Sandinista! Cantina Bar in Leeds

Food and drink ok but expensive bill.Didn't get a breakdown for the four of us when paid,the drinks must have pricey as food costs were on the menu.

Excellent tacos and a good beer selection! We arrived here almost by accident but would definitely come back!

The friendliness is back, beer was decent and it's still a great place to have a drink as its out of the way and relaxed. Wish we'd have eaten there - maybe next time! For now got to say it's excellent service 👍

Me and my partner came this evening following a gig. We received discount on all drinks (even diplimatico rum) after showing our ticket, and the bar tenders was absolutely lovely. Tunes were good, and there's a good selection of drinks. We nearly left our two vinyls that we had bought at the gig at the bar, however the lovely bar tender with a bandana on ran out, to make sure we didn't leave without them. Really nice experience and bar tenders! Tha kyou

worth £8 apparently (asked for no salsa or guac - missing like 4 things)

Did not eat here but it looked delicious . The drinks were good though they are pricey . The look of Sandanista is as you would expect . I recommend you pay a visit to Sandanista in Leeds .

Food hit the spot. The drinks were a little on the pricey side. We ordered food and drinks and paid upfront at the bar and thought it didn't add up properly. We sat back down at our table to wait for our order and relooked at the food menu which confirmed the drinks were either really pricey or something was off. When the lady came over with the order my partner asked how much the beer was and she said she didn't know. How can you not know when you put it through the till and there were only four patrons so it wasn't exactly busy? Other than that the music was good, the decor dope, the chef seemed cool. Recommend you check the prices...

Food and service great Venue was a little on the cold side

Amazing food. Amazing drinks. Amazing staff. 10/10 will be making this a regular spot for food and drink 🙌🏼

Working in Leeds and stayed a night and found this place. Was empty but alterative which is my style. Saw street food and headed over. Good food!! Glad I found it. Recommend. Friendly staff too.

Not Very busy when we called in. Good choice of beer and well worth a visit

Great food and really good cocktails

Bar man could do with remembering he's chosen a job in hospitality If he doesn't like serving folk, he should change jobs. Miserable sod Shame as the music and vibe seemed good

Spent a fair amount of time drinking cocktails here, worth a visit as staff and locals are friendly

Essie. Wow. What a woman and what a place. Incredible service by someone that truly cares about making people happy - girl knows how to really bring the sunshine. Thank you so much x

i kid you not, them beef quasedillas were the best things i’ve ever eaten in my life, like god touched my tongue and whispered “it’s giving”

Bianca and Zac was amazing!! made my night, her service was catered and fast. Would definitely come again and recommend to friends!!!

DJ superb, excellent range of beers and surprisingly, non alcoholic alternatives looked plentiful!

Great to have this place back, was a staple through my uni days many moons ago. Good food Great drink options Dog friendly

Fab little gem of a place. The service is great. The food is literally cooked to order by Drew who literally works his backside off to prepare delicious dishes. Can recommend the Alhambra beer too! Definitely book a table as it gets busy at tea time.

Fabulous food and excellent service! Just the right amount of spice for your choice and super-friendly staff! Most recommended!!!

Great music and atmosphere , large selection of drinks and very attentive staff. Highly recommend the place

Afternoon visit around 5pm Saturday. Quiet as the grave. Pub next door was buzzing. Pricy drinks not the best quality. Left shortly after arriving. Disappointing, but may get better later in the evening as it is open until 3am.

New management team are not interested in alternative groups who may wish to pre book the bar.

Good vibes, intimate drinking den, friendly knowledgeable staff and best DJs every Friday Saturday night.

Really chilled out venue. Fantastic can selection.

Nice bar. Great staff. Not too bad on the prices. Great atmosphere and lovely spot for a drink. Attended with a big group of people and had a blast. Deffo would go again.

Great place ..good music good beers

Someone told me this was a good bar. Someone lied to me.

Great place & vibe so friendly 👍

It's the best bar in Leeds. What more information do you need?

