The owners announced the news on Instagram this morning.
Serving up some of the finest fried chicken in Leeds, Yard & Coop has been a firm Merrion Street favourite since opening their doors three years ago.
The restaurant has noted that they need to take time to "reassess costs", and sadly they aren't the first to closure their doors amidst the soaring cost of living and resources.
The well-respected chicken joint has brought us some of the most imaginative flavours around. From fried chicken afternoon tea to ice cream chicken burgers and a Veganuary collab with Temple of Seitan- and that's without mention of their infamous twelve inch Massive Cock burger.
Last week, Italian pizza al taglio and bottomless brunch favourites Simpatico announced that the rent costs in Leeds city centre, amongst other increase in costs, forced them to close up, and Leeds' first vegan restaurant Meat Is Dead made a similar statement recently too.
For those desperate for a Yard & Coop fix, you'll still be able to grab a bite of their northern-renowned fried chicken goodness until Saturday, but after this, you'll have to journey to Yard and Coop's restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool.
Announcing the news this morning, the owners published the following message on Instagram:
"After 3 years of slinging chicken in Merrion Street it is with a heavy heart that we have decided that Saturday will be the last day to get our fried chicken goodness in Leeds.
"We’ve made so many friends and loyal customers over the years but we just need to pause and reassess all the costs thrown at us.
"Our team mean the world to us and we are so sad to be closing our doors. Please come say goodbye to these lovely people this week. We thank you all for your support and are already working on new concepts so watch this space.
"Manchester and Liverpool will be open as usual. Sending love."
The post has since received hundreds of likes and comments, sharing support with heartfelt replies like "But I haven’t tried everything on the menu yet" and "his is the venue that hosts our monthly Hot Ones challenges - we would like to say how lovely they have been to work with, from Ryan, Shan and everyone, we have created so many magical memories for the Hot Ones contestants...It's hard on the high street right now - let's support our #indiebusiness".
The restaurant only announced its new bottomless menu a few weeks ago. / Image: Yard & Coop
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.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Sophie Smith -
27th July 2022 
