Bringing a whole new meaning to Sunday lunch, Honest Burgers is serving up a unique roast dinner burger inside Northern Monk Refectory.
Honest Burgers is opening a permanent store in Leeds this summer, but whilst construction and staff training takes place, the nationally renowned burger joint has taken over the kitchens at Northern Monk to give us a taste of what's in store.
A mouth-watering menu exclusive to Leeds is just one of the bonuses about the takeover.
There are no less than two burgers on the menu that you won't find in any of their fifty odd restaurants- and they embody everything it means to be a northerner, including our love for a Sunday roast.
The pop-up will remain at Northern Monk for the next two months. / Image: Honest Burgers
The Sunday Roast Dinner burger is a gravy-laden dream for anyone looking for a weekend foodie fix that can cure a hangover or act as a formal family dinner choice with respective interest.
The burger itself is a standard, but nonetheless delicious, meaty beef patty served pink, then piled high with all your typical roast dinner faves. Think cheesy leeks, horseradish cream, savoy cabbage, bacon gravy and bacon- there's even mini rosemary roasties hidden inside the soft brioche buns.
The Roast Dinner burger comes with gravy aplenty. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Offered originally as a National Burger Day special back in 2016, the secret recipe makes its way onto the menu for very special occasions only, according to the Honest Burgers team. Designed out of a love for cheese and veg on a roast dinner plate with cheddar, stilton and parmesan- this really is a unique combo you're unlikely to find anywhere else in Leeds.
This is a Sunday exclusive, but if you're after a mid-week burger fix, there's still a one-of-a-kind burger that combines all the best part of us northerners into one juicy lunchtime special.
The Northern Monk X Honest Burgers collab deserves prime place on the menu (and we're keeping all our fingers crossed that it becomes a permanent fixture at the Leeds restaurant later this year) with no less than two alcoholic infusions.
The Northern Monk X Honest Burgers collab. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
An Honest beef patty with bacon and Heathen IPA beer with cheese, Faith pale ale pickled onions, rocket and then a delectable combination of thick curry sauce and shoestring fries (like an elite version of chip stick on a sarnie).
Served with rosemary fries, coleslaw or salad, washing this one down with a pint of Northern Monk lager is optional, but highly recommended.
If this is the bar set for the new Leeds menu, we're really excited.
Northern Monk has a selection of fresh lagers and ales to wash your burger down with. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
The new restaurant is set to open on Cloth Hall Street this summer, but if you can't wait until then to get your hands on these drool-worthy burgers, paying a visit to the Northern Monk refectory is well worth the five minute walk
The kitchen will be open from 12pm-9pm every Tuesday – Saturday, with an earlier closing time of 6pm on a Sunday. For more information, including what else you'll find at the Leeds pop-up, visit the Honest Burgers website.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
Leeds
Huge outdoor bar Thor’s Tipi is returning to Leeds next month
Good news, Leeds - Thor's Tipi will be back in town before you know it for its summer pop-up.
The popular outdoor bar will be bringing spritzes, pints, live music, themed events and more to City Square once again.
Always a must-visit spot during the Leeds Christmas Markets, in recent years Thor's Tipi has come back to Leeds for the summer months too.
And it's the same in 2026 - the iconic tipi will be reopening next month, promising a free drink to the first 100 people through the door on opening night.
They're promising draft pints from plenty of local brewery favourites, like Northern Monk, plus a dedicated spritz menu.
Stand-out serves will include the indulgent Dr Pepper Cocktail.
Underneath the canvas and spilling out onto the terrace, Leeds will be treated to a lively programme of entertainment, including free live music showcasing local talent every Thursday between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Thor's Tipi in Leeds in 2025Cocktails at Thor's TipiThor's Tipi will return this summer
Every Friday, there'll be a new series of themed nights, taking you from the Wild West to a Hawaiian lūʻau and even a summer Oktoberfest.
And for families, there'll be everything from family raves, craft tables, and table tennis in the pocket park.
Amanda Monaghan, director at THOR’S, said: "We can’t wait to be back on City Square with our fire pits, ice-cold pints and giant glitter balls! We promise a summer of fun for all."
Thor's Tipi opens at City Square in Leeds on 14 May from 5pm, and will run until 31 August.
Kirkstall Brewery and Little Bao Boy unveil new Leeds taproom
Daisy Jackson
You know the venue, and you know the operators behind it, but things are looking a little different over on Sovereign Street.
Leeds' very own Kirkstall Brewery has teamed up with street food legends Little Bao Boy to totally reinvent the city centre taproom formerly known as North Taproom.
At the all-new The City Taproom, you'll find a way cosier space alongside their sun-soaked terrace, as they aim to reimagine a traditional city centre pub.
Across 16 tap lines there are loads of Kirkstall Brewery classics, like Kirkstall Pilsner, Virtuous and Judicious, plus a rotating selection of guest beers from top British breweries - and Guinness, of course.
The City Taproom will also feature two new cask lines: one serving Three Swords as a staple, and the other on rotation starting this month with Golden Hour.
There's a bigger kitchen for Little Bao Boy too, which means an even larger menu of bao and Asian street food, like loaded fries, noodles, and rice bowls.
Little Bao Boy was founded 10 years ago by James Ooi, specialising in home-made bao buns and traditional Asian street food with a contemporary western twist.
Kirkstall have injected the huge space with the traditional essence of a proper Kirkstall establishment, with that kind of cosy atmosphere you know them for at the brewery's other sites.
Little Bao Boy at City TaproomKirkstall Brewery pints and cocktails
This is yet another of the local brewery's openings in the city centre, joining their recent renovation of The Victoria & Commercial in partnership with Whitelocks, plus their stewardship of the historic Tetley brewery building.
James Ooi, founder of Little Bao Boy said: "We have been part of this venue since day one, through COVID, outside seating, and new owners, and we are so excited for this refurb.
"On the food side, expect more collaborations, faster service, and a better overall customer experience. We are extremely grateful Kirkstall saw the value in this refurb and can't wait to get back open."
Steve Holt, founder of Kirkstall Brewery, said: "We're delighted to unveil a new presentation for the Taproom on Sovereign Street.
"It has been named The City Taproom after a famous but long-gone Leeds pub known as ‘The City’, which was situated where the statue of the Dortmund Brewer now stands. Images of the original City pub are a feature in the new look City Taproom, which can best be described as a 're-imagination' of a traditional city-centre pub.
"The City Taproom celebrates Leeds and its rich pub and brewing heritage. We hope that it will become a popular addition to the amazing and diverse venues that make Leeds such a vibrant City for hospitality and entertainment."
It's all the bits you loved before, just a little bigger and a whole lot better.
The City Taproom opens at 3 Sovereign Street on Thursday 23 April.
Sophie Smith -
13th May 2022 
