Beloved city centre food and drink spot White Cloth Hall is celebrating its very first year with a big birthday bash for the bank holiday.
With no tickets required and completely free entry too, we guess that's your weekend plans sorted.
It's almost hard to believe that the food hall and vibrant venue for local independent traders is soon to mark 12 whole months of serving Leeds, but we will say we've had some pretty incredible dishes, cocktails and created great memories here already.
With that in mind, there's really only one place this August bank holiday weekend, as far as we're concerned.
Inviting natives and daytrippers from around Yorkshire to join them on the terrace this Sunday, specifically, they're dubbing it "an outdoor party not to be missed."
When it comes to feeding the 5,000, popular grill and oyster bar, Lupton’s Chop House, will be cooking up a special birthday BBQ and even slinging out birthday cake for the punters to enjoy.
As for entertainment, there'll be live sets from Leeds DJ and music collective, Bomb the Twist (consisting of Ratty the Sly, Fig by Four and Mia Eden), as well as plenty more tunes all day long.
White Cloth Hall General Manager, Jacob Monks - who recently took charge of the venue - said ahead of the exciting event: "As White Cloth Hall celebrates its first birthday, I’m delighted to have recently stepped into the role of General Manager.
"It’s an exciting milestone, and I look forward to building on the success of this first year and creating many more memorable moments in the year ahead."
Sharing a simple statement/rally call ahead of the festivities, White Cloth have just one message: "Expect great tunes, good times and party vibes all day long."
Now, of course, the ever-bustling Crown Street spot will be good value all weekend long, but the official 'White Cloth Hall Bank Holiday Birthday Party' is set for Sunday, 24 August only.
Getting underway from 1pm and wrapping up around 9pm, we'll see you there.
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.
A bakery serving giant NYC-style cookies and fluffy cinnamon buns has just opened in Leeds
Clementine Hall
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2025 
