Blogs.
A night out with a difference – an Insider’s Guide to Leeds’ Games Bars
26th February 2025
Visit Leeds have worked with creative writing students at Leeds Arts University to create blogs based on their interests and insights into the city, to come up with handy guides and insider tips for visitors to Leeds. This guide to Leeds’ Games Bars is written by first year Creative Writing student Lillian Ellis. You can follow her on instagram here: @lne.writing
Going out isn’t for everyone, especially for someone who typically spends student nights in. However, since coming to Leeds for university, I’ve discovered that I do like going out, I’ve just not been doing it right! One of my favourite things to do with friends is go to a games bar. Whether it’s shuffleboard or video games, Leeds literally has it all, and all in walking distance! I know it sounds expensive, but don’t fear, you don’t have to have a massive budget to have a great time. And so I’ve decided to share my favourite places to go in this useful guide to the best games bars and experiences in Leeds.
Junkyard Golf Club
Junkyard Golf Club, for those who didn’t guess, is a mini golf bar, with three fantastic courses for you to try out while sipping on one of their themed cocktails. The price does vary depending on the time that you go, with off-peak days (Sunday to Thursday) costing £9.50 and peak days (Friday to Saturday) being £11, which either way, is a great deal! There are also great package deals at Junkyard which I feel like many people may not know about! There are not only family tickets, but unlimited minigolf offers (Sunday to Wednesday) for just £12.50. If you want to take it a step further, you can even do unlimited golf and two cocktails, for only £18.
Which leads me onto the drinks. There is a huge range of drinks, from cocktails, to cans, to low and alcohol-free drinks. My personal favourite cocktail is the “Fizz Pop”, which comes with a sachet of popping candy. Theres a little bit of childhood in this place, with adulthood sprinkled on top in the form of booze. Speaking of, JunkYard have a Happy Hour (all day from Sunday to Thursday), where select cocktails are only £6, select mocktails are £3.50 and select larger and ciders are £4. When you get hungry from all the golf and drinks, don’t fret, because they also sell nachos and pizza twists!
As far as photo opportunities go, there are so many at JunkYard. It is decorated in the coolest way, with each course having its own special theme. Pablo is a polluted paradise theme; Gary has a 90s scrap yard theme and Bozo has a circus fear ground theme. Bozo is my personal favourite, which I swear is nothing to do with the merry go round hole where you can sit on a duck…
If I’ve not already convinced you, you can even get a junkyard visor and put your bags and coats in the cloak room for a small fee. So, I’ll see you at the first hole!
Opening times-
- Monday to Wednesday- 4PM-12AM
- Thursday- 2PM-12AM
- Friday and Saturday- 12PM-1AM
- Sunday- 12PM-10PM
Electric Shuffle
Electric Shuffle is a Shuffleboard bar to put it simply, but it offers so much more than just that. You can have groups of up to 32 people, so don’t worry about not being able to get your whole group in. The typical rate is £15 per person, but you’re not just paying for the Shuffle Board, you’re paying for the amazing atmosphere! And if a booking of 32 still isn’t big enough for you, Electric Shuffle is available for event booking of up to 250 people. 250?!
The deals never stop at Electric Shuffle, which includes their brunch from £35 per person. For that £35 you can get a bottle of prosecco (or 4 beers as an alternative), and if booze isn’t your thing, a non-alcoholic option. Also included is 2 hours of bottomless pizza and 1 hour of Shuffleboard! To make it even better, Saturday bookings include live entertainment in the form of Electric’s own personal DJ.
Onto the drinks, which are incredible here. When I tell you the drinks menu is extensive, I mean it. 30 pages of drinks include cocktails, mocktails, cider, lager and even alcoholic slushies. Happy Hour (Wednesdays from 3PM to 7PM) has bottles of fizz at £25, Amstel pints at £4 and the cocktail of the month for just £7. One of the more interesting things on the menu is the sharing trophy cocktails, which serve four people. There are two options: Winner’s Mix and The Trophy of Glory. How many bars give you a cocktail in a massive trophy? Even if you lose shuffleboard, you can still get an award!
Opening times:
- Sunday to Wednesday- 11:30AM-12AM
- Thursday- 11:30AM-1AM
- Friday- 11:30AM-2AM
- Saturday 11AM-2AM
Flight Club
Flight Club is an immersive darts bar. So, if after a few drinks you reckon you’re Luke Littler this is definitely the place for you. There are so many drinks to choose from, whether your thing is beer, wine or anything between. Feel free to split the G or sip on a gorgeous glass of champagne. There is also a brunch social, where you can get prosecco, bottomless pizza and social darts every weekend for £35 per person!
If being more competitive is your thing, Flight Club also have social darts tournaments that you can take part in! If the large-scale competition isn’t for you, then you can book in for £11 per person per hour of darts. If you would like a private party or event then that can also be done. Needless to say, Flight Club really does have it all for a chilled-out evening with friends.
If its affordability you’re worried about for the night, don’t fret Flight Club has alcoholic drinks as little as £5.10 and non-alcoholic drinks as low as £3! Feel free to splash on some unique cocktails or a bottle of bubbles as well, the range that Flight Club have really are amazing.
Being attached to Electric Shuffle, they have the same opening times. You could do a two in one, darts and shuffleboard, almost without walking at all!
Pixel Bar
Pixel Bar is my favourite bar in Leeds by far. Pixel is a unique experience where you can hire out booths for just £10 per hour! And to the students out there, don’t fret, they have student offers where you can hire out a booth for just £6 per hour. There are four different consoles to choose from and a wide range of games on each (more info on the Pixel site). You can choose between a Nintendo Switch, a Play Station, an Xbox or a PC. I typically go for a Switch because I love Mario Kart, but with such a wide variety of games there is something for everyone at Pixel. Even if video games aren’t for you, they also have a selection of board games and card games.
