Firebug in Leicester

Great place to chill with friends, as a new enjoyer of bars I can say that this place has a cool vibe and nice service and even better drinks :)

We saw the superheros from the boys, like homelander and the deep Was epic and cheap jager bombs

Credit where is due, your door staff are amazing. Them two blokes tonight Sunday 13th October are great.

Always have a lovely time here. There's nights for everything you could want. The food is really nice. They have comfy seats. The cocktails are nice. Definitely one of my favourite bars in Leicester. And the staff are lovely! Definitely come here. Very friendly. Even have computer games to play. This is a very cosy, intimate venue to see a band in. You'll be sure to get a great view.

Black market event was great - highly recommend!

Been going for over 20 years. Great place for gigs, music, comedy, films,

What a great bar. Spent the night here with Wifey and Daughter when delivering the latter back to uni. Stayed up the night and went out to paint the town red. Firebug is a fave of Daughters and I can see when. A massive array of cocktails and shooters to choose from as well as your standard beers etc. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable when it comes to concocting drinks. There's also some PlayStation's set up around the bar that you can play for free, as long as you are quick enough to get a table that has one. Cute little garden area for the vaper/smokers out there....and the student discount kept us going back for more all night. Love it.

What a great bar. Spent the night here with Wifey and Daughter when delivering the latter back to uni. Stayed up the night and went out to paint the town red. Firebug is a fave of Daughters and I can see when. A massive array of cocktails and shooters to choose from as well as your standard beers etc. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable when it comes to concocting drinks. There's also some PlayStation's set up around the bar that you can play for free, as long as you are quick enough to get a table that has one. Cute little garden area for the vaper/smokers out there....and the student discount kept us going back for more all night. Love it.

Always a brilliant time at this pub whether it's for a cheeky midday pint or late night sesh. Great staff provide an awesome service and an atmosphere that's friendly and inclusive. There's also great food and a wide selection of drinks available. It's particularly great if you want somewhere with an alt vibe.

Always a brilliant time at this pub whether it's for a cheeky midday pint or late night sesh. Great staff provide an awesome service and an atmosphere that's friendly and inclusive. There's also great food and a wide selection of drinks available. It's particularly great if you want somewhere with an alt vibe.

Loved it Mario cart pints till 4am can't go wrong

Great bar for students and amazing late bar to start or end your night. Creative drinks at decent prices. Many a night spent here with great memories. Drinks are in between pub and club prices but you’ll be too ruined to remember. Do an A+E shot.

Cheap food and drink, great vibe, friendly staff, open til 4am??? Cant knock it

When we arrived at Firebug one of the bouncers asked for our ID he then turned to our designated driver and refused him as he said he’d had too much before he’d even said a word to him. By this point he’d already let me into the establishment and I by my own admission was very drunk and hadn’t even realised my friend hadn’t been let in, I then turned to see my friend calmly asking why he couldn’t come in and he continued to say that he was too drunk to come in as we wouldn’t go in without our friend our group then decided to leave but asked for his ID as we thought it was ridiculous that he thought our friend was drunk. He had his ID badge facing the wrong way so that we couldn’t read his name and gave us the name Amin, the bouncer was very patronising and antagonistic to our friend as he was walking off.

Have been coming here for years without issue as the "go-to" for me and my mates but had a terrible experience with the Door staff. I was entirely sober as the designated driver, walked up with my ID out and had not said a single word only for the bouncer to turn around and tell me I'd "had too much". Best part is one of my mates who hadn't realised I'd been refused entry and was leathered was let in by the same guy straight after. When I then tried to look at his SIA License as the situation was frankly ridiculous (which door staff are legally required to have visible to the public at all times while working) he had it facing the wrong way round so the front was behind the plastic on his lanyard and was not visible on either side. After pointing this out I got a belligerent response of "my name's Amin" and no attempt to rectify it. Extremely dissapointing after being a regular for as long as I have, and the first time in my life I have been refused entry anywhere!

I went to the place with 5 of my mates and the security guys were so drunk they denied me entry saying my id was fake. Im 26 years old i don’t need a fake id .. worst experience

Amazing place, great nightclub, fantastic gig venue with a great, well priced & tasty vegan (& non vegan) menu. Great cocktails, too. Dog friendly & good for retro gaming.

