The Wardrobe

Yeah I’m a fan. Some really interesting and unique soul cooking spins on the classics. I had a saucy chicken wing starter that was full of flavour, and then 12 oz steak seasoned with cajun-​esque spices. The food was fantastic; the drink? meh. Get beer. The service is fine, nothing over the top. Super casual spot with an indie-​rock vibe. Would recommend to try.
Also, cool spot to catch mid-​level acts perform in Leeds. Keep an eye on their listings and your favourite «just about to break» band might swing by.

The Wardrobe isn’t really a bonefide bar, more of a restaurant and music venue with a bar included. It’s also within a stone’s throw of Aagrah (see review
) so we thought we’d pop in to check it out for one beer.
It was mostly empty when we arrived on Friday and I guess it was because there wasn’t an act on that night and it’s slightly off the beaten track. We didn’t stay for a second but that’s not to say I wouldn’t return, I’d just have preferred there was a bit more of an atmosphere.

Whats not to like about this place.
Great music, plenty of seating, good food (lovely diverse menu with an attractive price-​tag) & a nice place to catch up with friends without having to shout over bad music or feel like you’re taking up too much space.
I used to spend many Friday evenings here when I worked just around the corner and I’m happy to say it hasn’t lost its charm.
Its a great bar in a not so great (but being redeveloped) part of Leeds but I’d recommend it to friends any day.
The only thing letting it down is the draught beer on offer– not really to my taste and not a great choice but the bottle beer selection makes up for it.
I’d also like to see some ‘branded’ glass wear instead of those lousy standard straight up & down glasses which are no addition to a beer.
I have been to 2 gigs recently in the ‘basement’ and can’t believe I’ve been missing out on knowing it was there for so long!

Really liked the look and feel of The Wardrobe with it’s comfy seating, fairy lights and posters. We popped in for a quick pre-​theatre dinner; service was quick and good but I thought the menu would have been bigger and with I think one special on the board, I hummed and hawed over what to eat. I settled for chicken ceasar salad which was fine — I’ve had worse and better but wasn’t wowed by it. Unfortunately we had to rush off for our show otherwise we would have happily spent the evening there. It seems like a good drinking venue with dj sets and various other events on throughout the month and good for after work drinks, dates or groups. Also available is a pre-​theatre menu with 2 courses for £10 which is quite reasonable. If I visited the city again I probably would come here for evening drinks and entertainment — it’s just a 5 – 10 minute walk from Call Lane.

Oooo they’ve changed it around and made it a bit more quirky and cartoon-​like. I like that there is more seating with the new breakfast bar offshoots from the main bar.
I’ve been here when it has been rammed, however, mid-​February on a Saturday night it appeared to not be one of those nights… and it was refreshing to be able to sit down, chat and dance. Had a grand time with reasonably priced drinks.
Quite a hangover to show for it though. Hence today’s reviews are not quite sparkling!
Urgh
Wanted to review downstairs separately, but think bar and club are one. Went to the wet spot. Just a fab night! Try it!

I’ve always been a fan of the Wardrobe and have spent many a Saturday night downstairs for the Wet Spot.
Until last Friday I had never eaten there and I certainly won’t be returning there for food again. I was instantly drawn to the crispy belly pork, which myself and another friend ordered and waited with anticipation for it to arrive. Disappointingly when it arrived the belly pork was far from the crispiness described on the menu, instead it was decidedly rubbery.
We sent the dishes back to the kitchen and asked them to flash it under the grill to crisp up. It was a good 10 minutes before we saw the plates again and there was no improvement to the texture and now had added burnt edges. We had to return the plates again and the rest of the group had finished eating, so we cut our losses and ended up going without.
I couldn’t fault the waiter who was more than helpful, but the kitchen staff need to be putting out better dishes. If something is called crispy on the menu then it should meet that description. Will not be eating there again.

We were a group of 16 visiting the restaurant on a Friday night. The bar & cocktails were great but the restaurant & service was terrible. I had to return my inedible main. The waitress offered nothing back and really didn’t care. I would not eat here again.

