If you're using Valentine's Day as an excuse to celebrate your friendship, then there's plenty to get stuck into: bottomless brunches, themed event nights, and that's before you've sampled the Valentine's Day menus at Leeds' best restaurants.
Here's our favourite spots to hang out with the girls (or guys) this weekend...
There's a Galentine's Day cocktail masterclass that's not to be missed- and it;s happening this Friday night. Round up the girl gang and join The Gift Box Leeds and Harbour and Coupe for an evening of cocktail making and an exclusive shopping experience. Tickets cost £30 but includes a £5 voucher to shop with. To grab yourself a ticket, DM either host on Instagram
Available Friday 11 February from 7pm. Find out more here.
If you're looking for a long-overdue catchup with the girls over cocktails, there is no substitute to a bottomless brunch. Manahatta is hosting a Galentines bottomless experience this weekend where you can enjoy a Valentine's Day themed cocktail in addition to the usual options.
Available Saturday 12 February. Find out more here.
Neighbourhood Bottomless Brunch
Image: Neighbourhood Restaurants
Expect main courses that truly embody ‘a bottomless with the girls’: they’re very Instagrammable and sound as equally delicious. Think pink pancakes with mixed berry compote and other treats all served to the beat of a live DJ with bottomless Prosecco rose, gin, vodka or beer- a dreamy list of drinks that’s certain to have a tipple for everyone. If you needed any more excuses, tickets are just £40 per person and you can add a dessert for just £3.50.
Available on Sunday 13 February. Find out more here.
To make Valentine’s Day weekend a celebration you and your loved one won’t forget anytime soon, Grön Kafe in Oakwood is offering up a two hour session of bottomless booze and Instagrammable brunch options- and it’s beautifully designed. Drinkswise, the bottomless experience includes the likes of mimosas, beers, sparkling wine and Aperol Spritz, so no doubt there will be a beverage for any palate to taste.
Available Saturday 12 February and Sunday 13 February, 3.00 – 4.30pm. Find out more here.
Celebrating all things single this Valentine's Day is Neon Cactus. On their Instagram page, the bar stated "Let’s talk Valentines Day. 1. What a crock of absolute s***. 2. See point 1. Instead, come and celebrate being the queen/prince/bit of both that you are. F*** expensive set menus and pink balloons, our hearts belongs to TACOS & TEQUILA. So gather your girl squad/the lads/your bestie/your dog and let’s GET ON IT."
Available Monday 14 February, 5pm - 4am. Find out more here.
Harvey Nichols are giving you the chance to get the makeover of your dreams this Valentine's Day. You'll be joining Team Tilbury for one night only for their 'Galentines Masterclass' to discover how to create the perfect day to night makeup. Tickets cost £35 each and are fully redeemable against products as well as a glass of fizz and luxury goodie bag.
Available Monday 14 February, 6 - 8pm. Find out more here.
Feature Image- Manhatta
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.”
Sophie Smith -
11th February 2022 
