Remember The Box's giant beer towers from the Euros? Well they're back.
The Box have locations in the city centre and Headingley, so you’re never far from a cold pint of Budweiser or a bottle of wine. You can grab 2-for-1 cocktails, a 20% student discount and a pornstar martinis, served by the stein here too but if that’s not enough, they're showing the Six Nations games in style.
At nearly a metre high, the towers of beer here are absolutely huge and available during Six Nations games. They also add a little bit of fun in that you can pour your own pints from them at your table.
Drinkers in Leeds can get their hands on the giant towers at Box bar, an award-winning sports bar with two sites in Leeds: one in the city centre and the other in Headingley. If you’re spending a day out in the suburbs watching the sports fixtures, this is definitely the spot to be.
As well as serving up the giant towers of beer, the bar will also be dishing out their legendary BOX pizzas and a whole menu of Six Nations inspired food.
Image: The Box
On the menu is a double beef burger, garlic mushrooms, crispy onions, deep fried Brie and peppercorn sauce. Inspired by the Parisian streets and the beautiful game everyone has come together to watch, the Burger De Paris is guaranteed to be a bestseller this month.
Wales is celebrated with some deliciously loaded fries. Expect triple-cooked chips, spiced lamb, cheesy creamed leeks, crispy onions and with a signature spicy sauce drizzled over the top.
Obviously us Brits got fish and chips and we’re not complaining about getting our hands on those crispy cod bites, triple-cooked chips with tartare and curry sauce. The perfect food for a sports bar is small, picky food that can be chomped down at half time or grazed on as the match goes on and this dish is the epitome of both these options.
Italy got the pizza dish, surprisingly. This isn’t your regular margarita though, expect a basil pesto base with fior di latte, roast cherry tomatoes, mascarpone and rocket on top. You’ve got the colours of the Italian flag, all using traditional ingredients: not a bad choice for a mid-match snack.
Naturally, Ireland’s menu item was an alcoholic beverage with whiskey in. The Irish mule is a concoction of Slane Irish Whiskey, ginger ale and orange that’ll transport you to the backstreets of Dublin in no time. The Scottish option is also booze-based, but this one comes in the form of a refreshing spritz. Think Johnnie Walker Black label, Cocchi Americano, honey, apple and topped with ice and soda.
Image: The Box
If the specials aren’t for you, other menu items to try here include their crispy fried katsu chicken pizza and long-standing BOX favourites like their towering Boxster burger, chicken shawarma kebab and steak frites.
The pub is showing all the Six Nations games with commentary, and bookings are very much recommended – although the venue does promise that every seat in BOX has a solid view of the action.
Let’s be honest, you’ll probably want something to wash all that beer down with.
One of Leeds' most popular independent bakeries has addressed a recent one-star review, which slammed them for being sold out of sandwiches.
Silver's Bakehouse, which comes from the same team behind Silver's Deli, suggested that the reviewer should 'work on their manners'.
The review hit out at the Farsley bakery for being sold out of sandwiches by the time they travelled 'an 80 minute round trip', describing owner Chris Riley as a 'silly man'.
The reviewer said they have been 'loyal high-spending customers since the first one opened' but wrote that they won't be visiting Silver's again after being left empty-handed.
They wrote: "It's all very good being mr instagram but things can go south very quickly silly man, make more sandwiches if you are going to be sold out in the first hour, don't risk the disappointment!!!"
Silver's Bakehouse has now publicly shared and responded to the review, stressing that they won't tolerate 'rudeness' and detailing the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
He said: "Let me explain again for you, David…
Inside Silver's Bakehouse in Farsley. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
"We start baking at 5am and rarely finish before 6pm. Everything is made fresh, by hand, often taking days to prepare, in a very small bakery. You can literally see how small it is - and we utilise every inch.
"We make as much as we physically can. Sometimes we sell out earlier than we’d like, and we’re incredibly grateful that so many people want what we make. But there is, unfortunately, a limit to how much we can produce.
"For the record, I’m not overly enthused about being “Mr Instagram” - what a truly horrendous phrase to conjure up. I managed to avoid it for years, but needs must and all that.
"I am genuinely grateful for your custom, David. Rudeness, however, I’m considerably less enthusiastic about.
"So yeah, we’ll keep working hard. You keep working on those manners."
Major plans announced for Leeds Christmas Markets 2026 – food, drinks, stalls and more
Thomas Melia
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just two months' time and some major plans and changes have been announced.
Although Pop Princess Zara Larsson might want us to believe "Summer isn't over yet", it's safe to say that the recent downpours we've had across West Yorkshire disagree.
Leeds Christmas Markets are also ringing in the new season with a jam-packed video posted to social media announcing all the current plans and changes for its 2026 schedule.
This year, outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi are stepping up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular and are organising a celebration where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November with plenty of Yorkshire-centric stalls / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
In a video uploaded to its social accounts, foodie expert and Little Bao Boy Founder James 'Jimmy Chews' Ooi was given the honour of revealing all these exciting plans.
Informing everyone that "You best come hungry", Ooi noted that some of the phenomenal vendors taking part include La Grassa and The Savvy Baker.
Real Markets Yorkshire and Stump Cross Caverns are also getting into the Christmas spirit and setting up their own stalls at Leeds City Square this November.
La Grassa is just one of many familiar foodie faces returning to Leeds Christmas Markets / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Rated restaurants and bars are contributing to the festive frenzy too, like Cabaret Thursdays at Italian restaurant Bibi's and beer garden destination Green Room are hosting singalongs at Leeds Christmas Markets.
There will be plenty of activities for families happening all around the unofficial capital of West Yorkshire like elf-themed scavenger hunts, various elves on various shelves and lots of live music.
If it wasn't apparent already, in the words of Jimmy Chews himself, there's about to be "So much Christmas that Mariah Carey is going to look like the Grinch".
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November and there will be plenty of exciting announcements to the upcoming celebrations ahead of the big day.
Sophie Smith -
7th February 2022 