Normally Good people. Jacket stolen don't leave anything unguarded. Full of the theives

Tuvimos una comida agradable antes de visitar el Gran Teatro en Leeds. El ambiente era vibrante, personal atento, comida sabrosa, y todo a un precio razonable.

Sandinista isn't the first place you would think of to get some tapas however the food served up here is pretty good along with been good value

One of the bars on my walk home so happen to find myself in here a lot...! Are open very late. Definitely visit if you are in yhis part of town towards the end of a night.

Went here for a beer, was greeted by a miserable bar man, needs to try smiling at customers instead of grunting at them. Asked for a fruit beer, wih that, he didn't even look at me, just tapped the top of the pump and said 'it's out'..didn't even suggest anything else theu had similar. My partner then went to order a pint and with that his reply was 'it's 8 quid a pint mate' ....absolutely terrible customer service and expensive. Won't be going back here.

Good drinking and dancing place

De haber estado aquí hace unos pocos años, nos tomó un tiempo volver, ya que era un poco peligroso y sucio, pero estamos contentos de haberlo hecho.

Siempre hay un gran ambiente. Es genial para ir por un poco de deliciosas tapas - la cadera es para morirse - y algunos cócteles fantásticos para comenzar la noche, e incluso mejor para más cócteles y bailar buena música tarde. el personal del bar saben realmente de sus bebidas, y siempre es amable, y el personal de la puerta también es genial. No he estado por un tiempo, pero no puedo esperar a volver y probar el nuevo menú (he comprobado, la carne está todavía allí!).

Always amazing vibes, music and cocktails! Great customer service. I love it during the day and in the evening. Brilliant!

Great beers and mojito to die for . Viva che

Hace años, cuando era menos popular Sandinista, como solía venir aquí como había espacio para bailar! No hay mucho chance de que una noche de sábado en estos días, pero estoy demasiado viejo para bailar ahora de todos modos! Parece ir de Sandinista a la fuerza, incluso fuerza tiene unas cuantas cervezas ahora. El café es bueno. Sólo he comido un par de veces, pero era agradable. El servicio ha sido siempre amable, y el personal de la puerta son un montón.

Amazing tapas. Great vegetarian option

ALways a good atmosphere here and lots of choice in terms of drinks. The terrace is good for some outdoor drinking also.

Come before a theatre show, friendly atmosphere, cool music, great tapas and rump steak to die for what more could you want

El personal en 845:00 me dijo que tenía que dar mi silla como si fueron vaciando todas las mesas y sillas.

El ambiente es excelente, los precios son razonables y la cerveza casi siempre es bueno.

Fantastic late night bar. Great selection of drinks. Always a great atmosphere!

Decided to try this place before heading to The Grand for a show, absolutely fantastic food, great service and a perfect location for The Grand and the First Direct Arena. The food is delicious and is a twist on the standard tapas fare. The staff were really friendly, they helped us choose the tapas (there were so many choices!) and drinks and after finding the window seat a little cold were happy for us to move tables. Really great experience! I will be back to try more soon.

Four of us called in before a show at the o2. We were met by a very friendly and informative member of bar staff. Drinks brought to us and menus given. I spoke to the chef who advised 2-3 tapas each. We ordered 10 and loved every mouthful. So we ordered a further 3 which again were superb. I have to say the rump steak was sublime so much so we ordered it 3 times. The bill had a 20% discount due to having show tickets. Fab afternoon had by all.....one person had never tried tapas but was very impressed.....we will return....thank you.

Came in for a cocktail before visiting the arena. An absolute DOGHEAD woman waltzed up to the bar and began ripping into the barman being EXTREMELY rude and out of hand. This situation was handled so very well and so very professional. I honestly praise his patience with her despite her being very difficult. Excellent customer service, and beautiful cocktails. Good on you.

We decided to try this place at the last minute. Got a table for 2 and ordered tapas and drinks. Food was perfect for the price - 2 tapas each. Impressive food for a tiny kitchen.

