Looking for some new spots to check out in Leeds?
You’ve come to the right place.
Coffee shops, giant warehouse raves, Ireland’s favourite burritos and restaurants aplenty have popped up this year – and we’ve got everything you need to know about places that have just announced, just opened and everywhere we’re looking forward to opening as we move into summer too.
Keep reading to find 18 new openings across Leeds…
Just announced…
RAW Coffee
Opened March 2024 | Mill Hill, Leeds City Centre
Husband and wife duo, James and Anya, along with their trusty French bulldog Roo, have fully refurbed the site themselves on Mill Hill to create a coffee shop with a (raw) edge.
Find out more here.
Kirkstall Brewery at The Tetley
Opening May 2024 | Hunslet Road, Leeds City Centre
Kirkstall Brewery has announced that it is taking on the lease of The Tetley building and plans to make it a hub for great beer from Leeds and renew its status as a “landmark of Yorkshire beer culture”.
Kirkstall Brewery will operate onsite from May onwards, showcasing local beers, including, but not exclusively, the brand’s own beers, including Leeds Brewery and owner Steve Holt’s most recent acquisition, North.
Find out more here.
STACK at Kirkgate Market
Opening date unknown | Outside Kirkgate Market, Leeds City Centre
Plans for a new food village at Leeds Kirkgate Market have taken a ‘significant step forwards’ after Leeds City Council confirms that the preferred operator will be STACK.
The development is hoped to boost footfall across the market as a whole and attract new customers to the area. This in turn would create new jobs and opportunities for independent traders across the city.
Find out more here.
Knoops
Opening June 2024 | Trinity Leeds, opposide Superdry
A new artisan hot chocolate cafe with over 20 different flavours of chocolate is set to open in Leeds this June.
Offering twenty different styles of hot chocolate and six styles of rich and creamy chocolate milkshakes, on the menu sweet tooths will find a huge range of different percentage chocolates to choose from.
Find out more here.
Opening in the next month
TESTBED
Opening March 2024 | Holbeck
Hosting 2,500 people, TESTBED is the biggest warehouse venue the city has ever seen and you can join the great opening over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Find out more here.
Boojum
Opening 10 April 2024 | Outside Merrion Centre
Boojum is opening in Leeds on Wednesday 10 April and the first 300 customers will get a free burrito from 12pm.
We flew all the way to Dublin this month to check out the top-rated Mexican eatery ahead of its opening – and if you watch you’ll see why.
Find out more here.
Latitude
Opening April 2024 | The Calls, Leeds City Centre
Based just 200 metres from where it all began, Latitude will be moving into 46 The Calls, becoming neighbours with KAPOW! Coffee, Screen Yorkshire, and Yorkshire Design Group the new Latitude Tasting Room and shop will allow locals from near and far to pop in for a tipple of their choice, seven days a week.
Expect wine by the glass, and ever-evolving specials served as the sun goes down, with a choice of 900 different bottles for a small corkage fee. Meanwhile, the spirits list aims to give customers a change to try flavours and brands that they wouldn’t usually be able to – and of course there will by plenty of opportunities to buy the bottles you taste test too.
Find out more here.
Carousel / Home
Opening 12 April 2024 | The Light, Leeds City Centre
Inside the former home of Tiger Tiger (and more recently, Cargo), a new opening will split the site in two for a bar and club with a proper ‘party atmosphere’. The ground floor will welcome Carousel, an upmarket bar that will offer a chilled experience during the day with quality food and drink on offer combined with arcade games.
Upstairs will welcome Home nightclub, a multi-room club offering aiming to be Leeds’ number one late night attraction. Home will feature great DJs, high levels of production and special VIP experiences for those special occasions.
Find out more here.
Recent new openings to check out…
Ottimo
Opened March 2024 | Roundhay Road, Oakwood
Ottimo is a new pizza concept is focused on quality ingredients, balanced flavours and a ‘tried and tested dough process, focusing on the small details to create a really special product’.
