The best things to do in Leeds this week | 23 – 29 May 2022
One more week until the Platinum Jubilee four-day weekend.
We’re counting down the days until the long bank holiday, but there’s still plenty of things to do in the meantime. There’s Leeds Indie Food fest, new openings to explore and even a fairy-inspired installation for the whole family.
Keep reading to find out top picks of things to do in Leeds this week…
Little Bao Boy Laska Night
Monday 23 May 2022 | North Brew Co. Tap Room, Sovereign Street
Little Bao Boys will also making an appearance over the Leeds Indie Food period with one of their well known Laksa evenings. There’s three sittings: 5pm, 630pm and 8pm and all are equally as exciting.
All tickets include a steamy bowl of Laska with spicy heart-warming noodles and then a choice of either chicken or vegan pork belly, as well as a drink of your choice- there’s even a donation to St George’s Crypt in there too.
The Laska night forms part of the Leeds Indie Food festival, a ten-day long fiesta that sees Leeds city centre showcasing the finest of Leeds independent culinary talent, with plenty of unique experience, one-off collaborations and exciting events to get involved in.
Monday 23 May 2022 5pm -8pm. Find out more here.
Pastel Happy Hour
Tuesday 24 May – Friday 27 May 2022 | 95 Kirkgate, Leeds city centre
Far from a generic Happy Hour menu, Pastel has reimagined the hours between 4pm – 7pm four days a week to bring us some of the most exciting cocktails in the city- and all for just £5.
Bandarra and tonic is a house-favourite and for good reason. We were first introduced to Bandarra (similar to an Aperol) at a Pastel cocktail masterclass and haven’t looked back since. This bartender’s choice of tipple is a sophisticated blend that comes in two flavours: Rojo and Al Fresco flavour before being served over ice with artisan skinny London tonic and grapefruit.
If you’re not one for fancy cocktails, you’ll probably surprise yourself with newfound favourites- but there’s still bottles of Becks for £3.50 available during happy hour and shots of Jamesons for £2.50 aplenty. Of course, there’s still all of the usual Pastel favourites during these hours too. We’re talking about the iconic pancetta and Haribo drinks that Pastel has become synonymous with, as well as wine available by the bottle, frothy and fizzy concoctions aplenty.
Tuesday 24 May – Friday 27 May 2022, 4 – 7pm. Find out more here.
Camel Kebabs on Hump Day
Wednesday 25 May 2022 | Otley Road, Headingley
I am Döner, a Leeds-based doner kebab takeaway service, is giving ‘hump day’ a brand-new meaning throughout May and will be serving up kebabs with camel meat inside. The camel kebab has been brought onto the menu for the month of May to celebrate the company’s expansion to the United Arab Emirates- but the Leeds takeaway will only serve up the speciality dish on Wednesdays to help get the city through hump day each week.
If you need any convincing to try this unique combo, it’s considered a delicacy in Dubai and it tastes like any other tender meat. Slightly curried with rice, onions and wrapped into a kebab, it’ll be the talking point of the office all afternoon long- promise.
Wednesday 25 May 2022. Find out more here.
Mans Market Afternoon Chi
Wednesday 25 May – Friday 27 May 2022, 2-5pm | West Point, Wellington Street
Having been highly recommended by the Sunday Times, we’re convinced that Mans Market has received nothing but glowing reviews since its opening, but it’s their Afternoon Chi concept that’s got us talking non-stop about dim sum in 2022.
Based on the traditional afternoon tea, Mans Market have replaced those boring finger sandwiches and petit fours with all your favourite dishes to create the ultimate afternoon experience- with plenty of booze included.
Think handfuls of Chicken Gyoza, Pork War Tip Dumplings, Mushroom Corn and vegan-friendly Bamboo Dumplings, each swirled and dunked into sweet chilli or soy sauce before making your way onto vegan spring rolls and snack on Lotus Crisps with chilli and spring onions. This really is the epitome of a unique afternoon tea, perfect for all Chinese food connoisseurs and those that love a bit of dim sum after a few drinks with respective interest.
Find out more here.
