The Canary Leeds review: Here's what I thought of the Leeds Dock bar housed in shipping containers

The stacked containers were soon transformed into a bar, The Canary, painted a vibrant yellow and opened just in time for Christmas.

The development was desperately missing ‘a local’ and the bar has come into its own this summer - packed with revellers enjoying a beer in the sunshine on the weekend - and I’ve been meaning to visit for months.

Split over two floors, The Canary is industrial yet still feels cosy - there’s a corrugated iron-style bar in the centre of the ground floor, but plenty of houseplants and wood accents.

A pub quiz was in full flow downstairs, but as the sun beat down on a balmy evening we headed straight up to the good-size roof terrace with large wooden benches - which boasts a stunning view across the water.

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There’s everything you could want behind the bar with four locally-brewed beers on tap, a wide range of spirits and a cocktail menu.

The bar opens at 9am and also serves as a coffee shop during the day, with a small all-day Mediterranean menu including greek salads, wraps and mezze.

I opted for the ‘Spiced Pear Fizz’ with Bombay Sapphire gin, Xante Pear Liqueur, gomme, lemon, apple and cardamom, garnished with a flamed lemon twist. It was deliciously smooth, with the zing of lemon balancing the otherwise super-sweet flavour. I couldn’t taste the cardamom and was expecting more ‘spice’, but it went down very easily, nonetheless.

My companion opted for a pint of Northern Monk Brewery's Faith, as her favourite, Kirkstall Brewery's Virtuous, was out of stock.

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We couldn’t pull ourselves away from the gorgeous view as the sun set, so went for another round - a Hendrick’s and tonic, served in a crystal glass and garnished with cucumber, and another pint of Faith. Our bill came to just over £28, competitively priced for the city centre.

At 10pm, we were politely asked to relocate indoors with our drinks - part of the bar’s licensing agreement - but we were getting chilly and winding down so didn’t mind.

It’s hard to pinpoint The Canary - it’s part local boozer, part city centre bar - and the crowd was equally as mis-matched. There was a couple on a date night, dressed to the nines, while we felt equally as comfortable popping in after work.

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With its striking yellow design beckoning in the thousands of surrounding residents, I’m sure The Canary is here to stay.

It’s exactly what Leeds Dock needed.

Factfile

Address: The Dockside, Leeds, LS10 1EG

Telephone: 0113 486 1951

Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 9am-11pm

Website: www.canarybar.co.ukScores

Drinks: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Service: 6/10