Because your outfits deserve better than dirty mirrors and bad lighting
The mirror selfie; a great way to show off that brand new outfit while subtly bragging about how much fun you and your friends are having in the coolest venues in town.
Not all mirrors are created equally though, at the very least you want it to be clean so you don't have to give the "Dirty mirror, I'm not actually covered in goo" disclaimer. Lighting can be the difference between looking like a radiant goddess or a hungover corpse, and finally, you don't want to snap your perfect outfit in a backdrop that looks like the public bogs on Hyde Park. It also helps if the bar or restaurant you're in is decent, obvs.
We've scoured Leeds and found ten places that fit the bill and can help your selfies stand out from the crowd...
Iberica
Situated inside beautiful listed building Hepper House, every detail of the interiors in Iberica is super luxe and the bathrooms are no exception, boasting a large feature stone sink, traditional Spanish tiles and copper details.
You're spoilt for choice with so many types of mirror, even covering the ceiling in them, so you can snap away until you find the perfect one. If you skip the location tag and casually caption it ‘just popped over to Spain’ your followers wouldn’t suspect a thing...
Ham & Friends
Tucked in one of the last remaining Victorian shopping arcades in Leeds, Ham and Friends have gone all out with the interiors.
Taking advantage of Insta’s love of all things plant, the whole place features an abundance of leaves to selfie next to, including the bathroom’s Cole and Son covered walls. It also features an impressive range of different shaped and sized brassy gold mirrors, slick grey tiles and the all important Aesop hand balm.
Tattu
Tattu’s Instagram appeal is obvious from the moment you walk through the door and see an excess of pink cherry blossoms filling the restaurant. The bathrooms make for the brightest and most flattering light seen around Leeds, and the amount of selfie exposure they get on Instagram must make up for that high electricity bill.
The off white marble walls are the perfect backdrop and the choice of full length or short mirror is vital depending on how on point your outfit is.
Kendells
It wouldn’t be right if the most romantic restaurant in Leeds swapped their atmospheric, candlelit dining room for bright lights and minimal tables just to cater to your Instagram habits, and likewise in the bathrooms.
That’s probably why Kendells have gone for a Hollywood-style bathroom mirror that ensures you are extra illuminated, and the vintage posters and chandelier to add that classic French touch. Your attention will be firmly on each other rather than taking food pics, but you still get that all important date night selfie, best of both worlds.
The Reliance
A Leeds favourite and a must feature on any hipster IG, The Reliance is a chilled restaurant with welcoming atmosphere, mismatched chairs and bright, open windows.
On top of that, their mirrors are big enough to get your whole group into one selfie, or failing that, it’s the perfect size to show off your outfit head to toe, as perfectly demonstrated here.
Bar Privé, Dakota Deluxe
This glamorous, exclusive cocktail bar inside hotel Dakota Deluxe realises the importance of megawatt bulbs for ultimate flattering lighting, and provide enough to illuminate the pitch at Elland Road. Just like with the rooms and suites upstairs there's no shortage of attention to detail, with plenty of orchids, dark tiles and mahogany wood meaning the backdrop is almost good looking enough to distract from you. Almost.
Almost Famous
As if the OTT burgers, mega shakes and candy filled tables weren’t enough to satisfy your Instagram uploading needs, Almost Famous have provided super bright, coloured Hollywood mirrors for your selfie loving enjoyment. Just make sure you take it before eating, there’s no hiding smeared lipstick in this lighting...
Santiago
The lighting may be dark in Santiago, one Leeds’ most popular Dive Bars, but that only adds to the cool, moody vibe. The walls are scrawled with graffiti ranging from Ru Paul's Drag Race quotes to confessions of undying love, and angled mirrors which magically make three of you appear, because one of you just isn’t enough, can I get a amen?
Revoluction de Cuba
You can only imagine the strain on Instagram's servers every Saturday night from the Call Lane mirror selfies alone, so if you’re going to upload one, it’s got to be better than all the rest.
Green, leafy plants, beautifully tiled floors and walls, mirrors EVERYWHERE, seats for a ‘sit down’ selfie, uber flattering lighting and loads of space for you and your pals. Che Guevara? More like Slay Guevara.
Sukothai
Did you think Sukhothai's OTT, palatial opulence would end at the bathroom door? Their Chapel Allerton restaurant bathroom ticks all the boxes: dark, shiny tiles, pink flowers and green leaves, bright bulbs around each mirror and enough space to fit the whole of your and the squad.