I first visited The Wardrobe in 2011 when Jamiroquai did a workshop in the spacious venue underneath the bar. I really enjoyed the ambience down there, and it was a informal setting.
The second, and most recent time I visited, I went for a meal before I went to Road To Warped Tour at Leeds Uni. I had 40 minutes so I thought I could eat comfortably within that time. I asked the bartender when food was served, and he said «until 9pm.» and he begrudgingly fetched me a menu and placed it on the beer-​soaked counter of the bar.
I ordered with 35 minutes to spare, and although they have a «15 minute guarantee», my meal came 25 minutes later with no apology, and generously crispy (burnt) chips. My lift came 5 minutes early which would have been okay if my meal had come on time. My meal was expensive, and as there was no reception in the bar to call my friends who were waiting for me, I had to leave most of the meal.
The venue is a really nice place to hear music, but I wouldn’t eat there again.

bit posh for me but it is a nice bar, got dragged to the burlesque night a while back, it was a too packed but a good laugh, i can only advise you to get there early for a seat

My goodness. Well, it’s been a while, and although this last visit didn’t proffer the grandeur of events such as The Wetspot, it certainly gave us everything we wanted. Picture the scene: it’s Saturday night, and although I was the only one who fancied something a little more raucous, my comrades were baying for decent drinks, a table, and a natter. We tried a few places, and before committing to Escobar, I suggested we give the upstairs bar here a go. (The bars in town, although empty along Briggate, were busting with spritely folks who were a little more vocal than we liked. Yep, grumpy and old, I admit it.)
Well, it was the perfect suggestion, it seems. The bouncers were right friendly, like, and welcomed us into a cosy and lively hub of decent folk. The music for the evening was a delightful mix of funky tunes and soul, but not so overpowering that conversation was out of the window. We sought a seat, grabbed some easy ales, and sat to engage in discussion of such things as Black Mirror, Being Human and other excellent TV shows. Fabulous.
Essentially, I can hardly fault the venue. It’s perfect for after work drinks, relaxed weekend beverages, and of course if you’re bringing the party, you can always bob downstairs to the club for a guaranteed night of live music, cabaret, burlesque, and any other funzies they’ve got on the programme. The only thing left for me to sample is the menu… Soon, I hope.

Picture the scene; having had a pleasant evening of conversation and fermented beverages we wish to continue this further. However, it is half 11 on a Saturday evening, last orders have been called and the barman is asking us to depart. Everywhere we look that is open appears to be full of people listening to objectionable music while invading each others personal space. So what to do?
We went to Wardrobe. And it was good.
There was a great band playing funky soul, and once they’d finished the dj continued with similarly good music. Yet we still managed to have a (admittedly slightly shoutly) conversation. The dancefloor was filled with happy people who got out of the way when you were walking past them with drinks.
All in all a brilliant end to the night!

A pretty cool place to be honest. The nicest thing about it was that it was out of the main town strip. Went for a drink to say goodbye to an old colleague, and we impressed by her choice.
The atmosphere was good, not too loud, and generally a good place for a drink, or a place to start for the night.
Looking forward to going again.

A restaurant, bar, club, café, Wardrobe is everything. Removed from the city centre, next to the BBC Leeds building, Wardrobe provides a refreshing change to the cramped cocktail bars in the dead centre of Leeds.
It has a classier, more upmarket feel to it that almost any other place I have gone to on a night out in Leeds, and I am struggling to decide whether this is solely down to the fact it is slightly pricier than most of the other bars.
At night, it often plays host in it’s bassment to soul and funk night, often with live music. They have an extensive bar that runs pretty much all along the back wall serving up any cocktail you fancy.
It definitely offers a classier break from some of grungier student infested establishments in central Leeds, but whether it is the kind of place you’d make your favourite club that you go back to week upon week-I’m not sure my wallet would allow it, but it makes for a nice change.

The Wardrobe feels like one of those places that has been created in the hope that people will buy into its branding and want to be seen there, rather than to meet any discernible need in the market, and this strategy seems to have worked. While I’m not sure the majority of the clientele will necessarily have thought before they discovered this place that what they were really missing in life was a jazz club-​cum-​cocktail bar, they certainly seem to be enjoying it now, and who can blame them. Wardrobe is a lot of things at once: a restaurant, big on modern British and popular with the pre-​theatre crowd; a bar, with one of the most comprehensive cocktail menus in Leeds; a live music venue hosting free jazz, funk and soul events, and a club, situated atmospherically and the basement and home to larger acts and paid entry gigs. With all these aims, it’s a wonder Wardrobe manages to do any of them properly but it does, and the hordes of people who flock here every night of the week seem to agree. It’s not cheap, but treat yourself to a cocktail or two when there’s a free gig on and you’ll feel like the classiest people in town.

