The student-favourite bakery is venturing into the world of fried chicken.
If you've walked past the old STA Travel building opposite the University of Leeds in Hyde Park, you might have noticed a few changes.
Does a giant chicken mural ring any bells?
Fried is the latest venture from much-loved Bakery 164, just a few doors down and its safe to say that this is almost guaranteed to be a huge success.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Even on an average Wednesday afternoon, Bakery 164 was over-pouring with visitors waiting for their orders, and that's not unusual for the deli.
Serving up sandwiches, focaccia and baked goods since 1994, a diet of comfort food from any 164 store is a must for any student frequenting in the Hyde Park area.
This will be the fourth opening from the brains and business behind the original 164 cafes and bakeries, but this is the first to have separate stand-alone branding and take on a completely new concept: fried chicken.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
"I must be crazy, but I'm doing it and sticking with it", said the Fried staff today as they were making the final preparations to the takeaway store.
Never-seen-before-in-Leeds sauces is one of the promises that Fried aims to fulfil. Their chicken wings will be personalised to each individuals taste and visitors will get to choose the type of chicken wing (on-the-bone or boneless) before selecting a marinade and a dipping sauce.
The flavours range from garlic and parmesan to buffalo, chipotle and Korean BBQ- and can't wait to try them out.
Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find fried chicken burgers, chicken tenders, loaded chilli cheese fries and a range of soft drinks.
The have said owners have decided to keep the menu 'limited' for the time being to gauge interest before expanding, but there's still a good thirty or so different combinations to choose from, so you're guaranteed to find something to fuel your evening.
Opting for a soft opening, Fried will be available for all walk-in orders today and aim to be up and running on the likes of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat before the evening is up- so even if you're not within walking distance you can taste the sauce-drenched wings and loaded fries from Fried.
You can find Fried on Woodhouse Lane, almost directly opposite the University of Leeds buildings.
Leeds health nuts assemble, because acai bowls and superfood smoothies are coming to a city near you.
Incase you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may not be clued up on the whole acai bowl trend that has been sweeping up the nation.
Acai is a super berry grown and harvested in the Amazon rainforest, and not only is it absolutely delicious but it has a myriad of health benefits.
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Images: The Manc Group
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Acai and the Tribe said: "You asked, we listened. LEEDS… your new lifestyle arrives soon."
They will be opening on 88 Vicar Lane as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration scheme, which has already scene some great new restaurants being announced such as Sticks'n'Sushi and Dishoom.
It seems like this part of town is suddenly going to be the place to be, and we're very happy to see it.
We'll keep you updated with opening dates as and when we know more but for now, you can find out more about Acai and the Tribe here.
Leeds has been crowned the best city in the UK for foodies outside of London
Clementine Hall
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sophie Smith -
2nd February 2022 