Lovely vegan food, well worth a visit.

Good pub, good value and well situated

Only visited function room upstairs but no issues with service

Good venue. Does decent food and usually has events and gigs going on. Gets really noisy and crowded on weekends, and stays open pretty late. Wouldn't completely describe it as an alternative scene venue, but for the most part it has a friendly atmosphere.

It's okay here for the cocktails.

Manager mistook me for some miscreant and treated me rudely. When I raised an email complaint whole thing was handled incompetently and disrespectfully on all levels. Sad end to many years of being a loyal customer. Rating gone from 5 to 1. Edit: they did not in fact apologise at any point. Still have the pathetic emails

I'm a professional Musician ( Drummer ) from London. Often playing dates around the U.K with different bands/acts. I first played at Firebug last year and once again this year ( Different parts of the venue ) For somebody who has played literally hundreds of venues, of many assorted sizes/levels of prestige etc. ( Including some of the top one's in London ) I would definitely rank Firebug in my favourite 3 venues of all time ( so far :) Matt Kirk the main man ( who I had the pleasure to meet ) must do a fantastic job training his staff - or just have a natural radar for hiring genuinely friendly and helpful young people - who blend pro customer service with a relaxed chilled vibe.This instantly makes the energy of the place low low angst.Something that is, for a weary muso who's been around endess booze fueled nonsense for decades - precious.The layout of the venue feels spacious - awesome garden too - and Firebug feels like an exciting enclave of fun with things happening upstairs/downstairs - allover etc. ...reminds me of the venue's I most enjoyed hanging out with students in my youth ( I never went to Uni ). Security staff polite and non- obtrusive and the Sound She/He/They's top of their game - great live sounds in both rooms. Inclusive Safe space for all genders Couldn't recommend Firebug enough for punters and musician's both.

Amazing place for chillout. Amazing people who give 100% to make u happy when u spend time in this place !!!

I booked The Firebug upstairs venue for my 40th birthday party and loved it. The staff were very helpful and couldn't do enough. The sound technician was brilliant and answered all my questions, everything was set up on time and the night manager, Cal was incredibly helpful. I definitely recommend the venue to anyone looking somewhere ro host their party.

I've played at the Firebug a few times with my band. One of the venues we always look forward to because they really look after their acts. Super friendly and helpful crew, great sound, good food and drinks selection too.

Firebug is always a great place to go. Great for meetings, a good place to work on your laptop, a hub for musicians, and always a brilliant night out. The gigs are great. Bar staff are friendly. Food is always really nice and great value.

Best venue, safe, accepting, cool as fook, the owners really know their stuff, through out the years when others have fallen by the wayside they have gone from strength to strength, the food is delicious, the drinks are constantly updated whilst keeping the favs, the staff are cool humans that you want to be around and are so epic at making cocktails it’s an art form in itself. I’ve played here many a time and the sound is always amazing too! They go above and behind if every l thing they set their mind to and if you wanted a lesson in how to run a venue - this is the place to learn from!

Love the Firebug. Such a down to earth atmosphere with sound people working there. Also great gig venue! Also, awesome selection of drinks! 😆

Amazing place for gigs, food, drinks and club nights, even a bit of casual gaming (consoles at some tables and arcade machines upstairs). It always a really nice atmosphere. Great selection of cocktails served at reasonable prices. Staff always polite and friendly, even when you can see they are run off their feet. Garden has been improved with additional seating which makes it more spacious. Food is nice too, not a la ping meals. Would recommend.

Amazing venue and what a rite of passage growing up in Leicester. Banging drinks, banging staff members who are SO attentive. Could not recommend more!

The first bar I head to when visiting Leicester! Was a regular in my uni days and have spent many a drunken night in the Bug! Always a friendly welcome by staff who are knowledgable about the drinks & food and can give excellent recommendations. A really chilled & friendly atmosphere - so much so that as a lone female, I’m happy to go for a drink there on my own. Great events held on a regular basis, not always to my taste but there’s something for everyone!

