The Exchange Bar in Leicester

Cold. Door wide open. Seemed to be on purpose. No real ale. Toilet had no paper towels and hand dryer wasn’t working. Have drank in here a few times down the years but disappointed this time. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come as i think it might be under new ownership.

Nice friendly chap at the bar. No real ale, though. Awful music.

Always been a nice pre theatre place to have a drink but not tonight. We asked to see the cocktail menu and the person behind the bar rolled her eyes before reluctantly handing us the menu. The place had 5 customers, so they weren’t rushed off their feet. Said she didn’t have half the ingredients so couldn’t make a porn star martini. Very rude with no hospitality skills and pretty limited cocktail making skills. Sorry to say it’s had its day, definitely one to avoid, better places to have a drink in the area.

Had my niece's 21st birthday party here and had such a good night. Staff were lovely, price of drinks was good value and no long queue's! Will definitely visit again!

Great friendly bar. Visiting after the show at The Curve.

WOW the atmosphere in here was great. pretty quiet for a Saturday night but the music was great and we could've stayed there all night. very cosy seating and lovely decor.

I love this place but they have got to sort the quality of the beer out especially at the price they are charging.

First time visiting this place, and I hope to return in the future.

Do not eat here! Had a dreadful time last week. We ordered a couple of wraps with chips whilst we waited for a show. When the food arrived I took a bite and it was cold, went in and told the staff who said ‘I’ll tell the chef’ . We waited but no one came so I went in again and mentioned it again. He said ‘we can’t refund as you’ve started eating but he would send the chef’. Eventually someone came out again saying as we had started the food there would be no refund. I didn’t want a refund, just some hot chips. They then took all our food away. I asked a staff member if we could just have some chips as we were so hungry. He said he would ask. Again , no one came so I headed in to speak with the chef. Tried to explain that the food was cold and he just kept saying we checked the temperature before it came out and it was hot (why do you need to do a temperate check if it’s fresh from a fryer?) . I replied that I wasn’t lying. It had cost my friend £30 and we hadn’t eaten. He then just walked off He was so rude to me. The chicken in the wrap was Luke warm with no sauce on it and the chips were cold. Staff rude and unpleasant. Won’t be going again :(

Great bar. Enjoyed the live music, and great range of drinks at-a reasonable price. We were visiting, but clearly really popular with locals.

Often the beers runs out on one of the taps, last time I went no beer available on the taps as they were cleaning the lines? Why couldn’t they do this when they are closed, anyway I won’t be going back, what a dump!

Dirty glasses and manky cloth. Popped in for pre- show drinks, was presented with a manky glass, asked for a clean glass which was wiped out inside with a cloth that looked like it had been sed to coean the floor. Would have asked for another clean glass but the look of disdain from the bar staff meant wasnt keen to ask

Far to long to wait at the bar. Customer service was not the best. Pub was nice. Toilets downstairs were shocking

One of my favourite bars in the city. Its situated in the cultural quarter, opposite the Curve theatre this bar is in a really good location. I've been coming here with friends for years and have always had a positive experience. The inside decor is nice, with a variety of different seating options and plenty of space to socialise with friends. Its nice to sit outside during the warmer months as well. They do a vinyl mixing night every first Thursday of the month which is pretty cool and alternative. They do loads of other nights throughout the week and month as well.

Really good vibe relaxed and friendly environment. Nice drinks and you can hire the upstairs or downstairs fir private events I've done a few events there previously before lock down kicked in. Good bar defo worth visit

Good for private parties good place no issues and friendly staff

Nice buzzy vibes and great location- the bar tender clearly thought he was doing us a favour , really miserable and we were not as cool as him

Really lovely bar with fabulously friendly staff.

Arrived at opening time on Saturday prior to visiting King Power for the Leicester v Birmingham game. World class selection of lagers, extremely nice staff, a couple of hours thoroughly enjoyed.

Went there for a drink before going to the curve theatre. Park at the car park and nip accross. A good selection of beer and spirits. I enjoyed a tot of wiskey before the show. Present you theatre tickets and you get 10% off the full prices of each round. Great value!

Lovely 🌹 Pub. Cannot wait to visit again.

Live music venue, great location, great service

Cyrus is the best server and reece is great cook love this place for pizza Baguttes.

