Nestled in the heart of Whitehall on Monk Bridge Viaduct, The Junc Shed is a brand new street concept that will feed residents and the general public.
The Junc Shed is a kiosk which aims to welcome local hospitality businesses and offer something new and exciting for the people of Leeds.
And kicking off this exciting venture is the award-winning Koben Smokehouse with their new concept, "Alfonso's Cuban Shack".
And you guessed it, they'll be serving up fantastic Cuban sandwiches using authentic recipes and top quality ingredients.
Images: Supplied
Alfonso's will feature a breakfast menu and a lunchtime coffee and sandwich grab, open seven days a week from 7.30am to 5pm.
Designed to celebrate Leeds’ hospitality heroes, The Junc Shed is in a prime position on the new public park above the historic listed Monk Bridge viaduct.
The industrial heritage of the viaduct is reflected in The Junc Shed’s design, which utilises sustainable materials and is a nod to the viaduct’s previous life as an active railway.
Johnathan Lloyd, General Manager at The Junction, stated “We’re really excited to bring the first of many exciting businesses to The Junction. The Junc Shed is the first space to open here but we’ve been having great conversations with a number of local indie operators about joining our neighbourhood by the water.
"We’re looking forward to Alfonso’s Cuban Shack bringing massive flavours to The Junc Shed and delivering something unique for both our residents and our neighbours here in Leeds.”
Luca / Sam Owners of Koben Smokehouse said: “This is a great opportunity for us and great that The Junction are supporting the next step of our growth. Why Cuban sandwiches? Our close friends in Miami, originally from Cuba & the Dominican passed us down their authentic Cubano recipe which includes mojo pork, smoked daily low & slow over applewood wood chips at our HQ in Holbeck on top of smoked ham, Swiss cheese, Thiccc sauce honey mustard, pickles & Cuban bread.
"We will also have locally brewed coffee by our pals at Chipp, hand-delivered daily and a light breakfast menu with bagels, local pastries & loads more."
Opening this Friday 12 July, make sure you get yourself to The Junction and grab yourself a Cuban sarnie from the brand new Junc Shed.
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.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
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."
Clementine Hall -
10th July 2024 
