Bottomless brunches seems to be our speciality in Leeds.
As writers at The Hoot Leeds, we still manage to find new ones every single week- and to be quite honest we had no idea there were so many before embarking on a mission to cover them all.
Nevertheless, they're a fantastic experience and something our city has to offer. So when The Bottle Club announced they'd ranked all cities against they're bottomless brunches we were sure we'd come at least in the top ten.
We were right. Although we didn't actually rank as highly as expected.
Manahatta does a great bottomless deal that can be found in Leeds and Manchester. / Image: Manahatta
In order to find the perfect bottomless, cities were ranked against nine different criteria:
% of overall restaurants in the city that offer brunch
% spots with vegan options available
% spots with vegetarian options available
% spots with gluten-free options available
% spots with halal options available
% spots accessible/ wheelchair friendly
% spots with outdoor seating available
% spots that are dog-friendly
% spots offering live music
All in all, Leeds came a respectable but slightly disappointing seventh place.
Here's all you need to know to understand where that mark came from. Firstly, we have one of the highest bar : bottomless brunch ratio, with 29.8% of our bars and restaurants offering a free-flowing booze package, and within that a over half (56.9%) offered vegan options and 80% were vegetarian-friendly.
Fleur does great value 2-for-1 bottomlesses. / Image: Fleur Cafe
So far so good.
Then, we didn't do so well in near enough every other category. Did you know just 3% of bottomlesses cater offer halal options? Or that only 2.4% are dog friendly and only 5% provide live music at their events?
When you compare this to the unlikely contender Southhampton, where 58% of bottomless brunches have live music, you can see why we list out.
Overall, it was Cardiff that took the top spot though, with a respectable 1-in-5 bars offering bottomless and all of which scored highly against food allergies, dietary requirements and accessibility.
So turns out we're not as good at bottomlesses as we thought- or maybe that's just one study's opinion and we're going to continue to enjoy them anyway.
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Family-run Thai street food stall made famous in Leeds Kirkgate Market to open brand-new restaurant
Clementine Hall
One of Kirkgate Market's best hidden gems is growing.
If you're a fan of all things Thai then you'll most likely know about Khao Gaeng Thai.
This family-run street food stall is known for its quick-service Thai food at brilliant prices.
They serve everything from zingy papaya salad and crispy chicken with rice to your classic Pad Thai noodles with your choice of protein.
And if you're looking for a hearty meal to keep you full throughout the day then this is the spot, as the portions are absolutely huge.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Much to our excitement, Khao Gaeng Thai has now opened its second site over on Burley Road which has a bigger kitchen plus its own seating area for you to relax and enjoy the food.
Announcing the news to Instagram, they said: "We’re so excited to announce that Khao Gaeng Thai – Thai Kitchen, our SECOND location, is NOW OPEN! And don’t worry — our original Khao Gaeng Thai at Kirkgate Market is staying OPEN as usual!
"Thanks to all the incredible support we’ve received from our customers at Kirkgate Market over the years, we’ve been able to take this exciting next step and open a second Khao Gaeng Thai.
"At our new Thai Kitchen on Burley Road, you’ll find even more dishes, more choice, and a relaxed sit-down restaurant experience — all with the authentic Thai flavours you know and love.
"So now you can enjoy Khao Gaeng Thai at TWO locations in Leeds! Thank you for helping our little Khao Gaeng Thai family grow. We can’t wait to welcome you!"
We couldn't be happier for the team and can't wait to check out their new space.
Sophie Smith -
20th January 2022 