Visited at 6.30pm on a Friday night where we'd reserved a table. There was a nice atmosphere, buzzing but not rammed like some of the other places in Leeds. We ordered a selection from the tapas menu - the portions are very very generous. We ordered the chilli nachos which I expected to come in a tiny tapas bowl, how wrong we were! It was massive. Enough for four people and we'd ordered 3 of them. Large portion of the bread and oils too. Needless to say we didn't finish all of our food. The steak is cooked so beautifully, I would recommend that. I will definitely visit again.

Apparently you are not allowed to enjoy yourselves in this place,we were having a sing along to mama's & papa's California dreaming and the manager stormed out from behind the bar walked past me (the big fella of our group) and Said to our lot put down your drinks and get out "you can't sing in here" so I asked him why we weren't allowed to enjoy ourselves he said you can't in here because some people are eating (about 3 couples who were sat away from the bar) he carried on picking on the women so I said to our group right that's it we're all leaving and another group who he had picked on too also left, he threatened to get us done because he had us on cctv, the man is a JOKE

Really lovely bar with a great chilled atmosphere. Loved the soul/funk playlist that was on that night, its not often I hear music I love playing in bars! Had a 'barrel of rum' pitcher with some tasty rums. Will definitely be back next time we're in Leeds!

I went in with a group of friends for a pre concert drink having been many times before. Was asked to leave apparently for being too loud. Having been to the venue many times before, had my leaving do from work there and seen live bands I can only assume that the place is under new management. Very unwelcoming and was threatened with being evicted by the doorman if I didn't leave my drink and leave immediately. I had to negotiate a refund for my drink which was half finished. I wouldn't recommend the place if you want to enjoy yourself. Never been asked to leave any bar in my life before. Embarrassing!

Dreadful manager with the people skills of a slug! Asked to leave a bar on a Saturday night for singing! Imagine trying to have some fun on a Saturday night! What was I thinking! Very abusive, rude and generally unpleasant. Would not recommend unless your over 65.

Went in with 4 friends for a drink and tapas, the minute we walked in we were greated to a man asking "drinking or eating" then followed by well you can't eat we are full. So we asked for drinks, ordered 1/2's but we're given pints. It normally, as per other comments a nice lively bar but the bar man had other ideas. 2 of us were singing to the music; when all of a sudden the bar man shot from behind the bar screaming but the drinks down and get out I asked why what, he said you've been warned! I asked warned about what, he said you are not allowed to sing! We laughed but he grabbed my drink and said I'll get my doormen to throw you out if you don't get out!! He was also doing the same to another group. We left, this would have been my 10 plus visit but will not be visiting again. I suggest to anyone considering to think again, the barman was threatening but I did notice it was only women he was threatening!!!

Hands up how many people go to a bar on a Saturday night with a group of friends to be to you can't sing? Also have a beer sold to you that is off and then to be told you can't have your money back because it shouldn't have been sold in the first place? The manager of the bar was an absolute joke and who ever gave him the job needs to seriously look at their policies. I think he managed to lose most of the staff from the Halifax Bank and the Leeds building society. Big big mistake! Would not recommend this place ever! Ps love the one in Manchester.

The staff were extremely attentive and prepared a brilliant selection of food. We got the fixed buffet and there was MORE than plenty per head. Cold antipasti was teamed with chilli, cod cakes, nachos, veggie stew and others I can't even remember. Oh yes, calamari was there too. Vile stuff. Not because it was cooked badly, it just is so you may live it. I didn't trySmall but great quality cocktail list secured us a great start to the evening before hitting the bar upstairs. Give it a go, million times better than Pizza Hut or crap from Mcdonalds!!

Popped in here with a friend for a meal. We shared nachos, olives, rump steak and the chorizo hash. Really yummy and all gluten free! The patatas say they are gluten free but a very clued-up waitress on a previous visit realised they weren't as they were fried with other batter covered things. So gluten free folk, don't get all excited and avoid the patatas bravas! You get 20% off if you show your gig ticket too so good pre-gig fodder. Would recommend.

