Norman Bar

A little known fact about Norman’s is that they are the inventors of the ‘Douchebag Magnet’.
The Douchebag Magent works in a similar way to a conventional magnet, but instead of attracting metals, it attracts douchebags.
This magnet is located in a secret room in the basement, and is switched on at around 8pm on a Friday and Saturday night until the early hours.
Douchebags from all over Leeds are ‘pulled’ to this bar, and converge to create a unique atmosphere that somehow manages to make you ashamed to live in the same city as them.

Now, I was not in Leeds to get my groove on but when in… well, you know.
After earlier drinks my mate and I snuck off and stumbled onto this place. Well, well the music was so good we came in dancing and quickly claimed a spot on the dancefloor. Although this is most definitely a bar, they actually have dancefloor areas in here (London bars, you listening?)
So we danced for quite a while (cause the DJ was kickin’ it & he takes requests) but did stop to get more drinks. Yummy!
We didn’t actually notice people here as we were enjoying ourselves but I must say I did see some Take Me Out styled gals here as noted in another review. Although they didn’t stick around long. Hard to actually dance in clear heels I guess.
Of the chaps we noticed, I have to say this again… Milk does a body good but just how much are the men in Leeds drinking? Woo to the hoo!
The people we did encounter/​dance with were friendly and the look of this bar is nice, yeah really nice… although the entrance looked a bit tired so a bit misleading.
A really fun place that I would definitely visit again.

On Call Lane, nestled in amongst a cluster of other bars, Normans is easily identifiable as the one with the long queue of people shivering desperate to get in. The clientèle is predominantly made of girls who look as though they have come straight from an audition for Take Me Out (think fake eyelashes longer than their skirts) and guys who look as though they have covered themselves in superglue and run through All Saints. But yet, I can’t help but love it …
A firmly established stop on the Leeds’ Saturday night out bar tour Normans is pretty much a given whenever I’m out in town on a weekend. A refreshing change from the places pumping out overly commercial r&b/dance, the DJ usually throws in a generous smattering of old skool classics to get everyone dancing … and dance they do! To manage to get a seat at any point in Normans demonstrates a hawk like eye and Olympic –worthy sprinting skills; this means the rest of the dancefloor/​any spare area of floor is, shall we say, a little cosy.
Definitely a place to see and be seen in Leeds!

My best nights used to be in this bar, Norman bar originally is about normal decent people going in and having a good time but over the past year since a rather rude and idiotic arrogant guy has started marketing it its become full of the most untrendy and tacky crowd that quite frankly belong in Oceana. Thanks for that.

If you look at my other reviews you’ll see that I love the Red Lion, so you’ll guess where I’m gonna go here…
Pretentious, vile, odious. Haircuts and outfits coming at you from every angle.
Avoid. Like. Plague

I love Norman Bar for its mix of clientele, the relaxed yet edgy décor and their amazing meal deals!
Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursday see a great £5 offer for a meal & a drink — and the food isn’t the usual pub grub, they have a great Thai selection of curries that are more than filling!
Plus, if there’s going to be a few of you out get in touch with them in advance & they’ll sort you out with free platters of food…

I’ve fallen in love. There’s a new space in my heart, and it’s entirely reserved for Norman –he’s well and truly gotten me hooked. Why? Well, the rediscovery of their almost unbeatable deal, that’s why. So, for five of your English pounds, you can drop by and purchase a delicious Thai green curry and a glass of wine or beer on a Wednesday. Seriously, can anyone beat that?
It’s not as if the portions are stingy. You get a sizeable plate of delicious healthy dinner for your cash, and given that a glass of wine costs about £3.80, my dinner date and I realised that the curry cost us but £1.20. Amazing. As for the glass of red, it may have been house, but it was delightfully drinkable and before I knew what had happened, four of those beauties had been consumed. No complaints there…
The curry itself was cooked really well. It mightn’t have been the type of Thai delights you could expect from the likes of Thai Sabai, or Chaophraya, but let’s keep it real. It was better than I’ve had from a few places, the sauce was delicious, the veg was plentiful, and the chicken was beautiful. Delightful!
As for the ambience, of course on a night like this you’ve to expect it to be busy. It can get a little loud for conversation, but we managed perfectly well, and the staff were fabulously friendly. They’d forgotten to bring one order of wine over, but rectified it as soon as we caught them, and I don’t blame them –it was pretty busy. Essentially, they were all totally lovely, and it turned out to be a fabulous evening.
I’ve not been back for a late night here in quite some time, so I couldn’t comment on how it is of a weekend evening, but if you’re after a ruddy good feed and don’t want to spend all your fun money this place comes highly recommended. Thursdays you can grab fish and chips for a fiver, Wednesdays is curry, and there are a plethora of other deals through the week that you can avail yourself of!
Basically, it’s an oldie but a goodie, so remind yourself that Call Lane is more than just a party street and get down for a bite. Cheap, delicious and much more engaging than getting on Just Eat. Love it!