Love this place - day or night! Great live music, events, food menu is 💖 and the staff are amazing 👏

Best bar ever! Run by people who genuinely care about customer experience, and actively listen and respond to feedback. Friendly, helpful staff who obviously enjoy where they work. Very supportive of local bands and live music in general. Safe, inclusive venue. Catering to all age groups. Best cocktails ever.. Firebug iced tea is a must!

Gone massively downhill In the past it felt all age groups were welcomed and staff were friendly Now it’s just a below average bar run by noisy kids who don’t even speak to paying customers other than the bare essentials! If customers found the staff as funny as the staff find themselves you’d be onto a winner 😂😂

I’ve been here for club nights, daytime food, and every time Firebug has been amazing. All staff are friendly and professional and helpful. I love this place so much, I did promo for it on DMU campus years ago! Never had a bad experience in Firebug and that’s saying something when you’re 20+ tequilas deep at 3am. I always recommend this place for people - it’s open until 4am, great variety of alcoholic and soft drinks, a multitude of upstairs club nights for any vibe, and great great food! Best place in Leicester!

Absolutely love this place. Everyone is so friendly. Bar staff are absolutely wonderful. They have retro games to play downstairs and arcade games up stairs. The cocktails are a must! What's not to love 😁 I wish more places were like firebug!

Love this place, always feel safe there. The food is great, amazing cocktails & the staff are friendly & approachable.

This is a venue that cares about your experience. Some of my fondest memories are here. It is very inclusive space and caters to quite a range of ages and tastes from the weekend match fans to the arty music crowd. If anything, it is a victim of its own success, and I deduct a point to be truthful, and reflect the fact that you may have to queue a while on popular evenings, whilst complex trays of cocktails are made.( It may be envy because I can't drink like used to.) Great live music, retro games and supportive of the independent and creative Leicester scene.

Firebug is a rite of passage for the rock/metal/punk fans. They welcome all and you will always feel it's a safe space. Food is great value for money and portions are always generous. They have supported the 'Unglamorous' women fronted DIY garage bands which we are ever grateful for. Go Firebug 🔥 I've been coming here for the last 20 years! And now my kids go here because they've got great taste too 🤘

Lovely place, great food and friendly staff with a good variety of live music on as well as a retro gaming space upstairs! What more could you want?! Love it.

Always really good bands playing, especially that band The Void Walkers, best hard rock band around 😍

Great pub with very friendly and knowledgeable bar staff.

Prices are really good, especially with student and Blue Light Card deals. The staff are super friendly and easy to talk to. Plus, they've got arcade games and video games, and they host a club night every night. It's a fun spot for hanging out with friends or having a good time any day of the week!

Would have rated higher but we came quite a distance for the rock night that was cancelled last minute with no real explanation.

A really cool place where everysort of person is welcome.An unique pub where the ghost of the Gas Offices still appears.

Came out for a rock night, to find out that the DJ decided not to come so they replaced it with a R&B night... We called the venue the day before to make sure it was still happening and they said yes...

Was wearing presentable tracksuit bottoms and was told by those on the front door that I had to stay over in the corner and only use the rear garden to go out onto and not the front, obviously I didn't

Always plays my favourite music, security listen to you when you're calm with them, lovely atmosphere.

Best bar in Leicester city centre no question asked the absolute centre of nightlife

Molly was amazing, we were coming to Leicester for the night and wanted recommendations. We asked Molly she decided to go out of her way whilst working and give us an amazing list of bars and pubs to go to specifically to what we asked. Molly definitely made our night and we were so glad that she was there to help us!

Guy wearing a rugby top served others before me when I was standing right in front of him. Then doesn't makes me a properly prepared drink. Shame you have this staff member with favouritism and race bias as I somewhat like the venue and other staff. Edit: I have now removed the word overweight from the start. Thanks for pointing that out but that doesn't mean what I experienced is untrue.

Great friendly bar and venue. Good variety of entertainment and open to all. Young and old! Food is great too.

