Located on North Street, this cosy restaurant is the place to go for authentic, home-cooked Chinese food at affordable prices.
Looking to celebrate the Lunar New Year with some deliciously authentic Chinese food in Leeds city centre? Then keep reading, as we've got the perfect spot for you.
A hidden gem sitting in plain sight, Wen's feels like one of those 'if you know, you know' spots and we are certainly all the better for knowing.
A few minutes walk out of the city centre, Wen's may look unassuming but my god the food is not.
We decided to pop by on a Tuesday evening, as we stepped through the door we were greeted with a warm welcome from the staff as well by a delicious aroma wafting into our noses.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The intimate restaurant was buzzing and only by chance did we manage to grab the last table in the corner. Next time we won't be taking such chances and will definitely book ahead.
We started with the Pork Xiao Long Bao and Pan-fried King Prawn Dumplings, lifting the bamboo baskets to reveal these doughy delights felt like unwrapping presents on Christmas morning.
All lovingly handmade by Mrs Wen and just as beautiful as they were delicious, served alongside a homemade chilli dipping sauce which gave them the perfect spicy hit to combat the fatty, dense flavourful fillings.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
After finishing my last dumpling I was already planning my next visit to Wen's and our main courses hadn't even reached the table yet.
Next up came the Salt and Pepper Baby Squid which was perfectly crisp and coated in a light, flavourful batter which did not detract from the fresh squid flavour.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The Dandan Noodles can only be described as a hug in a bowl, served swimming in a bowl of rich, savoury broth and topped with a mound of delicious pork mince and crunchy spring onions. They were the sort of noodles where slurping took place in order to consume them as quickly as you could, and that still wasn't fast enough.
The menu is extensive and allows for multiple visits to try out all of the goodness on offer, and we are certainly not complaining.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The portions are generous and perfect for sharing, Wen's is the place to bond with friends and family over wonderful food that won't set you back a pretty penny.
To find out more about Wen's and to peruse their menu, take a look at their website.
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!”
Clementine Hall -
24th August 2022 
