Popular Leeds city centre food and drink destination Call Lane is set to welcome back hundreds more outside revellers for seated al fresco drinking and dining following recent renovations and changes to the street made by Leeds City Council.
The long-awaited changes to the thriving bar and restaurant hub have seen the expansion and laying of new pavement and dramatically reduced traffic following a successful trial in Summer 2020. The ongoing improvements on Call Lane leave it well-placed to be the next great destination in a growing list of bustling outdoor city centre spaces.
Already making the most of their new surroundings is local bar and restaurant group Akito Ltd who will be opening three of their four sites for outdoor drinking and dining from Monday 12th April in line with the government’s reopening roadmap.
With new furniture, outdoor heaters and rain cover, the bars (including Leeds nightlife mainstays Oporto, Knaves Kitchen, Neon Cactus and Power, Corruption and Lies) will be ready to welcome their dearly-missed customers in all weathers and circumstances from 12PM - 12AM, seven days a week. Bookings won’t be required for the three Akito venues, leaving space for walk-ins of groups of up to six.
All sites will be fully seated, offering table service exclusively and logging track and trace details for all guests in line with current covid regulations. From Mexican street food and cocktails, ‘Disco Dim Sum’ to vegan fast food, craft beer and coffee, the widespread and diverse offering from the various Call Lane venues will ensure that all tastes are catered for.
Following their reopening on the 12th, the bars plan to make use of the new and long awaited outdoor space to host BBQ’s, events, bank holiday specials and lots more over the Summer months. The independent Akito group along with their neighbours on the lane are excited to bring another great outdoor social space to Leeds city centre and welcome back the crowds who make Leeds such a beloved place to eat, drink and dance.
Ross Millar, Operations Manager, Akito Ltd said: “Down on call lane we are chomping at the bit to welcome people back for al fresco drinking and dining in our new and extended outside area. With extra seating available and no booking necessary the summer is going to look beautiful! We have worked really hard over the past months to ensure complete safety for our guests is achieved with all the necessary covid procedures in place.
"Having done weeks of extensive research and development on new food and drink offerings in our venues we are super excited for people to come down and sample our creations. It’s been such a tough year all round for everybody, I personally feel a real sense of excitement and emotion for the coming months when we are able to get back to what we know and see some lovely faces.”
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Leeds City Council has worked with hospitality businesses across the city as they prepare to welcome back customers from 12th April. Large parts of the city centre have been transformed over the past year, with some of our key streets and spaces now offering wider footways, more room for outdoor seating, and newly planted trees”
Oporto, Knaves Kitchen, Neon Cactus & Power Corruption and Lies will be open from 12PM - 12AM, seven days a week. Food will be served until 10PM.
Leeds
Female-founded independent jewellery brand to open in Leeds’ Victoria Gate
Norfolk-based jewellery brand Lisa Angel is opening their first Yorkshire site right here in Leeds.
Jewellery and trinket lovers, this one's for you.
Lisa Angel, a female-founded jewellery and gifting brand will open the doors to its new store in Victoria Gate next month.
Shoppers can expect a wonderful range of jewellery, gifts, and accessories that have established a loyal following during more than twenty years of business.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has only gone from strength to strength since.
Image: Supplied
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
After opening two stores last year and three stores in 2024, Lisa Angel’s founder and Creative Director, Lisa, said: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Managing Director James Moody explained the significance to the business of opening a new store in a city as influential as Leeds: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
We'll keep you up to date when we know an opening date, but for now you can check out what to expect here.
Yorkshire residents are being invited to name two new bin lorries
Clementine Hall
Well...this is a new one.
Ever fancied naming a bin lorry? Well today is your lucky day, because now you can.
Yorkshire-based waste management experts Divert are celebrating the arrival of two swanky new tbin rucks by inviting the local community to help name them.
The iconic purple bins, vans and trucks can be seen across the Yorkshire area helping to clean up waste from Bradford to Harrogate.
Two new lorries are set to be joining the fleet in April and May, and of course they need a name.
And who better to ask than the general public? The winning names will be added to the cabs of each of the trucks for all to see, and announced via the Divert website and social media channels.
Absolutely anyone from across the UK is welcome to take part, but the company are especially keen for people from Yorkshire to enter.
You can be as creative as you like, but there are a couple of rules...
No swearing or offensive names. Aside from that, you can let your freak flag fly.
The Divert team are keen to hear the 'best celebrity puns, local namesakes, and downright silly names' the public have to offer.
John Verity, Managing Director of Divert, comments: “Naming our bin trucks is a great way to bring some joy to the local community. We hope to bring a smile to the faces of passing drivers and pedestrians as our fleet passes by.
“Not only that, naming our lorries can help our drivers to take pride and ownership in the vehicles they drive and be a key reminder of our engagement within the community. We’re always keen to employ any initiatives that help the public to engage with us and ensure we’re seen as a friendly face in the area.”
Winners will be voted for by the team internally, and the competition closes at 5 pm on 31 March 2026.
The Hoot -
8th April 2021 
