Call Lane, Leeds: The Nightlife Guide

Call Lane is Leeds' best street for a night out: a strip of a dozen bars in a few hundred yards, from cocktails at Jake's Bar to dancing on the tables at Oporto, ending at Backroom at 6am if you are that way inclined. It runs down to the railway arches, and nearly every door is a bar. Here is what is behind them, roughly in the order you would walk past.

The cocktail bars

Jake's Bar, 29 Call Lane. Down a flight of stairs, open since 2004 and listed among the UK's top 50 cocktail bars. It makes its own syrups, bitters and liqueurs on a copper still called Tabitha, the only working pot still in Leeds. Order the Martini Flight, four mini frozen Martinis, or a Teq Your Pick. It is small and fills fast, so go early.

Behind Closed Doors, 2 Call Lane. Ring the bell and go through the secret door. Vintage furniture and a phone on every table. Get the frozen Love Bite.

Power, Corruption & Lies, 36 Call Lane. Quiet small plates by day, disco by night, with an 80s look and vinyl DJs. Korean fried chicken with a Pink Smokey Disco, tequila and mezcal with grapefruit, chilli and rosemary foam, is the combination. Mondays bring food offers and Thursdays knock money off the wine, which is useful intelligence for a midweek date.

The party bars

Oporto, at 33 Call Lane, is dark, neon-lit and loud, with indie on the speakers and polaroids of visiting musicians on the walls. People end up dancing on the tables in the small hours. Order a Baby Guinness and give in.

Neon Cactus, at 35 Call Lane, is a Mexican cantina with around 50 tequilas and an outdoor terrace. The Classic Margarita is the call, made with house-distilled Quat Sec and Maldon salt and served frozen in a coupette. It runs themed nights too: Mezcal Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Wing Wednesdays, so pick your day accordingly. Next door, Cuckoo at 37 is a fairground of a bar with a dance floor and a beer pong table.

Call Lane Social, at 38, is a family-run independent with a red interior and classic rock, indie and soul. Upstairs is Tiki Hideaway, bamboo walls and flaming drinks, where the Zombie is limited to two per guest for good reason.

Something calmer

Roland's, at 39 Call Lane, is an all-day bar in an early 20th-century building, with a covered courtyard and a roof terrace looking over the railway. It is dog-friendly, the Guinness is good, and Kerbside Kids do smash burgers. Order the 50/50 Martini, Boatyard gin with Cocchi and orange bitters, or just a pint of Guinness on the terrace while the trains rumble past. It is the one bar on the lane where you can actually hear each other. Northern Guitars, at 41, has live music most days, an open mic on Mondays, Kirkstall beer on tap and a floor of guitars upstairs to look at while you wait.

Late, later, latest

Brooklyn, at 50 Call Lane under the arches, does R&B and hip-hop, with guest DJs from 9pm. Backroom, next door at 50A, is a split-level club with an outdoor terrace that runs to around 6am. Expect a dress code, and be warned that all-male groups are not always let in.

Food, before or after

Döner Summer, at 10 to 12 Call Lane, is a fully vegan kebab shop with its own mock döner and chick'n, and the Bad Girl Kebab, döner and garlic chilli chick'n with pink cabbage and pink aioli, is better than it has any right to be. It also mixes a decent Espresso Martini, so some people start their night here rather than end it. In the morning, If Coffee Bar at 43 Call Lane does brunch, toasties and coffee roasted in Leeds, and it is the kindest place to be at 11am after a big one.

How to do Call Lane

Start with a proper drink at Jake's or Behind Closed Doors around 8pm, before the queues. Move down the lane to Roland's or Neon Cactus, then Oporto when you want noise. Friday and Saturday are busy and messy. Most bars change hours and offers often, so check before you set out. The Leeds-List Call Lane guide was updated in 2026 and lists every bar on the strip. For the morning after, this coffee guide will point you to a flat white.