The Maven

If I’d visited The Maven perhaps 18 months ago, I’d have raved about its interior. Though the bar display is impressive (they have a very large selection available) the paintings on the walls of animals dressed in Victoriana seemed almost a cliché — I’ve seen this in about half a dozen places now.
Mooted as a ‘secret bar’, on the first floor off the street on Call Lane, you pretty much had to know someone who knew about it as there’s no sign outside (though later in the evening the presence of a door man stood outside gave the game away entirely).
The lighting was dimmed down as the night progressed and the staff dressed with a pre-​prohibition look tried their best to keep up with the requests for cocktails — you can expect a bit of a wait if there are a few people ahead of you.
I’d recommend a rum old fashioned here if you didn’t fancy one of the listed cocktails.
The background music that was playing, by Postmodern Jukebox, was really good and fit the vibe perfectly. I was glad that I got to check it out but if I was out in Leeds again I probably wouldn’t race back here.

Only been once so I can’t really rate 5 stars as I believe in consistency, the place was busy and had a great vibe, toilets clean, and some great cocktails.
A small menu of cocktails but a LARGE selection of spirits so I guess you have to look behind the list and either rely on the bartenders creativity or your own!
I would suggest a visit once you manage to find the entrance, I have noticed many places are starting to have this approach of no advertising from the outside! Couple of places I know in Liverpool and Manchester that do this.

Great ‘secret’ bar. The décor is abit odd, but a good odd. Staff are friendly, they’re not arrogant and they’re quick at serving.
Drinks are a little pricey and it gets quite cosy if the other room isn’t open.

An amazing, hidden little gem of a bar!
I hadn’t even heard of The Maven, or known it was there, until a few months ago when invited out for a lovely friend’s birthday for classy cocktails.
I love the whole prohibition theme they have going on, and they’ve done that really well, even down to the almost secret entrance that you’d have to know about otherwise you may miss it. The bartenders really look the part, and really take pride in the cocktails that they make, everything is done so meticulously.
The drinks on first glance may seem a little pricey, until you look at the ingredients and amount of alcohol that actually goes into each one. You have the usual classics, and for the designated drivers, the barperson will happily whip you up a ‘mocktail’ though these aren’t even on the menu.
The staff are really friendly, and always seem to be smiling even towards the end of the night when they really must be tiring of us drunken louts!
All in all, I’d recommend checking The Maven out. But not all of you at once, I want to be able to get a drink sometime soon!

Now don’t get me wrong I like a bit of class but this place fails me with borderline confusion. The bar is nothing special it’s well just a bar really albeit clean. I’ve been back a few times based on the fact that yes there cocktails are pretty scrummy but they definitely come with a price tag which quickly burns a deep black hole in the wallet.
The staff are generally ok dependant on who you get but are largely miserable and thinning on humour or chat. I think the emphasis on this place is supposed to be sophistication but I don’t feel it. I’ve often found that even the clientele can be pretentious, rude and boast ogles of snobbery. Don’t you just love it when folk give you the up and down stare followed by a grimace…
As I’ve mention you can get a nice cocktail here with the real deal when it comes to alcohol. It excites by way of an eclectic selection. However, make sure you have allot of time to kill and do not mind almost going into as state of dehydration whilst waiting.

Not really sure I want to write a glowing review for this place… it’s soooo good, I’m tempted to keep it a secret! As others have mentioned, it is a little difficult to find, as there are no signs, but it is well worth tracking down.
We like to go there early so we can get a stool on the end of the bar and watch the talented bar tenders lovingly fabricating their delicious creations. Although we have a few favourites, we try to have a different cocktail each round, so that we gradually work our way through the menu. I have been to lots of other cocktail bars in Leeds, and elsewhere, and can honestly say that the Maven beats them all hands down.
It’s true that some of the drinks take a little time to make, so if you are a tad on the impatient side, I would suggest that you order a bottle of beer or a glass of wine at the same time as you order your first cocktail. After that, just ensure you order your next round a few minutes before you’re ready for it… no probs!
The Maven really is seriously good, but don’t just take my word for it… Give it a try! However, please, please, please… don’t tell too many others about, okay? Ssshhhhh!!!

