Sandinista

Amazing food-​we got the tapas! great atmosphere-​laid back Central American authenticity. Staff went over an above even helped us to print out theatre tickets in a mad dash on the way out. Only about 200 yards from the Grand — perfect pre-​drinks spot :) thanks Sandinista!

Good choice of cocktails — i opted for a mohito and my partner had a zombie (after being told unfortunatly they only had enough mint to make one — even though it was a sunday and fairly early on in the evening) the zombie looked funky and my partner enjoyed it — it was served with a shot of whisky flambé in a passion fruit shell. We shared the prawn & sausage jambalaya and the jalepeno poppers — my partner found the food not overly impressive but i loved the flavours and would go again (alone) but wouldn’t rush to drag my partner there

I might as well leave my toothbrush in here. I’ve been in here a lot lately! Went not too long ago actually! The toilets were a hell f a lot cleaner than I remember (they must have looked a mess when I’ve been drunk, but I myself was in a mess though!). The drinks were great for the money and the bar is the right size. Small and intimate! They seem to have hole in the floor where they put all the tables too!
I love this place. The music is always great, the people are cool, the place isn’t up its arse and the staff are always smiling! The bouncers are cool even! Might not be the nicest looking place in Leeds, but its got soul. You meet all sorts of people in here, dancing to a diverse track list full of old favourites, and that’s the appeal. Rockers, hipsters, soulers, ageing hippies, students, professionals, university lecturers, punks, white, black, Chinese, Latino, Eastern European, Unilocalers… I mean I was dancing to Elton John last night, causing everyone to start dancing! It’s what I like about the Leeds scene; everyone is on a cool vibe.
I’d like to try the food in here in the future. I’ve only been past 10pm!

Came here a while ago to eat an absurd amount. the food was amazing! FACT
Came here a couple of weeks ago for a drinkie and wowzers was it full! it must ahve been the fantastic music… i think. it is all a bit hazy. I just remember dancing and some incredibly hot men that had obviously been there since they left work!
hmmm there may have been tequilas with some amazing coriander juice chaser. :-/

One of those places is Sandinista. If you can make the walk up from town, cos thats no doubt where you’ll start. Its worth every penny. Great music, friendly staff. The one time i’ve eaten there the foods been amazing and the drinks are cheap enough.
I should say more as this place deserves the verbiage but you know what, just go, its one of those recommendations, trust me, have a night out there and then we’ll talk!

I don’t get the hype about this place. I came late at night.
the music was a letdown to be honest (I thought the sounds would be more, well Underground) and the drinks were nothing to shout about and the toilets from what I can remember were awful. Too indie and too many students for my liking. Maybe it just wasn’t my scene?

I think it does great food here (as you would never think the place does good food to look at it!) drinks are always really good too with a nice range of stuff you cant easily get else where
However… I think the place has gone down hill and needs a revamp! last time I was in there it was a Saturday night, the types of people in the place made me feel a little uncomfortable… seedy staring men. not cool
I would def make a trip for some afternoon drinkies though!

Went here last week for some afternoon cocktails and tapas in the sun… IT WAS AWESOME!
Between four of us it came to £25pp (w/​tip) and we had:
6 Mojitos
6 beers
Numbers are what’s on the menu in case you want to copy us… :D
Arroz de Cardo (6.) — Everyone’s favourite!
Chorizo Asado (7.)
Rabas (15.)
Tostada de Anchoas (20.)
Pimientos del Piquillo (22.)
Tortilla (23.)
Tabla Variadas (30.)
Paella (31.)
… Yeah we went a bit mad. But between two boys and two girls, we had a nice leisurely lunch and really didn’t leave much at all. It was hard to, the food was too nice! Money well spent, I’d say!
Here’s the menu .
I’ve also been here loads on nights out before (although not for a while until about six weeks ago when I was served an amazing amazing Mojito by a girl called Collette)… The DJ was awesome too — really friendly, and he played an ace range of good music too — funk, soul, rock ‘n’ roll throughout, old and new. He also loved it when we made any requests — he even out onto the dancefloor to dance with everyone a good bit too.
Tasty and fun.

This place is great! I wouldn’t exactly say I was a regular here, but the times I’ve been its always had a great atmosphere.
The staff are all pretty friendly and laid back, yet clearly work hard at a very busy small bar. the place gets absolutely rammed on a weekend, but as long as you’re aware of that before going then that shouldn’t spoil your night out.
The last time I was here was a Sunday evening, to see the Old Time String Band (check them out, fantastic!) and unfortunately it wasn’t very busy at all, but great for some live music & vocals.

