There's so many new openings in Leeds, it can be easy to lose track of where to try out next.
This month, we caught up with both halves of the Leeds-based PR and events company and all-round powerhouse of what's on, Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon (PGHL). Jordan Odu and Deborah Devittoris both gave their two pence on the best new openings in town and gave their team an opportunity to give us the scoop on what to order from the menu of some of Leeds' biggest foodie openings.
Keep reading to find out the top five openings from Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon...
Honest Burgers
Opening Saturday 23 July 2022 | Cloth Hall Street, outside Leeds Corn Exchange
Leeds X Northern Monk burger from Honest Burgers. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Joining the likes of Manchester and Liverpool, Leeds is the latest city to get the green light to open an Honest Burgers restaurant- but that doesn’t mean we need to wait until summer to get our Honest Burgers foodie fix.
The Leeds X Northern Monk burger has recently been a popular option for Loiners looking to test out Honest Burgers ahead of their launch as part of their Northern Monk preview residency. We're talking Honest beef patties sandwiched between bacon, Heathen IPA beer cheese, curry sauce, shoestring fries, Faith pale ale pickled onions and rocket with homemade rosemary chips and washed down with a pint of original Northern Monk Brew Co.’s Faith- a true Northern burger if we've ever seen one.
As part of the opening, the first 500 customers will bag themselves a free burger and fries, all you need to do is turn up at their new Leeds location from 11.30am on Saturday 23 July 2022.
Jordan Odu from PGHLsays "We can’t wait for Leeds’ newest burger joint to open this month, bringing us mouth-watering British burgers for everyone, whether you want a beef, chicken, or vegan burger they have got you covered! Our burger of the month goes to their new Morocco Merguez-rubbed Honest beef, cheddar, Moroccan guacamole, crispy onions, harissa mayo and lettuce – you’ll be hooked trust me!"
Rudy's has been taking the North by storm and now the pizzeria has opened its doors at the former Casa Mia site at 10 – 12 Stainbeck Lane in Chapel Allerton. This will be the second site for Rudy’s pizza here in Leeds.
On the mouth-watering menu, diners can look forward to Napoli pizzas like traditional marinara, margherita and calabrese, as well as a range of regularly changing specials, including the likes of White Pizza and vegan speciality dishes too.
Having opened their debut Leeds restaurant on New Station Street restaurant in 2020, the Manchester-born joint has only grown in popularity over the pandemic and beyond so if you're looking for an pizza with a difference- this is going to be an extremely popular option for Loiners this summer.
Jordan Odu from PGHL says "I am super excited for to my fave pizzeria coming to Chapel Allerton and turning into my new local, It’s a much needed and great addition to the area! Serving classic recipes such as Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese, Rudy’s is not one to miss. My go to has to be the Chinghiale with extra buffalo mozzarella, give it a try and thank me later."
Taking the fitness industry by storm, Leeds is now home to a brand new boutique fitness studio called RYDE.
The idea with RYDE is that it offers a personalised experience, bespoke to each individual need. With this in mind, the boutique company doesn’t subscribe to long-term memberships (unless that’s what you’re after) and instead opts for blocks of session bookings so guests can trial a range of activities without the stress of everlasting membership.
A huge £400,000 investment has brought two high-tech studios to Leeds where RYDE hopes to attract clients “from all walks of life” and facilitate an immersive workout for the entire body. Designed to leave those working out energised and hungry for more, there’s a wealth of high-impact and high-energy classes on offer, all to the beat of uplifting music to get gym-goers pumped each session.
Deborah Devittorisfrom PGHL says: "We are loving the classes at Ryde, and they are definitely getting us beach ready! We loved the classes at L1 Performance, but we have to say Flow and Barre are our new favourites, strengthening our bodies and regenerating our minds. The high-tech interior boasts two amazing studios which fully immerse attendees, luxurious changing rooms and our highlight has to be the health café, offering much needed nutritional shakes for pre and post class."
