There's not many deals in Leeds that can beat free pizza. Picture the scene, it's a Friday night and you're starving: you're in a bar on Call Lane and nobody else wants to grab some food.
Now, as long as you're in Cuckoo there's no reason for you to have to leave the bar, to even pull out your bank card because all pizza here is free, as long as you buy a drink.
What's more, the flavours are truly out of this world, there's no room for classics- these pizzas are truly unique. The Love or Hate pizza is just one example. Naturally, you're either going to think this is the world's greatest pizza or take one bite and nothing more. It's a marmite base topped with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese.
Or how about baked beans on pizza, if that wasn't controversial enough? The Brunch at Cuckoo baked beans base with bacon, mushrooms and topped with either red or brown sauce.
You could also try the Nacho Lucky Day, a nacho topped pizza with guac and tomatoes; or the Bah Tat with ham, caramelised onion and pork scratchings.
Or if you do just want something you can find at some other pizzerias (though these are still pretty original), opt for a Spicy Bird, a chicken and caramelised onion pizza with sweet chilli sauce, the Veg-a-lot with halloumi, courgette, sun-dried tomatoes and butternut squash or the Alright Jack, a pulled BBQ jackfruit base with vegan cheese, topped with gherkins and mustard.
There's also a range of dessert pizzas for those with a sweet tooth. Think Wonka Calzones with Nutella, marshmallows, fudge sauce and cinnamon sugar and PB&J pizzas with peanut butter and jelly spread across.
Available every single day before 9pm (though bare in mind the bar only opens at 5pm at present), this is the post-work treat or midnight feast you never knew you needed but won't want to live without.
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.”
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 -
18th January 2022 
