29-31 Westgate, Bradford…read more BD1 2QL This is one of them clubs you either love or hate - it is always changing hands and thus the atmosphere and everything always changes with it. It isnt the busiest of clubs so it gives it a nice relaxed atmosphere unless they put the loud music on which seems to be much louder in here - i think it is because the club is quite large and hollow like and stuff echos round it. The interior could do with a little bit of a spruce up but it isnt scruffy. The toilets are clean enough without being the best. The prices are quite cheap and they do quite a few promotions i think to get the students in. The staff are nice and friendly and have time to come sit and have a chat with you which to me adds to the atmosphere to the place.

I never really went out in Fallowfield when I was at uni - it was studenty but not in a good way…read more The city centre was nice, but expensive and full of 'real people'. So more often than not I'd end up drinking at establishments on, or just off, the Oxford Road. Sometimes this was structured into an Oxford Road pub crawl. On numerous occasions the conversation went like this: Friend: Are you coming down Oxford Road? Kirsten: Where abouts are you going? Friend: We'll start in the Grovel, head to the Oxford, down to the Phoenix, the Footage then down to the Pub, Sand... Kirsten: Which pub? Friend: *THE* Pub. Kirsten: *sigh* It's annoying, in the same way that The Bar in Chorlton is quite an annoying name for a bar. I think a more fitting name for it would be 'Just Another Pub'. It sells beer, it's quite cheap, the jazz saxophonist I once heard play in here was quite good, there are always free tables for when Sandbar's full. Yeah, it's definitely not *the* pub to drink in but it is okay for a quick pint.

How is this place still in exsistance?! Some one please buy it and turn it into the nice bar it…read moreshould be. I hate horrible little pubs that aren't ashamed of being horrible little pubs. This place has cheap drinks but not good drinks. Alcopops and the like. Bleugh. It's right near Zoo, a very popular student night so I reckon that's the only reason it's doing ok. But the with Deaf Institute opposite and the Footage on the corner, why would anyone go here?! The name says it all really, this place can not be bothered being anything other than basic.

I love Baa Bar if nothing more than for it's name. (Tell me it isn't fun saying Baaaaaah Bar after…read morea couple drinks!) The place is lovely inside and really a step up from its surroundings. Drinks are fun and imaginative, and it's not terribly expensive. The place can get packed pretty quickly as it's tiny and the area is obviously packed with students stalking alcohol like it's key to their surviving the next 10 minutes -- which, granted, for many it probably is.

Here's another Fallowfield institution. A structure made of glass and steel, it used to be called…read moreGlass (why they didn't call it Glass and Steel I have no idea, it's such a catchy name... sense the sarcastic tone), and this three floored venue has had a huge refit and gained popularity as a result. It's one of those 'meh' places, perhaps not 'meh' enough to warrant a harsh two stars as it has a superb outside balcony feature for those sun-drenched afternoons and Smoky Joes. Plus the drinks are cheap. Of course they are, it's a Baa Bar. Winner. You'll get the odd club night here but it seems to have entered the collective consciousness as a venue for 'pre-drink drinks'. And hey, they have a place. I bet if we put together a list of pre-drinks drinks places we'd end up with something colossal. The music's not exactly my cup of tea with all that jungle, drum n' bass and underground dance (I'm making myself sound old, I must stop) but if that floats your boat then this place will too. A worthy Fallowfield contender.

There are much better clubs than Oceana in Leeds, but, unfortunately, there are few that are…read morebigger, or busier, than this sprawling establishment on the corner of the Merrion Centre. Sprawling was the only word I could think of to describe Oceana Leeds; there must be dozens of rooms in this place, all decorated differently - dancefloors, boudoirs, ski lodges - but rather than endearing you to the club, this just annoys you as you spend half your night on the move, or trying to find friends you've lost in the labyrinth. They do have a student night where some drinks are ridiculously priced (80p), but this gets overcrowded, meaning that the mazy interior becomes even more hazardous. The real gripe most people have with this place, however, is the way it can up its prices with no notice for one random evening. For example, on Easter bank holiday Monday, the entry fee went up to £9, and you struggled to find drinks cheaper than £3.50, which, for Leeds, is a bit shocking.

