Flight Club, Leeds – Review
By Steve Crabtree, November 2024
Even though loads of people talk about how good Flight Club is, sometimes you get caught off guard by how good a simple concept is.
This place used to be a bit of a well-kept secret. “What’s Flight Club?” used to be the question. But not anymore. Now it’s “How good is Flight Club?”
Yes – it’s now a hotspot, loved by loads. Even at 7.15pm on a Tuesday evening. That’s the time we were booked in for – three of us, all on our first visit, ready for a bit of darts, some Christmas cocktails and some festive nibbles.
Vibe and Charm
Now, I have been to its sister club Electric Shuffle in the same building, and when you walk into this place you can tell how closely related the two venues are. It’s got the same vibe and charm, same clean lines and a traditional feel about it. The decor is something else – some would say “whimsical” but that’s not a word I ever use. It’s a very high-quality interior, and a far-cry from some of these quickly put-together concept bars that pop up at a rate of knots in cities up and down the country.
Matching the lovely interior was a lovely welcome as we arrived. Our oche was ready, and our gamesmaster led us through to this semi-private area, which had seating, a dartboard (good job…!), a camera, and a control screen. She handed us a set of darts and gave us a quick, but informative introduction to the games, the controls, and how to get ourselves all set up.
It was easy, and looked quite exciting. Jim Bowen would have loved this…
“Bring on the competition”
Myself, and my friends Michael and Pete all need glasses or contact lenses, but I’d been promised that Pete was freakishly good at anything where aim is needed. I felt my competitive edge stiffen somewhat…even though I’ve barely thrown a dart before.
We registered our names, snapped a quick photo for the leaderboard and went straight into Demolition – the first of six fun but competitive darts games that you can play.
Demolition is based on the normal game of darts, but a little easier. You have a tower of small pieces, and for every point you get on the board, you knock some of these pieces out. The winner is the first to demolish their tower, by ending on an exact score (no doubles needed…phew!)
It was a nice way to start the game and, yep, Pete won the first game quite easily.
“Snacks and sips done right”
We’d barely begun our first game when the first of four cocktails arrived, alongside our nibbles for the evening.
The Sleigh My Margherita is £11.95, as are all the cocktails. There was a hefty amount of tequila in this glass that gave it some kick, alongside pomegranate, blackberry liquor and a little more. It was nice, and a good choice to start with.
On the plates we had Crispy Brie (£7), Pigs In Blankets (£7) and Pork Belly Bites (£9). Generous in portions, and straight out of the pan! Piping hot, and very tasty. These festive snacks are great to graze on whilst you’re playing (but wipe your hands before you throw) and I have to say the pork belly bites were absolutely delicious. Tender goodness, and the highlight of the selection for me,. Needless to say, we polished the lot off, and we needed that fuel for the next few games of ‘arras.
“More than just darts”
As the Red Velvet cocktails arrived (vodka, raspberry and vanilla) we were about to start the Donkey Derby game. As it happens, the cocktail and the game turned out to be my favourites of the night.
Donkey Derby is like the game of the same name that you play at the seaside. Your horse has a number, and you’ve to hit your number on the dart board to move your donkey along the racetrack. Hit a single, you move one spot. A double moves you two, and a treble…you get the drift.
The thing we loved about this is being able to do the dirty on your mates. Hit their number, and they go back a spot. Hit their treble, they go back three. Take that, Pete! We had lots of fun on that one, playing it a few times. As for the Red Velvet cocktail…smooth and fruity – and very refreshing. The texture giving it the Velvet title.
Tonight was proving to be a very good evening, with a lot of laughter.
“Having a blast”
As the night whizzed by, so did the games. Quackshot earns you points by knocking ducks over by getting as close to the bull as possible. And Snakes and Ladders lets you play the well-known board game by using the dart board as a dice. Bull = 6, outer bull = 5….and so on. Great fun, what a good idea!
The next two cocktails were delicious too. The Winter Hugo Spritz was light and refreshing (Elderflower), and the Mistletoe and Pear was a special drink – made from Greygoose pear vodka.
We were having a blast at Flight Club, and the action replays you get when you hit a great shot adds to the fun. Michael and I were usually caught rolling our eyes at Pete’s accuracy, whilst he giggled uncontrollably at his excellence! (You get the best bits and highlights emailed to you after the event too.)
Our evening was over very quickly, but we’d had a brilliant night. Everything had been great at Flight Club, from the service to the drinks and the food and, without doubt, to the gaming.
It isn’t just about throwing darts here. It’s so much more. And, anyone in Leeds looking for an evening that combines sport, festive spice, and lots of fun, Flight Club is your go-to.
Flight Club
123 The Headrow, Leeds LS1 XYZ
Sun – Wed: 16:00 – 00:00
Thu: 16:00 – 01:00
Fri – Sat: 11:00 – 02:00