Love this place, great atmosphere and excellent staff. Their food is super tasty, especially the seasoned fries, Tamsin is the best x

I recently visited this pub with a friend, and our experience left much to be desired. My friend ordered a simple white coffee, and I requested a soya coffee due to my lactose intolerance. However, things quickly took a sour turn when the waitress who was preparing my friend's drink ended up making mine. I wanted to confirm that my coffee was made with soya milk, as it's essential for me to avoid lactose. Unfortunately, when I politely inquired about this, the waitress seemed visibly upset and started complaining. This lack of professionalism and customer service was quite disappointing and put a damper on what should have been a pleasant outing. It happened on Friday the 25th of August around 18:00.

Had a great even here at a burlesque show in their basement. The atmosphere is great and drink prices were good. I'd definitely go again.

Lovely bar, perfect for an afternoon drink or a tea/coffee especially when they have live music playing.

Some after work fun. The place was all right :)

Service was slow, but they were polite and good once they got to you.

Great venue and the Burlesque show The Candlelit Cellar Club runs monthly , the first Friday of each month. Definitely don’t miss it ♥️

Rude and incapable bar staff, avoid if you expect any level of customer service.

Me and my husband hired the cellar bar for a joint 50th. It's a good, cool space in a popular bar and we'd both been to parties here before. I must say the staff were helpful and hardworking, and helped when we lost the wifi etc. We had our own disco lights and the venue had a set too, which was great. We had around 70 guests so profits would have been healthy for the venue and we removed all our decorations etc at the end of the night promptly, so I think we were behaved well! Overall we had great fun snd would recommend this venue. Just a point regarding sound, we used Bluetooth for music: I would suggest that the sound system/speakers are reviewed as sound was louder in the bar. Just a couple of negatives unfortunately...I would advise anyone booking to arrange to see the manager in person and establish with him the arrangements prior to the event. We turned up as advised (in an email from the manager) at lunch time on the Saturday but couldn't set up as the room was booked. This was a pain as we'd travelled 8 miles and paid for parking expecting to be there for a couple of hours. Also, it was made clear in the terms snd conditions that there is a desposit (£100 returnable if a set amount is made on the bar) and a cleaning fee of £50. This seemed fair but our expectation was that the venue would be clean as presumably the previous event would also have included a fee. We ended up cleaning ourselves, with some help from the bar staff, in a short amount of time (due to the manager's mix up with venue hire) - particularly important as we were bringing cake and needed clean surfaces. The staff did their best and admitted this should have been done. So I would question the virue of a 'cleaning' fee if this isn't used for this purpose. Added to this a friend hiring the venue in November last year was not asked for the £50 fee which is somewhat inconsistent. Given the circumstances, I did request for this to be returned as a gesture of goodwill, given inconvenience caused and lack of cleaning!! But have had no response. Maybe the £50 should be a 'venue fee' rather than 'cleaning' as this would be a more realistic description.

Good range of drinks and really clean bar..

Stayed till late, was a good spot. No dramas til 4am!

Not bad, prices was pretty decent aswell 👌🏼

Came here to see some comedians as part of the comedy festival. Really chilled and friendly vibe, helpful staff and would definitely come back here again. Really great, cosy venue space downstairs.

Cute bar to stop and have a drink. I visited for a days training which was downstairs and it was very rustic and cold even though we had heaters to try warm it up. Toilets are a lot to be desired. Drinks very overpriced. Nice staff.

Fun triangle bar with an urban flare decore wise. Great atmosphere fun for all drinking ages, social gatherings with friends after work. Feels a bit unique and large city like, you don't fee cramped as it's well spaced out. Definitely worth a visit!

Nice venue, great show, convenient parking nearby. Will be back.

best wine bar in Leicester cocktails and winter specials my favourite is the gingerbread cider

Enjoyed a nice coffee before going to the curve to see a show. We’ll situated and nice atmosphere. Really comfy seats.

Well... what can I say! I have travelled across Italy and the cappuccinos there PALE in comparison to Melina's cappuccinos! Not only is she a delight to be around and be served by, but the woman is a wizard at coffee. The milk froth is perfect, and I will sing it from the rooftops that she makes the BEST cappuccino I've ever had! 10/10!

Beautiful bar with in a great area. Definitely worth a visit if you have been to the local Theatres.

Lovely bar opposite the Curve Theatre. Every time I've been the staff have been friendly and very helpful. A nice place to relax with friends. Also they have a function room downstairs which is excellent for parties.

