Bringing a whole new meaning to Sunday lunch, Honest Burgers is serving up a unique roast dinner burger inside Northern Monk Refectory.
Honest Burgers is opening a permanent store in Leeds this summer, but whilst construction and staff training takes place, the nationally renowned burger joint has taken over the kitchens at Northern Monk to give us a taste of what's in store.
A mouth-watering menu exclusive to Leeds is just one of the bonuses about the takeover.
There are no less than two burgers on the menu that you won't find in any of their fifty odd restaurants- and they embody everything it means to be a northerner, including our love for a Sunday roast.
The pop-up will remain at Northern Monk for the next two months. / Image: Honest Burgers
The Sunday Roast Dinner burger is a gravy-laden dream for anyone looking for a weekend foodie fix that can cure a hangover or act as a formal family dinner choice with respective interest.
The burger itself is a standard, but nonetheless delicious, meaty beef patty served pink, then piled high with all your typical roast dinner faves. Think cheesy leeks, horseradish cream, savoy cabbage, bacon gravy and bacon- there's even mini rosemary roasties hidden inside the soft brioche buns.
The Roast Dinner burger comes with gravy aplenty. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Offered originally as a National Burger Day special back in 2016, the secret recipe makes its way onto the menu for very special occasions only, according to the Honest Burgers team. Designed out of a love for cheese and veg on a roast dinner plate with cheddar, stilton and parmesan- this really is a unique combo you're unlikely to find anywhere else in Leeds.
This is a Sunday exclusive, but if you're after a mid-week burger fix, there's still a one-of-a-kind burger that combines all the best part of us northerners into one juicy lunchtime special.
The Northern Monk X Honest Burgers collab deserves prime place on the menu (and we're keeping all our fingers crossed that it becomes a permanent fixture at the Leeds restaurant later this year) with no less than two alcoholic infusions.
The Northern Monk X Honest Burgers collab. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
An Honest beef patty with bacon and Heathen IPA beer with cheese, Faith pale ale pickled onions, rocket and then a delectable combination of thick curry sauce and shoestring fries (like an elite version of chip stick on a sarnie).
Served with rosemary fries, coleslaw or salad, washing this one down with a pint of Northern Monk lager is optional, but highly recommended.
If this is the bar set for the new Leeds menu, we're really excited.
Northern Monk has a selection of fresh lagers and ales to wash your burger down with. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
The new restaurant is set to open on Cloth Hall Street this summer, but if you can't wait until then to get your hands on these drool-worthy burgers, paying a visit to the Northern Monk refectory is well worth the five minute walk
The kitchen will be open from 12pm-9pm every Tuesday – Saturday, with an earlier closing time of 6pm on a Sunday. For more information, including what else you'll find at the Leeds pop-up, visit the Honest Burgers website.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
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 -
13th May 2022 
