64 Call Lane,
Leeds,
LS1 6DT
(0113) 245 7011
The ViewLeeds Review
The name refers to the elbows you stick out playing pool and The Elbow Room is the perfect place for a game. It’s just as slick for a drink or a bite to eat.
The Venue
Climb up the (many) stairs (The Elbow Room is definitely not a place to have one-too-many drinks) and enter pool heaven. This chain bar is lit by cool orange and red lights and it's furnished with retro couches and armchairs, scattered around the purple lined pool tables but leaving more than enough room to move around.
There are two floors with the main bar just past the entrance. This is where most of the drinking happens since most of the upstairs space is taken up by the many pool tables. From here you can have a look at the action downstairs thanks to the indoor balcony.
The People
Laidback and spread out it's no wonder The Elbow Room is popular. It also has screens for sports or for music videos depending on the hour and it's well frequented by the young and lively people of Leeds. It's mostly guys in their late twenties who can shoot a mean game of pool but girls need not be deterred as they're very welcome. Playing here is not the cheapest thing ever but it will not kill your finances either. One hour costs £6 with peaks of £9 during weekends.
And you don't even have to love pool to come here. The Elbow Room hosts the Sugarbeat Club which features cool DJ nights with a mix of hip hop, funk, drum and bass, ska, indie, rock, 80s and more. With a late licence until 4am during the weekends you really have no excuse not to pay a visit.
The Food
The food is not just a testosterone driven affair. The menu is composed with a selection of light bites (£4 to £5), sandwiches and wraps (£6 to £7), burgers (£6 to £8) and even salads (£6 to£7). However you will find greasy comfort food occupying most of the space. There are wedges, nachos, chicken wings, onion rings, chicken or steak teriyaki sandwiches, and cheese and bacon burgers.
It’s good to see a lot of vegetarian options to choose from and you can opt for a side salad with all sandwiches, wraps and burgers. For the players there is even a deal between noon and 3pm from Monday to Friday where you can buy one hour of pool at £6 and receive a free lunch. Bargain.
The Drink
Aren’t cocktails a bit too upmarket to be consumed while playing pool? Isn’t this game supposed to be for beer swilling boys? Well forget these preconceptions. The Elbow Room looks like any bar on Call Lane where you have to sell cocktails to survive. The two dozen at the Elbow Room are classics with the additional odd one you've never heard before - like the Orange Smartie (Cointreau, Galliano, Baileys) and they are all priced at £5.50 to £6.
They seem more popular with the girlfriends of the lads playing but not with the guys themselves. The boys seem to prefer the shooters (£3), or, the shot racks (six for £10 or nine for £15), or, even better, beer. It's £3 for a Guinness and they serve Grolsch and Zatec too. For the undecided you can still get wine (£3.25 to £4.25 a glass and £9.50 to £12.50 a bottle) or a Champagne bottle (£20 to £35) to celebrate your victory over that friend who has beaten you twenty times in a row.
And if you are losing money, The Elbow Room generously helps out with two-for-one deals everyday between 5pm and 8pm on bottles of Sol and Tiger, house cocktails, shooters and house wine.
The Last Word
It is hard to beat The Elbow Room. It's got it all in the drink, food, entertainment and music department.