Rude staff swearing at customers no organisation or customer service, always liked the place but gone seriously down hill. If you want a smile or any kind of customer service or your table clearing of empty’s or just to be spoken to like a human being do not go to this place.

Short lived private party!! Didnt realize this was the 1st time that someone had thrown up in your toilets....because this sort of thing never happens in a bar or your bar does it? Also, disgusting behaviour from a male member of your staff...throwing a drink at some of our guests as he walked up the stairs...how is this acceptable? I think you may need to review your terms and conditions again for future bookings to include 'no vommiting in our toilets'!! Sounds like this isnt the 1st time staff here have been rude to their customers either...previous reviews suggest the same!!

Shocking management in this place, racist assistant bar manager and Elaine who clearly cannot handle running a bar. Mike the security hats off to you and the bar man downstairs top bloke. So many nice places to go too rather than this place very poorly managed. That little women who lied and said guests were doing drugs scandalous comments, just viewed the comments and reviews below and literally had similar experience. PLEASE DO NOT hire this place they literally kept threatening us to shut us down, Elaine and her side chick need to learn customer service. As for the doorman Mike thank you, you were wonderful. Such a shame as historically had lots of events here and it’s been great. True let down by two ‘managers’ who cannot handle a bar The response given is absolute lies, the bar allows non party guests to use the downstairs toilets and then takes their action out on us. It’s a PARTY!! it has music you cannot moan about loud music and our guests were not sick it was your general public using those toilets. You clearly cannot handle private events so clearly review all the 1 star comments the two wannabe managers have received historically and understand that in parties you need extra staff not one bloke and there is music and there wasn’t vaping you all know the smoke machine set the alarm off. You can lie as much as you like but quite honestly there was 80 of us witnessing you and Elaine running round like wild cats…anyways the party continued in terrace bar which was thoroughly enjoyed till 3am :)

Unbelievably bad experience here… just like many have posted before we had rude staff threatening us! We had family come over from all over the UK to be disgusted by the staff here. How they are still operating I do not know. The way we got treated was like animals. Make your money and tell us to leave.. sick!

Good place to have a nice pint. Friendly staff.

Really enjoyed going here for the first few D.A. Socials open mic nights. Unfortunately, some stuck up, rude, unprofessional woman, who claims to be the bar manager (her colleague claimed the same title just before she did, not sure which one of them was lying, perhaps both) completely ruined the fun by overreacting to a minor misunderstanding. She escalated a non-situation, clumsily imposing her tactless moronicism all over what would otherwise have been just another enjoyable evening. She did this willfully and with malice, without even knowing what had actually happened. We were supposed to be the feature performers for the evening. Two songs before we went on, this little drama queen and her pitiful sidekick were threatening to call the police with literally no justification. Will never ever go back to this pathetic, pretentious little hole. Would highly recommend that anyone who likes to have open, honest conversations, or likes to meet new people, avoid this place like the plague. Truth and peaceful freedom of expression are apparently not welcome at The Exchange Bar. They prefer bullying and threats. If you do go, whatever you do, don't try to talk to anyone you didn't turn up with. Apparently that's a barrable offence. What a bunch of clowns. Thoroughly disgusted.

The Exchange has the best looks of the bars in the Cultural Quarter in Leicester and is situated opposite the Curve theatre where many people have pre-drinks. The flat-iron style building it is located in is very attractive and the seating in the end with large windows is an appealing space to drink in. Venue has a downstairs basement used now and again for small events. Dominica served us here last week and was very friendly and helpful. Worth a visit if you are in this area. Improved outdoor seating this summer.

This is a good bar. There's a comprehensive range of beers on tap, all of which are well-kept and served appropriately in the right glassware and temperatures, especially the Asahi which is correctly carbonated unlike many UK stockists. There's also an short but appealing cocktail menu which I haven't tried, and a range of herbal teas+ coffee. The atmosphere is airy and relaxed, with many people using the peaceful indoors as a workspace while enjoying a drink. More a spot for a post-theatre tipple than to get drunk, mind. Almost all of the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable about their drinks, however there is one in particular who on repeated occasions I have found to be rude and moody. I always like to return my glasses to the counter to keep the table I've vacated clear, as this is helpful for bar staff (I was one once), and when leaving I always thank the staff for their service. At this point most offer some form of polite acknowledgement, I wouldn't actually mind being ignored, but to be scoffed at (he even rolled his eyes) is just plain unacceptable. It's also not the first time this particular bartender has been rude to me, he just always seems to show a terrible anti-customer attitude, regardless of how polite or reasonable you are. I don't believe in online harassment so I won't identify this individual, but I've no doubt the management will have heard this before and know who it is. People like this shouldn't be in customer -facing jobs.

