After a whirlwind year in Leeds, The Savvy Baker has gone from strength to strength and will now be adding a cafe to her incredible portfolio of brownie-related business ventures.
Incase you haven’t met The Savvy Baker before, the lockdown-success bakery hasn’t been around in Leeds long, but has gained a cult following for its delicious baked goods.
Image: The Savvy Baker
Owned by Savannah Roqaa, the Leeds-based baker has been cooking up a storm online, with almost 50,000 Instagram followers and her brownies are loved by thousands of us in Leeds, including no less than Kalvin Phillips and Tyler Denton.
The new cafe will be located on Lidgett Lane in Roundhay and will be a first for The Savvy Baker, who is taking on the project as a joint venture with partner Jordan Simms.
Savannah told The Hoot Leeds: "We're both so excited to be able to open a customer-facing cafe. I can't wait to be able to meet all of the customers that have been supporting [us] since that start.
"This is still just the beginning and can't wait for what's in the future".
The pair are currently renovating the existing premises, but hope to be open for business by the end of March.
Image: The Savvy Baker
The bakery will be serving all your favourites from the existing bakery, including those incredible brownies and slabs, as well as coffee from North Star and cakes too.
The announcement was made on the business' Instagram page and has since had over 8,000 likes, with countless messages of approval.
The caption said: "OMG. THE SAVVY BAKER CAFE IS COMING!!!!!! We got the keys to the first savvy baker cafe, a new venture and we’re doing it together! So many of you have been asking for it for ages so.. here you have it!! It’s going to take us a little while to renovate and change it from a shell to our dream but it’s worth it!!
"I'm so excited to be able to offer Leeds a place to get your hands on our stuff all the time and we’ll be serving the best @northstarroast coffee. It’s in North leeds. Can anyone recognise where abouts? Tag a mate who you’d bring when we’re open too!!!"
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."
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."
Sophie Smith -
8th February 2022 
