11 new bars & restaurants new this month & coming soon

Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss the opening of a new cocktail lounge, craft beer bar, or Venezuelan small-plates pop-up - can you imagine anything worse? Here are the latest bars and restaurants in Leeds, and a preview of what’s to come this August. 

Just opened:

North Star Coffee Shop & Roastery

Two local artisans doing their thing under one roof, what more could you want? North Star brew the coffee (as fresh as it gets, considering it’s roasted just next door in their roastery), and Noisette Bakehouse run the kitchen, making their signature bakes, breads, and salads fresh every morning. It also looks lush as well, as demonstrated in the video below:

33 The Boulevard, Leeds LS10 1PZ

East 59th

Now all of the fuss has died down following the opening party with legendary DJ “Her off of TOWIE”, you might actually stand a chance of getting into the super-cool, Manhattan loft-inspired cocktail bar. Better yet, get onto the roof terrace to catch some of that end-of-Summer sun.

Fans of bottomless brunch (See our recent round-up of the city’s best here) will want to go down on Saturday & Sunday between 11am and 4pm to get two courses and unlimited prosecco and Bloody Marys for £25.

3rd Floor Rooftop, Victoria Gate, Leeds, LS2 7AU

Doghouse Bar & Record Store

212 Bar on Brewery Wharf has got a younger sibling in the form of an East Coast-inspired bar, seafood cafe, and record store. The decor’s as quirky as the concept, and there’s a chilled atmosphere in daytimes which gathers more of a buzz later on in the evenings - Kirkgate’s absolutely perfect for places brimming with individual character and charm such as this, more like it please.

Doghouse Bar & Record Store, 92 Kirkgate, LS2 7D

The Bottle Room at Harvey Nichols

After being in limbo for almost a year since Polpo announced it was moving out, Harvey Nichols’ Fourth Floor Cafe-adjacent plot has been put to great use as a bottleshop featuring a huge selection of expertly-selected wines (not to mention the biggest gin selection we’ve ever seen). Take a bottle home for your personal cellar, or pay a tenner corkage fee to have it served to you right there in the cool, contemporary surroundings of The Bottle Room.

Fourth Floor, Harvey Nichols, 107-111 Briggate, Leeds LS1 6AZ

Cotê Brasserie

A gorgeous, light and roomy dining room on the top floor of Trinity, serving up ace renditions of French classics with monthly specials that make use of seasonal produce. The Lunch menu is good value at £10.95 for 2 courses or 3 for £12.95, and if you want to make it a leisurely visit, their La Lande Rouge is deceptively good for a £17.50 bottle…

Trinity Leeds, Albion Street, Leeds LS1 5AY

D.O.C

A new concept from one of our favourite spots in town, Buca Di Pizza, offers a more informal environment for light-bites, prosecco, and spritzes. It’s on street-level just above the original Buca restaurant on Wellington Street, making it perfect for after-work sharpeners, as well as “lunch meetings”...

27 Wellington St, Leeds LS1 4EA

Opening this August:

HOME

It feels like it’s been a long time coming, but the wait’s very nearly over. The new venture from Chefs Liz Cottam (MasterChef) and Mark Owens (The Box Tree, La Gavroche) is finally opening on Friday 18 August. Choose between three, five, and ten course tasting menus which change every month, including full vegetarian options, and a totally unique Sunday lunch menu.

For an idea of what to expect, check this video from when we got to try some exclusive development dishes at a preview dinner:

16/17 Kirkgate, Leeds, LS1 6BY

Red Door

“Changing the world one drink at a time” is Red Door’s motto, and they appear to be starting with glassware (one cocktail comes served in a full size disco ball) and garnishes (another comes with a balloon full of lemongrass-infused helium) - more on that here.

Its Liverpool, Chester, and Manchester venues have proved a massive hit in recent years, and now it’s heading nationwide, starting with Leeds. You can get your own disco ball full of booze from Friday 25 August - just in time for Bank Holiday weekend

11-15 Hirst's Yard, Leeds LS1 6NJ

Coming Soon:

Neighbourhood

Another transplant from Liverpool and Manchester that’s making its way to Leeds, Neighbourhood is taking over the Greek Street venue previously occupied by Carluccio's. Don’t expect to recognise it though, once it's undergone a full technicolour art deco makeover. The initial August opening date looks to have been pushed back to Monday 11 September, so look out for more information in the next couple of weeks.

Panchos Burritos

We proper love Manchester Arndale Market’s traditional burrito spot, so it’s been an agonising wait for the Albion Street venue to materialise since it was first announced a few months back. The website is advertising for staff now though, so fingers crossed it’ll all be wrapped up soon...

Dirty Martini

The London and Cardiff-based cocktail bar has a philosophy of “spirited sophistication” and is renowned for its range of bespoke, speciality Martinis. Following an unsuccessful application for Minerva House last Summer, Dirty Martini has announced its first Northern outpost on East Parade, taking the venue on  from Atlas Brauhaus.