The Banksia bar will combine old-world Mediterranean flavours with a modern, vibrant dining experience.
Right guys, it's time to cancel your flight to Mykonos because a Mediterranean bar and restaurant is coming to Leeds City Centre.
Led by award-winning Head Chef Craig Rogan, The Banksia will offer a small plate concept alongside a ‘Fire’ section of the menu giving a nod to traditional Mediterranean cooking methods.
Everything at The Banksia will be designed to share, making it the perfect summer hot spot to catch up with friends over a few delicious plates and drinks.
Image: Supplied
Opening on the corner of Lower Briggate and Swinegate, The Banksia will be linked to the adjoining Hotel Indigo Leeds.
With Craig Rogan at the helm, we already know it's going to blow our socks off.
As a prominent member of the Leeds food scene for the past six years, Craig has trained and worked in some of the UK’s best restaurants and hotels, earning multiple accolades and recognition for his creative approach to modern cooking.
Craig spoke about the opening: “The decision to join The Banksia team and move back into the hotel hospitality world was an easy one for me – I love to lead a large team and curate new menus that will resonate with guests, and just generally bring a smile to people’s faces through food.
Images: Supplied
“We want The Banksia to be a welcoming experience for everyone the minute they walk through the door, with a few additional touches along the way. Whilst the food will speak for itself, dining out is about so much more than that, and we want our guests to experience authentic dishes in a vibrant, comfortable environment.
"There’s a perfect spot in the Leeds food scene for The Banksia, and we’re excited that people will be able to sample the menu in the coming months. It’s the kind of food that I love eating, so it’s even more satisfying to be able to cook it and I look forward to seeing others enjoying it too.”
To find out more about The Banksia, take a look at their website.
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Clementine Hall -
12th June 2025 
