Opening its doors just over a year ago next to East Street Arts, Leeds Arts Hostel is paving the way for creative hotel spaces.
As the first of its kind in the UK - this is where independent artists and welcoming hospitality collide in an explosion of colour and textures.
Working through lockdown with artists across the world to curate exciting designs, individual to each room, the Art Hostel 'provides the physical infrastructure for you to get involved: to make, create, debate, sleep and explore' all whilst supporting independent artists.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
There's space for up to 60 guests at a time across twelve one-of-a-kind bedrooms and dormatories.
Forget everything you know about hostels - long gone are the days of sweaty dorm rooms with dingily lighting and unassuming bunk beds in Leeds.
The themes are unique to the room and were hand selected by the team at East Street Arts. Expect everything from 80s protest culture to local textiles and heritage, space, football, plastic pollution and rainbow sheep - every space is a true sensory delight that guarantees you'll never be bored throughout your stay.
Don't believe us? Take a look at just a few of the rooms on offer at Leeds Art Hostel.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Best of all, prices start at just £25 for a place to sleep for the night.
Leeds Art Hostel explains that it sees people from across the world visiting, but is 'popular with visual artists from South America and Asia, MOBO-winning musicians and curious people looking to explore the secret creative corners of West Yorkshire.'
The hostel comes after East Street Arts opened an initial temporary pilot hostel on Kirkgate in Leeds city centre in 2016, hosting 10,000 guests from more than 115 countries in just two and a half years.
Converting the space next to the artist-led arts charity through lockdowns, Leeds Art Hostel opened in its new location in 2022 with space for everyone to unwind and take in the unique surroundings.
A beloved Sheffield bookshop is back but this time, there's booze.
You may remember back in January when Novel sadly had to close its doors due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.
Since opening in Crookes in 2024, co-owner Katie and the team had experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment, eventually leading to the decision to close the much-loved bookshop and bar indefinitely.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for a business that had quickly become a much-loved part of the Crookes community.
Images: The Sheff
At the time, it felt like it might be the end of Novel but thankfully, it wasn't. Because Novel is back - but not quite as you might remember it.
Introducing Proof, your new bookshop/cafe/wine/beer bar.
It's basically everything we love in this world rolled into one, and we're big fans of it along with the rest of Crookes.
Of course the book selection is just as brilliant as it was at Novel, with shelves stacked with some of the hottest books around, all hand-picked by Kate, so you know you’re in safe hands when it comes to the reading recommendations.
Images: The Sheff
Great coffee is on hand courtesy of Cloud so you can settle in for a brew and a browse, but if that won't quite cut it they've also got a selection of natural wines and beer on offer. Genuinely, what more could you want?
Just grab a brew, pick up a book and settle in for a while. Is this one of the coolest new openings to hit Crookes? We reckon so.
They're open Fridays and Saturdays 12 - 10:30pm, so make sure you swing by and welcome Proof back to Crookes.
The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop
Clementine Hall
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
Sophie Smith -
14th June 2023 