Opening this summer | Telephone House, Arundel Gate
Image: The Hoot Leeds
What was formerly the Roxy Disco venue from the 80s and 90s, the O2 Academy concert venue is going to return to its original namesake, albeit under a new Roxy name and guise, this summer- and we can't wait.
At Sheffield's first Roxy Ballroom venue, you can expect to competitively take on the likes of American pool and shuffleboard tables with friends before grabbing a puck and playing a round of the newly-developed ice-free curling lanes.
But of course, this is Roxy's, so the activities don't stop there. You’ll be able to sing your heart out in a private karaoke room, shoot some hoops on the basketball games and even duckpin bowling will be available to book in and whilst a strike isn’t guaranteed, you'll be having a laugh either way.
Hannah Clarke from PGHL says "We’ve had an amazing response from the people of Sheffield who can’t wait to get their game on. Roxy’s Sheffield will boast a variety of their iconic games including American pool, beer pong, shuffleboard, ice-free curling, and duckpin bowling. Our favourite game has to be the ice-free curling, we are practically professionals at this point!"
Opening Friday 22 July 2022 | West Park, Harrogate
Image: PGHL
A historic Harrogate pub with a history dating back as far as 1830 is set to return after a two-year hiatus, and it's set to be well worth a trip day or night from Leeds.
The Coach & Horses has long been considered a local institution, famed for its warm traditional charm, Sunday roasts and real ales. The reopening will see a newly refurbished interior with careful details and the upmost pays tribute to the pub’s stunning original features and character with a gastro-style food menu after the pub was acquired by by the multi-award-winning Provenance Collection.
Highlights of the traditional pub food menu include Beer Battered Fish & Triple Cooked Beef DrippingChips, Chicken Tikka Masala Curry, Fish Pie and the Coach and Horses burger of which £1 from each sale goes to the Martin House Hospice Charity, a link that the new owners are keen to continue.
Emily Uddin from PGHL said “Coach and Horses will return to Harrogate after a two-year hiatus and we couldn’t be more excited. Delicious drinks will be debuted alongside a new gastro-style menu, not forgetting the return of their famous homemade pies and Sunday roast. You will be able to enjoy all of this whilst taking in the views of the Stray, what’s not to love?"
Leeds has welcomed a whole host of new places to eat and drink recently, and there’s a lot to get excited about.
We all love our food and drink, and it's safe to say we love writing about it.
So please, allow us to indulge by telling you all about our top 10 favourite new openings that have popped up in and around Leeds over the past few months.
But fair warning, continuing to read on may cause extreme hunger...
Rotisserie Club
22 Wellington Street, LS1 4EA
Images: The Hoot Leeds
A new rotisserie chicken spot has landed in the city centre, serving everything from full and half roasted birds all served with their crispy house dripping roasties, as well as viral chicken Caesar wraps and rice bowls.
Dip or drench your chicken in their range of sauces and you’ve got yourself something worth licking your fingers over.
From the team behind Domino Club and Roland's comes Paper Plane, your newest cocktail bar that is a love letter to an analogue time where everything was made by hand.
The interior is inspired by 1970s Hollywood and Japanese listening bars complete with music played exclusively on vinyl to match, and the menu is perfectly curated, coming alongside its own martini menu served straight from the freezer.
After multiple pop-ups around the city, Acai Social Club has finally found a permanent home in Leeds, meaning getting your acai bowl fix is about to get a whole lot easier.
And the best bit? Unlimited toppings. There's also matcha, coffee and smoothies on the menu, plus new toppings dropping every week to keep things interesting.
Tahin
10 Kirkgate, LS1 6BY
Images: The Hoot Leeds
One of the city’s favourite Turkish takeaways is back in the city and we couldn’t be happier for their return.
Formerly located in The Core, Tahiis a family-run takeaway that is whipping up the freshest dishes for you to eat on-the-go. Even at 4pm they’ve got queues out the door for authentic Turkish flatbreads Pide, Za’atar, Shawarma and more.
With fresh chicken and lamb ready to be shaved, warm, welcoming faces to greet you and prices you just can’t turn down because most dishes are under a tenner.
