The Owl has taken flight for a new chapter in Leeds.
One of the city's most celebrated restaurants, The Owl, is shaking things up and going back to its roots.
With a revised approach to service and collection of new menus, a brunch service will now be added, as well as a range of more affordable dining options and children will be welcomed into the restaurant for the very first time.
The Owl opened back in 2019 inside Kirkgate Market, as a hidden gastro pub that captured the hearts and attention on a national level before moving to Mustard Wharf in 2022.
The new restaurant is roughly twice the size of its previous market home, including an outdoor terrace, and has allowed more opportunity for diners to taste the outstanding menu options.
The new concept from The Owl will see still specialise in modern British cuisine, crafted using the finest Yorkshire sourced ingredients, and"care has been taken to bring back the accessibility of its Kirkstall Market incarnation, whilst ensuring the new menu is creative enough to satisfy its most discerning customers- as well as appealing to a wider audience".
The relaxed Michelin guide listed gastropub will hve new opening hours, with a brunch menu served from 11am on weekends.
Expect a classic Full English served to the highest degree with home cured treacle bacon, rare breed pork sausage, herbie mushrooms, scrambled eggs, butter fried, scrambled eggs, homemade brown sauce and crispy potato terrine.
Other highlights include Duck Waffle with crispy confit duck leg from Levin Farm with a malt waffle, maple and chilli sauce and fried duck egg.
Meanwhile, the lunch and dinner menus have ben revised to introduce a range of small and large plates with different price points.
Led by Co-Founder and Chef Mark Owens, the menu will feature everything from Baked Native Oyster with seasonal garnish, and Buttered Sourdough Crumpet with Whitby crab and apple, to unusual options such as the Beef and Oyster Sausage with onion marmalade and turnip puree.
And there's also a roast option served at the end of each week too with an 'elevated' menu including braised blade of beef, Rump of Yorkshire lamb and Roasted Roscoff onions.
Elizabeth Cottam and Mark Owens. / Image: Supplied
Award winning chef and founder Elizabeth Cottam said: “We're reclaiming our Kirkgate Market vibes with a brand-new menu that is both creative to keep our loyal customers entertained and accessible to allow everyone to spend more time with us enjoying our food. Our opening times are changing too to allow people to enjoy our brightly lit Canalside gastrobar for brunch as well as lunch and dinner. Also, due to demand, we’re opening brunches and lunches to small children too, a first for us, which offers families that are either out for an autumnal walk down by the canal, for gorgeous sunday lunch, we're the perfect place to start or finish a big day out."
You can find all new menus now available at The Owl.
Where to find The Owl: Lockside, Mustard approach, Mustard Wharf, Leeds LS1 4EY
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Eats
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
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.”
The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant
Clementine Hall
Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.
Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
Image: Supplied
And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.
The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.
The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.
Image: Supplied
The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.
Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.
“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”
Sophie Smith -
30th November 2023 
