A little piece of Miami right here in Leeds. (Or that’s what they’re going for.)
Walking into Mayaimi, I couldn’t help feeling like we’d landed in the final verse of “Copacabana.” Tony and Rico are long gone, but Lola’s still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair, etc… The private booths draped with sheer curtains, pink flamingo wallpaper, and a 15-foot mural of a rather buxom woman make this former strip club look and feel a lot like, well, a strip club. It’s not totally clear whom they’re trying to attract with this vibe — perhaps overflow from the other clubs/bars on Merrion Street? If so, they’re probably right on the money. Mayaimi might just be a little bit less classy.
This place used to be a strip club — can you tell?
So suffice it to say it’s not an atmosphere that appeals to us particularly. On the plus side, the place is huge, so it might often be easy to find a quiet corner to enjoy a cocktail, and cocktails are definitely what they’re focusing on. The only good beer is Brooklyn Lager (at a good price of £2.80 a bottle), and the only other passable offering is Modelo. Everything else is of the Grolsch/Carling variety.
This is probably the first place we’ve been to where the bar is lined with little palm trees!
With regular DJ events, it might be a good spot to put on your dancing shoes, and I’ve just noticed on their website that they offer not only a “VIP Lounge,” but also “VVIP Rooms.” (Is that something people say?) You just probably won’t find us in any of them, as they don’t have enough Very Important Beers to suit our taste.
And the classiness continues.
One final note on the decorations. They’ve plastered the stairs and the toilets with A4-size posters seemingly printed from a Google image search for “Miami.” One such page advertises a Student Democrats panel discussion at Miami University, which is actually located in Ohio. Not that someone who’s not from the US Midwest should know that, but it made me chuckle.
Tags: dance floor, sofas
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