The news has been out for a few months that POCO Sicilian is coming to Leeds city centre - but now all we need to do is count down the days.
The team have just announced the new location of POCO Sicilian Street Food - and us based in the city centre are in for a treat.
Opening on Friday 9 June, the much-loved Italian street food venue will be taking over a kiosk spot on Lands Lane in Leeds city centre.
Located slap bang in the heart of the city, the new POCO will take over the former Yorkshire Bank unit and bringing copious amounts of pizza al taglio to the masses in the process.
Image: POCO Sicilian / The Hoot Leeds
The team never fail to have a huge selection of eat, including pizza slices with flavours that change by the day: the vegan slice with mushrooms, peppers and copious amounts of spinach is a standout favourite, but there’s everything from ham and potato slices to fennel sausage to choose from. The menu doesn’t stop there, choose from lasagna, chicken and salads, calzone stuffed with ham or tomato and loads of cheese and some of the best arancini in the city (there, we said it). Those with a sweet tooth will love the bombolones: soft and fluffy Italian donuts with creamy icing and custard running through the middle – but that’s not all. Be sure to check out the cannoli or marzipan shapes on offer too.
With two sites in Headingley and Kirkstall, foodies flocking to the suburbs for quite some time now- but now there’s going to be another spot to grab your slice of authentic Sicilian treats.
The team announced the news with the following statement:
"Poco Leeds City Centre Opening Party. We have the date, guys!
"FRIDAY, JUNE 9th, from 12PM until 2PM (or until we run out of food so you better hurry!) 24a Lands Lane, Leeds City Centre, LS1 6LB
"Come say hi, meet the team, check out our brand new kiosk and enjoy all your Poco favourites ON THE HOUSE!
"That’s your Friday lunch sorted (we will be serving a cheeky Prosecco too - it’s Friday, after all)
"So guys please find a minute in your busy schedule this Friday lunchtime and come see us in the city centre. And tell your friends about the opening too. We really need all your support
"After the party on Friday, we are planing to open for business from Saturday June 10th, working hours to be confirmed.
"The first week will be a soft opening as we still need to finish off some bits. So, please bear with us, we are nearly there!
"And see you all (hopefully) this Friday, June 9th for the Opening Party!
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 -
6th June 2023 
