Each participating restaurant has menus priced at £5, £10, £15, £20 or £25.
It's safe to say that we've all been feeling the pinch lately, but there's going to be ample opportunity to taste test some of Leeds' finest without breaking the bank this month thanks to the return of Eat Leeds Restaurant Week.
The week-long, city-wide event is back after a three year hiatus and bringing together new openings and long-time favourites across the city centre with a week-long foodie offer like no other.
Masala king prawns and celeriac shawarma from The Wardrobe. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Eat Leeds Restaurant Week is all about showcasing the city's foodie scene in an affordable way.
Starting on Monday 15 August and spanning across the week until Sunday 21 August 2022, there will five different price points, starting at £5 and working up to £25 in £5 intervals, so that those looking for a quick bite or a sit down meal can take advantage of this offer.
Each menu is designed to offer a taste of the restaurant's signature favourites or a taste of standout dishes- and there's options for every night of the week to choose from.
Calamares from Ambiente. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
The Wardrobe has both a £20 and £25 offer, depending on whether diners choose to dine with two or three courses from their one-off menu.
Expect juicy buttermilk chicken in taco form with ranch slaw and chipotle mayo; goat's cheese bon bons with honey dressing; masala king prawns with mango chilli salad and vegan alternatives like the celeriac shawarma with hummus and flatbread- and that's just the starter plates.
Buttermilk Chicken Tacos from The Wardrobe. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Ambiente is serving up a whopping three plates and a drink for £20, with a specially-crafted menu with all the Spanish-style small portions we've come to know and love.
Cooked inside one of Leeds' only Spanish-made Josper Charcoal oven, food here is roasted, grilled, steamed and smoked at 500 degrees to tenderise and produce that smokey charcoal texture synonymous with authentic Spanish cooking.
Classic dishes like Patatas Bravas and Calamares are bound to make an appearance on the table between signature meat dishes like the Albónigas con Tomate, the beef and pork meatballs with a smokey chorizo and tomato stew. Ideal for those sharing with large groups of foodies, there's a range of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options on the menu too.
The Calamares Veganos offers a vegan take on the classic calamari dish. Think seaweed-marinated pieces deep fried to keep that crispy seafood texture, served with Ambiente's own soy batter with aioli seafood for dipping.
Beef and pork meatballs from Ambiente. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Meanwhile Meat Stack, the newly-opened cult indie burger joint from The Toon, will be joining Eat Leeds Restaurant Week and bringing their classic West Coast beef burger to the menu.
In true American diner style, the restaurant will be serving up thick Biscoff, chocolate and strawberry milkshakes, amongst other tempting options, to pair with fries loaded with red Leicester, parmesan and creamy queso sauce.
West Coast Beef Burgers from Meat:Stack / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Best of all, this is only a taste of what's to come for Eat Leeds Restaurant Week.
So far, a number of restaurants across Leeds have signed up to this exciting foodie offering and will be promising a special offer priced at £5 - £25, including the likes of I Am Doner, Manahatta, Playroom, Rola Wala and Gusto.
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 August 2022 