I am writing this review with a belly still full of nom-​tastic sandinista food. I felt compelled to write about it as the food was absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend anything with chorizo in it… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! The service from the staff was great and they were very friendly and patient while we ummed and ahhed about what to order, even on a busy bank holiday.
In summary — excellent on all levels. I can’t wait to go back again (and again) and try the rest of the menu!

Well now. I’ve been back to Sandinistas plenty since my last penning, and I have to admit, in all that time I’d only back for drinkies. Excellent, raucous, rambunctious, drinkies. The kind where you probably tried to dance on a table, the kind where you definitely felt as though your neck was broken the next day from head banging, the kind where you almost certainly meet a squadron on new best friends because you’re having that good a time. (And it’s as much to do with the awesome clientele, as the drunkenness, I can tell you.)
So, yes. Go to Sandinista for drinks. I know, it’s always busy on a weekend. But once you get in there you’ll have an amazing time, I’m certain of it. The music policy includes all the classics, something to suit most tastes, without venturing down the processed pop route in any shape or form. They also have regular live music, I believe, which is also commendable.
However, you mightn’t have noticed, they also serve food. What’s that? Yes. Where have you been?! (That question is mostly directed at my own foolish self.) They serve the most excellent tapas. Of course, you can go down the route of fajitas, and such like, but on this occasion I wanted a range of foods to stuff.
Oh my word. So, firstly, a special mention must be made of the mushrooms in peppercorn sauce. They were absolutely flipping divine — perfectly cooked, soaked in flavour, and the sauce was out of this world. The meatballs were also fabulous, with a delicious tomato sauce, and the garlic bread was beautiful. The crispy pork belly was wonderful, and came with an amazing apricot (?) compote (?!). The patatas were also addictively tasty, especially with melted cheese and spring onion.
Of course, the service was fantastic, as ever, but the discovery that there’s yet another place to eat fantastically made, freshly cooked, delicious bites is the thing I’ll be shouting about for the moment. Dishes come in around £4, which makes it incredibly affordable to try a few different things, and perhaps even splash out on one of their yummy cocktails. Of course, there’s the danger that you’d go for tea and not quite make it out until 4am, but hey –it wouldn’t be such a bad thing would it? In fact, top idea Batman, Sherlock and Brian Cox, you geniuses. Even the door signage says, «You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.» Of course, I’m thinking The Eagles must have been to Leeds. And, given half the chance, I’d say this to be true. I checked-​in, but my mind clearly hasn’t left them yet. Nom.

We went for a small concert on a weeknight and had a good time. We didn’t eat but the couple with us enjoyed their dinners. Good drinks, nice bar that’s not too big and commercialized. I definitely agree that it’s hard to say anything negative!

My friend and I met here for Dinner on Mond evening and as usual– the food was supurb.
Like most people– we always look for a good offer for a weekday indulgence and food here is 241 Monday (Mexican) and Tuesday (Tapas).
The place was empty when we arrived so we were able to obtain prime people spotting seats by the window with our well deserved after work g&t’s. The background music as usual was an eclectic mix of new/​old/​funk/​soul/​indie/​jazz/​rap– never dissapoints!
I suppose the only complaint I would have on this visit was that even though the place had 8 customers in it– the service was quite slow even though we made it apparent we were ready to order.
We had Plain Nachos and Chorizo Quesadilla to share for starters and Chicken Fajitas each for main.
All the dishes were full of flavour, freshly made and massively enjoyable.
We both failed to finish our Fajitas which was a shame as they were delish!
£25.60 for everything including a white wine and lime & soda was an absolute bargain for 2 very full bellies and big smiles to accompany us on our drive home.
Will definitely be eating here again and again.
Great bar– great food.