Can't fault the place .. Lovely selection of well prepared, good value tapas dishes. The staff were all friendly and efficient, nice vibe and a 20% discount for event goers on presentation of the event ticket .. We will be back

Really like Sandinista, my number 2 favourite bar in Leeds! It always has a good ambience and is just great place to hang out, sip a hot cider and have some latino food.

Visited here recently after reading rave reviews. This place has a really authentic look and a good atmosphere with decent music.We visited on a Tuesday night, so it was pretty quiet.The menu concentrates on tapas and cheese and meat boards with generous portions for tapas!!The jalapeño poppers were amazing, as is the beef chilli pot. Delicious!! The meat and cheeseboard is great too.Lots of drinks choice too!!All in all I would return, on a busier night as it's a venue for gigs etc. Obvious from the clientele, this place is a little eclectic gem.

We called in recently to eat before a visit to the Grand. It's just over the road, serves great tapas and gives a 20% discount when you show your gig ticket. Each of the tapas dishes was delicious, they have a few different jugs of cocktails available and the service was excellent, can't understand why there weren't more people in there. Highly recommended!

Talking to a friend about a new place to try and she suggested here, so we called after Christmas shopping early one Saturday evening. Place already buzzing and warm at 5.30. We hadn't booked but I think we will when we return as it was very busy. Service was good and the food delicious. We tried a red wine and a beer both good, fancy trying a cocktail next time they had a few different ones. Loved all the little dishes but really enjoyed the unusual flavours of the goats cheese with lentils

Called in on spec to see what it was like, only had drinks so can't comment on the food.Very quiet but it was Sunday afternoon, loved the traditional smell inside.Will definitely be back to also try its sister bar the Blind Tyger

I am not at all qualified to describe the food or atmosphere here as a restaurant as I only ever visit between the hours of 12 and 3am. However for a fun bar with a varied playlist from 70s funk to modern indie (via 90s cheesy dance) this is always a great night out. It's quite small so can be pretty crowded and but is a regular haunt for many 20 and 30 somethings who know where to go to have a laid back but fun evening.

Great music to dance to all night.

I really liked this bar because it had everything, a mixture of ages, good music, great food and fantastic service from a young team who enjoy their job.The meat and cheese platters are plentiful and very well presented with a very good choice of both.

This is a lovely place to eat real authentic food. It has friendly, atmosphere and friendly attentive staff, nothing was too much trouble. Even down to finding out the spices in one of the dishes for me - this was the jambalaya - you really must try it, it's so good.We like nice food, but the ale was good too, and good selection. The food was just fabulous though. We had the tapas, and each dish was so nice. It was piping hot, tasty and filling. The place was nice and clean - the drink was good - the service was spot on, - and the food was amazing - what more could you ask for! We will certainly recommend this to friends when they visit Leeds, and we will be back ourselves. Really enjoyed our visit to this little gem of a find. Thank you so much.

6 of us visited before seeing Fleetwood Mac at the area as we'd heard about the 20% discount. Arrived 4ish and were quickly sorted with a table. Some of the drinks took a while to arrive but generally the waitress was really helpful. As mentioned by other reviews there's not a large tapas choice but all the ones we ordered were excellent. We had 2 starters (Nachos/Bread) and 12 tapas - nothing amiss with any of them. In normal circumstances I would say that some of the beer prices are rather high but considering the 20% knocked off the final bill they were more reasonable. Music and atmosphere really good. Place was buzzing when we left. Visiting the arena again in a couple of weeks and will be back to Sandinista then.

We visited Sandinista before a visit to the Grand Theatre as they have a special offer of 20% off your bill if you show your gig/theatre tickets (offer always on!) - we weren't disappointed! The music was great, chilled atmosphere, and the Tapas were delicious - we'll definitely be back again!

It was saturday night at around 6pm. The only beer available on draught was really strong stuff at £9 a pint. Some of the seating area inside had a load of work tools piled on them.

We stumbled upon this little bar (yes it's a chain) but it had a great atmosphere and the tapas was spot on. A few mid-day drinkies and some tapas and we were happy. Would defo visit again.