Great location for a re-union event for former students. We had excĺusive use of the Cellar Bar, a great venue. Friendly, helpful staff.

It was a decent place, they have live band and enjoyed the Shrektini!!

Hired the basement bar for a party. Arranging the date and details was easy with Elena being very responsive and helpful. Greta setting and atmosphere for a party. All the staff were great. Recommend The Exchange Bar for drinks or private party

An excellent establishment with knowledgeable and friendly staff. A very casual atmosphere with a fantastic range of drinks on offer. If you're in the city and you want to drink somewhere with a little more class, I would recommend The Exchange.

Fantastic. Hired the downstairs room for a 40th Birthday, all that was required was a small deposit then a very reasonable minimum spend on the bar for a Saturday night. The room is great with plenty of seating you can arrange how you want and the team let us in early to decorate. Elena and her staff were amazing and I can’t thank them enough for helping to make a great evening!

Lovely atmosphere, drinks & toasted sandwiches. Great place to meet for a small group in the Garden Room where you can shut the door & have some privacy from noise & bustle! Also they love dogs!

Beautiful, dog-friendly space with great service including a water bowl for the pup.

Fantastic atmosphere, great drinks and service; music is so good I was using shazam multiple times! 10% off drinks with Curve ticket is a plus too

Good atmosphere and reasonable prices. Can't remember much more so it must have been good.;)

Friendly staff great 👍 cocktails 🍸 went there for birthday 🎂 drinks before going to the curve will use again

Came specifically for birthday drinks this evening but I come to the Exchange all the time, not just because it's my local but because it's one of the nicest bars in Leicester! 9 times out of 10, my friends and I choose the Exchange for drinks. Staff are lovely, loads of drinks to choose from, really great atmosphere.

Great bar with lots of choice in hot drinks and alcoholic. Vegan brownies too for fellow plant eaters!

Went there last year in August. Ordered a 175ml glass of wine and a pint of Peroni. It came to £15. Couldn't believe it! The glass of wine cost an eye watering £9.50. It was just a regular Malbec. The pint of lager cost £5.50. Wow! When questioning this was told it was the lorry drivers fault, lack if supplies etc. Went there a couple of weeks later after recovering from the shock and ordered a coffee but no shortbread of biscuits available. Again, it was the lorry drivers fault.. not been back since.

Great little venue in the basement.

Great staff and nice small venue in basement.

Friendly bar staff and great location before it after curve show. Nice decor too

Want to relax after having a tough day at work. Well i think this place got the best place and drinks to stress out. Tried this place randomly once and have been a regular customer. Must try Asahi!!

Heading into The Exchange after a visit to Curve is always a pleasure. There's a wide selection of drinks available and the staff are always friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend.

On a Saturday morning some instrumental music in the background echoes the high ceilings. Classic cafe chit chat and cockery noises accompany the strong coffee scents. A good book or a pleasant company is all you need here while you get served by friendly and non intrusive staff. As the day progresses the music and the atmosphere changes. You might even hear the staff hit a high note as Stacey's mum comes on the cd player! One has to explore this for themselves to truly enjoy this gem in Leicester. I'll let your visit and you be the judge of the transformation that occurs during the day. Enjoy

Normally, when you order a coffee, you'd pay and then then someone would bring it over when it's ready. Not here. The guy behind the counter made the coffee while chatting to someone else, paying no attention to the coffee at all. No attempt to make them look pretty was made (the milk was poured in), then he had the audacity to say "two flowers" when he placed them in the counter as if he'd done some amazing latte art. And there was already coffee spilled into the saucer. NOT the service one one expects. Nice vibe to the place and beautiful location, but terrible service.

Always worth a visit. Great atmosphere, especially if the weather is good and you can sit outside.

