There's so much excitement surrounding the postponed Euro 2020 tournament, which finally kicks off this weekend on Friday 11 June.
It's been a long time coming, with some people in Leeds waiting over a year to simply sit down, enjoy a pint and watch the footy in their local.
But, now the time has come, we've put together a list of some of the best places in Leeds to catch the action. After all, you haven't waited all this time just to be stuck with a subpar seat.
Here are some of our top picks for watching the Euro's in Leeds this summer.
The Myrtle Tavern
The landlord at this Meanwood pub is putting on a 'VIP festival of football' this summer, screening every Euro 2020 game in luxury. There's a mega 7 x 3 metre screen and 50 VIP benches here, with tickets costing £100. For that, there's 12 bottles of beer and six packets of crisps included and seats will be reserved after the game.
Dry Dock
With plenty of screens inside and plans to expand outside too, with more seating and screens set to appear ready for the Euros this summer, this characterful pub is a great choice if you want to watch the football. Make sure to book in to avoid disappointment, though.
The Beck and Call
Another Meanwood establishment - operated by the folk behind Belgave Music Hall. Family-run, this boozer has BT Sport and Sky Sports on a huge screen in the Tap Room and on other screens dotted around the venue.
Headingley Taps
This popular student pub has confirmed it will be showing all the Euros games this summer, with bookings being advertised online.
The Royal Armories
The Royal Armouries in Leeds Dock will transform into a football festival for theEuros, with each game preceded by a three-course meal, special guest speakers and live entertainment. The Magnificent 7 event will see all the action beamed onto huge indoor screens alongside match analysis.
Toast
With some tasty beers and grub on offer alongside the football this summer, Toast is a good choice if you're looking for somewhere to spend a few hours before watching the game.
Walkabout
A good stop-off for sports fans in general, this summer Walkabout is going all-out for the Euros with a host of big screens showing all the matches. There'll likely be some special offers closer to the time too.
BOX recently opened a new site in Chapel Allerton / Image: BOX
The Box
A great place to watch the footy, both venues in Chapel Allerton and Headingley will be screening all the Euro action this summer.
Skyrack
This Headingley pub is now taking bookings for those who want to watch the footy. Inside this student favourite you'll find a whopping 12 screens for catching the action, outside a delightful sun terrace.
O'Neills
O'Neills has confirmed it will be showing every Euro game this summer, so if you're stuck for somewhere to watch, you know where to go.
The Brotherhood
Another popular choice for sports fans, all the football matches will be screened here for Euro 2020.
Original Oak
This large pub in Headingley has a big screen in the beer garden and smaller ones dotted around inside too. Arguably the finest sports pub on Otley road, what sets it apart is its lovely beer garden complete with a huge screen.
Brooklyn
This lively Call Lane drinking den will be showing all the Euros matches throughout the summer. With big screens inside, fat burgers and tasty cocktails and you can’t really go wrong here.
Cuckoo
Known for its boozy bottomless brunches, crazy cocktails and free stonebaked pizzas (before 9pm), Cuckoo might not be the first place you’d think of to go watch the footie but we can confirm they’ll be showing all the matches here.
Call Lane Social
This family-run favourite is going to be screening all of the Euros matches. Even better, there’s no need to book - just walk straight in.
Verve
For cold beers and top tequila cocktails, Verve is always a shout. Football fans will want to pull up too, because management have now confirmed they will be showing all the matches for the Euros here.
Mean Eyed Cat Bar
This Merrion Street tiki bar pulls no punches on its cocktails, serving up a mix of signatures and twisted classics alongside tasty pizzas with a variety of toppings. Now taking bookings and walk-ins, you probably want to reserve a table here to make sure you get a good view of the footy action.
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
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.”
Georgina Pellant -
7th June 2021 