I visited Sandinista after a night out with friends to continue the night. The atmosphere was great and I loved the cushions on the benches...it made them a lot more comfortable and allowed us to relax. The only issue was that the drinks were a little pricey.

We had a great Tapas meal here and the service was excellent. Definitely would go back! It is very popular at night but we did not find it difficult to get a seat in the early evening. The menu was not huge but it was very tasty and can be found online as well.

I was looking forward to a birthday meal at Sandinista, then I tried to secure a booking and pay a deposit and it all went wrong! After leaving 3 messages requesting a call back to pay my deposit and speaking twice to your staff (one of them, a Supervisor) I never managed to secure that booking. I have received no call back to make a payment and why do you not let your staff take a deposit?! Seriously you need to learn some basic customer service skills! Your service has been so shocking that I have decided to take my custom elsewhere and I will never pay you a visit, and will make sure I tell my friends of my bad experience. A meal and drinks is also about the experience you have whether before you arrive or not, you would do well to remember that in future. Your one positive point is Janelle who tried to help me and apologised (though I still never got called back!). There are much better Tapas places in Leeds, so if I were you I'd pay them a visit they deserve your custom, not Sandinista!

We came on a Sunday afternoon, pre Theatre. Staff were very helpful and served good IPA, but not too many choices of draught beer. We ordered Beef Nachos, Jalapeno Peppers, Lentil Stew, Charcuterie mixed with meats & cheese, Patatas Bravas where the portions were of very good size and the Tapas tasty. Tapas came out at different times which made the experience more authentic which we enjoyed. Overall a good place to visit for a more relaxed dining experience.

What can I say - this place is awesome! Have had food here which is great - they serve really tasty tapas. We mostly go here on a night out - the music is just great and we always have a real good dance and go between here and Mojo's!

No matter what combination you order from the tapas menu, I don't think you'll go far wrong, we stayed hours and tried everything that caught our eye on the menu - all lovely. The staff were very helpful when needed - especially when it came to recommending wine or one of their great cocktails - but also really knew when to leave people to their own devices. Beyond the food and drink, the restaurant/bar itself is very comfortable and because of the décor the place has great personality to it. The location is also really handy for walking into town.

The staff at this place are unwelcoming, sullen and unhelpful. They walk around in a slovenly way as if you are not there, trying to avoid any form of customer contact. The food is passable, considering the price. Do not go unless you want further contribute to the existance of such a pitiful place.

The stuff was very rude. The bartender was looking one of my friends like an alien when he could not understand what my friend was saying because he is from another country. Also, stuff was not smiley or friendly at all as if they did not want us there. Been there for the first time and got the worst impression ever. Definitely not going back or suggesting this place to anyone!

Between us we had squid rabas (tender!), lentil and goat's cheese (nice), chorizo hash (egg with a runny yolk :D), salt cod croquettes (nice), nachos with chilli (smells great) and a jambalaya (nice) Totally telling my brother in law to keep coming back!

Great beers and fab grub! Nice choice of music and friendly staff. I like the selection of beers they have on and the jalapeño poppers are very nice indeed.

We went to this bar with a few friends who are young professionals. We were greeted by the manager with a hostile reception. We went during the day and were refused service. They said we were too drunk to be severed, this was the second bar we visited in Leeds so we were not drunk. The manager then laughed at us. We had done nothing wrong and we had no other problems at any other bars. We will never visit again

Spent quite a lot Of money and then they decided we could not be served when there was friends that were not drinking alcohol but suggested that they could not speak! Disgusting!

