If you're looking for a refreshing brekkie to start the day- we've found plenty of acai and smoothie bowls that are packed with vitamins and punchy flavour.
Acai bowls are one of the most aesthetic breakfasts around and perfect for vegans wanting to get their five a day in whilst posting their meal on to their socials. Not just that, but they contain a whole lot of fruit and grains, so it can be a great source of nutrients.
Here's our favourite spots to grab an açai bowl in and around Leeds.
Wolføx Leeds
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The organic açai bowl from Wolfox is made from a smoothie base, topped with granola, fresh fruit and coconut flakes- so selections can vary from day to day, but we’re convinced they’re all just as tasty as each other- they were simply beautiful. We can fully understand how they get through 70kg of bananas a week.
Wolfox is a gorgeous cafe space right in the heart of Leeds that's perfect for working remotely or grabbing some Saturday brunch- it's definitely our number one spot for Instagrammable açai bowls for sure.
In Leeds 'most Instagrammable' cafe, it makes sense for an aesthetic açai bowl to be front and centre of the menu. The #BreakfastBowl is a berry smoothie bowl with banana, nutty granola, Soy yoghurt and Chia seeds is picture perfect, and nutritious too. Best of all, it's 100% vegan friendly, so you can rely on this tasty brekkie if you have a plant-based diet.
It's even available as a bottomless option too, with cocktails, mocktails or Prosecco (each priced differently), the boozy brunch offer stretches across most of the day, broken into two sessions: the first running from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm, the second from 4 – 8 pm.
Right in the heart of Leeds, between Briggate and Trinity, you'll find Bascos- serving up açai and granola bowls, amongst other tasty treats every single day. The açai bowl comes with granola, bananas, strawberries and coconut flakes, but if you fancy something a little more exotic, try the Pina Colada Oatmeal with coconut milk oats, yogurt, fresh pineapple chunks, toasted coconut flakes, maraschino cherry.
Sticking with the theme of healthy but refreshing breakfasts, the Chocolate Quinoa is an unexpected dish to see on the menu, but one that is no doubt well received by those with a sweet tooth. It's almond and coconut milk quinoa, vegan chocolate chunks, berries, banana, chia seeds and sounds delish.
Located in Kirkgate market, Bonito Acai is the takeaway made to transport you to your exotic summer holiday location. The market stall embodies sunshine all year round with its bright decor and offers acai bowls to take away in small bowls. There's plenty of flavours to choose from, including a Nutella bowl and a Green Goddess flavour.
The Leeds Kirkgate Market is full of independent traders that bring us new, innovative flavours years before we see them in mainstream foodie spots, so it's a great place to go and check out the latest trending flavours- as well as grabbing some tasty grub at a reasonable price.
If you’re heading over the M621 and need a drive-thru breakfast that will suit your vegan needs, or just want a drink with a difference, look no further than the UK’s first drive-thru Leon restaurant in Gildersome. Of course, if you’re in Leeds city centre, the train station store offer the same range of delicious plant-based treats, including breakfasts, wraps and the best oat milk lattes in the station.
To complement your order, their Açai Smoothie is worth adding on. Five berries, blended. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and acai berries, mixed with apple and banana, it really is as fresh as it gets. Even though it's not a bowl, we're big fans of this one nonetheless.
If you find yourself on a daytrip to Sheffield, there's plenty of açai options for you there too. Our favourite cafe to visit is Pom's Kitchen, a veggie and vegan eatery that looks like it's been tipped in neon hundreds and thousands before being rolled in fairy dust (in a good way). You'll want to take photos of everything here, including their smoothies and açai bowls.
The flavours will vary day-to-day as the kitchen run on a limited menu, but there will no doubt be plenty to choose from upon each visit. Our latest favourite is their Emily in Paris inspired hot chocolate and their neon vegan hot dogs.
The Smithfield is finally here - and we're pleased to report that it's every bit as special as you were hoping.
This newcomer to Leeds has taken over the site that was home to The Reliance for more than two decades.
The team's transformation of the site started with a paint job - probably the most-talked-about paint job in the city - taking the site's exterior back to its memorable dark red.
That move immediately won over fans of The Reliance, with one person writing: "Seems the team here held the Relly in high regard and rightly so! Hopefully they can recapture some of its magic."
But the efforts to recapture the essence of the iconic old venue go way beyond that.