Maybe it was because I was still reeling from the unapolagetic decadence of The Great Gatsby, but something about the Maven just captured my heart.
I’d heard about this place from various people and couldn’t picture where it was for the life of me — now I know why. It’s tucked away in some unassuming building on Call Lane, and you would only know of it’s existence if one of your cool friends trusted you enough to take you. I say trust, because the Maven has a sublime atmosphere that is utterly dependent on its clientele. As soon as you bring a rowdy troupe of students on the tail end of their Otley Run, fuggedaboutit.
Upon walking in, I thought immediately of the backdrop of all too many glamourous photospreads in Vogue. Hardwood floors, softly swaying cotton drapes on the window and the husky whisper of jazz music really set the tone. On the feature wall they have some quaint décor like those charming brass teatrays your Nan had, and the fancy mirrors she would apply her blusher in.
The drinks here are fabulous — you can almost forgive them for being so pricey at a minimum of £6.50! I had one with a twist of elderflower with some dainty flower petals on top for garnish — lovely!
The several intimate corners and lack of background noise makes this a perfect spot for an overdue catch up or a cozy drink with your other half. All that would’ve made this experience complete would’ve been to have our very own Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike in a sharp suit reclined against the bar with his champagne glass raised and a smile on his face. One can dream!

I called in here on Saturday night as I had a hankering for an Old Fashioned.
We walked in at 8pm prompted and there were only 2 other couples in.
Great I thought as I assumed we would get our drinks quickly. I placed our drinks order and was told that they would be brought over.
So we waited. And waited. And waited. It was a very muggy evening and the heat was starting to get a bit over powering and ere were only a few couples in. After an age the waitress came over, but not with our ordered drinks, but with a carafe of water until out drinks were ready.
Now I know that a good cocktail takes time but 15 minutes is a bit extreme.
The drinks were spot-​on but we were melting as well as the ice in our drinks. It was so uncomfortable.
When my partner stood up from the leather couch she was almost stuck to it.
She had never been here before and she couldn’t get out quick enough.
As we left a loud group of people came in dressed in Ts and shorts.
This is not how I expected it to be.
Very disappointed in the whole experience.

Oh no what have they done?!
We went to The Maven six months ago on a Saturday night around Christmas, fantastic atmosphere, a secret hidden away bar in a busy part of the city, nice cocktails, tasteful bar music, perfect, just the bar the city has been crying out for.
However we tried to go again the other week. It was complete failure and we walked straight out. We arrived early evening about 8.30, as we opened the front door we confronted with a wall of awful and very loud music.
From the nice chilled out relaxed speakeasy bar we first saw six months ago, it had changed into a upmarket Yates Wine Lodge or any other common preclub bar. Such a shame. I don’t know what the Maven’s management are thinking (probably cash!)

Pretentious douchebaggery mixed up with high prices and obnoxious crowd. If your idea of a cocktail bar is somewhere with music so high you can’t possibly hold a conversation, waiters in pretentious attires (not elegant though; these chaps should learn to button up their shirts and spare us the sight of their chest hair), and a crowd too lofty for its own good, then go ahead. But be warned — the cocktails are nothing special and seriously overpriced.
In addition, I’ve been here twice and in both occasions my friends and I have found the waiting staff pretty annoying. On one occasion, a friend and I were asked to remove our hats because they have a «no hat policy». Now, I’m quite happy with formal attire policies in general. But we were standing next to a guy in a hoodie, another one with a red Adidas tracksuit top, and a third in a thick plad shirt. My own hat was much more formal than all of the latter, being a fedora. If you ask me to remove that and are happy with tracksuits, dude — in my book, you’re trying to be fancy, but you just don’t have a clue where to start from.
If you’ve been in some decent cocktail bars in any big city around the planet, you can’t help being disappointed. On the other hand, if you’ve pretty much never left Yorkshire, are prone to mistaking pretentiousness for sophistication, and don’t mind overpaying for your drink, Maven might make you happy.

Little boxes hidden in the attic, dusty trunks under the bed, that necklace you forgot about and left in an old handbag, a gorgeous top stuck under a jacket in the cupboard, Nana’s secret cookie jar, sparkly nail varnish trapped at the back of the drawer and a crisp fiver in an old coat pocket… little surprises are everywhere, waiting patiently to be discovered and put a big smile all over your face. And The Maven is one of them.
This is a treasure hunt and if you win it your reward is tea cups of pink gin, fruit on fire, magical flavours and the feeling that you’ve wandered through the Looking Glass.
There are no signs, you have to find your own way to this new religion.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh fingers to lips, a nod of the head and the sparkliest little secret wink I could ever give you… go and find out for yourself x

