Aglassto

Cozy, relaxing with a friendly laid back atmosphere. A great place to go on an evening for a cheeky glass (or two) of wine. Staff are really friendly and its great to go somewhere where the staff advise you on the wines and actually let you try them! Love this place!

Very good food, service Erm relaxed to say the least! The waitresses were complaining about each other! Lovely food though and relaxed atmosphere wirh nice wine! We had a living social voucher so better value!

Oh, I loved this place so much. Where, you might ask, should I go if I want to go out on a Saturday night but I hate Saturday nights in town. Well, this place is your answer. Drinks were very nice, I had a Mimosa and something else which was popular during Prohibition and was very alcoholic (presumably why I don’t remember the name!). It was so tasteful and quite cosy too, with nice candles and very friendly staff. My highlight was the fact that there were only two of us in there, something which I’m sure cannot continue. It was a delicious haven from the horror of Saturday nights in the city centre. I can’t even put into words what was so great about it. The music was there but at the right level so I could still talk rather than bellow. I gazed onto the carnage outside, feeling a million miles away. I think this would be marvellous at any time. Go, but not all at once. You’ll spoil it.

Omg. What ever you are doing it needs to be stopped. Seriously. Get off the phone, switch off the youtube video with ‘play him off, keyboard cat’ on repeat, stop texting ‘lol’ to your harem of friends, forget the shopping/​cat/​DIY project that is ruining your life. Get to Aglassto. Mmm. Aglass-​ss-​ss-​to! If I was a stand up comedian, which I’m not, I’d run a ten minute bit on how wonderful it is to simply say; «Agg-​lasssssss-​toh!» (You can picture me, gesticulating wildly on the «lasssssssss-​toh!» part.) It’s a rather satisfying name. And a rather satisfying place. Anyway, I’m rambling. Let’s get to the meat of it.
Whoa there. I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you right. There’s a bar, yes. There’s a bar that serves amazing drinks, yes. There’s a bar that serves amazing drinks and looks utterly beautiful and quaint inside, yes. There’s a bar that serves amazing drinks and looks utterly beautiful and quaint inside where you can actually talk and converse to civilised music on a weekend/​weekday night in the centre of ruddy town?! YES. Such a bar even plans on hosting a bi-​weekly live jazz session. Don’t you DARE fill the place before I’m there to enjoy it!
This is such a magical place. Thank you Greg M, I’m so so happy you found this place and helped me in turn to find it. What a concept! For anyone who is utterly bored with pumped out beats, to steal a phrase «somewhere that just dispenses booze», rowdy shouty folks and angry bouncers I suggest you come here. No, I implore you. The two guys who were serving us last Saturday were utterly cool, friendly and even took our orders and delivered the drinks to our table. Which was a delightful window seat table next to the piano. (That’s exciting, perhaps there’ll be piano music too!)
I ordered the French 75 and was so pleased with how beautiful it was that I had the same for our second round. (Which was good, as unfortunately there was a bit of a «glassware situation», meaning not all of them were available at the time.) All the cocktails, in fairness, sounded beautiful. There’s a menu on the door outside too, so you can check before you go in if you’re hankering after a certain something, although I’m sure they’d make what ever you’d be after. They seem like that kind of place.
So, I spent my Saturday night in wonderful conversation with a good friend, in this beautiful bar, with some fabulous music and not a jot of hassle from anyone. Of course, I’m looking forward to coming back and trying their food. (Did I mention they do food too?) And the concept of having live music in an intimate setting rather than DJs, for Friday night entertainment, is one that I’ve been longing for in Leeds. Can’t wait. Go Aglassto, and long may you bring forth delicious drinks and such like. Huzzah!

Our Cheapskate/​Groupon Tour of Leeds continued the other week with reasonably new wine bar Aglassto, who won bonus points straight away for not spitting on my shoes when I mentioned we had a discount voucher.
A tastefully restrained frontage means you’d probably not spot it amongst the glare of its gaudy neighbours, possibly a deliberate measure to avoid too many staggering drop-​ins. Inside, it’s all dark wood and chandeliers but with a cosy drawing room feel rather than the pretentious sterility of similar franchise efforts. An interesting mixture of industrial trip hop and other electronica playing quietly in the background made a nice change from the usual garage/​Radio 1 brainwashing. They do have live music on every Wednesday when I expect it’s a lot less sedate and a lot more intimate (in a good way).
There are platters and small plates available all evening along with a dedicated lunch menu, most things between £5 and £10. Two of us shared the mixed antipasti platter, normally had for just under a tenner. Great selection of quality cured meats and cheeses, bit of chutney, nice bread and oils — exactly what it says on the tin really. The barman was able to talk us through the wines and made a good recommendation from their cellar, with prices starting at around £16 for a bottle.
So why 5 stars for such a average sounding place? The reason is that Aglassto is a rare gem, a bar that is catering to discerning drinkers without disappearing up its own ar*e through feeling it has to pander to a more pretentious clientele. There are no pumps on the bar and I’d take off my hi-​vis vest before entering, but the management and staff seem genuinely keen to build an inclusive community around their establishment, not one based on having awesome shoes or an awesome wallet.
They have a quiz on Monday nights and have since launched a cocktail menu, both of which I am looking forward to sampling with great anticipation. If you like going to a bar that you actually WANT to be in, rather than just somewhere that dispenses booze, check it out.