Visited with some friends & decided to have something to eat as well.Glad we did, the food was very nice & enjoyed by everyone.The food is predominantly tapas variety, with nice sizeable portions, this mixed in with some great music spanning from Motown to recent hits, set us up for a great night.

for me a great place to chill good music and the people and food are excellent

visited on the weekend - some great cocktails and very knowledge staff. Lively, good music and atmospheric - would definitely visit again

Great range of beers, good music and a great atmosphere

4 of us (2 couples)ventured into Sandanista around 6pm on Saturday 16th November. As we presented ourselves at the bar a heavily built gent with a shaved head abruptly barked at us "are you eating"? "I need to know if you are eating"? All this before we had even ordered a drink. We told the shaven headed one (manager)? that we were not eating but we would like a drink if that was ok. He served us our slightly over priced drinks with a scowl. We found a seat nest to the window - the table had 3 chairs and it was covered in used glasses, leftover food crumbs and general pools of stickiness. The music was absolutely blaring out of speakers very close to our table son in hindsight I was glad that we were not eating in this very uncomfortable, dirty and hostile establishment.

Came back here with colleagues for a leaving do last Thursday. Ordered several tapas - all nice (LOVE the chorizo asado - so tasty). Although we were the only ones in, it's still a nice atmosphere and the lady serving us was very friendly and attentive. The only niggle I have is that the Manchester restaurant seems to offer so much more in terms of both food and cocktails (checked out the menus online). We were surprised and gutted that Mojitos weren't on the Leeds menu, especially given the preference towards rum cocktails and the popularity of a good mojito.

I selected to use this restaurant on the basis that it was one of the closest to the Wrens Hotel, the place chosen as a rendezvous point for some friends before we headed off to a Steve Howe gig at City Varieties. It's a tapas bar and for three out of four of use, it was out first experience of tapas.The attentive staff guided us through the menu and served up the food and drink without fuss. We ordered ten tapas dishes including a meat platter (we counted that as three tapas dishes) plus beer to share between the four of us and we were not disappointed with the food. At first sight, there does not appear to be much food in the dishes but they proved to be adequate for our needs and eating at Sandinistas saw us leaving sated and with a spring in our step unlike when we visit 'eat all you can' or mega burger establishments. There's a pleasant atmosphere to the place and the background music was non intrusive allowing us to catch up with each other's news without having to raise our voices. When deciding on our dishes we spotted that folk attending gigs got 10% knocked off the bill. We assumed that this applied to folk going to the First Direct Arena so we asked and found that it applied to all gigs close to the bar.' So City Varieties, The Grand, and The Howard Assembly rooms all qualify. We'll certainly be returning their the next time we meet up for a nearby gig and I will return as a solo act sometime in the not too distant future.

great atmosphere and food!Reasonable prices, parking available. Great!Would recommend to friends and family

Me and my partner visited here after a few drinks round Leeds in the afternoon. The food was great along with the service, couldn't fault it. Nice friendly relaxed atmosphere. Definitely recommend this rustic cantina bar.

Loved this place! Great choices on beers and I loved their local breweries choices. Had a saison, very tasty! We only stopped by for a pre-dinner drink, but saw that they do platters so will be visiting again.

Read several reviews re above not all good but thought we would give it a go we went Saturday around 3pm and not many people in looked at the menu but thought against eating as I saw the guy doing the meals not wearing any gloves etc the drinks were ok reasonable price the music was a little loud and I mentioned that and it was turned down for a little while then the place filled up and up went the music clearly a bad choice on my part but I am sure for the younger end it's great!

4 of us came here for a few drinks and some food after work. We all really enjoyed our food - we went back and ordered more after the first lot had been devoured! The jambalaya was the most popular dish and the chorizo hash pan was also delicious. The only gripe was that the portions of tortilla are quite small compared to what you might get in Spain, where they cut a nice big piece for you. It was still really tasty though! Good music playing in the background and nice friendly staff - we will all be back here again soon!

Popped in around 8pm last Wednesday for some snacks. I hadn't eaten in there for a long time. The bar guys were patient with us while we decided where to sit, and what to pick! They made sure we understood the menu and were quick to get us some drinks.The food was lovely; we had chilli beef nachos (you have to get nachos at Sandinista!), some cheesy lentil goodness in a pan & perfectly cooked baby squid.When we left we wished we'd have stayed for a few more sharers, or cheese!! (Okay okay, daiquiris too!) The staff were lovely and attentive. Great atmosphere as always. I'll be back soon