The Social: First look as sister bar to Brudenell Social Club in Leeds set to reopen after major refurbishment

The Social on Merrion Street has been closed since the start of March but is set to reopen this Friday (April 11) following the refurb, with 150 free drinks being handed out to celebrate.

The bar is owned by Nathan Clark, who also owns and runs the Brudenell Social Club; one of city’s most popular and esteemed music venues.

Nathan explained that The Social is a far cry from the rowdy nights served up at its sister venue in Hyde Park though, and is more suited for casual drinks.

The Social was opened in 2014 as a joint venture between Nathan and those at Sela Bar on New Briggate before he took sole proprietorship some three years ago.

He said that now was the “perfect” time for the refurbishment, adding: “It’s the first opportunity we’ve had to have a refurb and a refresh.

“We feel like it was a well-needed improvement but also a chance for us to put the ethos and feel of the Brudenell in to a bar in the city centre.”

The bar has had its layout changed and had the bar moved as part of the refurbishment.

Nathan said: “We’ve haven’t changed the overall feel. We wanted to make it a little bit more comfortable and cosy.”

He said that the venue has built up a loyal following over the years and that he wanted to ensure that it to remained a go-to spot for those in the city centre.

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“There’s no gimmicks or anything like that”, Nathan said. “We just wanted to make it a good quality, dependable, and consistent place with affordable drinks that’s open to anyone.

“We named it The Social because we want to be a social place.”