Summer weekends are soon to be jam-packed with some of the very best street food, drink, music and entertainment.
Does anything scream summer more than a street food festival? We don't think so.
And luckily for us, the Tower Works Street Fest is returning from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 of June.
From the talented team behind the award-winning North Leeds, Harrogate, Ilkley and Ripley Castle Food & Drink Festivals, the Tower Works Street Fest at Mustard Wharf was a huge success last year and this event will be no different.
Image: Supplied
The market will be in Verona Square, just off Globe Road and surrounded by Tower Works and its three iconic Venetian towers which dominate the skyline.
The towers are home to popular attractions like BAKE, Midnight Bell, Cross Keys, 92 Degrees Coffee and Barrecore – as well as been situated beside the scenic canal and just a stone’s throw from Leeds Train Station.
Festival guests can “expect a jam-packed lineup of some of the best street food and drink vendors, artisan markets, independent bars, groovy tunes as well as plenty of furniture to lounge on”.
Tower Works Street Fest Production Manager Michael Johnston, said: “The vibe was incredible last year and we can’t wait to bring back this event at the picturesque Tower Works, making it even better than the last. With top-notch international food and drink vendors from across the north to host the festival each month, it’s shaping up to be another belter.
Image: Supplied
“With the warmer, lighter days and the calibre of shops around the area, it has soon become a buzzing hotspot.”
They’ll be welcoming some tempting vendors this year, such as Wagyu Lookin’ At?, Punjabi Heaven, Eyup Thai, HAO BAO, Kurdish Kitchen and Dappa Desserts.
The festival will run every first weekend of the month for the rest of the year, including June, July, August and September.
Paul Winterburn, of Mustard Wharf, added: “We’re so excited to see Tower Works Street Fest become a venue for community events. This is how we designed it to be used, and it always felt like the right decision to share this iconic location for events with the wider community."
For more details, including more information on vendors and stalls, take a look at the Tower Works Street Fest event page.
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."
Clementine Hall -
28th May 2025 
