Eats

From the Corn Exchange to Burley Road: 2023 according to OWT

"Believe and work hard!"

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 28th December 2023

One of the Corn Exchange's most-loved eateries said farewell to the venue in 2023.

2023 has been a huge year – but nobody knows the ins and outs of the city better than the independent businesses that keep the cogs whirring – and so rather than us telling you what’s been going on this year, we’ve reached out to five different small business owners to give us the lowdown on 2023.

OWT is a brunch staple, and we wanted to end the year finding out all about the indie's transformation from LS1 to LS3.

The new venue holds 60 covers and took over a site with “history in its walls”. The former home of Corner Cafe was lovingly opened in 1976 and continued to serve locals right up until March 2022.

Opening just last month, OWT is now giving the premises a new life, and you can bet the menu will be just as exciting as the current ever-changing plates available at the Corn Exchange over the past five years. Having started off on Fishmongers Row at Kirkgate Market, this is an exciting next step for a much-loved Leeds independent.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about 2023 according to OWT...

It’s been one heck of a year! What have you been up to? Tell us about any major events, exciting moments etc.

2023 has been very intense ! We left the Corn Exchange in October to move to Burley Road in LS3. 

What was one highlight from 2023 that you’ll always remember? 

Moving to a bigger venue that allows us to do evening service.

When we started OWT in 2018 in Kirkgate Market we had a clear image of what we wanted the restaurant to look/feel like. 5 years later, after a lot of hard work and organic growth, the vision became reality and this is probably the biggest victory of the year for us !

What are you looking forward to in 2024? 

Keeping on nurturing OWT but also learning how to step back and take more time for ourselves. The work / life balance when you run a restaurant is hard to achieve and we’re looking forward to be kinder to ourselves 

Where is one place that people should go and visit next year?

Diyar on Burley Road ! A tiny 10/15 covers restaurant on Burley Road, serving authentic Persian cuisine. Waitresses are the sweetest and the chef owner is so enthusiastic about his heritage and is always happy to share new flavours.

Leeds has a thriving indie community - what’s one piece of advice you’d give someone that’s looking to start their own business next year?

Create something that you’d want to be a customer of.  As long as you enjoy what you do/sell, people will follow. Believe and work hard!

Read More:

Feature Image - OWT via Instagram

Eats

Viral brunch cafe Acai and the Tribe is coming to Leeds city centre this spring

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Leeds health nuts assemble, because acai bowls and superfood smoothies are coming to a city near you.

Incase you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may not be clued up on the whole acai bowl trend that has been sweeping up the nation.

Acai is a super berry grown and harvested in the Amazon rainforest, and not only is it absolutely delicious but it has a myriad of health benefits.

Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.

Images: The Manc Group

Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.

So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.

Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Acai and the Tribe said: "You asked, we listened. LEEDS… your new lifestyle arrives soon."

They will be opening on 88 Vicar Lane as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration scheme, which has already scene some great new restaurants being announced such as Sticks'n'Sushi and Dishoom.

It seems like this part of town is suddenly going to be the place to be, and we're very happy to see it.

We'll keep you updated with opening dates as and when we know more but for now, you can find out more about Acai and the Tribe here.

Read more:

Featured image - The Manc Group

Eats

Leeds has been crowned the best city in the UK for foodies outside of London

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.

It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?

It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes. 

Coming in at number on was, of course, London.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.

But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.

Images: The Hoot Leeds

We will absolutely take that.

Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.

The top ten UK cities for foodies are:

  1. London
  2. Leeds
  3. Nottingham
  4. Edinburgh
  5. Wolverhampton / Leicester
  6. Sheffield
  7. Birmingham / Glasgow
  8. Bradford / Swansea
  9. Preston
  10. Milton Keynes

Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.

From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.

Read more:

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds


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