House of Koko has opened a second site in Oakwood, and you can be the first to dine in if you head down this weekend.
Bringing fine-dining to a laid back setting is a winning combination that House of Koko have got down to a tee in Chapel Allerton and now Oakwood locals can understand the hype from Saturday 4 March as the company opens its second site in the leafy suburb.
Image: House of Koko
Their menu comprises beautifully presented dishes like pancakes drenched in syrup and even their scrambled tofu is good enough to photograph for the ‘gram (who knew?).
The overwhelming success of the cafe is well-known about Leeds- and it comes with a whole host of raving reviews.
At the new site, the HOK Oakwood will be serving up all of their bestselling brunch dishes, as well as some classy cocktails and a selection of wines to be paired with small dining plates.
Inside the former Hessian building, House of Koko will continue to deliver on the brand’s infamously tasty and all-encompassing brunch offering. Hessian’s staff will remain, keeping local knowledge and friendly faces for the Hessian regulars as the venue evolves into House of Koko.
By April, House of Koko intends to channel a little of Owner Rosita’s other venue, too - Distrikt bar in the city centre. They will open in the evenings, offering a supper menu of small plates alongside wine and cocktails - and perhaps even DJs.
Image: PGHL
Owner Rosita Roger stated: “We‘re so excited to expand into another exciting Leeds foodie suburb. This up-and-coming area already has some fab foodie offerings, and we’re so happy to be joining the club.
Establishing ourselves as a regular evening venue is also an exciting new step for us, and a challenge we are ready to meet head-on!”
The idea is that the Oakwood cafe will open in March and then in April, the nighttime menu will be added to the concept, along with the occasional DJ, fingers crossed.
In addition to these exciting additions, House of Koko will continue their commitment to sourcing fantastic local produce in their Oakwood venue, from the coffee to the cakes to the vegetables.
Image: PGHL
Think Moreish cakes from The Savvy Baker, Glazed & Confused and coffee is sourced from local roastery North Star, who source their coffee beans ethically, directly from the farmers.
House of Koko will continue to serve up plenty of vegan options alongside both healthy and indulgent brunch dishes, from the likes of Turkish eggs to maple syrup-smothered banana and pecan pancakes.
Image: PGHL
House of Koko will continue to host their famous eclectic food events and pop-ups with other chefs and suppliers in their new Oakwood venue, which is looking forward to welcoming locals and HOK regulars alike, throughout the day - and now into the evening.
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 -
3rd March 2022 
