Nineteen venues, and a whole lot of Margaritas to celebrate National Margarita Day.
If you're a fan of Margaritas, then you will most definitely want to keep reading.
As of next week, from Monday 19 - Sunday 25 February 2024, a mile-long Margarita crawl aka the Margarita Mile is coming to the city.
Why? Well it's all down to El Tequileño. Produced in the Mexican town of Tequila, the award-winning Tequila brand together with everyone's favourite posh salt, Maldon Salt, are helping venues across Leeds to create the very best tasting Margarita cocktails.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The Margarita Mile started last year in Manchester with a bang, and now Leeds is getting in on the action.
Cheers'ing big to National Margarita Day on 22 February, nineteen of the coolest venues across Leeds will be showcasing their very best El Tequileño Margaritas and other El Tequileño tequila cocktails for just one week only.
The bars, which include fan-favourites like Tabula Rasa and Neon Cactus, will all be putting their own signature flair on the drink – so you can make it your own mission to decide whose is best.
Challenge accepted if you ask us.
Embark on the mile-long crawl and drink as many or as little as you like, but remember you've only got one week to sample them all and you should always drink responsibly.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it doesn't stop there, there will also be some exciting events taking place at the venues during the week for you to get involved in.
On Wednesday 21, The Domino Club will be hosting 'Music To Drink Margaritas To', a raucous version of their usual live music evenings, so grab your sombreros and get ready for a fiesta at one of the city's best speakeasies.
Fancy making the drink yourself? Well you're in luck as The Liquor Studio will be hosting a consumer Masterclass on National Margarita Day itself, 22 February.
Closing the celebrations, The Watermark will be hosting 'La Loteria', a wild version of Mexican Bingo – expect lots of fun and frivolity which you'll want to raise a Margarita to.
And if you'd like to have a guided experience of the mile, then The Gin Journey crew will be hosting a Mini Margarita journey on Saturday 24 where you can drink 3 different Margaritas and 3 El Tequileño tasters in 3 of the city’s bars with an expert guide. Find out more here.
Take a look at Leeds’ Margarita Mile map below.
With the hospitality industry suffering greatly in recent times, the Margarita Mile is a fantastic initiative to help venues draw in and generate business.
Steffin Oghene, Global Ambassador for El Tequileño, says: “El Tequileño encourages everyone, from cocktail fans to tequila lovers to those who want to learn more about quality craft spirits, to get out on the mile to try a Margarita.
"We are super proud to be extending the Margarita Mile to 3 key UK cities in 2024 including Leeds. Tony and I look forward to meeting the people of Leeds out on the mile!”
A brand-new American-style diner serving smash burgers, hot dogs and thick milkshakes has opened at Leeds Bradford Airport.
We all know the holiday really starts as soon as you get to the airport, and Leeds Bradford Airport has a brand-new American diner to kick start it in style.
Welcome to Monty’s American Diner, the all-day dining destination bringing a taste of the USA to Yorkshire.
Located in the airport's departure lounge, this new spot is designed to give passengers somewhere to sit back and relax whilst enjoying a proper meal before jetting off.
And just like your classic American diner, there’s plenty on the menu to get stuck into.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Early flight? Breakfast is available until 11am with options including fluffy waffles, French toast bites, chicken and waffles drenched in maple syrup as well as traditional cooked breakfasts and American-style bagels.
Those travelling later in the day can tuck into smash burgers, chicken wings, loaded hot dogs, gooey mac and cheese and even a BBQ platter complete with ribs, corn and wings.
There’s also a menu specifically designed for the little ones, featuring waffles, beans on toast and scrambled eggs on toast, alongside burgers, chicken tenders and mac and cheese throughout the day.
And if you fancy a drink before take-off, because it wouldn't be a trip to the airport without a tipple, Monty’s has that covered too.
There's freshly poured pints on offer as well as cocktails, or you can have the proper American experience with a 'hard shake' - their classic thick milkshakes but made boozy.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The space has been decked out in style, so much so that you'll forget you're in Yorkshire and think you've popped into a diner on Route 66.
Classic booth seating, red neon signs, hanging globe lights, all complete with a retro jukebox which you can even pop a song on.
Open all-day long, from the first flight til the last, next time you're jetting off make sure to make Monty's part of your holiday routine.
You can find out more about Monty's at Leeds Bradford Airport here.
Beloved Leeds Malaysian cafe known for its authentic home cooking announces sudden closure
Clementine Hall
A much-loved independent restaurant in Leeds has announced it will be closing its doors.
Kuala Lumpur Cafe opened its doors in Headingley in 2019 by Bart and Hirman, who wanted to bring authentic Malaysian cooking to the city of Leeds.
Throughout the years, they'd built up a reputation for their beautiful curries and vibrant street food dishes, all of which were made using Hirman's family recipes.
So much so, that in 2024 they opened a kitchen inside White Cloth Hall in the city centre when the Grade II listed food hall first opened.
Their kitchen sadly closed a year later, but their Headingley restaurant remained open serving the students and locals with their famous beef rendang, nasi lemak and more.
Sadly, Kuala Lumpur Cafe have taken to social media to announce that they will be closing their doors for good as of this Saturday 17 October.
Their statement reads: "Thank you to all our customers and team that made Kuala Lumpur Cafe possible across the last few years. After a long consideration, we have decided that our last trading day will be Saturday 17 October.
"If you have a booking after this date, we'll be calling you over the next few days to try to move it to an earlier date before we close.
"It's been our pleasure to serve Malaysian food to the community. Best regards, KL Cafe."
Of course, in true Leeds fashion, local businesses and customers flocked to the comments to express their sadness and show their support.
One comment reads: "Such a shame. This was genuinely the best Malay food I had outside of Malaysia. Will be missed greatly", whilst another thanks the cafe for "all the delicious food over the years".
If you want to visit Kuala Lumpur Cafe one last time, then you have until this Saturday to do so. Go and wish them a proper farewell.
Clementine Hall -
15th February 2024 
