Eats

The best places to find an açai bowl on the menu in Leeds

Açai bowls are the ultimate healthy brekkie- but where's the best spot to get one in Leeds?

Sophie Smith Sophie Smith - 19th January 2022

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.

Find out more here.

Fleur Cafe

Image: Fleur Cafe

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.

Find out more here.

Bascos MMXX

Image: Bascos MMXX

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.

Find out more here.

Bonito Acai

Image: Bonito Acai

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.

Find out more here.

LEON Gildersome and Train Station

Image: Leon Restaurants

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.

Find out more here.

Near Leeds- Pom Kitchen, Sheffield

Image: Pom Kitchen

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.

Find out more here.

Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds

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Eats

Grade-II listed city centre bar to open East Asian-inspired street food kitchen

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Howard Assembly Room to launch new bar with permanent kitchen from Yuzu Street Food.

HAR bar, the intimate Grade II-listed space beneath Leeds City Centre's multi-disciplinary venue, the Howard Assembly Room, will now open five days a week with a brand new permanent food partner.

If you're not familiar York’s Yuzu Street Food, then allow us to fill you in.

First established in York following an enlightening culinary trip to Asia in 2019, Yuzu Street Food is now recognised as one of the north’s finest street food vendors.

Image: Supplied

Serving up contemporary takes on bao buns, fried chicken, ramen, katsu curry and much more; Yuzu are set to be the perfect addition to the Howard Assembly Room and its new bar HAR.

First launched in February, a programme of improvements saw the space previously occupied by the restaurant Kino transformed into the HAR bar.

An intimate venue in the cultural heart of the city, HAR bar guests can now enjoy fresh coffee, quality cocktails and a rotation of beers from breweries including Leeds institution Kirkstall Brewery throughout the week.

Image: Supplied
Image: The Hoot Leeds

Yuzu Street Food will open at HAR on Friday 15 May.

Michael Wilkinson, Director of Strategy and Commercial, said: “We are very excited to be welcoming Yuzu to HAR bar, with their Asian-inspired street food providing the perfect accompaniment to our range of drinks and firmly establishing HAR bar as one of Leeds’ leading spots to meet and eat.

"We want everyone in the city to feel that this is their space, where great music, a welcoming atmosphere and exceptional service combine to create a truly special place that embodies the city’s creativity while also supporting Opera North’s outreach work across the north.

Chris Hargroves, Yuzu Founder & CEO, said: “We’re delighted to be back in Leeds city centre! Leeds has always shown us incredible support and energy and returning really feels like coming home. We’re excited to reconnect with the community, welcome familiar faces and introduce our new menu items to the new ones. Working with such a prestigious venue as the Howard Assembly Room is something we’re absolutely buzzing about and we can’t wait to fire up the woks!”

Read more: Popular beer festival showcasing over 35 indie breweries is returning to Leeds this month

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

Eats

Popular beer festival showcasing over 35 indie breweries is returning to Leeds this month

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

Hop City, the long-running beer festival from award-winning Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk, returns this month for its ninth year.

Beer lovers, this one's for you.

Bringing over 35 of the best independent breweries from the UK, Europe and North America together to The Old Flax Store, Hop City will have approximately 250 different world-class beers for guests to try across one weekend of festivities.

The best part? Every pour across the weekend is included in the price of the ticket alongside a Hop City branded glass to enjoy them in, so don't worry about having to continuously reach for your wallet.

Images: Supplied

Joining Northern Monk this year are UK breweries including Brighton’s Beak, Deya from Cheltenham, Manchester-based Track and Edinburgh’s Newbarns who will be pouring next to the likes of US breweries Trillium, Root + Branch, Finback and everywhere; Canadian’s Messorem and Third Moon, and a selection of Europe’s finest indie brewers.

Seriously, this is a beer lover's paradise.

And it's not just about the booze, as joining Hop City 2026 will be joined by Leeds’ own Bundobust who will be bringing their Indian street food alongside Bonehead Fried Chicken and Hermanos Caliente, courtesy of Niko’s Comfort Kitchen.

Images: Supplied

Not a beer fan? Don't fret as natural wine bar Rinse will be pouring all weekend whilst Below Stairs will be providing the cocktails.

Russell Bisset, Founder of Northern Monk, said: “What started out as an idea to host some of our favourite breweries in Leeds has grown into something bigger than we could have imagined. From the beginning, the ambition was clear - to champion the best hop-forward breweries in the world and to create the first beer festival in Europe dedicated to celebrating hoppy beers and IPAs.

"Today, it’s about bringing some of the greatest breweries from across the globe together under one roof, creating something genuinely special for people who love beer as much as we do. Heading into our ninth year with a line-up of this calibre is something we’re incredibly proud of. It’s not just about the beer, but the community, collaboration, and spirit behind it.”  

Hop City 2026 will take place from Friday 15 to Saturday 16 of May, and you can buy your tickets here.

Read more: A breathtaking giant sculpture of the sun is coming to Yorkshire for the summer

Featured image - Supplied

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