Norman bar is open pretty much all the time, they open in the morning and serve food all day and then the bar serves drinks all night, I’m not quite sure how the staff have the stamina to keep the place open for so many hours of the day, but the continue, good work!
Recently most of my visits have been during the day time to sample the food, the menu is mostly Japanese influenced but with some English staples too… The Singapore noodles are always worth a bash! The main thing that you have to have, no matter what else you are going to order is the world famous N.F.C so good! Ask any bartender worth their salt on Call Lane and they will know of N.F.C!
There’s quite a few offers on through the week usually too so always worth checking what is on the board!
If your out for a big one at the weekend then why not check out Norman when its Primed and kicking, always full and having a good time, cool DJ’s and some tasty drinks to get you in the party mood!

Norman, where did it all go wrong?
This place used to be a bit of a joke at the weekend as it filled with call centre middle managers trying to convince each other they contributed something to society, but by day it filled the hole of somewhere chilled and friendly that you get could get something hot and flavoursome for lunch that didn’t cost the earth.
The menu is mainly oriental fusion offering a range of noodly things ranging from dryish with meat to full-​on soups, but they also do East Asian influenced curries and a few classics like fish and chips. Their meal deals, especially any dish and a bottle of beer for a fiver each Monday, take some beating.
However, although I’m sure nothing has changed in regards to its white-​trash-​bad-​coke-​try-​hard clientèle come Saturday night, the day staff are now making it abundantly clear they neither want your custom or can even be bothered with it. Avoid.

I really like this bar! I went a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday as I was told they had an awesome offer on where you could get a drink and a Thai curry for only a fiver! Too good to be true? It really wasn’t! They gave a very generous portion of curry, I went for the Beef Thai Red curry and its was proper tasty.
Its a cool place to chill out and eat as the music isn’t blaring out like some other places on Call Lane that obviously do this early evening to hide the lack of atmosphere. The staff however were slightly, should we say ditsy and it took a while to get drinks, but as they do have a very good looking team, it was all forgotten rather quickly!
Definitely recommend it for midweek treats, and I aim to check it out on a night very soon!

+ There’s a wide variety of drink and the DJ’s generally plays good tunes. The clientele of this venue are the hip boys and girls. Week day nights can be quite enjoyable as it isn’t as busy. Have had some good nights here. — Can be extremely busy Fri-​Sat nights with people queueing up to get in the venue. Then the doormen can be a bit too picky. If the queue is short join it but if it is long go elsewhere. Good vibes

There are plenty of places for the so called «cool cats» to play out in Leeds and Normans is definitely one of them. Situated in the heart of the Calls, it’s excellent location (just off the Corn Exchange) make it an ideal stop off point or indeed final destination.
What it delivers is super funky décor and even super funkier drinks. It’s cocktails ago go and we’re not talking run of the mills one here either. They pride themselves on taking some of the more well known classics and giving them a very much cosmopolitan shake up (not stirred).
I find it pretty hard to nail down my beverage of choice but I do always tend to go back to the «Original Sin» This drink tastes like home-​made apple pie, lightly spiced with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Ultra smooth Sagatiba cachaca, a splash of Goldschlager, apple juice balanced with a touch of lime. The Gangsta Ra-​pear is a sure fire winner too and for those who are tempted by something sweeter and coffee inspired, look no further than the «Zoolander». An orange mocha frappucino with Kahlua and liqueurs thrown in to boot. You can also throw down £150 on a bottle of Dom Perignon, Prestige Cuvee or if that is slightly out of budget (cough, splutter), maybe sample some of the über trendy bottled beers from across the globe.
The food is pretty darn hot pickin good too thanks to head chef Kaoru Nakamura who has borrowed Thai, Chinese, Malaysian and Vietnamese dishes but also retained a strong Japanese influence.
Add on to that some soulful music and top musos on the decks and it’s a great place for an all round experience. It can get a bit pricy though, so I suggest heading down during happy hour, weekdays 5 till 7pm. It’ll make your pound stretch that little bit further.

