A bird's-eye view of Leeds, Sheffield, and Yorkshire
X
Eats
Ex-Watermark Bar owner to open new all-day cocktail bar Tabula Rasa
Think speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails - with a menu that switches from pastries to small plates, cured meat and cheese as the day progresses
A well-known Leeds bartender and former co-owner of The Watermark Bar is opening Tabula Rasa, a new all-day cocktail spot in Leeds.
Greek bartender Filippos Filippopoulos has revealed his plans to open a new all-day drinking and dining spot in central Leeds later this summer, reports Class Bar Mag.
Called Tabula Rasa, it is due to open at 8 East Gate in late August and promises to bring an authentic aperitivo experience into the city centre.
Focusing on speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails; in the day it will house a ground-floor bar serving coffee and pastries, then transition to aperitivo and small plates like salads and sandwiches come the evening.
As the night winds on, this will then switch again to span classic cocktails, cheese and cured meats in truly continental fashion.
Ingredients will come predominantly from Leeds’ Kirkgate Market, and Filippos is keen to source everything as locally as possible - adding that he plans to establish relationships with other suppliers from Leeds, such as local gin distillers.
He is also currently talking to a Leeds-based company about making staff aprons from recycled bottles and plans to use the venue to showcase local art and music.
Filippos Filippopoulos pictured outside former bar The Watermark with then co-owner Dariush Haghighi
Aperitivo and cocktails will focus on "classics done well" with Filippos calling on his 17 years bartending experience to put together his own finely-tuned specs.
There will also be some boozy coffees on offer, like the classic Irish and a signature Mextaxa-coffee cocktail.
Drawing inspiration from day to night venues like The Clumsies in Athens and Dante in New York, Filippos has lofty aspirations for Tabula Rasa.
Interior design inspiration, meanwhile, comes from the likes of Death & Co in Denver and Swift in London: incorporating modern art deco influences with a colour palette of dark green, white and gold.
Filippos Filippopoulos hard at work shaking a cocktail inside The Watermark / Image: The Watermark Bar
Tables will be marble and gold, with green velvet stools and a wooden bar with marble top. Elsewhere, glass bi-folding doors will bring in lots of natural light.
Following the end of social distancing, Tabula Rasa will have room for roughly 55 covers - making it a rather intimate space.
Filippos has also put in an application for an outdoor terrace which would bring the overall capacity up to 100.
Tabula Rasa will open in Leeds in late August, serving from 9am until midnight throughout the week and as late as 2am between Thursday and Saturday.
For more information, follow them on Instagram for further updates.
An award-winning burger chain is coming to one of Leeds' suburbs.
If you don't know Burgerism, then get to know.
The Manchester-based burger chain is known by many for its incredible smash patties and quick, reliable service.
Their concept is simple: good burgers made with quality ingredients and cooked fresh to order. Delicious.
And it's not just burgers, they've also got some great wings and fries available too with a range of homemade sauces on offer for dunking, drizzling and devouring. We're a particular fan of the buffalo wings with their garlic ranch dip.
The chain used to have a dark kitchen on the outskirts of the city where people could order via Deliveroo, however this closed down and since then there's been a Burgerism-shaped hole left in our foodie scene.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Burgerism recently applied to move into a vacant shop unit in Meanwood at 605 Meanwood Road, seeking change-of-use planning permission for the former Papa Johns site which was previously only allowed to serve...well, pizzas.
And the plans have now been approved, which means Burgerism will officially be coming to Leeds. Hurray!
Burgerism's new takeaway will be walking distance from the The Meanwood Tavern, perfect for those looking for some post-pint burgers.
It will be strictly takeaway with no dine-in option available.
The brand-new Burgerism will employ 15 people from the local area with food being served between 11am and 11pm.
We'll keep you up to date as and when we find out more, but for now we're aware that Burgerism Leeds is set to open this August.
New Sheffield pizzeria named one of the world’s best
Daisy Jackson
A Sheffield pizzeria has been named one of the world’s best in a prestigious global ranking.
Forbici, the restaurant where all pizzas are served with a pair of scissors, is the only northern pizzeria to be recognised at last week's Best Pizza Awards 2026.
The awards took place in Milan, and are said to be the Michelin equivalent of the pizza world.
Forbici was named as creating one of the world’s best pizzas, with its master chef recognised as one of the top pizza chefs in the world.
It’s one of just two UK pizzerias listed in the coveted top 100 this year.
Images: The Sheff
Forbici opened in Manchester back in 2024, and has since expanded across to lovely Sheffield on Millennium Square back in March.
It was also once named by Marco Pierre White as ‘the best pizza’ he’d ever had - quite an accolade.
Biga pizza dough at Forbici is slow-fermented to create a light, risen crust, before being topped with quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Italian produce.
It also has a lot of northern flavour, thanks to local specials like the Lancashire Hotpot – a pizza topped with crisps.
And all pizzas are served with scissors, inspired by the pizzerias of Naples, to be cut into quarters.
Master baker Davide Argentino is a fifth-generation baker from Napoli. While his family runs two bakeries on his behalf back home, Davide brings a true taste of authentic Neapolitan pizza to the UK.
Commenting on the recognition, Davide said: “It is a huge honour for Forbici to be recognised as one of the best pizzerias in the world.
“Baking has been in my family for five generations, so this is a really proud moment. In crafting Forbici’s signature dough we challenged convention pushing the fermentation process to the limit. Every bite reflects the patience, precision and expertise behind our approach.
“This recognition belongs to our entire team, whose passion, skill and commitment to the craft of pizza-making make Forbici what it is every day.”
Georgina Pellant -
22nd June 2021 
