Eats

All the food and drink events over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend in Leeds

Bottomless afternoon tea anyone?

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 25th May 2022

The best places to eat, drink, afternoon tea and bottomless brunch...

All the best things to do in Leeds are often centred around food and drink- and the hospitality scene really know the way to out hearts. Expect plenty of free-flowing fizz, afternoon tea aplenty and themed bottomless brunches over the four-day weekend.

Keep reading to find out where we think will have some of the best foodie experiences over the four day weekend...

Four Hour Bottomless Afternoon Tea

Friday 3 June 2022, 11.30am - 3.30pm | Royal Armouries, Leeds Dock

Image: Le Chalet

Royal Armouries is hosting the longest bottomless we've ever seen. A whopping four-hour long bottomless experience is available over the four-day weekend in true royal style. Expect an afternoon tea inside one of Leeds' most historic centres with live jazz music and food and drink supplied by Leeds' own French tea room, Le Chalet.

Tickets cost from £55 per person in attendance, and covers the entire four hour experience.

Find out more here.

Yard & Coop Royal Varieties Drag Afternoon Tea

Friday 3 June 2022, 12-2pm | Yard & Coop, Merrion Street

Image: Yard & Coop

From the creators of the 12 inch ‘Massive C*ck’ burger comes afternoon tea in true dirty bird style at Merrion Street’s favourite fried chicken restaurant and bar. Expect three layers of crunchy, sweet, savoury and all round delicious servings, starting with a huge bowl of fries with buttermilk fried chicken and crispy smoked bacon.

If that wasn’t enough, sweet treats come in the shape of Kinder Bueno cookie pie and dulce de leche sea salted brownies with marshmallows, fresh strawberries and oozing with chocolate sauce laden over the desserts.

Each afternoon tea ticketcomes with a cocktail of your choice before watching in awe of a fabulous Royal Variety spin-off performance set to shake the whole house down.

Yard & Coop have said: “Dedecked and bejewelled in their finest Crown Jewels, they gonna sashay, shantay, fried chicken on the runway. Regal realness” is to be expected, and for a more than reasonable price of £25, this exciting event is set to sell out quickly.

Find out more here.

Mans Market Afternoon Jubli-Chi

Friday 3 June – Saturday 4 June 2022, 2-5pm | West Point, Wellington Street

afternoon tea on a tray.
Image: The Hoot Leeds

Having been highly recommended by the Sunday Times, we’re convinced that Mans Market has received nothing but glowing reviews since its opening, but it’s their Afternoon Chi concept that’s got us talking non-stop about dim sum in 2022. Now bringing their unique concept to the Jubilee weekend, the popular restaurant will host a special Jubilee weekend afternoon tea, aptly named ‘Jubi-Chi’.

Based on the traditional afternoon tea, Mans Market have replaced those boring finger sandwiches and petit fours with all your favourite dishes to create the ultimate afternoon experience- with plenty of booze included.

Think handfuls of Chicken Gyoza, Pork War Tip Dumplings, Mushroom Corn and vegan-friendly Bamboo Dumplings, each swirled and dunked into sweet chilli or soy sauce before making your way onto vegan spring rolls and snack on Lotus Crisps with chilli and spring onions. This really is the epitome of a unique afternoon tea, perfect for all Chinese food connoisseurs and those that love a bit of dim sum after a few drinks with respective interest.

Find out more here.

Chow Down

Wednesday 1 June – Sunday 5 June 2022 | Temple Arches

Image: The Hoot Leeds

Across a whopping five days, Chow Down will be hosting a Jubilee extravaganza like no other. Expect Jubilee-themed cocktails, street food from Parmogeddon, Cleopatra’s Kitchen and Good Boy Bodega whilst listening to tunes from some of Chow Down’s favourite performers and brand-new musicians alike.

