as much as I do with their range of other grill-house specials.
LIVEBAIT - Situated opposite the Calls Grill, Livebait is a fish restaurant. No, not one of those seafront special fish restaurants that only serve fish and chips! This is a serious fish restaurant! They do serve fish and chips, but I'd definitely forgo that in favour of the Livebait platter!
OPORTO - Already mentioned earlier, Oporto's restaurant is fantastic! It operates on a Tapas-style "small dish" basis, and the food is so varied and interesting, fusing british, oriental and european influences in a way that really shouldn't work. Needless to say, it works!
HARD ROCK CAFE - Although you'd expect this place to be terrible - after all, with such a high "novelty" factor, it could still make a profit if it was - the food is good (although I'd recommend the fajitas and staying away from the disappointing burgers), the cocktails are great and varied, and the memorabilia is great (John Lennon's Jacket! Woo!!!)
TAMPOPO - A great oriental restaurant, with an extensive and fairly priced menu, an interesting "open-plan" layout, great lunch time and pre/post-theatre/cinema deals and most of all, great food!!
WHERE TO STAY
Although I'd love to put you all up in my flat, there's limited room, so why not try the following?
MALMAISON - This hotel is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! If you haven't already heard of these places, you simply have to take a look at them! It is a little pricey, not unreasonably so for a city centre hotel, but it is well worth it! The rooms are tastefully decorated in the extreme, the minibar is full of unusual and innovative drink and snack ideas, the bathrooms are so luxurious you almost feel mean using them and the beds are the biggest in the world! Take a look at www.malmaison.com for availability and prices. Also try www.lastminute.com as they sometimes have deals on the Mal.
JURY'S INN - A great hotel for those on a bit more of a budget. Newly built, the rooms are large and functional. The hotel is central enough without being subject to too much noise and they serve a great breakfast!
BEWLEY'S HOTEL - Another newly built hotel, they have a strict £59 per room per night policy, and I've heard nothing but praise so far (although I don't have personal experience of this one!).
IBIS HOTEL - If you're on a very tight budget, the Ibis is the place for you! With £43 rooms at the weekend, this brand new hotel is probably one of the cheapest places to stay in Leeds! It's not nearly as basic as you'd expect for the price, with clean and functional rooms and a good location.
NONE OF THE HOTELS IN HEADINGLEY! - Please, whatever you do, do not attempt to find a good hotel in Headingley. These hotels are B&B's, and bad ones at that. It really is not worth staying in these instead of a city centre hotel unless you are visiting people in Headingley (even then I wouldn't recommend it!). You will save yourself about £5, and all that will be spent on bus and taxi fares to the city anyway. Don't say you weren't warned!!
I'll see you in Leeds soon then, right?!
Louise xxxxxxx
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Best city in England. It's in Yorkshire, fab entertainments, something for everyone to do, see and enjoy. Plus, I was born there! Disadvantages: Ey, let's not be starting on my hometown now, ok!?
spacemonkey 09.11.2001 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leeds in general
Oct 24th, 2004
exceptional by (23%):
very helpful by (77%):
