Paying a respectful homage to the building's wealth of history, Kino effortlessly fuses new and old, indie and popular, and wine with charcuterie.
Kino, meaning cinema, has been lovingly built from the rubble of a former-derelict cinema space.
The space within the Grade II-listed Opera North has opened its doors this week, revealing a space with soft greys and blues, terrazzo table-tops, and a stunning tiled bar.
The gist of the food offering is a simple one - boards loaded with cheese, charcuterie, and other nibbles, sourced as regionally as possible.
Inside Kino. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Suppliers include Leeds’ George & Joseph, North Star Coffee Roasters, Latitude Wines and Northern Monk in addition to Darlington’s Acorn Dairy, Lishman’s of Ilkley and Bluebird Bakery.
Everything will be evolving constantly to showcase seasonal favourites as well as guest chefs and kitchen residencies.
From September, one of Leeds' most exciting pop-up brands will take over the full food offer, with plenty of exciting names to add to the menu come autumn.
Kino is now opening in Leeds. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Inspired by the cinematic experience formerly hosted inside the Grade II listed building, Kino means 'cinema' in multiple languages, but also encompasses the minimalist style that the restaurant has taken on as part of its opening identity.
Inside you'll see 100 covers across a whopping three floors with clean lines to create a relaxed and welcoming space perfect for pre-show drinks, post-performance bites and everything in between.
This exciting new opening will be far more than a foodie option for theatre-goers, it'll be a game-changing restaurant championing independents near and far, all whilst keeping its carbon footprint to a minimum.
Menus at Kino. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Running on renewable energy created from solar panels and from the grid, Kino promises to put sustainability in everything it does- and we can't wait to see the restaurant in action later this summer.
Richard Mantle, general director at Opera North says: “Opening Kino is the final piece in the puzzle following our transformative £18 million redevelopment programme, Music Works.
"Located next to Leeds Grand Theatre, where Opera North is a resident company, and below the Howard Assembly Room, the most eclectic music venue in the north of England, Kino will be the perfect spot to enjoy drinks and a bite to eat before a performance, or as a destination in its own right.
"With Kino, we continue to do what we do best – entertaining through memorable experiences – adding seriously delicious food and drink to our repertoire."
Kino will initially open on Wednesday and Thursday evenings 5pm - 11pm, and all day on Fridays and Saturdays over the summer before moving into its September menu and full restaurant opening.
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."
Sophie Smith -
7th July 2022 