Ok, so essentially Oceana, in theory, when all rooms are open for the offering, provides the client…read morewith seven themed rooms, separate spaces, clubbing/bar experiences. Due to size and central location this was my buddy's reason for organising his birthday bash up here. Granted, it's definitely got size on it's side, it's easy to get to, there's plenty of dance space, and once inside and all gathered together in collective buddy solidarity, there's an actual properly DJ for you to get your groove thing on. Or down. Or jiggy with. That sounds wrong. I got change from a tenner for paying to get in, and compared to some of the places I've been to in Manchester, for a large city centre club, I didn't find that too unreasonable. Some of my Yorkshire counterparts tended to disagree, but c'est la vie right? Also, if you can grab a flyer off one of the promotions people, and you get there before 10pm, entry's fiver. So I didn't think it was too bad at all. Inside it's absolutely massive, and depending on what night you go in, you can have access to up to seven different spaces. Oceana seems to have taken some influence from the bigger clubs in Ibiza like Pacha, that have separate themed spaces for patrons to dive into and enjoy, rooms I remember were the Ski Lodge, the New York Disco, the Venetian Ballroom, and Secret Garden. Drinks weren't too hard on the wallet either, a nice bogof incentive before the night hit the midnight hour. Once you do hit the midnight hour you've got three hours of partying left, as kickout time is decent 3am. Good times were had by all, not marvellous, but not hideous either.

You do have to pay a door fee to get in but I think if you get there early enough then it's free…read more Drink prices are good. When you walk in, if you're anything like me, you start wondering who used to live here as it looks like an old grand house. It's lovely though, just a shame it's now a club. Different parts of this place have different types of music so it can accommodate for everyone. The main area as you walk in has music such as R&B, remixes etc. You have aplace downstairs, a place round the back etc with different music but I didn't get that far to be honest. You have an outside bit with music too and this is your smoking area but it's nice and not to huddled. Walking down the stairs to get to it though is a bit nerve wracking as in the rain it's a bit slippery. A place I really like and would go again - as long as I don't have to pay at the door :D

One of the few club experiences i had when i was in the U.K. There were 3 dance floors with…read moredifferent types of music. Club was full of hot british girls which probably seem more attractive to me having lived in the states for a majority of my life. The djs were fairly on point. The top floor seemed to be the most packed for the night. The were charging a cover later in the night, but it was free earlier on. Also super close to other night clubs/ bars in the area in case you want to hop around. However this seems to be the best place to go for the under 25 crowd.

A decent bar with the necessary amount of tv channels. Found some drinks not available elsewhere.read more

Seeking an outdoor-beer-consumption-venue, my friend and I bypassed the slightly sleazy Canal…read moreStreet and headed to Joshua Brooks. Our slightly early start to 'evening drinks' on a Tuesday meant we were able to score a table on their small terrace area overlooking the river. It is a great place to sit - protected from the breeze and in direct line for the afternoon sunshine. It is small though so I'm sure in peak summer drinking season it will be hard to get a seat. There was a really good selection of beer on tap with plenty of local options. It looks like they do some good food too - I might need to come back for their pie and a pint deal. It was reasonably priced as well which is always a good thing. The only downside was the toilets - despite a low number of customers, the toilets were dirty, there was no soap and the hand dryer didn't work. Plus most of the cubicles didn't have functioning locks. In the scheme of things, this probably doesn't really matter (although soap is definitely a must) but a good toilet does make or break a place. If they work on their ablutions I might give them five stars next time.

