Wednesday 29 November 2023 marks the opening date for the city's newest steakhouse, Flat Iron.
And to celebrate the restaurant launch, the restaurant will be giving away 250 Wagyu steaks from the Flat Iron herd from 5:30pm onwards, on a first come, first served basis.
The company first announced it’s expansion outside of London in April with a restaurant due to open in Manchester later this year, shortly followed by another planned opening in Cambridge this July.
The Leeds site is opening inside the former Church Institute venue that hosted Byron Burgers until earlier this year.
Image: Jo Richie via Chapter 81
On the very simple menu, diners will find one steak option – The Flat Iron Steak – alongside various sides and sauces such as beef dripping chips, creamed spinach, crispy bone marrow garlic mash and truffled macaroni cheese.
Launching to fame back in 2012 with accessible feather blade steaks served at £10, Flat Iron has since expanded across London to a total of 12 sites.
Now the fairly priced steak restaurant will open it’s doors in Leeds this Autumn, taking over the former Church Institute on Lands Lane in what will be a 110-cover eatery.
Image: Flat Iron Steakhouse
Elsewhere, further side choices include a simple green salad and roast aubergine with tomato, basil, plus sauces like bearnaise, peppercorn, wild mushroom, and homemade smoked chilli mayo, with a short list of ‘Beef Specials’ including a smoked chilli cheeseburger, Scottish bavette and flat iron Sirloin.
Flat Iron’s other restaurants, however, often list steak specials from its butcher partners and its Shoreditch site even features a 15-foot-long roasting spit.
Founder Charlie Carroll spent nine months researching beef before the first opening, even teaching himself to butcher as part of that in-depth knowledge-seeking process.
Image: Flat Iron Steakhouse
During that period, he discovered that little-known secondary cuts from the very best beef could be exceptionally tasty but reasonably affordable, leading to what he terms the ‘democratisation of great steak.’
Located on the corner of Albion Place and Lands Lane, the two-floor restaurant is housed in the former Church Institute and is a stone’s throw from Trinity Leeds, Victoria Quarter and Briggate.
Continuing Flat Iron’s single-minded commitment to serving great steak for everyone, the menu will feature the famous Flat Iron steak alongside much-loved sides, such as homemade beef dripping chips, crispy bone marrow garlic mash, truffled macaroni cheese and creamed spinach. A rotating board of beef specials will also be available, including a Wagyu cut of the day, Scottish bavette and the iconic Bearnaise Cheeseburger.
When speaking of the Wagyu herd, Flat Iron’s Head of Beef, Fred Smith, said ‘This beef is really special - I believe that Wagyu genetics, with its natural propensity to produce marbled meat, and the fine pastures of Charles’ Yorkshire farm, combine to produce beef of remarkable quality. I am delighted to share this with you in Leeds. See you on the 29th November!’
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Eats
Viral brunch cafe Acai and the Tribe is coming to Leeds city centre this spring
Leeds health nuts assemble, because acai bowls and superfood smoothies are coming to a city near you.
Incase you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you may not be clued up on the whole acai bowl trend that has been sweeping up the nation.
Acai is a super berry grown and harvested in the Amazon rainforest, and not only is it absolutely delicious but it has a myriad of health benefits.
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Images: The Manc Group
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Acai and the Tribe said: "You asked, we listened. LEEDS… your new lifestyle arrives soon."
They will be opening on 88 Vicar Lane as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration scheme, which has already scene some great new restaurants being announced such as Sticks'n'Sushi and Dishoom.
It seems like this part of town is suddenly going to be the place to be, and we're very happy to see it.
We'll keep you updated with opening dates as and when we know more but for now, you can find out more about Acai and the Tribe here.
Leeds has been crowned the best city in the UK for foodies outside of London
Clementine Hall
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sophie Smith -
27th November 2023 
