Roxy Lanes and Roxy Ball Rooms are the place to go in Leeds for a mate date.
Whether you're looking for a game of pool after work or bowling on the weekend with the family, there's always a great reason to head over to one of the three Roxy venues.
Naturally, the food options here are always spot on for any occasion. Serving up a range of light snacks ideal for sharing and pizzas loaded with cheesy, salty and meaty options that you can sit down and scran with a post-game pint.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Now, Roxy Lanes and Roxy Ball Room are serving up a brand new menu that's bound to have pizza lovers walking through the door, even if there's no games booked.
The Roxy Dogs are an autumn staple, and the perfect way to celebrate a belated Oktoberfest. The bratwurst sausages are served in light brioche rolls with Roxy fries and piled high with crispy onions and sauces on the classic version. The Big Dog adds pepperoni slices, jalapeños and cheddar cheese into the mix for an all-out special bound to curb any appetite.
Pizzawise, there's a whole feast of options to choose from- we're talking seven different options, each with its own bragging rights.
Besides your standard margarita and pepperoni options (which certainly shouldn't be underestimated), the hand rolled Italian pizza options include a spicy buffalo chicken pizza with salt and pepper chicken, jalapeños, buffalo sauce and topped with rocket or a garlic sausage with cheesy mozzarella and sausage with a garlic butter base.
The Meat Feast should be reserved for those looking for a standout showstopper: packed with mozzarella, sausage, salt and pepper chicken, pepperoni, spring onion all topped with a generous drizzling of maple and bourbon BBQ sauce.
And if that's not enough, Roxy Lanes and Roxy Ball Room have fused the best Mexican flavours into a nacho-style pizza. A tomato base loaded with crushed tortilla chips gives this one a crunchy kick, balanced out with mozzarella, guacamole, sour cream and chives dressing with jalapeños, chunky salsa, red chilli and spring onion.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
There's also vegan cheese and gluten free bases on request.
Those looking for options to share should take full advantage of the side options, available as three for £15. There's nostalgic crisscut fries and chilli cheese bites perfect for picking between rounds of ice-free curling or bowling, as well as nachos loaded with melted cheddar, guac, sour cream, salsa, red chilli and spring onion.
Besides the salt and pepper chicken with maple and bourbon BBQ sauce, the side options are entirely vegetarian, and with tasty staples like mac and cheese bites or the OG Roxy Fries to choose from, it's unlikely you'll miss the absense of meat in their food.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Best of all, the food options here aren’t limited to those wanting to play games, you can pop in for a bite to each or cocktail anytime, and take advantage of all the options on the menu.
For more information on the Roxy menu and to book in your next visit, visit the Roxy Ball Room website.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
Leeds
Independent Leeds coffee shop crowned one of the UK’s best for 2026
A list of the UK's best independent coffee shops for 2026 has been released, and one in Leeds has come up trumps.
The coffee shop in question may come as no surprise to some of you, as some would say that after 15 years in the city it's become somewhat of an institution.
Of course it's none other than Laynes.
Founded in 2011 by Dave Olejnik, Laynes began life on New Station Street and quickly became one of the first venues in Leeds to focus on carefully sourced and roasted coffee beans, helping lead the way for the city's now-thriving independent coffee scene.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
It's a proper Leeds staple at this point, sat proudly with its glowing yellow exterior and queues out the door full of punters looking for their morning caffeine fix.
But it's not just us who think it's flipping fantastic, as a new study has revealed the top 10 most popular independent coffee shops in the country and Laynes comes in at a very respectable number 8.
The list, made by Capital on Tap, analysed coffee across the UK looking at Google reviews, monthly searches and social media success.
Laynes was in some pretty good company including Idle Hands in Manchester and Kaf Coffee in Glasgow. But most importantly, none of the top 10 were in London - make of that what you will.
The top 10 most popular independent coffee shops for 2026:
Neighbourhood Café, Belfast
Colonna & Small’s, Bath
Established Coffee, Belfast
Hard Lines Coffee, Cardiff
Rough Handmade, Liverpool
Idle Hands Coffee, Manchester
Full Court Press, Bristol
Laynes Espresso, Leeds
Kaf Coffee, Glasgow
Dom’s Coffee, Cambridge
Bravo Laynes, a well earned accolade for one of our favourite spots in the city.
Everything you need to know about watching the solar eclipse in Leeds
Emily Sergeant
People all across the UK will be able to see an almost total solar eclipse in the sky this evening.
For the first time this century, with the last one being all the way back in 1999, people in the UK and Ireland – including here in Leeds – will get to see 90-96% of the sun covered by the moon today (12 August 2026), and if that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, this will be the last chance to do so until 2081.
NASA and Royal Museums Greenwich has confirmed that tomorrow’s solar eclipse will be the most coverage seen from the UK and Ireland since the 1999 event.
But what can astronomy fans in Leeds expect from today’s eclipse? When will it be happening? How much coverage is our region going to see? And where are some of the best places to watch?
First up, let’s get the basics out the way – what is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun’s light either partly or fully.
Although the UK will only see a partial solar eclipse this time, some other countries – such as parts of Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Greenland – will be lucky enough to witness the spectacle of a total eclipse for a duration of up to two minutes and 18 seconds.
When will it be happening?
The eclipse is set to start at 6:13pm in Greater Manchester, and will run right through to 8:03pm – with the peak happening at 7:10pm.
How much coverage can Greater Leeds expect?
Of course, we always have to preface anything we say about astronomical events like this by saying ‘it depends on the weather’, as we do like in the north after all, and even though it is the height of summer, that won’t stop the skies from being overcast.
Luckily though, the Met Office is predicting some of the best weather conditions for an event like this in a long time, so it really is worth watching.
Spectators in Leeds will see 90 - 92% coverage, according to expert sources.
How can I watch the eclipse safely?
If there’s one thing experts are stressing, it’s the need to take correct precautions if you are planning to watch tomorrow.
The most important thing is to wear eclipse glasses and avoid looking directly at the sun.
It’s true that during an eclipse, the sun does appears dimmer therefore making it easier to look at directly, however solar radiation can still reach and damage the retina, often without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it’s too late.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises that there are two safe approaches – specialist eclipse viewers, or indirect viewing methods.
Eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers must be genuine, sold by a reputable retailer, and have specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). They must also have no scratches, tearing, or damage to the lens.
Old pairs may not be reusable, and sunglasses should never be used.
Indirect view methods include viewing the sun’s image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves on to white paper, or using a pinhole pierced in one sheet of card and projected on to another.
Sophie Smith -
12th October 2022 
