Texas-born chicken shop chain Wingstop is taking over Leeds city centre with a fifth brand new location at a huge retail centre.
It’s no secret that Leeds loves a good chicken shop, especially Wingstop, so much so the brand has decided to give us another site to feed our city of fried chicken connoisseurs.
Known for their expansive menu dedicated solely to chicken, Wingstop has 57 branches nationwide and this brand new Leeds location marks the launch of 20 new sites throughout 2025.
Located at The Springs retail and leisure centre, this all-new eatery spans over 3,000 square ft and can hold up to 77 fried chicken fanatics at a time.
This chicken restaurant chain is famed for its large selection of sauces which range from the tame ‘Hawaiian’ and ‘Garlic Parmesan’ to its heat-packed ‘Mango Habanero’ and ‘Atomic’.
Wingstop is now open in LeedsThere's a free chicken giveaway in Leeds
From fiery wings to ridiculously sweet churros, whatever you’re in the mood for, this fast food joint has all tastebuds and appetites covered.
The new Leeds restaurant site will be serving up its much-loved chicken combos and meals as well as a brand-new Mango Habenero milkshake you can pair with them, available for a limited time only.
Earlier this year, British newspaper The Sunday Times crowned Wingstop UK as the fastest-growing restaurant group in the country for a third consecutive year.
The latest Leeds Wingstop is also giving you the chance to experience its chicken combos without having to spend a single penny as the first 100 customers will get free chicken wings.
Chris Sherriff, CEO at Wingstop UK, said: “We’ve seen phenomenal demand for Wingstop UK in Leeds, which is why we’re thrilled to be opening our fifth site in the city.
“Expanding into such a vibrant destination for food and drink, like The Springs, is a natural next step and cements our status as the number one flavour destination in Leeds.
“We’re grateful for the continued love and support from our local community, as we bring our menu to an even broader audience.”
Gemma Chidgey, Estates Manager at The Springs, commented:“We are thrilled to be welcoming Wingstop to the scheme this week and very proud to be the latest opening in Leeds!”
“The new restaurant will add to our already strong line-up of food and drink brands at The Springs, and we know it will prove popular with our customers and occupiers alike.”
Wingstop at The Springs retail and leisure centre is open from Monday 11 August from 11am with the first 100 customers set to receive free chicken wings.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
Thomas Melia -
11th August 2025 
