There’s nowt worse than trying to make that cuppa last until you hit your word count.
Finding a spot to drag out your laptop is far trickier than expected.
Questions of charging sockets, decent coffee and 'what's the minimal amount of drink can I buy to stay here for more than an hour' spring to mind.
Leeds isn't easiest to navigate for those working remotely either. Places like Fika North have a strict no laptop rule and Laynes reportedly bans them altogether on the weekend. Whilst this is understandable given these small shops need quick turnaround for their profits, it leaves us asking: where can we actually work?
If you search hard enough, there are package deals in Leeds, designed for those that need to work remotely but don't want to sacrifice on good quality coffee whilst they're working.
Here are our favourite places to switch on, get our head down and work whilst out and about in Leeds.
Department
The Boulevard, Leeds Dock | Office open 24 hours
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Take advantage of: permanent and temporary co-working spaces
Down at Leeds Dock, Department is changing the co-working game with its huge office space and restaurant. If you're looking for a permanent hotdesk space you can enquire about a hot desk, or if you're just popping by for the day, grab a coffee from on-site restaurant Fearns and get lost in your screen on one of the comfy sofa seats.
Take advantage of: £2 breakfast when you buy a coffee
Based right in the heart of the city centre on Bond Street, 200 Degrees is the perfect place for a remote worker on the go to pitch up for a few hours. There's plenty of caffeinated options to choose from, strong Wi-Fi and they're even on the hunt to hire an official sandwich taster at the moment - so you could actually do two jobs in one from here!
York Place, Call Lane and (soon) East Parade, Leeds City Centre | Open from 8am
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Take advantage of: Three city centre locations
IF... has got to be one of the best-known coffee spots in the city - but rather than grabbing your morning cuppa to go, you can always choose to sit in and get your laptop out for a few hours. The (soon to be) three different city centre location means no matter where you are around Leeds, there should be an IF nearby for you to get those morning emails boxed off.
Wellington Place, Leeds city centre | Open from 7am
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Take advantage of: early opening time of 7am
This one's for the early birds looking for a place to get stuck into the working day before the rest of the city awakes. The modern cafe-bar offers a selection of hot and cold caffinated drinks, with breakfast options like bagels, porridge or three eggs to keep you fuelled until closing time at 3pm.
Take advantage of: board games and books for your breaks
Laptop-friendly bars in Hyde Park can be hard to come by, but Hyde Park Book Club is the perfect reason to get your work done with a coffee in hand. There's a full brunch menu to choose from during the working hours, including classics like avo on toast, cakes and sweet treats aplenty, and a host of books and board games to fill any breaks.
Take advantage of: a cosy space filled with fellow creatives
Bowery prides itself in its creative spaces, and for those looking for a remote working spot in the suburbs, you really couldn't find a more relaxing spot to focus on your 9-5. There's coffee and cake on tap and you can grab a comfy seat between potted plants and independent gifts, or upstairs in the gallery.
Take advantage of: Falafel Guys delicious food options
There's plenty of cosy nooks and light-drenched corners alike at SALT Craft + Falafel down by Granary Wharf, and with plenty of foodie options available from resident kitchen Falafel Guys, it's unlikely you'll get bored here. Choose from falafels, wraps and salads, or pick at plates of wings and halloumi fries and grab yourself a drink from the bar.
Wellington Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 10am
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Green Room is known as one of the go-to watering holes on the weekend- all thanks to its gorgeous rooftop terrace, but the cosy inside space makes the perfect remote working spot. Choose from meat-free food options from resident kitchen Grön and grab a North Star roast coffee and take full advantage of the quieter mornings inside the popular bar.
Watch the swans laze around in the river whilst sipping on North Star Roast or grab a seat at the bar and crack on with your to-do list, this is one of the most work-friendly bars we've ever come across. The tables are huge, enough to easily fit six plus laptops and plates and you're never too far from a plug socket. The atmosphere here is quiet and relaxed, but intimate and inviting: the waterside views facilitate much of this but the friendly bar staff and Mediterranean menu is what turns a one hour stay into a full afternoon of working at the Canary Bar.
