The Junction is offering its residents exclusive discounts to try exciting independents and local favourite food, drink and shopping spots, all included in its rental packages.
If you're unfamiliar with the new neighbourhood that's popped up next to Wellington Place, it's home to a whopping 665 apartments that come with near enough every amenity you'd add to your ‘must haves' and 'dream of' list - including private dining rooms; multi-use sports pitch; super-fast broadband, built-in appliances; co-working spaces; and resident lounge areas, plus apartments that are totally pet-friendly.
All Junction residents are given a special 'Junction Card' upon moving into the neighbourhood and it allows you to celebrate your new surroundings and support your new local independents - but with extra perks and discounts.
Named Neighbourhood Heroes, the list includes hairdressers and lunch spots, coffee shops and cheesemongers, fitness centres and plant shops - mostly within a fifteen minute walk of The Junction with a few dotted around the suburbs.
Here's just a few of the Neighbourhood Heroes where you can make the most of your Junction Card...
Brewery Tap
18 New Station Street, Leeds LS1 5DL
Located right next to Leeds Train Station, Brewery Tap is a popular watering hole for footy goers, locals looking for lunch and visitors eagerly awaiting their first pint after being stuck on the train. It's also home to Big Buns, a smashed burger joint popularised by Rate My Takeaway star Danny Malin.
Dastaan
473 Otley Road, Adel, Leeds LS16 7NR
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Over in Adel, Dastaan is all about providing 'Mayfair cooking at a fraction of the price'. The popular Indian restaurant opened in Leeds last year and has since seen city dwellers flocking to the leafy suburb to taste the XXX for themselves.
Good Luck Club
6 Wellington Place, Leeds LS1 4AP
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Anyone living at The Junction is probably going to make Good Luck Club a regular. The restaurant and bar features a wide spanning menu of classic burgers and meaty dishes straight from the grill, as well as offering leafy salads perfectly accompanied by a beer in the sunshine, sat on the benches outdoors.
Iberica
Hepper House, 17a East Parade, Leeds, LS1 2BH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Authentic Spanish tapas inside a truly stunning venue, Ibérica owns a handful of restaurants over in London and has brought its artisan cheeses, cured meats and moreish paella to Leeds
Issho
Victoria Gate 3rd Floor Rooftop, George St, Leeds LS2 7AU
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Dubbed as one of the best places in the city to watch the sun go down, Issho is home to Japanese dishes, swanky cocktails and a killer terrace overlooking the city centre. Meaning 'together' in Japanese, Issho has a selection of sushi, sashimi, bao buns and tempura meats perfect for sharing.
200 degrees
31 Bond Street, Leeds LS1 5BQ
Image: The Hoot Leeds
200 Degrees started its journey in Nottingham before conquering cities across the UK, bringing strong caffeinated drinks and laptop-friendly cafes to the masses. Head over to Bond Street to blast through your morning emails over a cup of Joe or join the Barista School and learn all about the trade - either way you'll be welcomed in.
Trib3
68A Wellington St, Leeds LS1 2EE
Image: The Hoot Leeds
For those looking for a serious workout, Trib3 is home to "scientifically-proven HIIT workouts" where you're tracked with heart-rate monitors and studio displays to ensure that you're putting yourself through your paces to burn up to 1,000 calories per session.
No. 3 Gentleman's Hairdressing
3 Lower Briggate, Leeds LS1 4AE
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Looking to get a trim and want to make sure you're supporting a local business at the same time? Josh and the team at No.3 promise to be "professional but laid back, welcoming everyone with open arms, a beer, good music and a chat".
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
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.”
Sophie Smith -
19th July 2023 