The Owl Opening
Friday 27 May 2022 | Lockside, Leeds city centre
Michelin-guide chef Liz Cottam will be opening her newly-relocated Owl restaurant at Lockside: a picturesque riverside development looking over the canal. Conveniently located just moments from Leeds train station, the new spot has been designed to reflect the traditional heritage of Leeds with the new, modern development of the city’s South Bank.
The new restaurant will be roughly twice the size of its previous market home, including an outdoor terrace, allowing more opportunity for diners to enjoy Owl’s outstanding menu which has received incredible reviews from customers and critics alike since it first opened its doors in 2019.
Friday 27 May 2022. Find out more here.
Fairy Light Installation
Friday 27 May – Sunday 29 May 2022 | Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street
Kicking off half term by sharing the magic of fairies,a first edition of the book Fairy Light will take pride and place in a new free installation at Leeds Central Library.
Fun for all the family, a rare first edition of The Coming of the Fairies will appear alongside another book from the Leeds Libraries’ collections, Princess Mary’s Gift Book, on which Elsie based her own fairy drawings before posing them on hat pins for the photographs.
Leeds City Council has said “Fairy Light will also invite visitors to step into an imagined recreation of the girls’ bedroom in Cottingley, as it could have looked in the summer of 1917 when the girls took the first photographs.
“The installation is a collaboration between artist and folklorist Elizabeth Dearnley, filmmaker Amy Cutler and sound designer Tamsin Dearnley, who all have connections with West Yorkshire.”
From Friday 27 May 2022. Find out more here.
Tharavadu Bottomless Brunch
Saturday 28 May 2022 | Mill Hill
Every Saturday, Tharavadu will now get you a perfect lunchtime foodie fix fit for former Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma and Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln. The former Michelin guide 2019 restaurant is now offering a bottomless brunch with unlimited booze and thali bowls to offer the best of their Keralan cuisine to the masses- and it comes with unlimited Cobra and Kingfisher.
Meat and veggie thali is served up in sharing-style bowls alongside the curryhouse favourite lagers like Cobra and Kingfisher alongside a Kirstall Brewery exclusive named Somarasam.
Meaning ‘drink of the gods’, it’s a refreshing 4% pilsner that was exclusively created by Kirkstall Brewery just 15 minutes from the Mill Hill restaurant to compliment the flavoursome menu. In addition to these standout options, there’s a choice of either house red or white wine, as well as gin and tonics for a whopping two hours.
Saturday 28 May 2022, 12-2pm. Find out more here.
Emeli Sandé Live
Saturday 28 May 2022 | City Varieties Music Hall, Swan Street
Emeli Sandé is bringing an intimate acoustic piano show to City Varieties to celebrate her forthcoming album, Let’s Say For Instance. As her first release on an independent label, Sandé’s powerful voice is exploring new ‘sonic territory’ by combining her best known soulful performances with classical, disco, nostalgic R&B genres.
Having remained a strong player in the music industry since releasing her first album Our Version of Events almost ten years ago, the four-time BRIT award winner is expected to take her performances to an entirely new level during her 2022 tours- and we can’t wait to see it.
Stalls and circle and upper circle, from £34-£37 and available on the Leeds Heritage Theatres website.
Saturday 28 May 2022. Find out more here.
Sunday Roast Burgers
Sunday 29 May 2022 | Northern Monk Refectory, Holbeck
Honest Burgers is opening a permanent store in Leeds this summer, but whilst construction and staff training takes place, the nationally renowned burger joint has taken over the kitchens at Northern Monk to give us a taste of what’s in store.
The Sunday Roast Dinner burger is a gravy-laden dream for anyone looking for a weekend foodie fix that can cure a hangover or act as a formal family dinner choice with respective interest.
The burger itself is a standard, but nonetheless delicious, meaty beef patty served pink, then piled high with all your typical roast dinner faves. Think cheesy leeks, horseradish cream, savoy cabbage, bacon gravy and bacon- there’s even mini rosemary roasties hidden inside the soft brioche buns.
Sunday 29 May 2022 from 12pm. Find out more here.
Feature Image- Pastel / The Hoot Leeds / Emeli Sande