Everyone's favourite gyros slingers are heading to Leeds city centre at long last and we're absolutely buzzing our pittas off.
ThatZiki has today announced plans for a new permanent residence at Trinity Kitchen, set to open in just a few weeks' time.
And they've teased a big giveaway to celebrate their arrival into the city centre too.
They'll be bringing their wildly popular Greek street food into Leeds, taking over what was previously the home of Absurd Bird.
ThatZiki was first launched in 2022 by brothers Jack and Luke Newton, and has grown from a modest food truck to a much bigger enterprise.
They have sites in Chorlton and Salford Quays over in Greater Manchester, plus a kitchen in Warrington, and previously had a delivery kitchen in Leeds.
Set to open at the end of July, the new ThatZiki site will serve up its famous gyros with a range of fillings, from 24-hour marinaded chicken and pork to grilled halloumi plus a vegan option.
ThatZiki will open at Trinity Kitchen in Leeds. Credit: SuppliedThatZiki's famous gyros are also available as boxes. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
The gyros are also available in a box, and topped with a choice of homemade house sauce, tzatziki, or sriracha chilli or mayo.
Sides include loaded fries, feta fries, pita and hummus.
As part of the launch event, ThatZiki will give away 50 free gyros plus free Greek soft drinks, with details to be announced via their social media.
Jack said: “We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved in just a couple of years – from saving up for the food truck to now launching our fourth venue, we couldn’t be happier. We wouldn’t be here without the support of our amazing, loyal customers, and our friends and family. Their positive feedback and encouragement has meant the world.
“It’s a big step opening in such a major shopping centre in the heart of Leeds, working alongside big names but it’s all part of our plan to become the biggest and best Greek food business.
How the new ThatZiki Leeds will look
“What sets us apart is our food – we make our tzatziki from scratch every day, marinate our chicken and pork in our own secret marinade based on traditional recipes from Greece, and make our sauces in-house using proper halloumi from Cyprus and pita breads from Athens.
“We can’t wait to bring ThatZiki to Leeds and give even more people the chance to try our food. Yamas!”
ThatZiki owners, brothers Luke and Jack Newton
Josie Towning, Food and Beverage Manager at Trinity Leeds, said: “We’ve been waiting for something special to join our incredible line-up at Trinity Kitchen, and ThatZiki is the perfect fit. The team is so passionate about what they do and their incredible food already has quite the following, so we can’t wait for people in Leeds to enjoy it too!”
The new arrivals will be trading alongside permanent eateries including Archie’s, Pho, Rola Wala, Tortilla, Pizzaluxe and Doner Shack.
There's another new opening in Farsley - this time an incredibly cool listening bar and cocktail bar.
Tucked away in Sunny Bank Mills, Pardon Me is a bar built around 'music, atmosphere, and detail'.
Bartenders here create well-made cocktails and pour natural wines in front of a wall of vinyl records, while a playlist of hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, deep house, and disco soundtracks your evening.
The stylish space features a considered sound system that's been built around Danley speakers.
Pardon Me has opened with the intention of creating a space where 'sound sits at the centre, and everything else supports it'.
It's been launched by Scott Rapson, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with music around the time of the arrival of hip hop in the early 80s.
He then spent time travelling for raves, and visiting venues like Glasgow’s Sub Club and London’s Plastic People, giving Scott an appreciation for how 'music can shape a room, not just fill it'.
Scott and his partner Laurie have then spent the past three years travelling Europe, visiting listening bars across the continent to shape the foundations of Pardon Me.
Inside Pardon Me in FarsleyCocktails at Pardon Me
They say that sound, look, atmosphere, service and style are treated with equal importance.
Whether it's for coffee during the day, or drinks into the evening, they want Pardon Me to be a place to spend time, looking out across Sunny Bank Mills.
Scott says he's built the bar with the support of family and friends, plus Laurie helping to bring the idea to life, already finding a warm welcome within the Farsley community.
Pardon Me is open now at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Daisy Jackson
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
Gail's has now confirmed the opening, with a spokesperson saying: "GAIL’s is excited to confirm it is opening a new bakery in Harrogate later this year. The opening will bring GAIL’s craft baking to the community, including creating a number of craft baking, barista, and management roles.
"We will also be donating surplus baked goods through our Neighbourly partnerships. This is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the communities we serve and improving access to quality food and drink on the high-street."
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Daisy Jackson -
2nd July 2024 