Performing on the Wednesday at a free-to-attend evening, Ninety Nine will take the stage whilst The List Festival will takeover the main stage on Thursday 2 June with Apricot Ballroom, James Holroyd, J Cub, Tom PBR Streetgang and Tracks Magazine.

For the full line-up over the weekend, visit Chow Down’s Instagram page.

Find out more about Chow Down here.

Banyan Jubilee Bottomless Brunch

Sunday 5 June 2022, 12-4pm | City Square, Leeds City Centre

Image: Banyan

Proudly going over the top with Great British decor with “all the British paraphernalia you could wish for and a cracking Best of British soundtrack”, Banyan is hosting a Jubilee bottomless that even royalty couldn’t pass up.

Loyal Banyan fans will be familiar with the drink options of Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s (only available on the brunch menu) Aperol Spritz, Poached Pear Spritz, Coors and Garibaldis but if that wasn’t enough choice already, both new menus now feature two new alcoholic additions. The Apricot and Grapefruit Fizz and the Strawberry Spritz are new, summery cocktails that will be absolutely perfect for the warmer weather.

The summer menu also boasts Korean Fried Chicken Burgers, or there’s the new Onion Bhaji wrap which is sure to fill you up (and it’s vegan). The upgrades still include old favourites like the Alpine Chicken Schnitzel and the Steak Frites, so no matter how hungry you are, or what you’re fancying, you’re sure to find a dish that tastes amazing and lines your stomach.

Find out more here.

City-wide Street Party Street Food

Thursday 2 June – Sunday 5 June 2022 | Leeds City Centre

From Thursday 2 June – Sunday 5 June 2022, some of the city’s best nightlife destinations like Call Lane, Greek Street and Merrion Street. Joining Lower Briggate, New Briggate and the newly opened Cookridge Street, the chosen street party destinations will offer the best of British summertime events like BBQs, street food trucks and live music over the celebratory weekend

Best of all- the street parties will be free to attend around the city and there’s no pre-booking required. Simply turn up and join Loiners in their masses at the four-day long celebrations.

Find out more here.

Eats

A Leeds icon has been reborn as The Smithfield opens in former The Reliance site

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Smithfield has painted this iconic unit red again

The Smithfield is finally here - and we're pleased to report that it's every bit as special as you were hoping.

This newcomer to Leeds has taken over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades.

The team's transformation of the site started with a paint job - probably the most-talked-about paint job in the city - taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red.

That move immediately won over fans of The Reliance, with one person writing: "Seems the team here held the Relly in high regard and rightly so! Hopefully they can recapture some of its magic."

But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.

The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, is setting out to mix up relaxed hospitality with simple dining.

It's all about connection - to seasonal food, to the heritage of the building, and to the community that will make connections here.

Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The Smithfield
Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The Smithfield
The Reliance has been reborn as The Smithfield
The Reliance has been reborn as The Smithfield
Wayward Wines
Wayward Wines
The dining room
The dining room

If you're wondering what sort of things will be on the table, allow us to enlighten you.

There are sharing plates like grilled leeks on romesco, pigs head croquettes (a must-order), and whipped cods roe with radishes, all served on charming mismatched plates.

The bigger dishes include a comically massive pie for sharing, packed with chicken, leek, and tarragon. It's a mighty thing, especially paired with their crispy-edged chips.

You can also order a whole wild Cornish seabass for a real feast, or a fantastic beef sirloin with wild garlic butter.

There's a fantastic selection of natural wines from Wayward Wines, as well as (unsurprisingly) great beers.