I think this is the most unpleasant Lloyds I've been to. All the bar staff were on a night out…read moremeaning that a replacement team were in that didn't know their way around that bar. The toilets were probably the nicest place as they seemed clean, but they also seemed to be popular with people doing coke from around the sinks. This place definitely brings down Centenary Square.

Centenary Square Bradford,…read more BD1 1HY This is smack ban in the middle of bradford centenary court and thus not hard to find. I love this club as the atmosphere on a lovely sunny day when you get a cold drink and sit outside with loads of other people with the same thought - you can watch people rushing by. You have the views of the fountain over the road and also a widescreen outdoors giant tv screen to keep you from getting bored. The club inside is on two floors - one floor is open plan and the next is where familys can go - this is quite open with a few booths too. The toilets are upstairs but there is a lift for disabled/pushchair access. The toilets themselves are lovely and huge - they are always kept immaculately clean. They serve meals here with lots of deals to be had on the food which if you choose the 2 for 1 menu it is quite cheap. They do the usual pub grub - beer and burger, sandwiches, fish and chips, etc. They also do special nights like grill night/curry night, etc. There is a huge selection of drinks to be had - their cocktails are lovely. The prices range from cheap to steep. Nightimes they do the odd event nights which are quite good. There is lots of security so you can feel safe while having a good time. This club is for old and new alike. The staff are nice and friendly too.. Outside they have outdoor heaters if you wish to sit and smoke outside.

Housed on Fairfield Street, behind Piccadilly Station, the Star & Garter is a red brick pub that…read morelooks like a crime scene from a Hitchcock thriller. It was featured in the 50s film noir Hell is A City and since then, seems to have gone from chic to shabby with little investment or TLC. The carpets are frayed, the seats are grubby and the walls upstairs are painted chocolate. Endearingly, none of this seems to bother the students and regulars who flock there for the monthly Smiths nights and occasional rock and punk gigs. The gigs are housed upstairs on the first floor - where there's a small stage and bar - whilst the club nights straddle the ground and first floor. Drinks are cheap and cheerful and there's a long-running indie night every Saturday called Smile. You might hear the odd Brian Wilson song but you're more likely to hear everything from Pulp and Placebo to Belle and Sebastian. In short, the Star & Garter is a venue that's more about the music and the people than the ambience or the interior. Which takes us right back to Pulp and..... A Little Soul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMDfMaKDa0

I'll never forget the first time I went to the Star & Garter. I was really dubious about what my…read morefriends had planned for me, considering we were heading in a direction that seemed to be slighty outside the city and more than slightly IN to Manchester's Red Light district. 'Guys...' I found myself saying ominously in the way the first dingbat of a bimbo to get killed in a horror movie always does. Then when we arrived, I was confused. 'Why are we at what looks like one of those run down burnt out old hotels on Chapel Street?' my brain was asking me. But I pressed on. I was accompanied by indie expert Mr Bateman, his lovely girlfriend and the Bambi-eyed Jess X, all of whom seemed to have the lowdown on what's cool these days. And upon entering all my woes disappeared. For here is a pub-cum-club almost as famous in the city as Night and Day, with something to offer every poetic soul with a floppy haircut and a love for Morrissey. (That includes myself, and you'll hear more Smiths songs in here than you can shake a stick at.) The Star and Garter is a great venue, with a pub downstairs and seats comfy enough to think you're in the Crescent, and a club upstairs where you can dance your socks off to the best of Manchester's music scene. The Smile clubnight, held every Saturday, is always filled to capacity and something of a phenomenon. Live bands often appear on Thursdays and Fridays, but one Friday each month is reserved for the worship of the miserablist with the quiff, the legendary Morrissey, and The Smiths. Yes, it's an actual Smiths disco. Where else would you find a disco dedicated to one man/band? Not only does this speak volumes about how important Morrissey is to Mancunians, it says a lot about Star & Garter's knack for pleasing their public. I've never had a bad night here. Brave it through the brothels and find your way to this gem of a place - you won't be disappointed.