The Smithfield, a collaboration between Crooked Brewing and Chef James Donovan, is setting out to mix up relaxed hospitality with simple dining.
It's all about connection - to seasonal food, to the heritage of the building, and to the community that will make connections here.
Co-founder Steve Dawson outside The SmithfieldThe Reliance has been reborn as The SmithfieldWayward WinesThe dining room
If you're wondering what sort of things will be on the table, allow us to enlighten you.
There are sharing plates like grilled leeks on romesco, pigs head croquettes (a must-order), and whipped cods roe with radishes, all served on charming mismatched plates.
The bigger dishes include a comically massive pie for sharing, packed with chicken, leek, and tarragon. It's a mighty thing, especially paired with their crispy-edged chips.
You can also order a whole wild Cornish seabass for a real feast, or a fantastic beef sirloin with wild garlic butter.
There's a fantastic selection of natural wines from Wayward Wines, as well as (unsurprisingly) great beers.
Steak, pie, and charred leeksA spread of the plates at The SmithfieldSticky toffee puddingThe Smithfield has taken over the old The ReliancePigs head croquettes with gribicheThe chicken and tarragon sharing pieA sharing pie and chips at The SmithfieldBeef sirloin with wild garlic butter, and purple sprouting broccoli with ricotta and mintWild Cornish seabass with kohlrabi, fennel, and chervil - plus an orange wine from Wayward WinesThe Smithfield is now open
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, and his business partner chef James Donovan, were drawn to the old The Reliance site and are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the area's dining legacy.
While Steve's focus is on creating a social meeting point, James will focus on the casual, social dining, taking inspiration from the building's reputation as a cutting-edge gastro pub.
They'll be sourcing seasonally and locally, with menus that will change with the seasons.
The space itself inside is still familiar - those huge windows are the stars of the show, with the bar still standing centrally, while the dining room at the back is stripped-back and simple overlooking the open kitchen.
It's very early days for The Smithfield - they're just out of their soft launch period and gearing up for their first 'proper' weekend.
On their soft launch period, they wrote: "We were so grateful to welcome friends, neighbours, and the Leeds hospitality community to The Smithfield. Seeing the bar and dining room full after weeks of cleaning, painting, and graft has truly made it all worth it.
"A huge thank you to everyone who came along, showed their support, and has made this journey possible. Not least the Kitchen and bar teams, whose incredible service has kept the plates coming and the drinks flowing."
We feel pretty confident in saying Leeds will be very proud to have The Smithfield in our city.
In pictures – Mexican restaurant Madre opens up in Leeds at last
Daisy Jackson
Madre is one of those few restaurants that has been making us jealous of Manchester for years - but finally, it’s Leeds’ turn.
A couple of months after the launch of Salon Madre, a colourful pool hall and taqueria, it’s time for Leeds to welcome its sister restaurant.
Madre will open its doors on Wellington Place this week, promising to educate us all in the art of ‘sobremesa’, which means to linger at the table long after the meal is over.
And trust us, after popping in for a sneak peek today, you won’t be in a rush to leave this place.
The unit has been totally transformed by the Madre team - it’s all jagged angles on the tables and soft curves on the walls, with a colour palette that goes all the way from deep terracotta to neon green.
From an open kitchen you can see the team constructing tacos and piling oysters with jalapeño mignonette and salsa brava.
The menu is split neatly into four sections - snacks (elote, wings, Caesar salad and guac); raw (oysters, tuna tostadas, and aguachile); tacos (including birria); and parilla (wood-fired dishes like BBQ octopus and slow cooked lamb breast).
Click through the gallery below to see inside Madre Leeds
Madre LeedsA selection of the Madre Leeds menuDishes at Madre in LeedsMargaritas are a mustBeef birria tacosFire-roasted mushrooms with egg yolkMadre opens in Leeds this weekBone marrowMadre on Wellington PlaceOysters with salsa
Pull up a seat at a tile-topped table and you can expect to dig into everything from rich Oaxacan-inspired moles and salsas to Baja-style mariscos and Sonoran grilled meats.
Pop down on a Tuesday and you can take advantage of Madre’s two-for-one taco deal - we can’t really think of a better evening than tucking into dinner at Madre before heading across the road for happy hour margs and a game of pool at Salon Madre.
Madre is brought to the city by the teams behind London’s famous Breddos Tacos and esteemed Liverpudlian eatery Belzan.
Sophie Smith -
19th January 2022 
