Strawberryfields Cafe Bar

I love this place, great atmosphere and as for not being on the original ottley run, who cares!!! i if you go on the absynth in here during your run i promise it will be your last pub of the night as walking becomes difficult…
Give it a whirl its superb

This place is not big on décor, style or glitz and glam. When it comes down to the knitty gritty this place exhumes an atmosphere that people come all over Leeds for.
Strawbs is most famous for its cheap array of drinks and welcoming atmosphere by the couple who are always at the bar, they must have seen 10 093 002 092 Otley Runs!
Popular with the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs, as shown in the window by an array of pictures of the boys, Strawbs is how shall i put it… different. This place is more like a common room at school than a bar. Plastic seating and giant strawberries on the wall aside, the selection of drinks is somewhat promising. They have a varied cocktail menu, including absinthe cocktails which are dangerous!
I recommend Strawbs for a summers day when you are looking for somewhere a little different to have a good catch up with friends (as the subtle music allows you to actually think, unlike many other bars in Leeds). Although very popular you can quite often be the only people in Strawbs however, this allows for some very amusing conversations with the owners. Drinks wise i always go for blueberry cider or a White Russian. Cheers!

Strawberryfields Café Bar, on the Otley Run. That’s how it’s known. But a part of me is mad and the other amused at the blatant cashing in of that rather famous song by The Beatles. Hmmm I guess it’s one way of pulling the punters in. The other would to be to give it a tidy up!
The first thing I noticed when approaching this bar ON THE OTLEY RUN, was, well aside from the red red red door and frame, was the annoying way STRAW — BERRYF — IELDS is spread across the three front windows. Move the damn F.
The other thing I noticed, was it’s a damn good laugh. Giant strawberry motifs everywhere, and an atmosphere that doesn’t take anything including itself too seriously. For this reason I like it very much. There’s a range of atmospheres depending of what day and time of day you go. From the slightly merry jovial atmosphere to the down right wasted and strangers ligging off and around your neck and rowdy atmosphere.
There’s a good selection of indie music to be enjoyed, in addition to some slightly weird cocktails, there’s a selection of alcopops, shooters, shots, spirits with mixers, and trusty soft drinks for the designated drivers.
But seriously Strawberryfields Café Bar owners, clean up your toilets, cos they’re not nice.

My brother once embarrassingly purchased one of their Otley Run T-​shirts that Susan refers to below whilst on an Otley run. But enough about that.
I still don’t really know what to make of Strawbs, despite having been there many times. I don’t know whether I actively like, or dislike it! The décor has not had much thought put into it, making it a very simple place to come. Nearing towards the end of the Otley Run, beware of absolutely hammered individuals fighting to the bar, insisting on having a shot of their famed Absinthe. I think the Absithe is what Strawbs is mainly known for really, particularly as the rest of the time spent in that bar probably whirls into an uncontrolable haze after ingesting it.
There is a smoking area out back and two floors to this bar, both of which only seem to be open at weekends to meet demand. The cocktals are dubiously ready-​made by the owners, who on the upside are a fun middle-​aged couple, who like to have a laugh and a bit of a joke over the bar.
A real drawback for many is the lack of toilet facilities. With just one toilet for men and another for the ladies, there are often people desperately clutching themselves in the small corridor leading to the back door.

Despite almost desperate self-​promotion as an important stop on the ‘original’ Otley run (they even sell t-​shirts) Strawbs tends to get overlooked by large numbers of students, perhaps because its exterior looks more like a vegetarian café than any sort of a alcohol-​vending place. In fact, it doesn’t look much like a bar inside either, with some seriously crazy décor and bare, mismatched furniture. The atmosphere is welcoming, though, and the drinks are pretty cheap, and what students do make it up here seem pretty pleased with themselves, especially when the large patio is open on a sunny day. Expect a mix of locals, indie kids hoping to catch a glimpse of the Kaiser Chiefs who once held a party here and some confused looking folk in fancy dress wondering where all their friends have gone.

Strawbs has pros and cons in abundance, which just about cancel each other out in the end, but an evening here is definitely an experience.
A personal pro for me is that it was the first place where me and my friends could regularly get served before we were of age — but eventually they worked us out and showed us the door.
Amongst the other positive aspects of the bar are the fine indie music played by the owner, the tasty cocktails and the fact that they sell some lethal absinthe.
The cons include the weird tasting beer, the general dinginess, the frankly awful toilets, and the fact that it’s not all that cheap.
All in all, it’s a good/​bad experience — but, as I said earlier, it definitely is an experience.

What an awesome gem of a place!
i had stumbled across this aladins cave of absynth many a time in my earlier years whilst enjoying the otley run.
recently i wanted to have a birthday party somewhere different and intimate– it was the perfect place.
my friends loved it, drinks were cheap, i was able to play my own music and everyone had a great time!
i will recommend strawbs to everyone!

This place used to be passable, but sadly it hasn’t been done out for a long long time. The toilets are disgusting. My boyfriend even suggested I wait rather than risk it. I didn’t wiat and I understood exactly what he meant. The place is pretty stinky and while drinks are cheap it’s not really enough of a pull to get you to stay in there.
Just go right past it.
Oh, and despite what it says, it wasn’t on the original Otley Run, so you don’t HAVE to go in there.