Jakes Bar & Stillroom

Whoa, my last review is OLD! Looks like I’m well overdue and update, and I’ve got a very new bit of info to share. So new, it only launched a week ago in fact — Jake’s new bar menu. So, you’ll have probably noted the relaunch they had a wee while ago, with the still room where they make their own booze. (That, my friends, is pretty cool — and the portobello road gin makes a great G&T.) Well, now they’ve another step and created a spanking new menu to tickle your taste buds.
I came in to sample it out last week, and the lovely Tori W and I tried various things from the menu. There are a few light options, meaning you can mix and match a few bits, alongside larger mains, such as the burgers. The ‘peckish’ menu features a few things at £4.95 each or three for just under £13. Rest assured, three would fill you up. We decided to halve a burger and try the chicken in a bag, the mac and cheese and the pork kebab.
For me, the stand out option had to be chicken in a bag. It literally comes in a bag, and you get three chicken wings, which were cooked to perfection. The skin was deliciously crispy, and I’m a fan of interactive food — you get a bottle of thick balsamic to drizzle on, followed by a sprinkle jar of dried garlic and flavoursome dusting, which makes each bite an interesting delight. The kebab came with a tzatziki style dip, and the mac and cheese was as creamy and cheesy as you like.
The burger, which we saved for last, was perhaps a little on the rare side for some. My thinking is that we should have ordered the smaller dishes as a starter, and asked for the burger to come after, since by the time we came to eating it, it was a little cold. It comes in fast food American style wrapping, and I reckon we’d have appreciated it a lot more fresh from cooked. The bap, a thick doughnut style bun, wasn’t for me — I like a brioche bun, but am not so much a fan of the heavy style bread. It was a little too sweet for my taste. However, those looking for a really red burger would probably love this!
The special cocktails aren’t cheap, mine coming in at £9, but it really was delicious. I forget the name, but it involved two mini saucepans, lots of flames, and a little adrenaline, as the bartender poured the burning liquid from pan to pan for what seemed like an age, before mixing it with cream. It was a very warming Christmassy affair, although we did fear the amount of fire! (Note, Tori was holding on to her hair as he stood behind her!)
Total for the two meals, cocktail, and two cokes came to a respectable £36. Not bad for something a little bit special. I’d go and check out the new menu — peanut butter fans will be excited to learn they serve peanut butter ice cream for dessert. This I need to come back for myself. Enjoy!

This was my first time in Leeds and one Leeds resident took me to Jake’s bar for a TGIF night out. The people are in the mid 20s or 30s and dressed casual chic. So if you are looking for sexy Geordie Style, this is not the place to be. Music is a mix of dubstep /​house /​R&B /​hiphop. Drinks are very cheap! 4 Barcardi Coke is 13 pounds. It was a great night but it was freezing inside! Even if you are dancing and drinking harder it is still cold. This place is not special but nice for a night out. Especially if you want to go to a cheap place for ”oldies” like me ;-).

Once a bastion of Call Lane brilliance, with amazing staff, great drinks and a décor that made it different from the majority of the bars on Call Lane, something has happened to the institution that was Jakes Bar and Grill. It’s now a Stillroom.
And with departure of the Grill the place has hit mediocrity in my opinion; I used to spend many a happy night sitting, talking, dancing with friends in Jakes; I go in now and the staff and clientele just make me want to leave.
Maybe I’m not the target audience though.
If you like loud R’n’B, glaring bar staff, shoulder to shoulder dancing, 10 minute queues at the bar and… well, yeah, if you like that, then 5 stars!
I just like the memories and the urban myths surrounding those holes in the walls.

I was looking forward to seeing what the establishment has to offer but was denied the opportunity thanks to its sexist door policy.
Upon arrival, our mixed group was informed we had «too many guys» and wouldn’t be allowed in — this is blatant, unacceptable sexism and I will certainly not be coming back, regardless of group composition.

Well, this is usually a place that I’ve ended up in towards the end of the night & I generally only remember it as being very dark!
I changed this time & went at the start of the evening with a group, for a meal — well, I say meal, it was actually sharing platters that they do for bar snacks. The food was good (I recommend the spicy sausage for one!), and the staff were really friendly. There was a mix up with the food which they swiftly resolved, and event gave everyone a free drink to make up for it!

+ Saturday night is kickin’ all the way until 4 am. The DJ’s are really good and like play tunes that are guaranteed to get you dancing. The bar staff are obviously busy but they can share in the Sat’day nite vibes. The relatively friendly crowd are on it too. Plenty of attractive people on the premises. — The bouncers with this Sorry mate you can’t come in unless you have a woman with you ethos. I understand why but it’s flipping annoying. It’s a bit weird when it’s empty. Drinks obviously aren’t cheap. On the whole a good place to stop and have a few drinks on a BIG night out.

Great underground bar /​club which gets pretty packed on a weekend evening… Due to the great location you are surrounded by handsome people though, so it’s all good!
Had our Xmas staff party there and, I don’t know how much the food bill was, but it weren’t too cracking. Fries, tortilla crisps and cheese (no salsa?!), and pretty tasty burgers (chopped in half and stacked high), all served as a buffet. Not very christmasy, but the bottles of Jäger on the table helped up forget about it!

