From the creators of Dollhouse comes a new £300,000 city centre concept.
Leeds' nightlife is one of the best things about our city. Whether you prefer to have a few quiet pints at the pub or drink from the bottle at a club of your choosing, there truly is something for everyone here.
The latest venture to land in Leeds is a new drink-dine-dance space from the TV star and multi-platinum selling musician, Tom Zanetti and his business partner, Kane Towning.
The downstairs bar space.
The exclusive late-night dining concept will be the first of its kind in the city, taking inspiration from premium destination venues across London, Dubai and Ibiza. Guests can dine in the immersive restaurant, indulging in a selection of globally inspired small plates while enjoying live entertainment and sensory lighting.
As the evening progresses the lighting gets turned down a notch and the music gets turned up as diners drink and dance late into the evening, with DJ’s and performers providing the hottest soundtrack under the LED displays. So the idea is that it's an entire evening in one destination.
Over £300k has been invested in the project, the name of which is being kept under wraps until nearer the launch.
Speaking about the project, Tom Zanetti says: “We were ahead of the game with Dollhouse and spotted a gap in the market for that VIP vibe that no other venue offered - a glamorous, VIP-style club. That’s where this brand-new venue bridges the gap.
"Leeds has one of the best nightlife scenes in the country, however. it is crying out for that cool, late night dining concept that people currently have to travel to London, Manchester and overseas for. It’s time to level Leeds up again and hold our own against the other major cities.”
Split over two levels, the venue’s ground floor will have a stylish lounge with VIP tables on offer, as well as a heated indoor courtyard and outside terrace in Millennium Square. The first floor will host to the restaurant with luxury VIP booths that can booked for dining and late-night drinking.
The new bar space will open in 2022.
The restaurant will also boast a private dining area for up to 30 people, ideal for special occasions. There’s also a stage for live performers with a state-of-the-art VOID sound system and a one-of-a-kind bespoke LED light system.
Zanetti's business partner hinted that visitors should have high expectations:
"You can enjoy globally inspired dishes, creative cocktails, live performers, and the hottest DJ’s, all under one roof. This is like nothing the city has ever seen. The interior design and layout is completely unique and fresh. The sound, lighting and entertainment are all a first for Leeds and I’m excited to see how people react when they experience it.”
Tom Zanetti was the creator behind Dollhouse, a VIP bar in Leeds city centre.
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 -
23rd December 2021 