The wardrobe multitasks as a classy, upmarket venue for many various occasions!
BY DAY, one can enjoy coffee and a fresh sandwich from the lunch menu! Or if your day has been hard any alcoholic drink you could eve wish for from the extensive bar.
BY NIGHT one can enjoy cocktails, evening dinner, live music and even a dance with friends, lit up by candle light.
The wardrobe was established originally as a Jazz club and is well acclaimed nationwide as one of the best live Jazz venues in the country. The venue still attracts some of the best worldwide jazz, funk and pop artists as well as up and coming talent from next door neighbour, Leeds College of Music.
The Wardrobe offers a night out in style and a break away from a stereotypical student evening in the heavily student populated city. The food menu is divine and you can choose between a lunch, pre-​theatre and A La Carte option (which includes my favourite, a gorgeous salmon and prawn fishcakes with asparagus and hollandaise sauce).
Drink and food prices are very expensive. However with the cities best live music, drinks, food and atmosphere at your feet, it is worth the money if you have it! The Wardrobe is perfect for a treat or romantic evening out.
Both the clientele, staff and décor are sophisticated and offer a contrasting evening to the city centre.

We came here for a friend’s birthday last night and although I knew where it was, I’d never been before. It reminds me a bit of Bradford’s Love Apple in its set-​up, in that it’s a bar, restaurant, music venue and club all rolled into one.
Our table was set up in a bit of an awkward place, along the side of the bar, beside the small booths, which meant that initially we got a great view of the stage (and the music provided by the Jen Low Band — very Dave Matthews they were), but from about 9pm people kept eyeing us up because clearly we were in their way, and so they simply stood in front of us, banged into our seats to get to the bar, and generally made us feel a bit like we were imposing.
Hot Steve and I had already had a massive lunch so we passed on the starters, but did have a small bowl of olives for £2. For my main I had courgettes stuffed with ratatouille and Ribblesdale cheese for £10, and Steve had the sea bream with fries (£13.50). A bit pricier than I’d usually pay, particularly given the conservative portions, but then it did mean that we had room for puddings Mine was the prettiest pudding I’ve ever eaten (pistachio meringue with chantilly cream and strawberries — £4), and Steve’s rubarb crumble and custard was very tasty too — also £4. So without drinks it was just over £30, and we got to listen to live music.
We headed downstairs for the free Chichino gig (I had never heard of them, as I am not down with the kids, but it was a lady in leopard print leggings and a sweatband playing the funk out of a keyboard with a backing band — ‘live house’ apparently), but only stayed for one drink as it was a bit busy and we were full of food and also it was all a bit too surreal for almost-​sober people like us.
I’d like to come back — it’s a nice place for a relaxed, long evening over a tasty meal and a bottle of wine, and less so much for a big party of people I think.

This is one of my favourite spots in Leeds, and with good reason. Just opposite the BBC building, it boasts a dark, modern interior, great selection of draught beers, and some excellent dining options.
Try the pre-​theatre menu (£14 for two courses) and get stuck into some delicious lamb chops followed by ribeye steak béarnaise. Proper food, properly cooked. They often have gigs in the evenings (small-​scale) and there’s always a good atmosphere. When they finish building above it and the scaff comes down, it will be better still.

The Wardrobe’s one of the few places I could happily spend all day in. Just round the corner from the bus station in Leeds centre, it’s close enough to town to be easily accessible yet well hidden enough to be almost invisible to casual passers-​by. Which is fine by me, because it means this great bar maintains the perfect level of business plenty of atmosphere and friendly folks while rarely being too busy. They serve food, which is lovely (especially the steak) and have a good bar but the real draw is the music. Nights on Friday and Saturday are especially good, playing as much funk and soul as you can dance to, and they usually throw in a live band or two as well — keep an eye out for some regulars there, the ever-​danceable Chunky Butt Funky!

I love the Wardrobe, its a great place to go for drinks with friends and with the added bonus of live music. Its a big place with a great atmosphere and I always enjoy myself when I go here. Its on the outskirts of Leeds so a bit out of the way if you’re wanting to visit a few places but is a good place to end up or just stay all night. In fact I’m going to make a point of going here more often!

What first appears to be an elegant, energetic jazz bar on the outskirts of town lets you down to a subterranean, cavernous basement club where progressive jazz acts, hip hop stars and blues musicians congregate to jam. Achingly cool, with prices to match, The Wardrobe has to have one of the best experiences in Leeds. There are more expensive ones, sure. Yet the unique effect created by the flattering lighting, sunken dancefloor and the sheer calibre of stylish, extrovert people make this THE place to be every weekend, especially when there’s a famous face on the turntables: Norman Jay, MBE, Jazzie B, The Pharcyde have all come and loved the unpretentious cool of the cave.