IF Bar Leeds review: Here’s what I thought of the Call Lane bar from the IF Up North team
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IF Bar, from the team behind the renowned IF Up North coffee shops, opened in Call Lane last May - taking over the former Jamrock venue. Established in 2016, IF now boasts four venues across Leeds, offering everything from breakfast and specialty coffee to bottomless lunch and grazing boards.
We visited IF Bar, which has recently been rebranded from If At Night, on a bitterly cold Saturday in January - Call Lane was still busy with revellers and the bar was nicely full, without feeling crowded.
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Hide AdThe decor is lovely, slick and simple with warm LED lighting and greenery on the walls, classy furnishings and wooden floors. We grabbed a table while deciding what to order first - there’s a range of classic and signature cocktails, including a candy floss martini, as well as a good selection of wine, prosecco and champagne and draught beer, and plenty of spirits behind the bar.
Everything is reasonably priced for the city centre, too, with all cocktails £9 or two for £12 before 9pm, pints priced at £5.50 and a double gin and tonic coming in at around £8.
The bar had run out of my favourite gin, but our server recommended the Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale with tonic. I’d never tried it before and it was delicious - comforting on a winter’s evening. My friend went for the Sailor Jerry spiced rum with coke, which went down well too.
As the evening went on, the bar got busier - there were a handful of couples enjoying a date night and this is the perfect spot for a first date. It’s super cosy and the soundtrack of ambient house and disco was at the perfect level to still hear your company speak. There’s space to dance later into the night and an underground bar downstairs which can be booked out for private parties.
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Hide AdFor our second round, I went for the G&G cocktail - with gin, tonic, raspberry and ginger beer. It was deliciously refreshing, with a nice hit of lemon. We finished with two shots of baby Guinness and chatted to the lovely bar staff, who were warm and happy to strike up a conversation with anyone.
Call Lane isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but IF Bar is doing something a little different - they’ve struck the perfect balance of a friendly neighbourhood bar and a lively late-night venue.