Part of the original Leeds barfly’s Holy Trinity with Mojo’s and North Bar, Sandinista always had a bit of a rep as the barman’s bar of choice, and it’s true that come Sunday night you would recognise half their clientele from your previous 48 hours of (mis)adventure elsewhere in the city. That kind of ready-​made clique might suggest a cold-​shouldered, indier-​than-​thou attitude to the place, but in reality it just took all the warmth and fun that made the Leeds bar scene such a success and turned it up a notch.
Factor in a commitment to quality drinks made the right way, improbably pleasant outside seating and an ever-​eclectic mix of music, and you were left with a bar that no matter how many times you went, it still never felt like enough. The 3am weekday closing and slightly tucked away location also meant you always had a place to go that wasn’t overrun by nutters.
Several years later and my lifestyle is now sedate enough to notice that they do food as well, so today I popped in to grab some scran while filling out my passport renewal form (sedate might be overselling it). Anyone familiar with the Old El Paso shelf at Morrison’s will recognise all the usual suspects on their Central-​American themed menu, which also boasts a surprising number of vegetarian and gluten-​free dishes.
Their 241 tapas offer (every Mon and Tue) corralled me to that side of the menu straight away, and the nine tenths of my brain that seem to deal with gluttony selected jerk chicken skewers, crispy pork belly, lamb tajine and chiles rellenos (stuffed jalapenos). They claim all the food is prepared fresh and the enticing presentation didn’t suggest otherwise, while the flavours were strong and complementary within each dish.
The stand-​out choice was definitely the pork belly; three huge chunks of melt-​in-​the-​mouth coronary disruption, each with a layer of what tasted like fat flavoured chewy toffee at the seared end, perfectly complemented by the surprisingly exotic apple and saffron chutney. (I understand that description may turn as many stomachs as it titillates, but if you are a fan of that naughty cut of meat then you will understand.) Probably enough for a lunch by itself.
The service, as ever, was helpful and friendly, and while writing this I’ve just remembered I completely forgot to leave a tip. I hate non-​tippers! Fortunately, the laid-​back atmosphere, great tunes (Americana singer songwriters this week) and rich, great value food will mean it won’t be my last visit. The bar manager in me feels I should knock a star off for their permanently sticky tables, but screw it, Sandinista is a Leeds legend I still cannot get enough of.

We came here for some pre-​Hangover 2 snacks and beers and had a blast. The place was full of groups of Friday night post-​work people up for a good time, and the guys working there were super chipper and friendly.
We sampled some tapas — olives (omnomnom), prawns, mushrooms, jalapenos and the belly pork — all of it was utterly delicious and yet really reasonably priced (between £2.75 and £4.75).
My new favourite :)

I don’t think you could say anything bad about sandis. It’s one of, if not the best bar in Leeds. They serve a wide variety of drinks including cocktails and spirits from around the world. They also have an awesome menu so you could pop in for your dinner! In fact you should do that, yes you!
Sandis weekend nights have music for everyone but none of it is cheesy, this always seems to make for a lovely crowd of people. Weekdays are nice and chilled. They normally have a few bands on a Wednesday night and they’re always good. Sandis seem to have a good vetting system!
Sandinista is awesome i recommend going there everyday

Sandinista is one of those scene bars that you hear the indie kids talking about. It’s cool, laid back an on the edge of the city situated near other bars of it’s kind (mojo, north bar etc).
Always a decent tune on the jukebox and a good selection of beers, this place gets rammed at the weekends and this all makes for a fantastic atmosphere. Recommended!

Set out on two slightly different levels, marketing itself as a cross between a laid back bar and cantina, Sandinista has got it just right. With live music, as Alexandra has mapped out so well, a large bar area and an option of going outside, it is a no fuss brilliantly fun place to venture out to. What’s more is that it is the only bar I can think of that has its doors open well into the night on a Sunday, right into what many would consider to be the start of the new woring week.
If you find yourself out and about on at 3am on what has fast become a Monday morning, blame this place, you were almost certainly there!

Great little bar that somehow always manages a good atmosphere and a bit of dancing when they stuff all the tables down a hole in the floor…
As it’s Nicaraguan themed you should really be drinking a rum and lemonade but they do some of the best mojito’s in town if you can afford. A night out between here, mojo and sela bar can’t fail.

Sandinista is the only bar in the city that is open until 3am 7 days a week. Which is always good if you ask me!
The Spanish style, award winning tapas and cocktail bar provides a cosy haven for all sorts of people. Some who have been moved on from their previous drinking hole and want to further their slurping and chatting, or some who have come down especially for the low lit gem that is Sandinista. Not only do they serve award winning cocktails and tapas, but they also have a selection of musical entertainment going on throughout the week.
Wednesdays:
1^st of the month — Late Night Colour hosted by Grain Division
2^nd 4^th and 5^th of the month — Sandinista Live!
3^rd of the month — Leeds Acoustic Showcase hosted by No Title Magazine
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: Resident DJ’s playing an eclectic mix of indie, electro, ska, funk, soul, reggae and 80’s hip hop.
Sundays: Sunday sessions — Live acoustic
If you haven’t been already then you must take a trip down and try their Long Island Ice Teas… yumm