Hickory's Smokehouse Horbury has just celebrated its first birthday.
Located just twenty five minutes from Leeds city centre, Horbury is home to an American-style smokehouse in with a delicious menu of authentic dishes.
Hickory's Smokehouse has been serving up some of the best barbecue dishes this side of the Atlantic for almost a decade now, but the restaurant chain has only just landed this side of Leeds in the past year.
Those looking for an Instagram-friendly drink find their new favourite in the Cotton Candy: a cocktail of Beefeater and Cointreau shaken with lemon juice and poured over a huge ball of candyfloss, which dissolves into the drink as you pour your cocktail into the glass- it's a showstopper.
Image: Hickory's Smokehouse
Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find a range of US Craft Import beers like Brooklyn Lager and Voodoo Ranger Hazy IPA, as well as huge freshly-made milkshakes with flavours like Biscoff, triple chocolate and Cosmic Unicorn (strawberry and white chocolate).
Sink a few drinks between the best of American dining. Featured on the menu is everything from nachos to southern fried chicken, corn dogs to burgers: even the fries have been inspired by the US and come as a cheesy chilli variation.
Image: Hickory's Smokehouse
The menu has been hand-curated over a number of years by the owners, inspired by their American roadtrips. Perfectly slow-cooked meats come on the menu as endless combos, like the Texas Style Beef Dip Sub, a slow-smoked beef brisket hand-carved to order and packed in a sub with onions, sweet peppers, mustard, pickle, cheese andTexas gravy for dipping.
Although there's plenty of vegetarian options on the menu, but this really is a meat-lovers menu.
Three toasted buns, two prime-beef patties, a Southern fried chicken fillet, streaky bacon, bourbon-glazed brisket, a hash brown and two slices of American style cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and Hickoryβs burger sauce makes up the 'Go Big or Go Home Burger', and all the other burgers are similarly stacked with drool-worthy meats and sauces.
Image: Hickory's Smokehouse
To get your foodie fix, American style, you can find Hickory's Smokehouse Horbury, near Wakefield. For more information, including how to book a seat at the newly-opened restaurant, visit the Hickory's Smokehouse website.
Feature Image- Hickory's Smokehouse
Eats
New Sheffield pizzeria named one of the worldβs best
A Sheffield pizzeria has been named one of the worldβs best in a prestigious global ranking.
Forbici, the restaurant where all pizzas are served with a pair of scissors, is the only northern pizzeria to be recognised at last week'sΒ Best Pizza Awards 2026.
The awards took place in Milan, and are said to be the Michelin equivalent of the pizza world.
ForbiciΒ was named as creating one of the worldβs best pizzas, with its master chef recognised as one of the top pizza chefs in the world.
Itβs one of just two UK pizzerias listed in the coveted top 100 this year.
Images: The Sheff
Forbici opened in Manchester back in 2024, and has since expanded across to lovely Sheffield on Millennium Square back in March.
It was also once named by Marco Pierre White asΒ βthe best pizzaβ heβd ever had - quite an accolade.
Biga pizza dough at Forbici is slow-fermented to create a light, risen crust, before being topped with quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Italian produce.
It also has a lot of northern flavour, thanks to local specials like the Lancashire Hotpot β a pizza topped with crisps.
And all pizzas are served with scissors, inspired by the pizzerias of Naples, to be cut into quarters.
Master baker Davide Argentino is a fifth-generation baker from Napoli. While his family runs two bakeries on his behalf back home, Davide brings a true taste of authentic Neapolitan pizza to the UK.
Commenting on the recognition, Davide said: βIt is a huge honour for Forbici to be recognised as one of the best pizzerias in the world.
βBaking has been in my family for five generations, so this is a really proud moment. In crafting Forbiciβs signature dough we challenged convention pushing the fermentation process to the limit. Every bite reflects the patience, precision and expertise behind our approach.
βThis recognition belongs to our entire team, whose passion, skill and commitment to the craft of pizza-making make Forbici what it is every day.β
An intimate Japanese katsu bar with only 15 seats is coming to Leeds city centre
Clementine Hall
Chef Fern is taking on another venture, and this time it's all about Katsu.
If you know anything about the Leeds food scene, then you'll know the absolute legend that is Chef Fern.
Her first restaurant, Fern Modern Sushi, is a firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike. Known for their expertly crafted sushi made with only the freshest fish on offer.
Nestled in the Central Arcade, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant captured the hearts of many foodies since opening in 2024.
This year, Chef Fern set her sights on another restaurant on Vicar Lane.
Image: O Katsu
Tori Nori opened just a couple of months ago, a modern Japanese grill centred around the fiery robata where guests can watch the chefs cook everything from grilled fish to delicious yakitori skewers right in front of their very eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Tori Nori has also been a huge hit.
But there's just no stopping Fern as she goes on to open yet another restaurant in the city centre.
Introducing O Katsu, an intimate restaurant with only 15 covers serving premium katsu.
Katsu is basically a breaded, deep-fried piece of meat, seafood or vegetables. Served with steaming hot rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup and dipping sauces, it's nothing short of delicious and a popular meal enjoyed in Japan.
We don't know much abut the opening just yet, but what we do know is that it'll be located just opposite her first restaurant in the Central Arcade.
There will be no bookings, and the space will feature an open kitchen so guests can watch the magic happen.
One things for sure, if Chef Fern is involved you just know it's going to be brilliant. We'll keep you updated on the opening of O Katsu as and when we find out.
Sophie Smith -
5th May 2023 