Steak, pie, and charred leeks
Steak, pie, and charred leeks
A spread of the plates at The Smithfield
A spread of the plates at The Smithfield
Sticky toffee pudding
Sticky toffee pudding
The Smithfield has taken over the old The Reliance
The Smithfield has taken over the old The Reliance
Pigs head croquettes with gribiche
Pigs head croquettes with gribiche
The chicken and tarragon sharing pie
The chicken and tarragon sharing pie
A sharing pie and chips at The Smithfield
A sharing pie and chips at The Smithfield
Beef sirloin with wild garlic butter, and purple sprouting broccoli with ricotta and mint
Beef sirloin with wild garlic butter, and purple sprouting broccoli with ricotta and mint
Wild Cornish seabass with kohlrabi, fennel, and chervil - plus an orange wine from Wayward Wines
Wild Cornish seabass with kohlrabi, fennel, and chervil - plus an orange wine from Wayward Wines
The Smithfield is now open
The Smithfield is now open

Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, and his business partner chef James Donovan, were drawn to the old The Reliance site and are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the area's dining legacy.

While Steve's focus is on creating a social meeting point, James will focus on the casual, social dining, taking inspiration from the building's reputation as a cutting-edge gastro pub.

They'll be sourcing seasonally and locally, with menus that will change with the seasons.

The space itself inside is still familiar - those huge windows are the stars of the show, with the bar still standing centrally, while the dining room at the back is stripped-back and simple overlooking the open kitchen.

It's very early days for The Smithfield - they're just out of their soft launch period and gearing up for their first 'proper' weekend.

On their soft launch period, they wrote: "We were so grateful to welcome friends, neighbours, and the Leeds hospitality community to The Smithfield. Seeing the bar and dining room full after weeks of cleaning, painting, and graft has truly made it all worth it.

"A huge thank you to everyone who came along, showed their support, and has made this journey possible. Not least the Kitchen and bar teams, whose incredible service has kept the plates coming and the drinks flowing."

We feel pretty confident in saying Leeds will be very proud to have The Smithfield in our city.

Read more

Featured image: The Hoot Leeds

Eats

In pictures – Mexican restaurant Madre opens up in Leeds at last

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Madre is one of those few restaurants that has been making us jealous of Manchester for years - but finally, it’s Leeds’ turn. 

A couple of months after the launch of Salon Madre, a colourful pool hall and taqueria, it’s time for Leeds to welcome its sister restaurant. 

Madre will open its doors on Wellington Place this week, promising to educate us all in the art of ‘sobremesa’, which means to linger at the table long after the meal is over. 

And trust us, after popping in for a sneak peek today, you won’t be in a rush to leave this place. 

The unit has been totally transformed by the Madre team - it’s all jagged angles on the tables and soft curves on the walls, with a colour palette that goes all the way from deep terracotta to neon green. 

From an open kitchen you can see the team constructing tacos and piling oysters with jalapeño mignonette and salsa brava. 

The menu is split neatly into four sections - snacks (elote, wings, Caesar salad and guac); raw (oysters, tuna tostadas, and aguachile); tacos (including birria); and parilla (wood-fired dishes like BBQ octopus and slow cooked lamb breast).

Click through the gallery below to see inside Madre Leeds

Madre Leeds
Madre Leeds
A selection of the Madre Leeds menu
A selection of the Madre Leeds menu
Dishes at Madre in Leeds
Dishes at Madre in Leeds
Margaritas
Margaritas are a must
Madre will open on Wellington Place
Beef birria tacos
Beef birria tacos
Fire-roasted mushrooms with egg yolk
Fire-roasted mushrooms with egg yolk
Madre opens in Leeds this week
Madre opens in Leeds this week
Bone marrow
Bone marrow
Madre on Wellington Place
Madre on Wellington Place
Oysters with salsa
Oysters with salsa

Pull up a seat at a tile-topped table and you can expect to dig into everything from rich Oaxacan-inspired moles and salsas to Baja-style mariscos and Sonoran grilled meats.

Pop down on a Tuesday and you can take advantage of Madre’s two-for-one taco deal - we can’t really think of a better evening than tucking into dinner at Madre before heading across the road for happy hour margs and a game of pool at Salon Madre. 

Madre is brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan.

Madre is officially open from Friday 17 April. 

Read more: The best record shops in and around Leeds for vinyl shopping and more

Featured image: The Hoot Leeds

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