Sovereign Square, Sovereign Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 11am
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Take advantage of: Lunchtime non-alcoholic beer and bao buns
Serving pints, baos and coffee all just moments from Leeds train station: North Brew Taps is the ideal spot for those with a few spare hours before getting the train off home. There's a tonne of plug points and spare for four at every table, so you can bring a small team with you to work as well. As for the food and drink offerings, they only come from highly trusted sources. Little Bao Boys supply endless bao buns and gyozas to curb any lunchtime cravings, whilst darkwood coffee will keep you caffeinated throughout the day. Of course, there's a selection of non-alcoholic pints and kegs of the good stuff for once you've finished.
Wellington Street, Leeds city centre | Open from 8am
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Take advantage of: açai bowls and fresh pastries
The smell of coffee and a fresh pastry in the morning is enough to allure you into Wolfox, but their organic açai bowl, made from a smoothie base and topped with granola, fresh fruit and coconut flakes, are well worth staying for. Grab a seat at any of the four corners for a spot with a plug socket, grab the wifi password and make this your sanctuary for a few hours, it's one of the most chilled out work spots in Leeds.
Take advantage of: 30% off sustainable coffee for Santander card holders
This one is made for corporate meetings and those that need a professional work space to show your clients. The space boasts free co-working desks and bookable meeting rooms, fibre-optic Wi-Fi, events and digital banking facilities. This is all complemented by sustainably-sourced barista coffee- and if you're a Santander card-holders, you can grab 30% off.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds (Green Room)
Eats
The best places in Leeds to get pancakes on Pancake Day
One of the best days in the foodie calendar is hereand it's time to decide where you're going for the ultimate stack.
Whilst homemade pancakes hit the spot and attempting to flip them is definitely a laugh, it's always a treat to get out and about to celebrate the momentous occasion.
From thin crepes with lemon and sugar to pillowy, thick buttermilk stacks which are showered with a whole host of delicious toppings - there's a pancake dish for everyone to devour this Shrove Tuesday.
Keep reading for our top picks of cafes, restaurants and bars to visit this Pancake Day.
House of Koko
Chapel Allerton , Oakwood and Leeds city centre
Images: The Hoot Leeds
House of Koko are the absolute bees knees when it comes to brunch.
Their pancakes are fluffy, pillowy, light, perfectly formed and just down right delicious. The list of toppings is almost overwhelming and you can mix and match yours to your heart's content, we're talking bacon, biscoff, kinder bueno, toasted nuts, white choc chips, banana and even ice cream, the list really does go on but you'll be here all day.
Moose Coffee
Bond Court
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Given Canadian pancakes are a worldwide favourite, you'd expect the best pancakes to come from Moose Coffee. Made fresh to order, there's a stack of three dusted with icing sugar, dotted with blueberries and served with Canadian butter on offer as well as a Biscoff Stack made from three pancakes, biscoff sauce, vanilla ice cream, white choc shards, lotus biscuit.
Whatever your preference this Pancake Day, your combination of sweet and savoury is pretty much guaranteed to live up to the famous Canadian combination- maple syrup included.
Farmhouse
Lands Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Farmhouse are basically famous in the city for their epic stacks of pancakes, fluffy and loaded with all the toppings it's just what you want this Pancake Day.
If Up North
Call Lane or York Place
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If you're a regular on the If Up North Instagram page, you'll know that these guys are big fans of pancakes. Given their obsession with posting their beautifully decorated variations online, we're confident that these pancakes will be lip-smacking, mouth-drooling good and packed with flavour.
Expect flavours like berry and Biscoff, fruits and cream, bacon and maple syrup as well as a whole host of different variations at any of their Leeds-based cafes.
North Star Coffee Shop
Leeds Dock
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Locally renowned for its coffee roast, North Star Coffee Shop is also a great contender for the best-looking pancakes around. Open from 8am this Shrove Tuesday, grab some fluffy pancakes topped with all the seasonal favourites they have on offer.
Galleria
Armley Road
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Running from Monday 16 February until Friday 20 February, you can bag yourself £1 pancakes with a huge range toppings like classic lemon and sugar, maple smoked bacon, fried egg and sausage, or singular toppings such as blueberries, avocado, IPA caramel and more.
You'll need to pre-book to secure your offer and when you arrive, pick up an order form from your server so you can select how many £1 pancakes you want, alongside your chosen toppings. Yeah, it’s really that flipping easy.
