Find out what’s new around town with our pick of restaurants, cafés, and bars.
Boojum | Merrion Centre
Coming to Leeds this spring is Mexican food chain Boojum. Following its recent success in Ireland, Dublin and Belfast, Leeds will be its first English branch. You can expect plenty of burritos, fajitas, tacos, and salads. What’s more, Boojum boasts to have the freshest ingredients, slow cooked meats, and authentic salsas which are made every day – nothing frozen here.
Boojummex.com
The Functional Drinks Club | Otley
The Functional Drinks Club takes the difficulty out of choosing a designated driver as a non-alcoholic pub. Recently opened on Manor Square, the pub boasts to have Yorkshire’s largest selection of kombucha and was established to encourage people to live more consciously according to its owners. Filling a gap in the market for great tasting non-alcoholic beers, wines, and ciders the Functional Drinks Club plans to change the assumption that zero alcohol drinks don’t taste as good on its head.
Functionaldrinksclub.co.uk
Il Piatto | Headingley
Headingley’s new Italian restaurant is Il Piatto. A favourite to locals of Scarborough, this beloved Italian chose North Leeds for its second branch. Serving classic Italian dishes from pizza and pasta dishes to delicious gnocchi; the restaurant is also introducing a Pasta to Go service where online order and collection can be arranged between 4pm to 5pm – so watch this space!
Il-piattoitaliano.co.uk
Carousel | Albion Street
Carousel is a new games bar in Leeds, it has everything from digital darts, karaoke, arcade games, and shuffleboard. You can book activities in advance if you’d like to focus your visit around one activity or go for a bottomless booking which ensures you get 90 minutes of boozy bottomless drinks with a street food feast and fiercely fun gaming. Even better, your time starts when your first drink arrives so you can ensure you’ll be getting all the time you bargained for.
Carousel-bars.co.uk
Meet Fresh | Merrion Centre
Taiwanese Dessert shop Meet Fresh is a new face in the Merrion Centre. Meet Fresh serves classic Taiwanese deserts such as taro ball desserts, grass jelly delights, and refreshing shaved ice. Since it’s of the nationality where the popular drink originated, you can also expect a handful of boba tea drinks.
On Instagram @MeetfreshUK
Ottimo | Oakwood
Long term friends Paul Bolster and Nick Julian have recently announced the opening of their new pizza restaurant – Ottimo. Paul who owns Tasty Kitchen & Coffee in Oakwood and Nick who owns Pizza Freak in Kirkstall will open their new restaurant in the former Pizza Loco unit on Roundhay Road, Oakwood in March. The pizza concept is focused on quality ingredients, balanced flavours, and a tried and tested dough process, focusing on
the small details to create a really special product.
Ottimo.pizza
