'People are trying new things': Meet the man behind Leeds rooftop bar Uyare's flavour-first cocktail menu

When Uyare opened in Victoria Gate last June, expectations were understandably high.

The rooftop bar and restaurant was, after all, launched by the team behind one of Leeds’ most-loved eateries, Tharavadu.

But with a concept that puts just as much effort into its drinks selection as its food menu, Uyare has quickly established itself as one of the city's favourite new spots - and the rooftop terrace is the cherry on top.

The bar is headed by Dhanush Kumara Raju, 25, who never planned to become bar manager at a prestigious venue when he moved to Leeds to study economics.

“I started a part-time job in a bar in the city centre as a bar support, then I just found my passion there,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“I just love the industry. I just thought that hospitality and customer service is something for me. So then I learned about spirits. I got to know drinks, cocktail making, and it was really interesting for me how wide the industry is, and how much there is to learn.”

After working behind various bars, Dhanush decided it was time to turn his knowledge into a career. In early 2025, he found a job advert for a bar manager at a new rooftop bar in Leeds. The rest is history.

What sets Uyare apart from your regular cocktail bar, Dhanush says, is its emphasis on flavour, taking inspiration from seasonal ingredients and colours.

“There's freedom for creativity,” said Dhanush. “You're not just following a corporate template, how to run things, and there's freedom to be flexible with drinks, customer service, getting to know somebody, and to learn more things.

“Our current menu is more flavour-focused, so it reflects flavour rather than just being appearance-focused. We play around with seasonal fruits such as guava, lychee, mango, pear and avocado, things like that.

“To our benefit, [Kirkgate] Market is right across from us, so we just walk around and take inspiration from what's selling, what's new in the market, and what people are liking.”

Dhanush and the team at Uyare have also turned to Kerala for cocktail inspiration, with flavours such as jackfruit, curry leaf, banana leaf and coconut.

“So we have turned those flavours into cocktails for people to get into it, get to know the flavours and take a journey through southern India to know what it's like,” he explained.

“It comes with garnishes which pair with the cocktail itself, and those garnishes are made in our kitchen, and it reflects what Indian flavours to expect, which most people have not tried before.

“It gives people the space where they can try something new.”

The flavour combinations have proved a huge hit for Uyare. Dhanush said: “We have experimented with our curry sauce in the kitchen and turned it into a Bloody Mary, and people go, ‘Wow!’”

Dhanush has noticed that people are more adventurous these days. With Uyare's flavour-forward approach, customers might give a rum-based cocktail a try despite not usually liking rum.

“It's a good approach,” he said. “They are trying new things, they are getting into new things, and we do most of the classics here as well.

“People love to have a classic cocktail, and they speak to our staff, our bartenders, if they want to try something new, and we are always happy to make something to their liking, in their flavours, in whatever way they want it.”

But after crafting cocktails for guests soaking up the views from Uyare's rooftop terrace all summer, what's the bartender's own drink of choice?

“Before it used to be Spicy Mango Margarita. It's quite popular on our menu,” he said. “Now, I would say Guava. It's a blend of three different rums with guava. Very tropical, very refreshing.”

Whether visitors come for the rooftop views, the classic cocktails or the creative signatures inspired by Kerala, Dhanush and the team hope every guest leaves having tried something new.

This article is part of the Yorkshire Evening Post's Leeds Summer Served campaign, which shines a weekly spotlight on the city's hospitality scene.