The latest on the Leeds club scene is bringing a taste of Havana to West Yorkshire.
After much anticipation, the new club-cafe Canal Club has opened its doors to visitors for the very first time.
Bringing a flavoursome menu of food and drink from around the world, the busy bar will be serving fresh fish, tasty tacos and more from their canalside location.
The menu is full of fresh-ingredient-dishes. / Image: Canal Club
The cafe-club has embraced the changes that the pandemic have brought to our lives, but the brand is keen to ensure that their pre-Covid globetrotting-inspired-decor can still take visitors on a trip to parties around the world whilst restrictions are still in place.
Iconic party hotspots such as Havana, LA and Miami will have nothing on Canal Club as new club-cafe effortlessly brings the best of all three to Leeds.
£1m has been invested in Canal Club to create a multisensory space. Living walls and ceilings, dripping with lush palm leaves and bougainvillaea are peppered throughout, whilst neon signage, twinkling lights and kitsch furnishings mean that no two tables are alike.
This exotic, tropical flair is designed to transport guests straight to a Havana-style club night that’s perfect to grab a few photos for the ‘gram, let your hair down and party like you’re under the tropical heat of the Caribbean.
Guests can also tuck into world tapas dishes and light bites like Beet Hummus Toast, sliders, salt and pepper squid and sweet potato crostini, day and night.
Cocktails are beautifully garnished and served in stunning glassware. Try a cherry Blossom ‘Tini, served Asian-style with sake and Cointreau, or turn up the heat by sipping on a spicy Strawberry and Coconut Margarita with jalapeño-infused tequila.
Image: Canal Club
The food and cocktails are playful and innovative, blending the familiar with the exotic to create menus filled with promise and temptation.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Operations Director Jade Renner said:
“It’s an eclectic space, with lots of picture-perfect fixtures and fittings. Our food and drinks are also exceptional and are presented in a way that adds to the whole experience for our guests.
“No stone has been left unturned. The pandemic gave us time to think about what it is that people are looking for when they socialise now.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming people when we open next month because we do have to be seen to be believed.”
The Canal Club may have opened its doors, but visitors will have to wait until early 2022 to check out the Canal Cafe.
Opening its doors in Spring 2022, guests will be able to choose from a selection of coffees as well as grab ‘n’ go breakfast options and sweet treats. Think edible granola gardens and charcuterie jars, as well as freshly baked pastries almost too pretty to eat.
Of course, a new cafe-bar-club concept couldn’t open in Leeds without a bottomless brunch option.
On weekends, step things up a gear in the highly anticipated venue and grab a bottomless brunch from a plentiful menu designed to delight.
Leeds’ matcha scene is about to get a serious upgrade, because MADE, the viral Sheffield favourite, is officially ready to open its second site right in the heart of the city.
Taking over a spot on Lower Briggate, the new café lands on Thursday 30 April, and if its Sheffield success is anything to go by, it'll be pretty popular from day one.
Since launching less than a year ago, MADE has built a loyal following thanks to its aesthetic drinks, inventive flavours and a menu that goes far beyond your standard coffee shop offering.
This pastel-toned, checker-floored, light-filled space brings something genuinely fresh to the table in Leeds.
At its core, MADE specialises in hand-whisked matcha, with a rotating lineup of seasonal specials that are as photogenic as they are drinkable. Think strawberry shortcake matcha, sticky date lattes, and the much-hyped banana bread matcha that’s already gained a cult following over in Sheffield.
Alongside that, you’ll find iced coffees, 'split cups' for indecisive sippers, and smoothies inspired by the cult-favourite Erewhon.
Acai bowls at MADE in LeedsInside the new MADE in LeedsMatcha at MADE Leeds
MADE is also serving up generous açaí bowls, fresh sandwiches (including their popular tuna-cado option), and other grab-and-go bites.
Taking over the former Nice Things unit, the arrival of MADE brings a new energy to Lower Briggate just in time for summer.
And judging by the queues they regularly draw in Sheffield, it’s safe to say Leeds locals are about to become very familiar with that signature green hue.
The North Leeds Food Festival returns for 2026 and special anniversary edition
Danny Jones
The much-loved North Leeds Food Festival is back for 2026, and its spring return marks a very special anniversary.
We're getting hungry just thinking about it.
Taking place in less than a fortnight, North Leeds Food Fest marks its 10th birthday early next month, with this year's programme set to be one of the biggest yet.
We're lucky enough to see a lot of wonderful things within Roundhay Park every single year, but this might just be one of our absolute favourites.
Not to speak for all of you, but we're sure plenty of West Yorkshire would agree.
Held on the expansive Soldiers' Field section of the stunning outdoor space, more than a full decade on from the very first iteration of the festival, punters can expect free-flowing drinks, music rolling across the park, and LOTS of food to be enjoyed.
Both dog and family-friendly, too, it's already shaping up to be one of the best fun-for-all-ages weekends of the entire year.
Writing in a teaser on socials, the organisers said: "We’ve been working away behind the scenes to bring a fresh look and feel for 2026, so you can expect some surprises for our big birthday."
Consider our interest piqued and our tummies already rumbling...
The same spotlights will be shining on native independents serving up some of the region's best street food, and you can expect some top-notch drinks from Leeds locals, too.
It's pretty hard to believe it's been 10 whole years since this first started and how far it's come. Here's a longer look at how the last edition went down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSxSj-dQsA&t=2s
Some of the indie enjoyment being teased includes wood-fired pizza, crispy fried chicken, fresh cocktails and a full 'Ale House' pouring from start to finish, as well as "vibrant curries and desserts worth saving space for".
There'll also be artisan markets, a live cookery theatre hosted by Yorkshire chef, consultant and Great British Menu star, Stephanie Moon, lots of live tunes, a whole host of kids' activities, stand-up comedy and tonnes more.
Scheduled for Saturday, 9 May 2026 from 10am and wrapping up on the following (10 May) around 7pm, the doors will be open from 10am on the first day, so you'd better make the most of the celebrations.
Sophie Smith -
10th December 2021 
