Northern Guitars Cafe Bar
WHERE
Leeds
What it’s like
A guitar shop with a cafe bar attached, where you can browse instruments then stay for live music, open mic or a weekly jam night.
This one's a bit different for a day out. It's a guitar shop up front, but the cafe bar behind it runs its own programme of live music, and most gigs are free entrance, which makes it easy to just turn up and see what's on. Mondays are open mic, Tuesdays are jam night, so if you've got a kid who plays and wants to watch (or has a go), those are the nights to aim for.
There's indoor seating and a cafe, so it's not just standing about with a guitar case. The shop keeps separate, shorter hours to the bar: weekdays it's midday till 6, Saturday 11 till 6. The bar itself runs later, Saturday from 11am till late, Sunday from 2pm till what they call "not so late", which tells you Sundays wind down earlier without pinning down an exact time.
Browsing the guitar shop is the obvious thing to do with time to fill before a gig starts, and it's free to look even if nobody's buying. Free entrance to most gigs is the detail that makes this worth a look if you're nearby and it's a Monday or Tuesday evening, since there's no ticket faff to sort in advance.
If you're thinking of a birthday do, the bar can be hired privately, though you'd need to contact them directly to sort dates and availability rather than book online.
What’s on here
Facilities
Need to know
- Parties
- Bar can be hired for private parties
- Worth knowing
- Most gigs are free entrance
- The shop and the bar keep different hours, so check which one you're heading for
- Monday and Tuesday nights are the ones built around live playing, not just listening
- Sunday closing is vaguely billed as "not so late", so don't expect a late one
Plan your visit
Is there an entry fee for gigs?
Most gigs are free entrance, so you can just turn up.
What's on during the week?
Open mic night is Monday, jam night is Tuesday. Both are good if your kid plays an instrument and wants to get up.
What are the opening hours?
The bar runs Saturday 11am till late and Sunday 2pm till earlier close. The guitar shop keeps separate hours, midday to 6pm on weekdays and 11am to 6pm on Saturday.
Can we hire it for a birthday party?
The bar can be hired privately for parties, you'd need to contact them to check availability.
MAKE A DAY OF IT
