Five locations. Five delicious flavours of mulled wine, hot cider and hot chocolate.
Mulled wine is a Christmas essential. At what other point in the year do you get to boil some booze and sprinkle fruit over a cauldron of treacle-like sweet concoction?
There are plenty of places to grab a cup of mulled wine in Leeds city centre and beyond, that's nothing new- but its trendy new companion, mulled cider, is emerging at a small, but increasing, number of bars and restaurants around the city.
Here's our top spots to grab a seat by the fire and unwind with a mug of mulled booze.
Grön Kafe, Roundhay
Image: Grön Kafe
Believe it or not, when lockdown hit last year, Grön celebrated with takeaway mulled wine. Well, either that or making the most of a bad situation. Located in Roundhay and Harrogate, this clean-eating Scandi cafe know a thing or two about seasonal produce.
Their winter menu is paired with an array of exciting (and very Instagrammable) dishes, what better way to wash it down than with a mug of mulled wine? The only difference is that this year, you can finally drink one in store.
Green Room
Image: Green Room
Designed to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the Leeds German market, Green Room's beloved rooftop was completely transformed into a cosy winter hideaway as soon as the temperature started to drop. Think roaring fire pits, state of the art heat lamps covering the entire decking and Yorkshire wool blankets for guests to snuggle into and get comfy.
Their mulled wine is boozy, warming and delicious. Their limited edition Christmas Cocktails don't disappoint either, choose from a Spiced Apple Whiskey Sour, After Eight Martini or a Cherry Bakewell Mai Thai. Or you can set up shop and make your way through the menu, it would be rude not to.
Thor's Tipi, Millenium Square
Image: Thor's Tipi
Thor's is known for its laid back vibes and open fires. After their 2019 success of selling over 125,000 cups of mulled wine and 55,000 cups of hot chocolate, the tipi company have diversified their menu for the 2021 season.
Now you don't just have to choose from a standard glass of mulled wine with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and spices, but you can also grab a mug of Hot Apple Punch or even a shot of flavoured chocolate and boozy favourites like Karamel vodka and coconut rum.
Mustard Pot, Chapel Allerton
Image: The Mustard Pot
The Chapel Allerton favourite is locally renowned for its festive decor and warm boozy drinks. Grab a mug of mulled wine, topped with a huge slice of orange or taste Pimms with hot spiced apple: the perfect winter alternative to the hot-weather drink.
The Mustard Pot play host to a giant tipi every Christmas where you can take a seat or browse market stalls from independent Leeds creatives on selected days during the Christmas countdown.
Banyan Tipi, City Square
Image: Supplied
Just moments from Leeds train station, the all-new Banyan tipi encompasses all those cosy, warm festive feelings and showcases the best of the changing of the seasons inside a huge tipi, complete with an outdoor bar and open fire pit.That means you don’t need to wander far to get a drink or grab a seat by the fire- no fear of annoying heaters turning off mid conversation here!
Whilst you let your toes warm, there will be plenty to snack on to turn get the most Grinch-iest of your group in the mood for Christmas. Think mince pie pancakes and specially themed bauble cocktails, and staple drinks like mulled wine and hot chocolaes of course.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant
Clementine Hall
Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.
Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
Image: Supplied
And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.
The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.
The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.
Image: Supplied
The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.
Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.
“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”
Sophie Smith -
13th December 2022 