Love and hate often come hand in hand. And Norman’s Bar really is no exception to this rule.
Norman’s is cool, it’s a cool bar, and with a name like Norman, that’s kind of a surprise. You don’t really associate the quirky kitsch and cool rock styles with the name or the exterior, and you, don’t expect to be vetted for your cool status upon entry, but it’s exactly what happens when you reach the two burly bouncers, or doormen at the entrance, but it happens, unfortunately for the guys, it’s them that seem to come off worse with the entry at discretion policy, and large groups of lads are often turned away for the fact there are too many of them and they don’t want any trouble down here in the chic, sophisticated, higher end of town. Lawd. I’ve seen people turned away because their clothing is too casual, yet when I’ve wandered in, there’s been a fair amount of people in casual t shirts and jeans, so again it’s whatever suits the door staff.
In many respects I like Norman’s, there’s always a healthy atmosphere of enjoyment, and everyone who’s made it through always seem to be enjoying themselves, the music is great, especially when the Northern Soul gets going, and the effect of a DJ in a bar is a really nice one for the vibe of the place. It’s a cool bar on the nice end of town and it still has a happy hour, 5 – 7 on weekdays, and with some fancy cocktails, a healthy wine list, and plenty of beer varieties to be had, it’s unusual to see someone displeased in the alcohol department.
On the flip side, this place is so cool it’s almost naff! There’s a cultivated image to be upheld in here, and fine, it’s often the norm (sorry) to see this attitude from the staff, but the patrons continue the nose in the air pretention manufactured from years of being told it’s cool, stylish, sophisticated and chic and by proxy they are too. Staff being rude always piddles me off, for flip’s sake, you’re paid to do a job, get over yourself, drop the attitude and smile, and accept that you are a bartender and not the person in charge.
I would definitely say that if you’re wanting the Norman’s experience, to go early and avoid the stringent guidelines, and the large crowds that this bar still manages to pull in, especially on the weekend.

On a personal note, I have to avoid drinking in Norman’s too often as it’s kitch-​rock vibe and décor sends me on mad furniture shopping outings which leave me slightly strapped for cash! I adore the furnishings in here a little too much! If you are a fan of the kitch scene or 60’s art you have to go in for a rather expensive glass of wine one evening! I recommend a Friday evening.
Located on the trendiest road in the North, Normans is home to all the local celebrities and if often host to soap star, Corinne Bailey Ray or other local up and coming young, pretty and talented people!
On a Friday and Saturday night the DJ turns the dance, chart and electro beats up a little louder and the dancing begins! Although the moves around me looks a little pouty and fashionable I tend to just make up my own moves!
The only downside to Normans is the staff. Due to the high class reputation and nature of the clientele the staff are little cocky and can come across as rude. This doesn’t put me off, but has irritated a few friends of mine! Just make sure you and your mates are all dressed very smartly as the bouncers are very harsh on who they let in! On busier evening Norman’s can be quite hard to get into.
Another hint, the toilets are very well hidden! You will feel like ordering another cosmopolitan after the stress of finding them!

Suprisingly good bar food menu! Great cocktails and good service. A great night out on the weekends too!

I don’t like Normans. I don’t like the sneaky hidden door to the toilets. Nor do I like how trendy it is. Don’t make me go back.

Normans is a really nice bar. It is situated in the more expensive end of town but the prices are not much more than you’d get anywhere else and all of the bars are really nice. The cocktails in Normans are really nice and the toilets are extremely cool!

i love this bar– it’s got huge sofa’s and great drinks, it’s situated in what i believe to be the best part of Leeds– i always have a great time here– the music they play as well.

Norman’s is a trendy bar in the best part of Leeds. Drinks cost no more than you would expect. The only downfall is the odd really protentious group of people you find in there. The bar itself is really good and a place I always stop off at on a night out.

By day a gorgeous red interior, leather red seats, cosy, authentic food, lovely cocktails. On a night packed full of young people dancing to good funky music, definately a bar on call lane that should be visited on a night out in Leeds if you are looking for funky, trendy place.