A popular Japanese street food brand is set to open another location at Wellington Place.
Waki Maki, currently located at Leeds University Student Union, is set to open its second location in Leeds' high-end office development Wellington Place.
Known for its fresh, vibrant and fully customisable poke bowls as well as stuffed sushi burritos, Waki Maki is already a popular spot amongst students who are looking for a healthy lunch.
And now, the city's office workers will be able to get their hands on it too.
Taking over a prime ground floor space at 11 Wellington Place, the new spot will span 933 sq ft, offering indoor seating for around 30 people, plus 12 additional seats outside.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Waki Maki is known for its fresh, handmade Japanese street food, including poke bowls and jumbo sushi rolls, crafted in front of customers using premium ingredients.
The menu also features a selection of hot dishes, from katsu curries and gyozas to miso soups and rice boxes, with new items regularly introduced.
The arrival of Waki Maki follows the recent opening of Bean Coffee Roasters earlier this year, further expanding the selection of food venues at Wellington Place which includes Mad Frans, Good Luck Club, Sociable Folk, Hoist House, Café Nero, Pret A Manger, Sesame and Veeno.
Dominique Murray, associate marketing director at MEPC, the developer and asset manager behind Wellington Place, said: “At Wellington Place, we are committed to offering an exciting and diverse selection of food and drink experiences for our community. WAKI MAKI brings something truly unique with its fresh, made-to-order fusion menu, and we’re thrilled to welcome them as part of our ever-growing neighbourhood.”
Jonathan Phillips, founder of WAKI MAKI, added: “We are very excited to be joining the Wellington Place community as we’ve wanted to open a site within this vibrant and bustling neighbourhood for some time. We can’t wait to introduce people to WAKI MAKI and share our passion for delicious, high-quality Japanese street food.”
One of the city's best independents is expanding into a bigger premises.
Shokupan on Wellington Street is a proper little gem that food-lovers across Leeds will rave nonstop about if given the opportunity.
Husband and wife team Alan and Alison took inspiration from trips around the world to bring a taste of Japan to the city and over the past few years it's gained a loyal following.
They're famed for their delicious Japanese sandos made with pillow-like fluffy shokupan bread, stuffed with everything from crunchy chicken katsu and flavourful pork to fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
But it's not all just about sandwiches, they also serve rice bowls and katsu curries as well as small bites such as chicken karaage and octopus balls.
Their food is so bloody good, that they've had to find a better location and this time it's slap bang in the city centre on Central Road.
And they're joining brilliant company too, with the likes of House of Koko and Vinyl Grounds as neighbours.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Shokupan said: "You guessed right…we are moving to Central Road, LS1 6DE. We are nearly there…
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"All the building work is complete and now we are finishing off the decorating. You might also start to see some signage appearing over the next few days…It has been lovely seeing some of our customers dropping by to see us whilst we slowly lose our sanity.
"Powered on caffeine and determination! Not long to go before we can announce our opening date and welcome you through the doors."
We can't wait to check out the new space, keep an eye on their opening date here.
Cult favourite burger chain Burgerism is officially coming to Leeds this August
Clementine Hall
An award-winning burger chain is coming to one of Leeds' suburbs.
If you don't know Burgerism, then get to know.
The Manchester-based burger chain is known by many for its incredible smash patties and quick, reliable service.
Their concept is simple: good burgers made with quality ingredients and cooked fresh to order. Delicious.
And it's not just burgers, they've also got some great wings and fries available too with a range of homemade sauces on offer for dunking, drizzling and devouring. We're a particular fan of the buffalo wings with their garlic ranch dip.
The chain used to have a dark kitchen on the outskirts of the city where people could order via Deliveroo, however this closed down and since then there's been a Burgerism-shaped hole left in our foodie scene.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Burgerism recently applied to move into a vacant shop unit in Meanwood at 605 Meanwood Road, seeking change-of-use planning permission for the former Papa Johns site which was previously only allowed to serve...well, pizzas.
And the plans have now been approved, which means Burgerism will officially be coming to Leeds. Hurray!
Burgerism's new takeaway will be walking distance from the The Meanwood Tavern, perfect for those looking for some post-pint burgers.
It will be strictly takeaway with no dine-in option available.
The brand-new Burgerism will employ 15 people from the local area with food being served between 11am and 11pm.
We'll keep you up to date as and when we find out more, but for now we're aware that Burgerism Leeds is set to open this August.
Clementine Hall -
28th May 2025 