Nice and chilled can't complain

Firebug WAS amazing until they took redstripe off the student deal. This was the worst business decision ever because now it’s unaffordable for students because no one in their right mind wants to drink carlsberg when it’s 2 quid at spoons. The rest of their selection is great but over priced for students so put red stripe or something drinkable on the student deal again. Otherwise it’s a great pub but won’t come back until this is fixed

Bring back red stripe student deal

I absolutely love firebug, it’s my favourite bar and I go every single day. But now red stripe has been replaced in the student discount by the water that is carlsberg so I’m a bit upset. #bringbackredstripe

Great place to have a great time chill with mates. The retro games are really good aswell.

Went to see Spencer Jones comedy month. Really good pub, drunk prices are all good and Spencer was hilarious 👌

Went to see Josh Jones for the comedy festival he was awesome

Didn't get a chance to try their food. But the atmosphere is great for late night drinks. Love the wall art and the fun nerdy vide. Something a bit unique!

came out for a night out with colleagues and it just felt so cozy and warm. maybe i was quite drunk so maybe that has something to do with it😂. food was alright if you want a bit of food while drinking and socialising, the drinks were not too expensive and very tasty. service was fast and friendly and atmosphere was amazing. will be coming back again soon.

A bit average. Drinks are wayyyyy too overpriced. Decent size but furniture is pretty haggard and awkward. Decent outside area. Doorstaff are a bit unapproachable but that's fair enough I guess. They have game consoles which are fun, but most of the controllers are knackered. If they spent a bit extra on them it would be great. They certainly get enough business to warrant it that's for sure. Pool table upstairs but it's a bit cramped. Playlist is very samey and repetitive but again it's not a huge deal.

Nice pub with a music venue upstairs. They also have some nice retro video games 👌🏿

The best nights our are in Firebug

Excellent staff and great all round vibes

They have a variety of alcohol and large menu which is very good . however, the place is absolutely filthy . Bartenders are quick and very friendly . The upstairs area is dirty and smells bad and not just that the floors look like they haven’t been cleaned properly . Hygiene is not the best in this place , the atmosphere is very dark . If I had a friend that visited Leicester , I would definitely not take him there .

This place was alright. I think I need to come back here again when it is busy. Love how you can play on the game consoles. Overall, nice place.

If you want a different place with a very good atmosphere, friendly people and good music, I recommend Firebug

It was lunchtime when I went in, food was nice, beer was good. Do I need to say anything else.

Yeah, good place for drinks... Awesome co cocktails.

Nice atmosphere if you want a late night drink with friends without going to a club. Unfortunately the beer isn't kept well and this results in me, and others, often going to bottles. They do however have a large selection of cocktails.

Great fun place loved it definitely be back

A Leicester institution. Enjoyed a nice Breakfast. 10/10

Nice place for a few drinks and good for live music

Great atmosphere but very busy only nipped in for a quick one.

Had a lovely after dinner experience here with husband and young adult children. Loved the heavy rock vibes coming from live band upstairs and managed to kick butt twice playing Tecken in the comfy mini lounge areas. Would definitely be willing to travel by train from Derby again for a night out here.

I've been to "The Half Drunk Club" at this venue twice now and will be going again and again and again. The food, especially the breakfasts and the burgers are great, (honourable mention to the sweet potaato fries) the atmosphere is very casual and friendly and the venue upstairs is perfect for the style.

Great atmosphere, good prices, pub food and lots of it.

This place has only two uooooobs in the entire building!!!! Absolutely disgraceful it doesn't meet our minimum standard of 5 uooooobs. I will not come again. The uoooooobs will be very angry and destroy this place and lock it down forever. You have been warned!!!

Been here many times, both in my early student days before COVID, and post going with other people. Arcade machines upstairs with Mortal Kombat and other games. Don't remember whichever as only played Mortal Kombat up there. I believe the paid machines are emulated though rather than original as each machine does let you select one of multiple games. Food and drinks are alright. Great for an afternoon pub food, or for the "pre drinks"(and maybe post) on a night out to the clubs. Drinks usually priced reasonably every time I have gone. At least compared to other nearby pubs. Glasses are all clean, and pub itself is usually well maintained. Gigs often played upstairs, to which it won't be uncommon for those playing to be seen drinking themselves, which I think can be a good sign of the overall atmosphere. Where they stay after a performance Real heart of Leicester young pub. Would recommend.

