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!
One of the city's best independents is expanding into a bigger premises.
Shokupan on Wellington Street is a proper little gem that food-lovers across Leeds will rave nonstop about if given the opportunity.
Husband and wife team Alan and Alison took inspiration from trips around the world to bring a taste of Japan to the city and over the past few years it's gained a loyal following.
They're famed for their delicious Japanese sandos made with pillow-like fluffy shokupan bread, stuffed with everything from crunchy chicken katsu and flavourful pork to fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
But it's not all just about sandwiches, they also serve rice bowls and katsu curries as well as small bites such as chicken karaage and octopus balls.
Their food is so bloody good, that they've had to find a better location and this time it's slap bang in the city centre on Central Road.
And they're joining brilliant company too, with the likes of House of Koko and Vinyl Grounds as neighbours.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Shokupan said: "You guessed right…we are moving to Central Road, LS1 6DE. We are nearly there…
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"All the building work is complete and now we are finishing off the decorating. You might also start to see some signage appearing over the next few days…It has been lovely seeing some of our customers dropping by to see us whilst we slowly lose our sanity.
"Powered on caffeine and determination! Not long to go before we can announce our opening date and welcome you through the doors."
We can't wait to check out the new space, keep an eye on their opening date here.
Cult favourite burger chain Burgerism is officially coming to Leeds this August
Clementine Hall
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.
Sophie Smith -
28th December 2023 