I went to The Maven for the first time tonight having heard lots of people talking about it for a while. I knew where it was but didn’t know where it was, if you know what I mean.
This is a speakeasy type place. I felt like I should have had a password to be allowed in — it felt very authentic, exciting & perfectly unexpected.
I was surprised when I got upstairs to the main bar. This place is simple yet luxurious. Lovely soft seating as well as wooden chairs. A candle at every table. Barmen wearing braces (for trousers, not teeth).
The service was great. It felt like they were really looking after us. We were brought water (without having to ask) & our cocktails were very lovingly & well made & brought to out table.
I had the reggae punch. It was excellent. Not sure when I last had a cocktail that good. And the flaming passion fruit on top of it — genius!
If you want somewhere that feels exclusive yet still accessible, then this is your place. If you want great drinks, atmosphere & a flaming cocktail, then look no further.
Can’t wait to get back there!

There are so many levels at which I’ve fallen in love with this fabulous new bar. From the prohibition-​style hidden entrance, obvious only to those in the know or savvy passers-​by, to the classy, simply attired interior, to the fantastic staff, who offer up cocktails of the highest order.
It almost feels like the ‘bar’(wo)man’s bar, since every detail in the drinks are so meticulous — they take obvious pride in what they provide, and that alone is commendable. (And also worlds apart from some of the other ‘cocktail’ orientated places you can find.)
If you’ve not been along yet, expect tea cups attached to glass stems, Victorian perfumery bottles enveloping absinthe, blowtorches and flammable powders, alongside a back bar of cocktail dreams, a multitude of fruit and a selection of damned good beers.
I’ve been back several times since the opening night and have enjoyed every last drop of liquid that I’ve consumed within. The music was fantastic as well, with a more electronica-​infused soundtrack from the DJ on the Friday, and a lively 80s mix on the Saturday. (Think Chaka Khan, «Ain’t Nobody».)
Of course, mention must be made of the fantastic staff that serve their libations until 4am. (Not every night, I don’t think, but that’s their licence.) Every one of them has been fantastic; friendly, full of banter, expert at mixing up the drinks and each and every one of them looks ruddy dapper to boot. It’s a class act.
Essentially, don’t just take my word for it. Check ‘em out for yourselves. Most of the cocktails on the list will set you back about £7, which might be steep for some, but once you get a taste you’ll know why you came.

I thought this would be a decent bar, but it all felt a little bit pretentious. I just wasn’t feeling it. Just made me realise there’s a lot of overpriced cocktail bars at this side of the city! I should have stayed north! Cocktails seem to be an expensive vice in Leeds.
On entering i couldn’t help but notice there was no sign. It was bound to be a pretentious bar that felt like a ‘members club’. It’s obvious that it’s the trendy and ‘cool’ and ‘artsy’ people in the know that come to this bar who have been hanging around Leeds for a while. They obviously take pride in their products, but this bar is the equivalent of a pretentious post-​grad student studying classical music or contemporary jazz. I mean there were tea cups, net curtains, the bar staff were dressed real dapper and some of the cocktail glasses were real small.
The cocktails as expected were real steep as expected. Expensive as hell for me. They’re probably out of reach for many people. £7 is probably what South Yorkshire folk spend on 3 drinks!!! The drinks tasted really nice and were made with love, but if you’re thinking ‘damn, that cost £7′ all the time, then it’s not good.
My music expectations were destroyed as well. I was expecting 1920s and 1930s music! A bit of New Orleans style jazz? Cab Calloway? Instead the music was loud and electronic and didn’t suit the environment! Maybe this bar should have had a stage and had live music like in the prohibition era? The bar in Who Framed Roger Rabbit did better on that front than this bar! (speaking of that a bit of burlesque would be great: P)
Cocktail fans might like it but it’s just not for me. Feels a bit too ‘middle class’. The clientele were snobby and felt a bit up their arse. All i could think about is being somewhere else. I’d much prefer to be in Smokestack, HiFi, Sela, or even FAB Café than this place. Can imagine ladies might like it (feels really feminine in here and the attention to detail is a bit silly) but no, I’m not feeling this at all. You can all keep your pretentious and expensive cocktail bar.
Ive said pretentious a lot in this, but it is!!! IT’S NOT NORTHERN ENOUGH. I’m an artist. I’m am not clueless enough to mistake pretentiousness for genuine sophistication.