Wax Bar

You head down into New Briggate and find yourself in a properly dark, moody basement bar that feels like someone's finally done Leeds cocktails right. The space has that record-shop aesthetic—all exposed brick and low ceilings—that makes you want to sink into a corner booth and stay for hours. The drinks list takes itself seriously without being pretentious; the bartenders actually know what they're doing, which is refreshing round these parts. It's the kind of place where you'll bump into people who care about good spirits and even better tunes, whether that's from vinyl spinning or whatever's queued up that night.