Famed for its killer espresso martinis, The Watermark has announced it will be closing its doors in just a few weeks.
Standing proud on Cross Belgrave Street at the top of town, The Watermark Bar has gained a loyal following for cocktail lovers in the city.
The bar is known locally for its late night kitchen, cocktails, endless selection of spirits and all-around laid-back vibes.
Inspired by the owner’s home bar in Beeston, the interior is cosily decorated throughout, complete with classic board games and quirky wall features.
Images: The Watermark
The critically acclaimed bar has constantly received raving reviews over the past 6 years, described as being ‘consistently amazing’ by their customers for its service, food and drinks.
So it's safe to say, this sad news comes as a shock to us all.
Announcing the news to Instagram, The Watermark Bar said: "Hi guys! Today is one of those days where we drop some really bummer news against our will.
"The 1st Jan 2025 will be our last day of open doors at 3 Cross Belgrave Street. For 6 years we have based our entire brand and philosophy on adding to and building up the community in Leeds...
"We have done everything we can to keep the flame of independency of bars in Leeds as bright as possible. The Watermark Bar, at its foundation, was never offered a sustainable lease to run a long term business on. Towards the end of that lease we were in limbo. Every 2 years we were spoon fed another 2 year lease by a sub landlord and because of this we were never truly able to invest in the bar that we 100% wanted...
"However, on the 6th year living the dream of running a bar that is so loved by this amazing city, against the struggle of rising costs on every single line of our budget sheets, pressing on whilst Leeds City Council turned our front door step into multisite industrial bin store & shipping container site for over 2 years....
Image: The Watermark
"The Watermark will close its doors at the end of its lease as the sub-landlord wants to turn it into a coffee shop...We will continue, to look for a better location to do this. But ultimately we would like to take this as an opportunity to spend the last month celebrating the vibe in these four walls over December with you all."
We hope to see The Watermark Bar take on a new space in the city very soon, and we'll keep you up to date with any updates. But for now, visit the legends over at The Watermark before the year ends and cheers to what they've achieved over the past six years.
Featured image - The Watermark
Eats
Popular Leeds cafe known for its fluffy Japanese sandos is moving to a bigger space
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 -
26th November 2024 
