Elizabeth Cottam is returning to The Owl and steering it in a new direction.
First established in Leeds Kirkgate Market back in 2019, The Owl was Elizabeth's second restaurant venture in the city, following the launch of fine dining venue Home in 2017.
The Owl relocated to its current home in Mustard Wharf in 2022, where it boasts stunning relaxed atmosphere with beautiful waterside views.
Following the unfortunate closure of Home last, Elizabeth is now turning her attention back to The Owl bringing it to its former glory days.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The Owl has launched several new menus including a new ‘Guinea Pig’ night, alongside a new main menu to give customers a taste of something different.
Guests will now be able to choose from a two, three or seven course option, accompanied by an extensive wine and cocktail list.
Elizabeth said: “When Home closed, many people asked me what was next. The one thing I knew was that whatever I did next, it would be centered around pared-back, soulful cooking, the kind of food that makes me really happy.
“This year we're placing ingredients and accessible dining at the heart of everything we're doing at The Owl, but that doesn't mean that our creativity is taking a back seat. The restaurant landscape has definitely evolved, but it hasn't completely changed either. Our menus reflect this evolution, offering a way to enjoy great cooking, quality ingredients, and vibrant flavours every day - not just for special occasions.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
“Our Guinea Pig nights are a great way to test new dishes, but it’s also about connecting with our wonderful regular guests and having a lot of fun. These nights are all about surprises but it's very much a creative process in progress. We love experimenting with new dishes and making sure that our menus stay fresh and exciting.”
The Owl is open from Wednesday - Sunday, The Guinea Pig night is priced at £39 per person with a wine pairing option for an additional £39.
To book your table and to view the menus, take a look at their website.
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."
Horsforth Brewery to takeover and save beloved Ilkley tap house
Clementine Hall
A renowned brewery have announced that they will be taking over the reigns of a popular craft beer bottle shop in Ilkley.
Fuggle & Golding opened in 2015 on Leeds road in Ilkley and quickly grew a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.
Sadly they announced last month that their last day of trading would be Saturday 28 February, news which was met with huge disappointment.
However this is no longer the case, as Horsforth Brewery is set to reopen the venue on Wednesday. Hooray!
Announcing the welcomed news to Instagram, Horsforth Brewery wrote: "When we saw they were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene.
"We owe a massive thank you to George and the landlord for getting a deal across the line in quick order.
"We’re going to take a few days to put our stamp on the place and then we will be open on Wednesday!"
"Obviously we will be stocking our beers here but as anyone who knows will know, we love the beer scene so we will continue to have a good amount of guest beer on as well. We’ll even been joining in with the biggest beer launches from around the country.
"Want to know the best news? We’re doing this solo. No outside interests, no investors, no debt. In the current climate being able to organically grow like this is so so hard and it’s thanks to all our team that we’ve been able to do this.
"We’ve always been determined to grow our business in a healthy and sustainable way; it may have (absolutely has) been tough over the years but we’ve got ourselves in a position to take us to the next level in a sustainable way."
Clementine Hall -
13th February 2025 
