We've found a way to support Leeds' foodie scene and enjoy a host of exclusive menus in the process.
Eat Leeds Restaurant Week is back for another round of incredible menus that cover everything from a £5 lunch to hearty three course dinners- each with an exciting spin on the classic menus offered at some of Leeds' favourite restaurants.
Taking place from Monday 20 February 2023 over the course of one week until Sunday 26 February 2023, this foodie-fuelled celebration of Leeds' favourite spots allows you to taste-test plenty of good grub.
There's five different price points to look out for: starting at a fiver and working its way up to luxury meals for £25, the idea is that there's something for everyone.
Banyan has three sites participating in Eat Leeds Restaurant Week. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Food from around the world at every possible budget for those looking to eat out this month- really what more could you ask for?
The process of bagging yourself these exclusive Restaurant Week deals couldn't be simpler either.
All you have to do is head over to the Eat Leeds website and download your voucher to use in the restaurant itself.
Here's a few of our top picks that we'll be taking full advantage of over the week itself.
Zaap Thaiwill be offering a delectable selection in the city centre. Choose from two courses of authentic Thai cuisine, including the likes of Moo Yang, Thai fish cakes, Pad Thai Bo Ran and green Thai curry- plus a drink of house beer, wine or a soft drink for just £15.
Meanwhile fine-dining restaurant and hotelDakota is sharing an exclusive menu featuring flavoursome bratwursts, spiced corn-fed chicken, yuzu sorbet, artisan cheese and, our personal choice, a delicious-sounding woodland mushroom tart with black truffle and parmesan. Eat Leeds Restaurant Week is a rare opportunity to get yourself a three course meal here for £25, or two courses for £20 - and judging by the menu it's worth every penny.
Harvey Nichols' Fourth Floor Brasserie also features on Eat Leeds Restaurant Week with some beautifully-presented dishes. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
I Am Döner, by contrast, has a £5 kebab menu designed to bring the best of the late night kebab cravings into the daytime - and there's bags more flavour here than you'll find in any you've tucked into at 3am. Choose from classic doner, chicken, halloumi, falafel or vegan Voner Seitan stuffed with tomato, feta, onion and all the roasted Mediterranean veggies you could imagine.
Instagrammable restaurantFleur from Masterchef constestant Bobby Geetha will be offering two different menus over the week. Choose from Bang Bang Sticky Chicken Wings or tuck into a chicken keema cheese naan or Californian eggs under a roof of a thousand paper butterflies, it's simply beautiful (and the food too).
Aagrah will be offering two courses, a side and a drink for £25. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
It's not just the city centre that you can find these exclusive menus either. Over in Kirkstall,Pizza Freak will be treating customers to a £15 two course menu andAagrah in Chapel Allerton is serving up award-winning Kashmiri cuisine for £25, including drink and side serving.
Banyan in Leeds City Square, Roundhay and Horsforth also has a menu that's well worth taking advantage of. Mac 'N' Cheese with a Marmite crumb is our personal choice but there's loads to choose from including Korean fried chicken burger, crispy duck baos and the avocado and sumac hummus- and you can grab all this for £15-£20 depending on how many courses you choose.
Mac 'N' Cheese from Banyan. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
So clearly no matter what you're craving, you'll be more than well fed during Eat Leeds Restaurant Week, and with all sorts of price points, you're sure to find the perfect eat-out meal that gives you that wonderful full-belly feeling, and support the local Leeds foodie scene at the same time.
You can find the full list of participating restaurants and offers on theEat Leeds website here.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
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Jarvis Cocker and Kim Sion to curate special art exhibition titled ‘The Hodge Podge’ at The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield is joining forces with Jarvis Cocker and his wife Kim Sion to create a one-of-a-kind art exhibition.
And it's got the best name ever, titled 'The Hodge Podge'.
This exciting new exhibition (opening in May 2027) will include artists who have challenged mainstream ideas about what can be considered 'art'.
It will invite unlikely conversations between artists such as Jeremy Deller, Peter Doig, Barbara Hepworth, Klara Kristalova, Emma Kunz, Mark Leckey and Agnes Pelton, as well as unknown outsider and visionary artists never exhibited before in UK public museums.
Focusing on alternative means of expression, the structures of class and how communities are able to come together outside of religious or high-brow contexts, Cocker and Sion are keen to explore alternative spiritualities, psychedelia, fandom, dreams, poetry and music.
Laura Smith, Artistic Director of The Hepworth Wakefield comments: "Jarvis Cocker has a long-held interest in art, attending St Martin’s College of Art & Design in the early 1990s, and as a Yorkshireman, felt like the ideal person to work with to consider a fresh way of thinking about and experiencing art.
"The art that he and Kim have gathered together in The Hodge Podge will encourage the feelings of joy, marvel and curiosity that great works of art can inspire and offer our audiences an expanded idea of creativity and community. We are thrilled to be working with Jarvis and Kim on this incredibly exciting exhibition."
In Cocker and Sion’s The Hodge Podge Manifesto, the couple state that te exhibition provides ‘an opportunity to understand where that creative urge comes from and what it can do for you… You’d be a fool to miss it.’
Tickets for The Hodge Podge: Jarvis Cocker & Kim Sion curate The Hepworth Wakefield go on sale later this year and you can find them here.
Leeds International Festival of Ideas announces first wave of BIG names for 2026 festival
Emily Sergeant
Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI) has announced its first wave of big names on the lineup for the 2026 festival this autumn.
Returning to the city in October, LIFI is set to bring together some of the most innovative and thought-provoking minds from around the world for five days of talks, panels, and ideas that encourage conversation, connection, and curiosity - with the first three speakers having been announced today as Tim Minchin, Ashley James, and Dr Mya-Rose Craig.
The festival, which'll be taking place 6-10 October at Leeds Playhouse, says it's 'delighted' to reveal the first three names on the bill.
Tim Minchin is a musician, writer, actor and comedian, and the multiple Olivier and Helpmann Award-winning, Tony and Grammy nominated composer-lyricist of two stage musicals - including the beloved Matilda the Musical.
At LIFI26, he is set to bring three decades of songwriting, storytelling, and sharp social commentary to the stage.
LIFI26 has announced its first three speakers / Credit: Supplied
Ashley James is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of BIMBO and a social and political commentator on ITV's This Morning, and her LIFI26 appearance promises a 'frank, funny, and fearless' contribution to an important conversation.
Finally, Dr Mya-Rose Craig is an environmentalist and race activist campaigning for equal access to nature, to stop biodiversity loss and climate change, and to ensure global climate justice, and she's set to bring a vital voice to LIFI26 on the intersections of nature, equality, and the future of our planet.
"We're thrilled to be back for another exciting year of LIFI, and these first three names set the tone for what's to come," commented Festival Director Martin Dickson as the first three speakers were announced.
"Tim, Ashley and Mya-Rose each bring something truly different - music and satire, feminism, and cultural commentary, environmental activism and youth voice.
"LIFI26 is shaping up to be our most ambitious programme yet, and we can't wait to bring it to Leeds Playhouse this October."
LIFI26 will take place from 6-10 October 2026 at Leeds Playhouse, and is brought to the city by LeedsBID and Welcome to Leeds, supported by Weightman, City of Maths, Pinsent Mason, and AV Matrix.
The full programme announcement is expected on 3 June, with tickets going on priority sale on 4 June and general sale on 10 June.
All the latest LIFI26 information can be found online here.
Sophie Smith -
24th January 2023 
