The 212 Café & Bar is a hangout for music and art lovers...
“212 was the first international dialling code given to New York – so, that’s where the name comes from because our music background is very New York based. The interior slightly reflects New York and skateboarding, because that’s my background as well,” Jacob told us, “I used to skate down at The Works a few years ago.”
Inspired by music and their other passions, Jacob and Booma put house, disco, art and skateboarding scenes into a blender to create The 212 Cafe & Bar, a new Leeds bar experience where other like minded people can hang out and enjoy the music that shaped them.
The business has proved to be a big accomplishment and learning experience for the pair, who aimed to get the bar up and running in Leeds just three weeks after they were handed the keys. Jacob is still doing bits of DIY to add to the character of the place, as he told us, “We’ve had support from really good friends who have helped us do things and told us how to do things, great people that have worked behind the scenes.”
When you walk through 212 Cafe & Bar’s doors you’ll be greeted by a modern space that feels open and inviting. Dominated by neutral walls and a natural wood bar and flooring, your eyes are drawn to the pieces which sum up their influences so well – the colourful skateboard inspired Stewart Melrose ‘illuskate’ tables and the vibrant pillar by the DJ booth which was designed by local artist Nicolas Dixon.
“We are not going to be one of those bars where, when you walk in, you’ve got ten different rums and ten different vodkas. The drink vibe is to basically have two bottles of something really decent and then you can chose between the two,” Jacob told us. You’ll find Asahi and Whitstable Bay Pale Ale on tap and they’ll also be serving up Dancing Goat coffee.
With no space for a kitchen, you won’t find the usual Leeds pub grub at 212 Cafe & Bar, but Jacob assured us, “We’re going to outsource for cakes and cookies, it’ll be a coffee and cake type thing. If you’re lucky, you might get a packet of crisps, one day.”
As for the music, the pair are very hands on too, taking on DJ duties with the help of London based Luke Solomon, Moody Manc, who, you guessed it, is from Manchester and other local Leeds DJs. All weekend you’ll find DJs events where you can listen to an eclectic range of house, jazz, disco, electronica, funk and other beats from around the globe.
When it comes to music, Jacob and Booma know their stuff. So you can trust that they’ve put the same care and consideration into the system at 212 Cafe & Bar. Jacob told us, “You’ll be very hard pushed to find a sound system and a DJ booth of this quality in the UK. I’ll put my balls on the line and say that… in a bar! You’ll find a better one in a club, but not a bar.”
With so much going into the ‘experience’ 212 Cafe & Bar definitely stands out from the crowd. Next time you’re on the crawl, be sure to pay them a visit.
