Picture the scene. It's early 2021 and we're just about to reopen hospitality for the first time this year.
At that point, we never imagined so many wonderful foodie cafes, bars and restaurants would emerge from a world gone quiet- but to our pleasant surprise, 2021 has been a year of opening after opening.
This is especially true for pizza places: here are our top picks of new places to grab a slice this year.
Known for its 48-hour double-fermented sourdough pizzas, with toppings that include the likes of full English breakfast and cheeseburgers. They also offer some solid veggie and vegan options, for those who don’t eat meat at the new pizza place on Bond Street.
New to the White Rose Shopping Centre this year, Mozza is a true Neapolitan Italian Pizzeria specialising in all things mozzarella. Mozza Leeds is the first English first venue for the Scottish chain and it’s already very popular. This new Leeds spot has brought an unusual Italian delicacy, serving Panozza pizza sandwiches. Using Neapolitan Sourdough and traditional Italian fillings, these are really putting Mozza on the map.
Yes, a calzone in a burger is now officially on the menu in Leeds thanks to Burgamore, which opened in Trinity Shopping Centre back in August. Classic Italian street food favourites include their ‘pavarotti’; a mini nduja calzone served with homemade tomato and oregano sauce, the ‘caponata’; a classic, tangy and sweet Sicilian dish of aubergine, carrots, celery, white onion, tomatoes, olives, raisins, pinenuts and red wine vinegar.
& Company already has a well established site in Liverpool, this new opening will be its first in Leeds. The ‘from noon’ features some lovely-looking sourdough pizzas, topped with the likes of sausage and fennel, nduja and pimento peppers, or squash and vegan mozzarella. Other tempting plates include beef burgers, teriyaki tofu, chicken Milanese and sea bream with dill, fennel, lemon and tomato.
To end the year, Luigis pizza have taken over the food truck at Trinity Leeds with an incredible menu of traditional Italian dishes with a twist. To put Luigi’s deep fried calzone to the test, make sure to get over to Trinity Kitchen before the end of January 2022, or find their speciality menu at the likes of Northern Refectory, Chow Down and other bestselling foodie hotspots around the city.
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 -
27th December 2021 
