The Lunar New Year is here - how are you planning to celebrate the Year of the Horse?
Tuesday 17 February is a date you'll want to have marked in your calendar, regardless of whether you're celebrating the Lunar New Year or not. The date marks the first day of the the year in the lunar calendar, and as such is a time to celebrate.
Leeds, as always, is bringing the best of the new year in with hearty menus, killer cocktails and a whole range of dining options made especially to help you celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Here's our top picks for foodies to enjoy during the Lunar New Year.
Bánh & Mee
Open from 11am | Inside Leeds Kirkgate Market
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Serving up traditional Banh Mi with Siagon Noodles, Pho and summer rolls aplenty, Banh & Mee has become a real city centre staple - and it's easy to see why.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year with a giant balloon mascot called Chilli, hungry diners are invited to head down for a taste of authentic Vietnamese food this weekend, and make sure to try some of Mama Nguyen’s 3rd generation broth, noodle soup.
A hidden gem sitting in plain sight, Wen’s feels like one of those ‘if you know, you know’ spots and we are certainly all the better for knowing.The menu is extensive and allows for multiple visits to try out all of the goodness on offer, and we are certainly not complaining.
The portions are generous and perfect for sharing, Wen’s is the place to bond with friends and family over wonderful food that won’t set you back a pretty penny. And if you need any help choosing from the menu, The Dandan Noodles can only be described as a hug in a bowl, served swimming in a bowl of rich, savoury broth and topped with a mound of delicious pork mince and crunchy spring onions.
Tattu
Open from 12pm | East Parade, Leeds city centre
Image: The Hoot Leeds
As one of four locations in the UK, Tattu Leeds hosts a range of cuisine, including the Char Sui Monkfish with a delicious honey glaze, served with morning glory, caramel orange and pickled cucumber, which is due to land on their menu soon. Cocktail-wise, you're really spoilt for choice, but one to take advantage of during the new year celebrations is the gin, almond, lemon, umeshu and jasmine tea combination that makes up Firecracker, which is said to be inspired by the dance of the dragons.
Little Bao Boy
North Brewing Tap Room, Leeds city centre
Those steamed dumplings that we all know and love are a variation of a dish called mantou from Northern China and Little Bao Boys have got the modern version down to a tee. You'll find them at either North Brew Co venue in the city centre and we guarantee their small but tasty menu will have something for everyone.
MANS Market
Friday 20 January - Sunday 22 January 2023 | West Point, Wellington Street
Celebrating Chinese New Year with traditional cuisine is our favourite hidden Chinese restaurant, Mans Market. Tucked away downstairs in the city centre, their authentic menu has always got us wanting more and no doubt their new year menu will be just the same.
Crown Hot Pot
Open from 12pm | Back Blenheim Terrace, Woodhouse
Hidden inside a supermarket across the road from University of Leeds’ Parkinson Building, Crown Hot Pot is the true definition of a hidden gem.
Here, you get the chance to cook your own food- and all within seconds of entering the boiling dish. The idea is that each table orders from a seemingly endless choice of meats, served by the metre, and then select smaller portions of noodles, salads and dumplings to compliment the serving.
Take your heatproof chopsticks and dunk each meat into the bubbling pot and watch an near-instant transformation from raw pinks to juicy cooked meats. We’re talking 10-20 seconds for pork, and just a few minutes for sausages and meatballs: it’s truly a blink and you’ll miss it experience. Prawns and pork belly both come highly recommended, but Crown Hot Pot truly match your meaty preferences to ensure that each member of your table is well-fed.
Maxi's Rotisserie
Open from 11am, Kirkgate market
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If you're looking for some real authentic Cantonese cuisine then there's no where better than Maxi's in Kirkgate market. The best roasted meats, french toast and comforting steamed dumplings. Make sure you've got your wallet with you though, as they only take cash.
Noodle House
Upper Briggate
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If you're looking for fresh, handmade noodles and banging roast meats then you can't go wrong with Noodle House. It's got a huge menu to choose from and plenty of seats for you to sit back and relax whilst tucking into some authentic grub.
Featured images - The Hoot Leeds
Eats
Inside Leeds’ new neighbourhood bakehouse from the team behind Silver’s Deli
Silver's Bakehouse is finally here, and it's just as fabulous as we'd hoped.
