If you have been nursing an average glass of Sauvignon Blanc at your local pub and wondering whether there is something better out there, there is. Quite a lot of something better, actually.
Leeds has quietly built one of the most interesting independent wine bar scenes outside London. Over the last few years, the city has accumulated a genuinely impressive range of places to drink wine well. From Italian wine bars built around family vineyards across Italy, to natural wine shops doubling as bars, to neighbourhood bottle shops run by people who actually know their stock.
Whether you are looking for a relaxed after-work glass, a proper evening out, a date night with a bit of character, or somewhere to take a client that is not another generic city centre restaurant, Leeds has it.
This guide covers the best wine bars in Leeds city centre and beyond. More importantly, it helps you choose the right one for the kind of evening you have in mind.
The Best Wine Bars in Leeds (2026)
VEENO
5 Wellington Pl, Leeds LS1 4AP
VEENO has been on Wellington Place since 2019 and has become one of the most established wine bars in the city. The focus is Italian wine sourced exclusively from independent family vineyards across Italy, including estates in Sicily, Campania, Piemonte, Veneto, Puglia, and Tuscany. Several of these wines are not available in UK supermarkets or wine merchants, which makes the list feel genuinely different from most places in the city.
The wine list spans the full range of Italian styles. Lighter Sicilian whites and rosés sit alongside aged Barolo, rich Amarone-style reds made from dried grapes, and a sweet Marsala dessert wine from the same Sicilian estate that has been producing it for generations. The staff know the list well and are good at guiding you through it without making the whole thing feel like a lesson.
Food is given the same attention as the wine. The Grande Board, a spread of Italian meats, cheeses, dips, and accompaniments, has been on the menu since VEENO opened and remains the thing most tables end up ordering. There is also a full Italian kitchen running pizza, pasta, bruschetta, and small plates. The whole experience is built around the idea of aperitivo: good wine and food, taken slowly, without being rushed.
Why go: Italian wines from independent family vineyards, strong food and wine pairing, relaxed aperitivo atmosphere, wines not available elsewhere in the UK
Best for: Date nights, after-work drinks, groups, client entertaining, anyone who wants a proper Italian evening
What to order: Nero d'Avola with the Grande Board. Ask the staff about the Zibibbo if you want something you have likely never tried before.
You can book a table at VEENO Leeds here.
Friends of Ham
4-8 New Station Street, Leeds LS1 5DL
Friends of Ham is one of the most well-known places to drink wine in Leeds, and for good reason. It sits just outside the train station, which makes it dangerously easy to justify on the way home. The wine list leans towards natural and biodynamic producers, and the charcuterie and cheese boards are some of the best in the city. This is a place where the food and wine are given equal care rather than one being an afterthought.
The ground floor is bright, rustic, and usually busy. The basement is darker and more intimate, and worth knowing about if you are after something a bit quieter. No bookings are taken, so timing matters. Most regulars arrive early or accept the wait at the bar. The energy of the place is a big part of why it works, and it consistently ends up being a longer evening than planned.
Why go: Excellent charcuterie and cheese boards, natural and biodynamic wines, consistently good atmosphere
Best for: Casual catch-ups, post-work drinks, natural wine lovers, anyone who wants great boards with their wine
What to order: Whatever the staff recommend from the natural wine list, paired with a create-your-own charcuterie board
The Decanter
17 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JQ
The Decanter offers one of the largest by-the-glass selections in Leeds, with over 70 wines available at any one time. The list is organised by grape variety rather than region, which makes it much easier to navigate if you already know what styles you enjoy but are not always sure where in the world they come from.
The Park Row location puts it at the heart of the financial district, and the crowd and atmosphere reflect that. It is polished rather than casual, busy on weekday evenings, and well-suited to a professional drink after work. On Wednesdays they offer a free charcuterie board with any bottle over a certain spend, which is consistently one of the better value offers in the Leeds wine bar scene. The list actively points you towards less familiar bottles, and the staff back those suggestions up.
Why go: Over 70 wines by the glass, list organised by grape for easy navigation, central location, strong Wednesday offer
Best for: After-work drinks, smaller groups, classic wine bar feel, anyone who wants breadth of choice
What to order: Something from the adventurous section of the list. The staff are good at steering you towards interesting bottles without making it feel intimidating.
