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Ex-Watermark Bar owner to open new all-day cocktail bar Tabula Rasa
Think speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails - with a menu that switches from pastries to small plates, cured meat and cheese as the day progresses
A well-known Leeds bartender and former co-owner of The Watermark Bar is opening Tabula Rasa, a new all-day cocktail spot in Leeds.
Greek bartender Filippos Filippopoulos has revealed his plans to open a new all-day drinking and dining spot in central Leeds later this summer, reports Class Bar Mag.
Called Tabula Rasa, it is due to open at 8 East Gate in late August and promises to bring an authentic aperitivo experience into the city centre.
Focusing on speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails; in the day it will house a ground-floor bar serving coffee and pastries, then transition to aperitivo and small plates like salads and sandwiches come the evening.
As the night winds on, this will then switch again to span classic cocktails, cheese and cured meats in truly continental fashion.
Ingredients will come predominantly from Leeds’ Kirkgate Market, and Filippos is keen to source everything as locally as possible - adding that he plans to establish relationships with other suppliers from Leeds, such as local gin distillers.
He is also currently talking to a Leeds-based company about making staff aprons from recycled bottles and plans to use the venue to showcase local art and music.
Filippos Filippopoulos pictured outside former bar The Watermark with then co-owner Dariush Haghighi
Aperitivo and cocktails will focus on "classics done well" with Filippos calling on his 17 years bartending experience to put together his own finely-tuned specs.
There will also be some boozy coffees on offer, like the classic Irish and a signature Mextaxa-coffee cocktail.
Drawing inspiration from day to night venues like The Clumsies in Athens and Dante in New York, Filippos has lofty aspirations for Tabula Rasa.
Interior design inspiration, meanwhile, comes from the likes of Death & Co in Denver and Swift in London: incorporating modern art deco influences with a colour palette of dark green, white and gold.
Filippos Filippopoulos hard at work shaking a cocktail inside The Watermark / Image: The Watermark Bar
Tables will be marble and gold, with green velvet stools and a wooden bar with marble top. Elsewhere, glass bi-folding doors will bring in lots of natural light.
Following the end of social distancing, Tabula Rasa will have room for roughly 55 covers - making it a rather intimate space.
Filippos has also put in an application for an outdoor terrace which would bring the overall capacity up to 100.
Tabula Rasa will open in Leeds in late August, serving from 9am until midnight throughout the week and as late as 2am between Thursday and Saturday.
For more information, follow them on Instagram for further updates.
Authentic Turkish street food is coming to Kirkgate.
Leeds city centre is gearing up to welcome yet another new food spot, and this one is all about homemade lahmacun, shawarma wraps and plenty of signature tahini sauce.
Tahin will open its doors at 10 Kirkgate, next to The Cat Cafe, and with signs already up we don't think it'll be long until they welcome their first customers.
The restaurant is listed as a Turkish restaurant that specialise in their homemade tahini sauce, hence the name.
According to the restaurant's Instagram profile which has been going for a few years, Tahin also specialises in home-made lahmacun wraps alongside shawarma wraps.
For anyone unfamiliar with lahmacun, the Turkish staple is often described as a thin, crispy flatbread topped with a richly seasoned mixture of minced meat, herbs and vegetables.
Wrapped up with fresh salad and sauces, it makes for a satisfying and flavourful lunch to enjoy on-the-go.
Their Instagram suggests that Tahin once existed before back in 2022, so although this may not be a completely new venture, we're nevertheless very glad to see them back.
Its location puts it right in the middle of one of Leeds' busiest areas, making it the perfect mid-shopping pit stop for those wandering around Briggate or stopping for a bite to eat before heading out on the town.
The new opening comes at a time when Leeds' food scene is continuing to expand, with a string of independent restaurants and street-food concepts opening across the city centre throughout 2026.
This Leeds bistro has been named one of the best restaurants in the UK to plan a staycation around
Clementine Hall
A much-loved neighbourhood Leeds restaurant has been given another major accolade.
There’s no shortage of brilliant places to eat in Leeds, but one Horsforth bistro has just been given a pretty huge seal of approval - and it might be worth planning your next staycation around.
The brilliant Bavette has been named one of the best neighbourhood restaurants in the UK to plan a staycation around by Condé Nast Traveller, appearing alongside a handpicked list of restaurants from across the country.
The list celebrates neighbourhood restaurants that are worth travelling for, with the magazine highlighting the growing appeal of venturing outside of busy city centres in search of smaller, more intimate places to eat.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And Leeds has bagged itself a spot thanks to Bavette, and we can't say we're surprised.
The French-inspired neighbourhood bistro is run by chef Sandy Jarvis and his husband Clément Cousin.
Since opening in 2024, Bavette has quickly become one of the city's most talked-about restaurants, attracting diners far beyond its Horsforth home and scooping up accolades such as the 2024 Good Food Guide's Best UK Local Restaurant, a 2025 and 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a place in the 2026 National Restaurant Awards Top 100.
Condé Nast Traveller hails Bavette as "a true neighbourhood gem", saying: "The restaurant takes its cues from the couple’s London bistro roots, serving hearty yet elegant dishes made with seasonal ingredients.”
They finish by saying: "Reservations are hard to come by - but so worth it once you get your foot in the door."
We really couldn't agree more.
And while a trip to Horsforth might not technically count as a staycation for us Leeds locals, Bavette is certainly one restaurant worth crossing the city for.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd June 2021 