Laynes Espresso
New Station Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything Laynes touch turns to gold, and their pancakes are of course no exception.
They of course go perfectly with a heavenly cup of coffee served inside their dazzling bright yellow, life-affirming coffee shop.
10 of the best new openings coming to Leeds in 2026
Clementine Hall
Allow us to get you excited about the next one with a list of new openings coming to the city.
If you're feeling a little bit down in the dumps about 2025 ending then do not fear, because we've got a feeling that the next year is about to be even bigger and better.
There's already a great selection of restaurants, bars and shops gearing up to open up in Leeds during, so let us fill you in.
Salon Madre and Madre
Wellington Street
Image: The Manc Eats
Are you ready for a fresh taste of Mexico Leeds? Well you better be – because Madre, the day-to-night eatery that has made waves over in Manchester and Liverpool, is setting up shop on Wellington Street in due course.
Not only that, but their lively sibling Salon Madre will be opening next door on Friday 20 February. Expect tequila-fuelled nights, pool tables, lively DJs and Lucha Libre on the big screens. Madre will open one month later.
Trinity Kitchen 2.0
Image: Supplied
Trinity Leeds is embarking on a major transformation with a £15 million expansion, introducing a second food court called ‘Freight Island’ The upgrade will add around 72,000 sq ft of new space, including a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking City Square the perfect spot to enjoy great food with skyline views.
Burgerism
Meanwood
Image: The Manc Eats
You may remember when Burgerism had a delivery kitchen in Leeds, and ever since it closed we’ve had a Burgerism-shaped hole in our hearts. Well not any longer, because the Manchester-based burger chain has been given the go ahead to open a takeaway on Meanwood Road - hallelujah.
Dishoom
Taking over the old Flannels Site on Vicar Lane
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The legendary Indian restaurant group is coming to Leeds, and we’re absolutely buzzing about it. Dishoom is inspired by the Irani cafes of 1960s Bombay, which were meeting places for people from all walks of life.
Famed for their Indian twist on a classic breakfast (seriously, their breakfast naans are out of this world), Dishoom offers an all-day dining approach so you can get your Bombay fix from morning to noon and noon to night.
Planning permission is up for the restaurant to take over the former Flannels site on Vicar Lane, so fingers crossed it won’t be too long until we can all get stuck in.
Just when you thought the wine scene in Headingley couldn’t get any better, Once Upon A Vine is popping the cork on their third site - right in the heart of Headingley.
Expect hundreds of wines, plenty of bottles of fizz, and of course, a carefully curated local beer selection.
Uniqlo
Briggate
Image: Uniqlo
It’s happening…Uniqlo has confirmed it’s opening up right here in Leeds next year and we must say it’s looking very nice indeed. The Leeds store will be 1,100 square metres and will be located on Briggate in the old House of Fraser site. It’s part of a new expansion across the UK alongside new stores in Birmingham and Bristol.
A new Japanese grill and BBQ restaurant is opening up from Fern, the absolute mastermind behind Fern Modern Sushi. Opening up in the heart of the city on Vicar Lane, we can't wait for this one.
Dough Club
Burley Road
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Dough Club, a Manchester-based Detroit-style pizzeria, is planning to open up in Leeds.
Famed for their chewy, thick, cheesy crusts that are loaded with all the toppings imaginable, they’ll be opening up a spot on Burley Road for all your pizza needs.
MADE Matcha
Lower Briggate
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Introducing MADE Matcha, a matcha and açaí bar that has created waves in the foodie scene over in Sheffield since opening back in September last year. And it's pretty clear they're doing very well indeed, to be opening a second site in another city less than six months after launching is no mean feat.
Made Matcha will be opening on Lower Briggate in the Nice Things site and this pastel green paradise specialise in seasonal matchas that (almost) look too pretty to drink.
Lane 7
Albion Street
Image: The Hoot leeds
The independent bowling brand is set to open at Trinity Leeds in late spring, spanning a whopping 23,000 sq ft.
As well as 12 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, Lane7 will be home to other games including darts, pool tables, beer pong, golf simulators, and even an interactive 'Playground'.
Sophie Smith -
10th April 2023 