Rinse Natural Wine
9 Call Lane, Leeds LS1 7DH
Rinse is the city centre sibling of Bottle Chop in Headingley, from the same team and carrying the same relaxed, unpretentious approach to natural wine. It opened on Call Lane and has been busy since day one. The format is micro bar, deli, and wine bar rolled into one: natural wines by the glass, craft beer by the keg, and food running most of the day including charcuterie, cheeses, and toasted sandwiches.
The atmosphere is one of the most relaxed on this list. You can spend an afternoon here as comfortably as a Friday evening. If you are curious about natural wine but put off by the usual seriousness that surrounds it, Rinse is one of the most approachable places to start. The food sits well alongside the wine, and the Call Lane setting means there is always plenty going on outside if you want to make a night of it.
Why go: Natural wines by the glass, relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere, good food running all day, city centre location
Best for: Afternoon drinks, casual evenings, anyone new to natural wine, daytime visits
What to order: A glass of orange wine with a toasted sandwich. Easy and exactly right.
NoNo Wine Bar
Granary Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4BR
NoNo takes a different approach to wine discovery. Instead of expecting you to know what you want, it uses a simple quiz on an interactive tablet to guide you towards wines you are likely to enjoy. It sounds like a gimmick until you try it, particularly in a group where wine knowledge varies and nobody wants to be the one who takes charge of ordering. The system works well and takes the pressure off entirely.
The setting underneath the arches at Granary Wharf gives it a very different feel from most wine bars in Leeds city centre. It is more spacious, more relaxed, and the waterside location makes for a genuinely pleasant evening that does not have the same energy as a busy city centre bar. Small plates are good and the wine selection is wide.
Why go: Guided wine discovery, spacious waterside setting, wide selection, no wine knowledge required
Best for: Groups with mixed wine experience, relaxed evenings, anyone who wants to discover wine without the pressure
What to order: Let the tablet guide you. That is exactly what it is there for.
Wayward Wines
1c Regent Street, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 4PE
Wayward is a specialist natural wine shop and bar that opens Thursday to Saturday. The selection focuses on low-intervention wines from smaller producers and changes regularly, consistently featuring bottles you will not find in a standard bar or supermarket. It is a wine shop as much as a bar, so buying a bottle to take home is just as normal as sitting in.
Chapel Allerton means the trip requires a small commitment. It is worth making if you are serious about natural wine or simply want to spend an evening discovering something unfamiliar. The space is small and intimate, which creates a particular kind of atmosphere. The staff are among the most knowledgeable in Leeds on natural wine and engage with genuine enthusiasm rather than performance. You are likely to end up in good conversation, with them and probably with whoever ends up sitting next to you.
Why go: Specialist natural wine focus, unique selection that changes regularly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff
Best for: Natural wine enthusiasts, quieter evenings, destination visits, anyone who wants to go deeper into wine
What to order: Ask the staff what they are excited about this week. The honest answer is always more interesting than guessing.
Bottle Chop
14 Weetwood Lane, Headingley, Leeds LS16 5LX
Bottle Chop is where the Rinse team started, and the Headingley original has a character of its own. It is more neighbourhood than the city centre bars on this list, with a community feel that is hard to manufacture and easy to enjoy. The natural wine selection is well-curated, the cheese and charcuterie boards are good, and the staff are enthusiastic without overwhelming you with it.
They host regular themed wine nights and a run club, which gives the place a social dimension beyond just drinking. If you are in north Leeds and want a proper wine bar rather than a pub, this is the obvious choice.
Why go: Natural wine, neighbourhood community feel, regular events, good boards
Best for: Local evenings, casual wine drinking, natural wine curious, groups from the north Leeds area
What to order: Whatever they are pouring at the bar that week. The selection changes regularly and the staff know what is worth trying.
Latitude Wine and Liquor Merchant
The Calls, Leeds city centre
Latitude has been one of the most respected wine merchants in Leeds since 2008 and expanded its offering with a bar space on The Calls. That means access to a much wider range of wines than most bars can offer, including bottles from a retail selection of over 2,000 wines and spirits. You can open something from the shelves at a corkage fee, which is a genuinely unusual and useful thing to be able to do.
It is one of the most knowledgeable rooms in Leeds for a wine conversation. If you want to try a specific bottle you have read about, or you want help finding something genuinely off the usual track, the staff here will point you in the right direction. The Calls setting adds atmosphere on its own, one of the more characterful streets in the city particularly in the evenings.
Why go: Access to over 2,000 wines from the retail stock, deep expertise, interesting bottles not found in standard bars
Best for: Wine enthusiasts, trying something specific, anyone who wants expert guidance
What to order: Ask for a recommendation based on something you already know you enjoy. The starting point usually leads somewhere interesting.
