Outlaw's Yacht Club review: The café and bar with summery cocktails and unique décor by Leeds bus station

Outlaw's Yacht Club is positioned just a stone's throw away from Leeds bus station. And despite its eye-catching interior, interesting name and the fact that I had told myself a hundred times to check it out while passing the convenient location, I have never tried the place until now.

Labelling itself as a "European style café/bar, exhibition space, art shop, music den, hair salon and creative hangout tucked away on New York Street", it seemed like the ideal location to go on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. I was immediately struck by the bar's atmosphere upon entering, having only previously seen it from the outside. Its location means that apart from two small tables, the bar lacks an outdoor area, but for a day like this, the inside did enough to impress me and my guest.

We were greeted by lots of greenery, cosy warm-toned couches, and natural wood finishes. The banana-shaped disco ball and the fact that a hair studio resides within the pub itself means that there is no shortage of unique character in this bar. They even had a vintage board game selection; there is no doubt these games are old gems even if pieces are missing.

My guest and I both decided to start off our visit with the Sunday 2-4-1 Bloody Mary deal. While these were good, we thought they could have been a little richer in flavour and spice. The other drinks, however, won us over. They have an assortment of fruity and sweet sodas to compliment their gin, our favourite being the grapefruit and blood orange combination.

The cocktail list was diverse and I was tempted to try the Outlaw's Negroni Sour. It was pleasantly sweet and frothy and my guest, a notorious Campari hater, even enjoyed it.

Although service could have been faster, it was friendly and relaxed. The bartender was full of recommendations and suggested their favourite whisky to try.

While our first drinks left a little to be desired, the value was undeniable since they had a great deal. The other drinks stood out and were reasonably priced for Leeds City Centre.

Overall, we enjoyed the relaxed and fun atmosphere and the range of drinks on offer. If you are ever looking for a bar you can get your hair cut in or an otherwise unique place for a drink, Outlaw's Yacht Club is certainly the place.

Factfile

Address: 38 New York St, Leeds LS2 7DY

Telephone: 0113 234 6998

Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-11pm; Sun, 12am-10pm.

Website: https://outlawsyachtclub.com/

Scores

Drinks: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7/10