It's the last full week of February, and it's set to be a busy one.
Right Leeds, buckle up because the city is bursting at the seams with things to get up to (and eat) this week.
The tastiest week of the year is back in the form of Eat Leeds Restaurant Week, meaning you can eat out for less every single day of the week at some of the city's top restaurants.
And not only that, in honour of National Margarita Day there is a mile-long Margarita crawl taking place where you can enjoy a salty sweet tipple at 19 venues across the city.
Keep reading to find out more.
Knife Angel
From Thursday 1 February 2024 | Royal Armouries, Leeds City Centre
Image: Leeds City Council
The touring Knife Angel sculpture is coming to Leeds this February, to send a powerful message and spark conversations about knife crime in the city.
The Knife Angel, standing tall at 27ft and made from over 100,000 seized blades, was created by the British Ironwork Centre to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour and the need for change.
The poignant sculpture will be placed outside the Royal Armouries Museum as part of an intensification month on knife crime which launches on Thursday 1 February 2024.
Eat Leeds Restaurant Week
Monday 19 - Sunday 25 February 2024 | Across the city
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Eat Leeds Restaurant Week is back for another round of exclusive menus from some of the best eateries in the city.
Whether you’re after a cheeky £5 lunch or a slap-up three course meal for just £20 – Eat Leeds Restaurant Week is here to help you eat out for less.
Taking place all week, this foodie-fuelled celebration of Leeds’ favourite spots allows you to taste-test plenty of good grub at a cost that won’t break the bank. There’s five different price points to look out for: starting at a fiver and working its way up to luxury meals for £25, the idea is that there’s something for everyone.
Monday 19 - Sunday 25 February 2024 | Across the city
Image: The Hoot Leeds
This week, 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.
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.
Wednesday 21 February 2024 | 4-6 Town St, Horsforth
Image: Bavette
Bavette is the new restaurant has got some of Leeds, and indeed the nation’s most notable names in the hospitality scene talking.
The owners, we are told, come from ‘very well respected London restaurants’, and the bar has been set extremely high for ex-Culpeper Group MD and Head Chef Sandy Jarvis and husband, Restaurant Manager and sommelier Clément Cousin.
Expect a cosy, intimate and relaxing atmosphere and a menu inspired by traditional French bistros using seasonal and quality ingredients.
The legend that is Rick Astley will be gracing the stage at The First Direct Arena this Saturday. And not only that, he'll be rocking up with huge supports Belinda Carlisle and The Lottery Winners.
You don't want to miss out on this one. Grab your tickets here.
Featured images - The Hoot Leeds / Bavette
Feature
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
A new female-founded business has opened in Leeds and it’s a trinket-lover’s paradise
Clementine Hall
Lisa Angel has just opened inside the Victoria Gate and it’s an Aladdin’s Cave full of jewellery, prints, gifts and everything in between.
The best part? It’s a female-founded brand that has chosen our wonderful city for their first Yorkshire site. We absolutely don't blame them.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has gone from strength to strength every since.
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Shoppers can expect beautifully handcrafted jewellery, unique trinkets and wonderful staff who are open to have a natter.
It's the perfect shop for when you don't exactly know what to buy that someone special, just pop in here and you'll be hit with a wave of inspiration immediately.
We could've genuinely spent a good hour in there and come out with a much lighter wallet.
Lisa herself spoke about the opening: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Managing Director James Moody said: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
Clementine Hall -
19th February 2024 
