Not well hidden behind the pot plant.
Speakeasies are big right now in Leeds, and Distrikt fails at being a speakeasy. True, it’s underground and found through a little door on a back alley, but the big sign saying “£5 lunch” that trips people up walking along Duncan Street towards the Corn Exchange is a bit of a giveaway.
Distrikt is a really tiny little place with a handful of tables that can be pushed back to create a dance floor. It has a “café by day, club by night” atmosphere going on, with an emphasis on food at lunchtime and music in the evenings.
This is pretty much the whole bar.
The selection of beers is excellent, but almost exclusively foreign (the only British beers are BrewDog bottles). There are several Belgian beers & Euro lagers on tap and the fridges are stocked with all manner of Belgian, US and Mexican beers as well as a few other surprises. Prices for beer aren’t fantastic but they’re not extortionate either.
The lunch selection is very limited (sandwiches and tapas) but it’s really nice and very good value.
Emily in one of the little alcoves.
We didn’t go in the evening, but it seems to be a pretty well respected space for reggae, jazz and hip-hop DJs with occasional other events like comedy, live jazz and salsa dancing.
If you don’t mind small, underground bars, and you love good beer, Distrikt is definitely worth checking out.
Tags: dance floor, food, free wifi, live music
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I went here on a Friday night recently, and found it to be an odd place! The music and atmosphere was great, lots of people dancing and I’d have stayed there for a while. However, it was filthy. It was like someone had tipped over a couple of litter bins, and spread newspaper and rubbish all over the floor, and added some wet and some glass for extra impact! It really was appalling, and we left pretty quick. I’ve heard good things about the food, so I’d try it again, but I’d recommend they employ a cleaner if that evebing was typical of a weekend night!
Food is really tasty- inventive tapas and frequently very good deals such as 2 for 1 or half price drinks. The drinks selection is OK, fairly mediocre and nothing of exceptional worth. The venue changes character from day to night, early evening is probably the best time to go if you aren’t wanting to party. The décor and fittings is really not great though and there are often temperature issues- either too cold or too hot. It’s never particularly cosy.