Hedonist Leeds closed: Nostalgia bar Club Atomic takes over award-winning cocktail bar following closure

The award-winning Lower Briggate cocktail bar, named among the 50 best in the UK, announced its closure in March. In a social media post, the Hedonist team said they were closing the venue to focus on its sister companies – a gin and rum school located above the bar, events and consultancy business Hedonist Drinks and drinks festivals including Leeds Rum and Whisky Festivals.

The post read: “Our doors are closed and we have ceased trading (in this venue at least) forever. We would like to thank all of those who have graced our venue and shared a drink and laugh with us over the years. Friendships and relationships have been forged across the bar that will last forever. You know who you are. Its now time for us to move on.”

The team added that they planned to reopen Hedonist in a new location “when the time is right”. Signs have now gone up outside the Lower Briggate premises for Club Atomic, which already has a venue in nearby Selby.

The bar promises a “nostalgic neon themed party” with “exceptional music” and friendly staff, a wide range of drinks and a “joyful environment”. The Selby venue regularly hosts 80’s themed club nights, and Club Atomic’s directors have shared their plans for expansion on their website. The Northern Mural Company recently shared pictures of artwork it had painted on the walls of the new Leeds bar, following a ‘nuclear fallout’ theme.