Just when you thought Leeds’ favourite sandwich spot couldn't get any better, they go and open a bakery.
Silver's Bakehouse has opened its beautiful pastel green doors today over in Farsley to queues of excited fans eager to get their first taste.
So, what's on offer at Silver's Bakehouse?
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Well, as masterminds of the almighty sandwich you'll be happy to know you can still get one here. However, their iconic sub sarnies have had an Italian makeover and are now served in fresh, springy sourdough which is baked onsite.
Elsewhere on the menu you'll find brown butter buttermilk brownies (try saying that three times), a range of delicious cookies, sausage rolls, soft amaretti biscuits and Dark Arts tiramisu.
There's also a fab selection of Italian drinks on offer in a swanky new fridge, as well as a coffee menu so you can pick a brew to go hand in hand with your chosen baked good.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The interior is just as gorgeous, complete with yellow walls, red tiles and a mirror hanging above the baker's table so you can really see all the magic happen.
And trust us, it is magic.
There's a couple of benches outside so you can plonk yourself in the sunshine to enjoy your sarnie, which is what we'll be doing in this glorious bank holiday sunshine.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can really tell this is a proper labour of love, and Chris and the team have done a cracking job of keeping that Silver's spirit in there.
Go and say hello to congratulate them on this fabulous new opening, it's a great addition to Farsley and the Leeds foodie scene.
The beautiful West Yorkshire valley walk that ends at a top gastropub
Daisy Jackson
If your idea of a perfect Sunday doesn't involve a stroll in the countryside followed by lunch in a country pub - we can't be friends.
And if that does sound like your idea of a very nice day out, we've found a pretty spectacular walk-roast combo for you, right here in West Yorkshire.
You can start your day by strolling through surprisingly varied and very green countryside, with stunning valley views, before resting your weary legs beneath the table of an award-winning gastropub.
If you haven't guessed it yet - we're off to the Shibden Valley, just outside Halifax, where your gentle hike will lead you straight to the warm embrace of the Shibden Mill Inn.
The walk begins in the car park beside the pub, but don't get tempted in for a pint just yet.
There's an easy-moderate 5.6km circular that will lead you along a country lane, dropping down to cross a brook, then heading back up a gentle incline towards the top of the valley.
The views along the Shibden Valley from here are beautiful - lush green fields dotted with trees as far as the eye can see.
Then the route takes you along some wide open fields, with plenty of wildlife to spot along the way, before heading into peaceful woodlands.
You can take a break here to paddle in the stream before continuing on through farmland, with friendly horses to say hello to.
Views along the Shibden Valley Circular. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Then you'll find yourself back at the Shibden Mill Inn, a pub that's consistently finding itself in the prestigious Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Dating back to the 17th century, it's a pretty white building converted from a former mill, with ivy climbing all up its walls.
There's a sizeable beer garden - with a live musician playing when we popped in - but it's hard to resist the cosy charm of the pub's interior, where staff have to duck beneath the low ceiling beams and no surface feels totally straight.
The Shibden Mill Inn's Sunday roast offering does a set menu, with two courses for £40 or three for £45, changing seasonally.
You'll find pub classics on the starters, like chicken liver parfait and homemade soup, before delving into the main event - the Sunday roast.
We love a pub that gives you both mashed AND roasted potatoes, which the Shibden Mill Inn does, along with roast seasonal veg and a towering Yorkshire pudding.
The Sunday roast at the Shibden Mill InnChicken liver parfait, and soup Chocolate fondant with torched marshmallowInside the Shibden Mill Inn
There's roasted salt-aged sirloin of beef, cooked perfectly pink (though they're happy to give it a bit longer if you prefer your meat to not be blushing); or an excellent wedge of belly pork with crispy crackling.
And on the side, a portion of cauliflower cheese that is actually more cheese than cauliflower. Perfect.
Puddings are a nice mix of heavy winter favourites and lighter, fruitier desserts - but we go full stodge, with a chocolate fondant dessert topped with torched marshmallow, salted caramel, and sugared pecans, and have no regrets.
If you want to replicate this Sunday walk and roast, you can see the full circular route here.
Clementine Hall -
16th February 2026 
