2025 is bringing some pretty big changes to the city and we’re feeling very excited indeed.
We’re already spoilt for choice for incredible restaurants, shops and things to do here in Leeds.
But our cityscape is about to get even better and it’s all thanks to a whole host of new openings cropping up over the next few months.
From Danish homeware shops and bakeries to wine bars and delis, let’s take a look at what we’ve got to look forward to this year.
Sostrene Grene
The Danish brand, famed for its trinkets, homewares, and craft supplies, announced it was coming to our city for the first time last month.
And now, the affordable homeware brand has announced it will be opening in Trinity Shopping Centre on Friday 24 January.
The brand is often labelled a ‘mini Ikea’, thanks to two things – one that it sells just about everything you can think of for your home, the other that shoppers are taken on a one-way maze through the departments.
In the Scandinavian-inspired shop you’ll find everything from kitchen essentials and soft furnishings to Christmas decorations and craft supplies. It’s also very reasonably priced too, with candles on offer for under a quid and picture frames for as little as a fiver.
Read more: Popular affordable homeware brand Sostrene Grene confirms Leeds launch date
Lane7
Well-known UK bowling activity bar Lane7 is set to open its first-ever location in Leeds in 2025.
The bowling alley and entertainment specialists already have a site in Sheffield, and another site is coming to York very soon, making Leeds the third venue in the region.
Set to pop up in the city centre, they’ll be opening just down the road from popular adult playground and competitor, Roxy Ball Room – more specifically their Roxy Lanes site.
Talk about championing your competitors.
Aesop
Aesop, which is well-known for its luxury fragrances and skincare, will open the doors to its new shop in the Victoria Quarter this coming January.
It’s the place to go to if you’re looking for some fancy shmancy hand soap and hand cream that you’ll want to show off when your next guests are round.
BAKE
Now this is a very exciting one indeed.
From the masterminds behind Doh’hut and Things in Bread, BAKE will complete the ‘All Things Dough’ trilogy acting as a nostalgic British bakery concept serving all the classics with precision and flare.
Think cheese twists, focaccia slices, vanilla slices served alongside great coffee by fantastic people. Opening on the 8 January, you don’t want to miss out on this one.
UYARE
The award-winning South Indian restaurant, Tharavadu, is set to launch a new rooftop restaurant and bar, taking over the old Issho site at Victoria Gate.
The huge new space, UYARE, will be serving up the rich flavours and spirits of Kerala, in an impressive environment spanning 7,000 sq ft.
UYARE’s rooftop restaurant will also be home to a new bar, Agni, with a curated selection of fine wines, champagnes, crafted cocktails and local craft beers.
Green Room 2.0
One of the city’s best rooftop bars is getting a major glow up.
Green Room on Wellington Street is the place to go for great vibes, fabulous drinks and an unbeatable late night atmosphere. And now they’re doubling the size of the place which can only mean, double the fun. What a winner.
Rinse Natural Wine
It’s absolutely no surprise that we are huge fans of Bottle Chop over in Headingley. It’s the place to go for lashings of natural wine, great small plates and a wonderful deli for you to buy bits and bobs to take home with you.
So when we heard that the team behind it were opening a spot in the city centre, we nearly fell over with excitement.
Their brand-new site will be called Rinse Natural Wine, bringing natural wine, beers and all things deli to Call Lane – get in. An opening date isn’t yet set in stone but great things are pending… we can’t ruddy wait.
Cheesy Living Co.
The city’s best cheese and charcuterie specialists, The Cheesy Living Co, are opening their third site and we’re genuinely buzzing.
As one of Leeds’ most exciting lockdown success stories, The Cheesy Living Co. has gone from strength-to-strength in the past few years having started in their flat to opening a spot in the Corn Exchange and then a site in Oakwood – and now, they’re expanding again.
Although we don’t have any information yet on the location, we’ll be waiting patiently to find out what area of Leeds is getting its cheesy fix.
New gastropub by The Empire Cafe
Award-winning Leeds restaurant The Empire Cafe has recently unveiled exciting plans to open a brand-new city gastropub.
The Empire Cafe shared a photo of the old pub, The Highland, which stands just west of Leeds city centre.
It had been open for four decades but shut down in 2023 after ‘five price increases in six months’ from various breweries.
But now its about to be saved by an excellent team who run one of the most popular spots in the city, so it’s safe to say we’re in for a treat…
The Swine That Dines
The much-loved Leeds bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as Swine That Dines, recently announced a big move to Headingley.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro is upping and moving to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
We don’t have long to wait – they plan to have the doors open in January 2025.
Read more: January 2025: The best food and drink offers in Leeds this month
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