Loved the live music and cocktails! 🎵🍸🎉

Great little quaint location Good selection of drinks Friendly staff A little more expensive than I would have expected but it’s location next to the theatre is understandable We Didn’t stay for more than two drinks but there was nothing negative experienced Good little bar

Great service from Jake this evening

Popped in her for a bite to eat and a coffee whilst sending some emails. Very lovely experience. Good food, friendly service. Ideal for a working lunch. The lad who served me, Jake, was very helpful and gave some top advice on what to choose from the menu.

Elias was a legend. fab drinks and service loved it fab shots all amazing darling xxoxoxo amazing amazing

I love the exchange, great atmosphere, brilliant food, definitely try the vegan scotch egg! The servers are welcoming and attentive, Jake especially a lovely boy, and has the best badges going. A great place full of great people.

Lovely drinks & feast of scotch eggs. Fabulous staff, including a very nice waiter called Jake (this isn’t him, our shared name is a coincidence).

Great bar, lovely staff. Right in the middle of town, near the train station. They do gourmet scotch eggs and they're proper lush

Great bar, great staff highly recommend

Great service and when asked to make whatever drinks they wanted for us they thrived and we didn't have a bad drink all night

Amazing bar in the Leicesters culture quarter! Really nice atmosphere. Fantastic selection of drinks. It really feels like you’re part of the family. Esther served us and she is lovely!!

I hosted a surprise 21st celebration in their function room. While the planning with the manager was going well, massive lacking in organisation and communication led to a mistake in which room was being used, a server that I had already spoken to about the event ruining the surprise for the birthday boy, and messing up the assignment of all the tabs. Not the mention, the manager never even getting back to me after failing to meet me at the venue during the day, rude service from our server, and a refusal to take any empty glasses from our table even when asked. The party was ruined and despite a complaint being sent directly to them, I received no response at all. Definitely would not recommend.

Amazing drinks and service, the stuff is always lovely! I had the ice teas a couple of times and it's so nice especially on hot days! Thanks to Norten and the rest of the team!

Always love my visits to the exchange, great selection of beers spirits and cocktails, the staff are attentive and always ensure you have a good night. On my most recent visit was looked after brilliantly by Norten and Esther.

It was a bleak Monday. Life was getting me down. But there it was. A beacon of light in the distance. The exchange. Not a lot is enough to lift my spirits. But the exchange hit the spot. Now I have a new lease for life. I owe everything to the exchange

The Exchange located in the Cultural Quarter is one of the best bars in the city all thanks to Jack and the team. They strike the balance of a chilled cafe during the day and a lively bar during the evening. Great for families, couples, friends, dogs and even just to grab a drink or snack yourself. Either side of the building acts as a sun trap for outdoor seating too depending on the time of day. Very pleasant and attentive staff, great people-watching spot and good drink & snacks - what more could you want?

Fab bar, really chilled atmosphere and amazing drinks. Good location to the city centre and right opposite Curve theatre.

Went to Exchange Bar in Leicester and we found Esther the staff was very friendly and nice. She was on point when she served us and help us choose the most amazing cocktails

Great service, great drinks, great place! We’ve never had a bad experience here! The service is warm and drinks spot on every time x

service was quick, friendly and showed excellent knowledge of drinks. when prompted to make a cocktail of the bartenders choice Jake sprung to action and concocted two innovative and colourful drinks. would highly recommend!

Whether it’s a Friday night, a Saturday afternoon or a mid-week morning I always feel looked after and that this place really cares about all its customers! Bar manager Jack remembers his customers which is a really nice touch and is somewhere we always go back to!

Friendly staff, Jake had jokes nice cocktails.perfect place for a couple of drinks ps who is Andre Silva.

Had a fantastic few glasses of wine & the manager was absolutely lovely! Can’t wait to come here again <3

Went to the Exchange for a few drinks on a friend's birthday the guys at the bar were very accomodating chatty and instantly made us feel welcome our server Jake was very attentive and chatty really enhanced the experience had by me and my friends felt as though he was one of the gang we will be coming back again soon

Fabulous place to enjoy a lovely pint. Jack was 1st class and made sure we were well looked after.

Visited on 1st July 2021 for a causal drink. Based on Jake’s drink suggestion: we was not disappointed! Another visit is on the cards as the service was “on point”.

Our go-to bar! The staff are absolutely lovely, you always feel at home being here. Jake, Jack and Norton are fantastic staff members and will be helpful and friendly - as always! Fantastic service & food Highly recommend