Smokestack

The idea of Smokestack is a Speakeasy design. Basically that means small, dimly lit with dark furniture.
Extensive, averagely priced cocktail list. I tried a Caipirinha priced at £8. Unfortunately it was pretty awful. The worst Caipirinha I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve had a lot of them!
Better sticking to wine/​beer options, avoid the cocktails!

This place is always a winner for a boogie. I cannot help but dance every time I go. Top floor is the best in my opinion but both floors are great.
The atmosphere is top notch and the dance floor is always fun.
Climb the stairs, it is worth the effort ;)

I always think you have to know a place is going to be good before you venture up a staircase to get in. If a bar is street level, it’s easy enough to turn around a walk back out. but here, there’s the risk of not knowing what greets you at the top, and then the awkward descent if it’s not to your liking.
This can also be a blessing. It avoids being a bar people pass through and starts becoming a hidden gem.
The Smokestack sits quietly on Lower Briggate in the second and third storey above a restaurant. The tired looking signs at street level don’t give much away really. It’s easy to miss.
I’ve been here a couple of times. Their Soul and Funk nights are always a good time. There’s posters adorning every wall, lit candles and a lively atmosphere. Drinks are usual city prices (for Leeds) — a G&T cost ~£3.50.
You can hire out the room upstairs — with it’s own bar, dance floor and DJ booth. The only downside is you have to go downstairs to the bathroom.
The Smokestack has been around for as long as I can remember. It’s a reliably good night out if you’re in the area, so don’t be afraid to climb the stairs. what’s at the top is all good.

Smokestack is okaaaay, the best part is its FREE to get in, but the drinks and clientele let the place down. The bar staff an be a bit quiet too.
I can’t help but feel this place is full of posers at times, snobby and uptight girls, attention whores and people on the pull. I also have a rule that I never buy drinks from here anymore. Far too expensive. This is a place to dance.
Great music, but on a few visits You know what to expect when you come here and that’s where points are lost. I absolutely love my jazz, funk, fusion, etc, but it would be interesting if the DJ changed things up a bit. We’ve heard Sam Cooke, James Brown, etc enough times. Theres a lack of variety. This is where HiFi wins. Play some stuff people aren’t expecting like hip-​hop, deep house, etc?
This is another place that is located in the wrong place. AVOID this place on a saturday. it sucks on a weekend. full of your weekend warriors. If this was somewhere more hidden like Hifi it would be waaay better. Would get rid of some of the dickheads and attention whores.

I simply love this place! I mostly visit during the week with friends after work, we sit and listen to the awesome mix of funk and soul whilst we set the world to rights. Even the Jazzy tracks they play are cool and I’m not a fan of Jazz at all.
I am however a big fan of the cocktails, really well made but at great prices for what you are getting. I’m an Old Fashioned guy that likes his Old Fashoined (s) and at £6 they are brilliant.
My only concern with Smokestack is that too many people find out how great it is and it becomes too busy, keep it chilled and intimate Smokestack that’s my advice.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere in here. The crowd were a mixture of youngish people and older people (I have a feeling that a few survivors from the Northern Soul periods were there) and the music was really funky! If James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Gil Scott Heron, etc are your thing this (and Hi-​Fi) is the place to go in Leeds.
The downside is that drinks are a bit pricey, but this is the place where you go to dance and the place makes up for it in atmosphere and best of all ENTRY IS FREE. It’s a refreshing change from the Chav party and meat fest which is Albion St.
There is something wrong with you if you don’t like the music in here :)

On a wee re-​union of sorts, a bunch of old friends and I chose to dance most of the night away in Smokestack last night. We’d only planned to stay for one, since a friend was DJing, but it quickly became apparent that everyone was enjoying the music so much that we were going to stay for the duration.
With a mix of jazzy funky classics it was impossible not to go for it, the entire room became a dance floor, and everyone appeared to be having an absolutely fabulous time. The bar staff were great, full of smiles, and although I only ended up drinking Sol I believe they’ve a range of more exciting bottled beers to choose from –Beer Lao being the one my friend chose as it was his drink of choice in Thailand. (Though, out there you could get several for the price of one here. That being said, I’m sure most things are less expensive over there.)
Judging by the level of my own headache today, I know that a great night was had by all. Whilst there were plenty of very keen gentlemen within, which isn’t always the best thing, most of the crowd seemed fun-​loving and jovial in a friendly way, on this occasion, so that was grand. There was one chap who simply wouldn’t give up, trying is luck with every lady in the group, but then there’s always one isn’t there?!
Not much more to tell, except that if you’re looking to escape the usual pop and dance orientated venues this is probably one of the best places to do so. Great music, awesome staff and a good crowd is how I’d sum up my Friday night, here, last night.

Did Smokestack in the early hours last Friday. Spent the night upstairs which has the main dance floor and what seemed to be plenty of seating. DJ was playing some fun retro mash-​up stuff before settling in to a fairly standard but not dis-​interesting soul/​funk set. The décor of dark wood and music-​related paraphernalia reminded me of Mojos but with a lot more room, and it’s not as expensive as Mojos either.
No entry fee, skilled and rapid bar staff and excellent air conditioning (for sweat-​free grooving) helps make Smokestack a surprisingly refined option for those looking for a gentle dance at the end of the night.