Open late. That's the only reason I'd visit the place. No atmosphere

Friendly, inclusive bar. I have been here a few times now when they have had events on. Particularly enjoy the comedy nights, great hosts and always book great comedians

they got games and booze what more could a man ask for

This place moves with the times but with its original concept. Big respect to everyone that obviously puts in the hard work involved. Many a talent and creativity to be found in here too from the people to the atmosphere. Really enjoyed my time here.

Great place - really enjoyed the little festival we went to. I haven't scored it with 5 stars as the real ale selection was pretty poor.

Went to watch a NFL game. Was cheap enough and the arcade machines were great. Shame my team lost, but the service was a good result.

Top place, beer is cold and wet, just how I like it.

Quirky student bar that has bands on, plenty of space nice outdoor area, food beer cocktails, great place to meet.

This is one of the only places in Leicester that's open every night until 4am that offers something for everyone. They have comfortable sofas, gaming areas, an outdoor bit for smoking/ socialising, and a club upstairs that play different music genres across different days. Cocktails are reasonable, 2 for 10 on some nights. Choice of beer could be better and is fairly expensive but not ridiculous. Bit dark and dingy, but then that's probably what they're going for to an extent. Also host record events. Always a decent atmosphere.

This is an incredible Leicester institution built from a Victorian gas works office, and its a cornerstone of the city's nightlife. It's notable for staying open later than most pubs in the city, and hosts great concerts and comedy shows upstairs. Check out the garden in the back and the old-time arcade games. In the city centre, Firebug is more of an night-out kind of place rather than a neighbourhood local. Some good beers are sometimes on tap, but in my opinion Firebug's strengths are in spirits and cocktails

We didn't eat, but the drinks were fab

Brilliant friendly staff, great drinks - top tunes. A cracking night out. Lost my glasses, they were handed in then Kat the manager went out of her way to post them back to me. What a service. Sets the example of how good the staff are!!

A summary of the night... I was shouted at by staff and the 'excuse given' for this- 'I should not have done that, but I'm tired'... this is no excuse. I was groped/touched myself Innapropriately on 3 separate occasions when I was attempting to have a nice evening on my own. One individual kept following me around and wouldn't leave me alone all night despite me speaking to them nicely and politely. I can only think this culture is accepted in this venue because it certainly does not happen and would not be allowed to happen elsewhere. Men were walking freely into the ladies bathrooms upstairs and just holding the door open too. It was generally really grotty in there and the bathroom was in a real state of disrepair. I only hope something comes of this and is done, no one was checking this... Last orders were called, everyone bought drinks, only to be told 10 minutes later to 'down their drinks and vacate the premises'. This is really poor quality service (as it was a busy night so it had taken everyone a while to get served), not to mention irresponsible. Kick out time was actually earlier than stated. This left a lot of people confused and disappointed, especially as they'd just bought drinks. Staff also knew I had no signal on my phone and was not from the area (they gave me the WiFi code so I could book an uber home later). Despite this, they would not allow me to book an uber so I could get to my hotel safely. Instead, they were shouting at me to 'down my drink' instead then kicked me out. I tried explaining this, obviously frustrated, scared and upset... they kicked me out and I had to ask for directions (which I really struggle with). There was no thought towards the customer at any point or their specific needs/requirements either. Which needs A LOT of work. Please look at improving... your customers are everything and this truly has the potential to be so much better! Some of the team were lovely and did try to help/step in, but unfortunately that was ruined/overshadowed overall by all the rest of the poor experiences throughout. I only truly hope that better things come from this.

Love this place, 200 miles from home yet immediately felt I belonged

Teenagers pouring drinks over each other and falling over 11/10 go to people watch, it's well funny

Sad place Lots of fruit flies all over my drink Told the staff who couldn't be less interested Never going again Was a great venue And will be again for handmade but not sorry its being shut down

Very friendly staff and welcomed pupils. I’d always come back here again every time I come down here from Milton Keynes, Fives stars… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genuinely not bad, sticky floors, a bit run down and a lot of broken glass and what appears to be clutter so looked a bit tired but good all the same. All tvs set up with game consoles and seemed really interactive. Genuinely nice little place, and we had a good time on the night. pricing of certain drinks could be better but otherwise happy with the place =)