You don’t have to book into a console booth in order to go to pixel, there are also tables you can sit at and even a few retro arcade games you can play.
One of the staples of Pixel is its perfectly themed cocktails, shots and non-alcoholic drinks! Their cocktails are on a 2 for £12 deal every day until 10PM, but that’s not where the deals stop. They have lots of shots and bombs on for a 4 for £12 deal, and even potion shots which come in test tubes for 6 for £12. One of my favourite drinks at Pixel is their Creeper cocktail, which has a lime on fire in it. No need for birthday candles when your drink is on fire…
They also have a wide range on tap and premade bottled and canned drinks for an affordable price if you don’t fancy anything too sweet!
Opening times:
- Monday to Thursday- 4PM-1AM
- Friday- 4PM-3AM
- Saturday- 12PM-3AM
- Sunday- 12PM-1AM
Pixel love their late nights!
Roxy
Where to start with Roxy? There are three venues in Leeds, so from bowling to crazy pool, you are bound to find something you enjoy. Roxy also has rentable private Karaoke booths for those who are too shy to belt Celine Dion in front of 50 strangers.
With an extensive menu, including burgers, pizzas, hot dogs or for something lighter there are tons of small plates on a 3 for £15 deal, so you can eat and bowl… or curl… or just sit and watch some live sports. The drink range is amazing at Roxy, with plenty of soft drinks on offer and low and no alcohol options (including mocktails). There is also a massive range of unique larger, ale and cider both on draught, in cans or in bottles, so lots of new things to try for as low as £4.50. As far as cocktails go, Roxy has a 2 for £15 deal from Sunday to Friday on select cocktails and sharer cocktails for just £30! And for those who are sharp shooters, there are fab deals on shots and shooters (£3.50 each, 2 for £6, 6 for £18 and 12 for £30).
The three venues are open at different times, which I think is fantastic to accommodate to a wider range of people! The opening times for the three venues are as follows:
Boar Lane-
- Monday to Wednesday- 3PM-12AM
- Thursday- 3PM-1AM
- Friday and Saturday- 12PM-2AM
- Sunday- 1PM-12AM
Merrion Street-
- Monday- closed, sorry guys!
- Tuesday and Wednesday- 4PM-11PM
- Thursday- 4PM-12AM
- Friday- 3PM-3AM
- Saturday- 12PM-3AM
- Sunday- 3PM-12AM
The Light-
- Monday to Thursday- 12PM-12AM
- Friday- 12Pm-1AM
- Saturday- 11AM-1AM
- Sunday- 12PM-12AM
NQ64
NQ64 mainly known for being a retro arcade style bar where you can pay for tokens to use on the wide range of games they have. The venue is huge and is filled to the brim with games and consoles. For 20 tokens you pay just £12, with games ranging between one and two tokens per person per play! There is an entry fee of £5 on Fridays and Saturdays, but otherwise entry is completely free to enter. The use of the consoles is free, but they do ask that you buy a drink to make it fair. If you want to secure your night, you can pay for a package experience for as low as £18. For example, in the Roam and Play package, you are guaranteed entry, with tokens included and two drinks on top of that!
Finally, onto the drinks, which are on theme. They have a range of cocktails names after games with fun work play. They have the Sweet Fighter 2 cocktail, Kirby, the Mad Max Zombie and so many others to choose from. The draught has both classics and more interesting drinks for the adventurous. If ale is too bitter for you don’t worry! There are plenty of spirits and mixers for you to try out. If your sweet tooth still isn’t satisfied, NQ64 has a wide range of themed and classic cocktails at affordable prices. I’m getting thirst just looking at the menu. Don’t fret, if you don’t drink they still have some options for you too!
Opening times:
- Monday to Thursday- 4PM-2AM
- Friday- 4PM-3AM
- Saturday- 12PM-3AM
- Sunday- 12PM-2AM
Overnight
As you’ve read, a lot of these places are later night activities, so why not stay overnight as well? With plenty of hotel options for different budgets as well as plenty of Airbnb options For a treat, you can stay in the famous Queens Hotel from £84 a night.
To fill the next day there are plenty of attractions you could visit, a lot of them being free! For example, you could take a trip to the Leeds Art Gallery, or to the magnificent Royal Armouries. There’s also the Thackray Museum of Medicine, where you can learn about medicine through time in a building that actually used to be a hospital (can you tell this is my favourite museum in Leeds?). The Thackray Museum does have an entry fee, but they also provide student, senior and NHS discounts.
For my fellow foodies, there are also an unbelievable amount of amazing food spots in Leeds for a range of budgets. There’s American locations such as Wing Stop and Cinnabon, which are definitely worth a try. For a sit-down meal, you can’t go wrong with Rudy’s or The Ivy Asia. They definitely live up to the hype! If they aren’t in your budget, no worries, there are so many amazing cafes and pubs you can visit with lower prices. For example, the Kitty Café, where you can enjoy your food for as low as £6.95 while hanging out with the cutest cats. There is also Little Bao Boy, where you can get 2 bao buns with a filling of your choice with a side of chips for just £10. It’s taking all of my will power not to go get food while writing this!
There you have it! I’ve finally given up gate keeping and now you know where to go for a different night out! And I’ve saved the best part for last, the furthest you will have to walk from one to another is only 8 minutes, with most of the bars I’ve mentioned being around a 3-minute walk from each other. Just a final note, that some of these places are accessible to under 18s at certain times. If you are planning on attending with under 18s ensure that you check before you book! And most of all, have fun!
Please note all times and prices listed are correct at time of publication (Feb 2025).