Best Wine Bars in Leeds by Occasion
Best for a date night in Leeds
• VEENO Leeds. Good wine, proper food, warm atmosphere. The kind of place that makes an evening feel considered.
• The Decanter. Polished, extensive list, city centre. Works well if you want something a bit more classic.
• Wayward Wines. Small, intimate, genuinely interesting wine. Best if you both already enjoy wine.
Best for after-work drinks in Leeds
• VEENO Leeds. Aperitivo format, good food to order alongside, happy hour 4pm to 8pm daily.
• Friends of Ham. Natural wine, excellent boards, always buzzing on a weekday evening.
• The Decanter. Park Row location makes it a natural stop for the financial district crowd.
Best for groups in Leeds
• VEENO Leeds. Handles groups well and the Grande Board is built for sharing.
• NoNo Wine Bar. The guided wine discovery format works particularly well for groups with mixed experience.
• Friends of Ham. Good for casual groups, though no bookings are taken so arrive early.
Best for natural wine in Leeds
• Wayward Wines, Rinse, and Bottle Chop. All three are specialists in low-intervention wine with knowledgeable staff.
• Friends of Ham also leans heavily towards natural and biodynamic producers.
Best for a full Italian evening
• VEENO Leeds. Italian wines from family vineyards across the country, full kitchen, sharing boards. The complete version.
Tips for Choosing a Wine Bar in Leeds
If you are not sure where to go, a few things worth thinking about before you decide.
• Think about the occasion first. A date night and a casual group drink need very different places. The list above gives you a steer for each.
• Check the wine focus. Some places on this list specialise in wine and build everything around it. Others treat wine as one of several things they do. Both are valid, but worth knowing before you go.
• Look at the food options. The best wine evenings in Leeds tend to combine good wine with proper food. It changes the pace of the evening entirely.
• Ask for recommendations. Every bar on this list has staff who know their wine well. If you tell them what you like, they will usually find you something better than whatever you would have picked from the menu on your own.
VEENO is at Wellington Place in Leeds city centre. Walk-ins welcome, or book a table on website.
FAQ — Wine Bars in Leeds
What is the best wine bar in Leeds city centre?
Several strong options depending on what you are looking for. VEENO on Wellington Place focuses on Italian wines from independent family vineyards across Sicily, Campania, Piemonte, Veneto, Puglia, and Tuscany, with a full Italian food menu to match. The Decanter on Park Row has over 70 wines by the glass organised by grape variety. Friends of Ham near the train station is the go-to for natural wine and charcuterie boards.
Are there natural wine bars in Leeds?
Yes. Leeds has a strong natural wine scene. Wayward Wines in Chapel Allerton, Rinse on Call Lane, and Bottle Chop in Headingley all specialise in natural and low-intervention wines from smaller producers. Friends of Ham also leans heavily towards natural and biodynamic producers.
Which wine bars in Leeds are good for groups?
VEENO at Wellington Place works well for groups of any size and the Grande Board is designed for sharing. NoNo at Granary Wharf is a good option for groups with mixed wine knowledge, using a guided tablet system to help everyone find something they enjoy. Friends of Ham is great for casual groups, though it does not take bookings.
What food do wine bars in Leeds serve?
Most Leeds wine bars serve charcuterie and cheese boards alongside their wine lists. Friends of Ham is particularly known for its boards. VEENO serves a full Italian kitchen menu including the Grande Board with Italian meats, cheeses, and accompaniments, bruschetta, pizza, pasta, and sharing plates. It is one of the few wine bars in Leeds where a full evening meal is as much the point as the wine.
What makes VEENO different from other wine bars in Leeds?
The wine list. VEENO works exclusively with independent Italian family vineyards across Sicily, Campania, Piemonte, Veneto, Puglia, and Tuscany. Several of these wines are not available in UK supermarkets or wine merchants. Combined with a full Italian food menu and the relaxed aperitivo atmosphere, it offers something most Leeds wine bars do not.
Is VEENO Leeds good for after-work drinks?
Yes. It is one of the most popular after-work spots at Wellington Place. The aperitivo format suits it well: Italian wine, a sharing board, no rush. There is a daily happy hour from 4pm to 8pm with beer and cocktail offers alongside the wine menu.
Where is VEENO in Leeds?
VEENO Leeds is at Wellington Place, Leeds city centre. Walk-ins are welcome and tables can be booked directly through the VEENO website.