Alfonso's Deli
New Road Side, Horsforth, LS18 4QD
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Famed for its toasted Cuban sandwiches, coffee and stacked deli subs, Alfonso's Deli has made a name for itself for serving some of the best sandwiches in the city.
And now they’ve opened a second site in the suburbs with Horsforth providing all the good stuff we know and love it for, plus fresh bakes which they’re making downstairs - oh, and you can also get yourself a cigar.
If you don’t know about Burgerism then get to know. The cult burger brand is famed over in the North West for their juicy, crunchy-around-the-edges smash burgers and now they’ve brought them to Meanwood.
Rizia's Bottega
114 Bolling Rd, Ben Rhydding, Ilkley LS29 8PN
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Rizia's Bottega, on Bolling Road on the outskirts of Ilkley, officially opened at the end of August following a soft launch, serving authentic schiacciata sandwiches, colourful salads, and light Sicilian breakfasts.
The new neighbourhood spot comes from the team behind Ilkley favourite Emporio Italia and has been created as somewhere locals can pop in for their morning coffee, sit down for a bite to eat, or pick up some high-quality Italian treats to enjoy at home.
One of Manchester’s most popular brunch spots, which always has queues down the street, has made its way across to Leeds at last.
Bruncho has opened on The Headrow, bringing its hit products like French toasts, Middle Eastern brunches, and iced matchas, to Leeds city centre.
Bruncho has also made a name for itself with its viral creations, including Labubu Dubai pistachio French toast (how many 2025 buzzwords can you get in one menu item?) and its collection of drinks served at -86°C. We're sure that their weird and wonderful creations will go down just as well here in Leeds.
Vietnamese powerhouse Pho opened a permanent spot on Boar Lane and it's serving up the likes of beef brisket pho, crispy spring rolls, three meat combo rice bowls, and chicken curries - yum.
Mandy's Barbecue
3 Sheaf St, Leeds LS10 1HD
Images: The Hoot Leeds
A new Yorkshire barbecue spot has taken over the kitchen at The Attic near Aire Park serving up sourdough sarnies by day, with fillings cooked over fire. Expect your lunchtime to be levelled up with BBQ rump steak, Korean chicken and plenty of other local produce on the menu. Then, come evening, things switch up with small plates - including jerk mackerel, BBQ sirloin with kimchi, and lamb neck.
Featured images - The Hoot Leeds
Feature
Inside Leeds’ newest cocktail bar inspired by 1970s Hollywood and Japanese listening bars
Clementine Hall
If you're a fan of a swanky cocktail, then this spot is the place for you.
When we heard earlier this year that a new bar was on the horizon from the team behind some of the city's best hospitality venues, we couldn't quite believe our luck.
Paper Plane is the newest venture from hospitality group Palagander, who run The Domino Club, Roland's and The Woods over in Chapel Allerton.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
But Paper Plane might just be their best spot yet, based in the beautiful Grand Arcade this cocktail bar is offering something different to anything else we've seen in the city.
Stepping through the doors here and you'll feel like you've been whisked to time gone by.
The bar is dubbed as a a love letter to an analogue time where everything was made by hand.
The interior is inspired by 1970s Hollywood and Japanese listening bars, complete with music played exclusively on vinyl to match.
The menu is of course perfectly curated, made up of signature serves and classics alongside its own martini menu served straight from the freezer.
Every single detail has been thoroughly thought through, from the bar equipment coming straight from Japan to the bespoke wooden seating.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
As you take a seat, you'll be greeted with a paper menu that you're asked to order with. Everything is table service, the staff you can tell are truly passionate about their job, and everything just feels that little bit special.
The space is perfectly sized, seating around 40-50 guests and bookings will be taken over the phone rather than online.
In an age where everything feels so digital and fleeting, Paper Plane is a welcome reminder of proper connection and long lasting moments.
We think this new spot is going to go down an absolute treat, and it's a welcome addition to the city's nightlife scene.
Sophie Smith -
19th July 2022 