Longtime friends and Leeds indie business owners Paul Bolster and Nick Julian have announced they will be joining forces and putting their combined experience to good use to take over the former Pizza Loco site on Roundhay Road and open a new pizzeria.
Find out more here.
Bavette
Opened February 2024 | Town Street, Horsforth
A new neighbourhood bistro is coming to Horsforth next month, and there’s just as much focus on the food as there is the wine here. Named Bavette, the opening is the first venture from ex-Culpeper Group MD and Head Chef Sandy Jarvis and his husband Restaurant Manager and sommelier Clément Cousin.
The seasonal menu is expected to feature ‘classically-inspired dishes such as Pork Belly Rillons, Frisé Salad and Ravigote Sauce, Halibut, Vin Jaune Sauce & Buttered Leeks or Paris-Brest’, all of which can be perfectly paired with wine from the family vineyard or other exciting low intervention bottles from across Europe.
Find out more here.
Livett’s
Opened March 2024 | St Peter’s Square
This is our new go-to coffee shop when we’re down by The Wardrobe. Keeping the city well caffeinated with North Star coffee, the little kiosk at Livett’s also has plenty to snack on throughout the day too with fresh bakes from local favourites Baltzersens and brownies from Brown N Blond.
Located right next door to The Wardrobe on St Peter’s Square, the space is inspired by visionary Leeds architect R.A.H Livett (OBE) who is renowned for his commitment to creating vibrant public spaces that encouraged a sense of community.
Find out more here.
Wingstop
Opened March 2024 | Boar Lane, Leeds City Centre
The viral chicken shop is famous for its fresh wings and tenders, hand-cut seasoned fries, and a huge selection of flavours and sauces that you can coat your chicken in.
From hickory smoked barbecue to lemon pepper and the famous mango habanero, there’s a flavour to suit everyone when you’re ordering a Wingstop – and now you can get yours in-store too.
Find out more here.
Opening later this year…
Queen’s House
Opening date unknown | 34 Wellington Street
A new bar concept is coming to the city centre from the masterminds behind Green Room, and we absolutely cannot wait. Expect a laid-back rustic feel, set in an incredible historic building with live music, fantastic drinks and a basement space to dance til the early hours.
The Victoria
Opening date unknown | Great George Street, Leeds City Centre
Kirkstall Brewery and the owners of Whitelock’s Ale House and The Five Points Brewing Company are set to breathe new life into The Victoria & Commercial Pub on Great George Street, located behind Leeds Town Hall.
The beautiful Grade II-listed will be restored to it’s former glory, and we absolutely cannot wait. Opening all the way back in 1865, The Victoria is one of the city’s most coveted historical buildings that has been left empty since 2020.
Find out more here.
Flannels Flagship Store
Opening date unknown | Briggate, Leeds City Centre
Work is now underway for the former Debenhams site on Briggate to become a new flagship Flannels store. The news was announced back in August following the whopping 120,000sq ft, seven storey store opening in Liverpool.
Find out more here.
White Cloth Hall
Opening early 2024 | Cloth Hall Street, Leeds City Centre
The owners behind one of Leeds’ most-loved pubs is bringing a brand new opening to the city centre: our very own food and drink hall.
This exciting new opening is set to bring together a whole host of independents, including Kirkstall Brewery, Anthology Brewery and Whitewood Distilling, amongst other food traders. Expect all the charm from the oldest pub in Leeds, but the idea is that this new opening won’t be a replica of Whitelock’s Ale House, it’s going to be far from it.
Find out more here.
Kirkgate Market Hotel
Opening date unknown | George Street, Leeds City Centre
Plans for a new hotel and gym to be built around Leeds Kirkgate Market has been given the green light by the council. It comes after Leeds City Council submitted a planning application in the summer for the hotel scheme on the George Street side of the Grade I listed market building.
The hotel will fill the top five floors of the new building, with 143 rooms as well as a bar and restaurant for guests. It is believed that the hotel will create approximately 50 new full and part-time jobs, with around 80 jobs being supported during construction.
Find out more here.
Feature Image – The Manc Group / The Hoot Leeds / Leeds City Council