I’d like to issue an apology and a reinstated review of Jake’s. I have visited a handful of times since my review and realise that it really is a top quality bar. The music’s almost unchallenged, the drinks are decent (however pricey [to keep us student types out which I guess I condone as I hate cheap studenty Varsity types]), and the bouncers seem to have softened up — maybe they read my review.
Therefore, I now suggest for you to try it out yourself and please let me know how your experience was.

This is not a review about what a great drinking establishment it is. However, this is a review about how good it is for food. One thing i’ll say is checkout the ribs and pulled pork they offer before 7pm, amazing. No wonder the Metro newspaper reviewers gave it 4 out 5, definitely worth it! Went on a Tuesday night which was quiet but the food was well worth putting up with a quiet pub and slow service, the only reason it got 4!

Jake’s Bar & Grill is by far one of the best bars in Leeds. My friends and I have always been a fan of Jake’s but we love it even more after discovering their brand spankin’ new food and cocktail menu. We visited Jake’s Bar last Friday after work and ended up ‘pigging out for a fiver’. I ordered burnt ends in a BBQ sauce which came with home made coleslaw and a salad. The dish was beautiful and the beef was perfect, all for £5.00! My friends ordered the crispy duck and pecan salad that had an amazing Southern Comfort and peach dressing for £4.95 whilst the others shared a huge platter that cost less than a tenner; BBQ pork ribs, crispy wings, cheese filled jalapenos, cheesy nachos, the works! The quality of food was excellent and the prices even better.
We had a fantastic night and washed down our meals with many cocktails. I recommend the Raspberry Marciano if you’re a vodka drinker like myself. My friend loves the luminous drinks when it comes to cocktails and ordered the June Bug, which was made with coconut rum, melon and banana liqueur, pineapple and lime juice. Delicious!
A fantastic night out with great food, drinks and service… not forgetting the music! Jake’s Bar & Grill is a must when visiting Leeds.

Jakes is nowhere near as good as it used to be. A year or so ago it was one of the best places in Leeds in my book, but on the three or four occasions I’ve been in the last few months, the evening has been ruined by the shocking attitude of the staff.
Firstly, the doormen don’t actually seem to be bouncers, just heavy set guys with no ID badges who love turning people away for no good reason. From the inside, I witnessed a group of my mates getting refused and then threatened when they dared to question the refusal.
The bar staff are similarly bad — arrogant and argumentative on occasion, and always stood around talking to their mates on the other side of the bar rather than doing their job, which puts a significant blotch on the atmosphere as punters get angry.
This is such a crying shame because the place has all the ingredients to be a smashing bar — a good location on the Calls, good people, great music and a little cavernous interior. But unfortunately this is all put to waste by the staff. Such a shame.

Until recently, I would have given Jake’s five out of five. Don’t get me wrong, it IS a very cool bar. Almost cavernous, as you walk down the stairs into it.
There’s big tables and comfy seats which are great for big groups of friends. And as the night gets older, people can regularly be found grooving away on the dancefloor. It’s good for jaegerbombs and drinks of that ilk, not that I advise jaegerbombs. Well, I do actually, just not thirteen. That’s an unlucky number, as I found once.
It isn’t cheap, but where is in the city centre? Bar the big chain pubs. And no one really wants to go there. Certainly not for a dance anywhere. Although I have seen one or two interesting characters dancing in Wetherspoons, mind.
Jake’s gets very busy at the weekend, so make sure you’ve got a coat if you have to queue up in these winter months!

Jake’s Bar and Grill is located on Call Lane (well known for being the trendiest row of bars in the North). Much like the the other bars on the strip (and particularly similar to Oporto), Jake’s Bar and Grill offers a downtown bar vibe as well as classy drinks and menu!
Jake’s multitasks as a venue and successfully masters all of them
(gig venue, restaurant and bar). There drinks range from Cocktails to Pints at prices a little higher than average. On Friday and Saturday be prepared to queue for quite a while however due to the popularity of the venue and the small bar area!
During the day a diverse pub-​grub menu is served with classier versions of pub classics served by young, friendly and trendy staff. Prices are again a little pricier than your average pub meal in the Leeds area, however you pay for the downtown and trendy situation. I recommend the Chinese salad which is simply divine and lovely is you have a lunch break midweek. A real treat!
The bar is located down a row of stairs which gives a dingy, down town vibe which adds to the coolness of the simple modern décor.
Prices are a little expensive, however the clientele contrast greatly from the hoard of young students which mob the rest of the town.

A great club /​bar for a dance, but expect the place to be packed to the rafters. I used to go quite regularly until being 3 deep at the bar became every weekend. Prices are expensive, but no more so thatn any other club. It has a good friendly and energetic atmosphere. Staff frequently hop up on the bars for a dance, so expect an entertaining night.

This is a great little bar down at the Calls. They play at good selection of music, Killers, Bowie, Blur etc. Its great for an after work venue just to chill out and have a drink with mates.