Top things to do in Leeds

If you’re coming to Leeds for the first time, we know getting to know a new city can be daunting. However, Leeds has so much to offer that it might be more daunting deciding where to go first! We narrowed down our selection of our favourite things to do in Leeds – from cafes and bars to days out that will blow away those booze-induced cobwebs. With such a selection, there should be something for everyone on this list!

ls6

Cafes

First up are some of the best café spots in and around Leeds. These are great places to grab some time out, have a catch-up with friends or take your laptop and do some studying in a relaxed environment (with tasty treats!).

Moments

Located down from Call Lane, Moments is a great independent café serving delicious breakfasts, coffee and cake. From their jam-packed full English breakfast, homemade fruity teas and drool-worthy cakes this is definitely worth a visit!

Hepworth’s Deli

Based in the quirky Thorntons Arcade, Hepworth’s is well known for high quality, artisan food. Their all day brunch menu offers delicious eggs benedict, French toast, pancakes and waffles…*drools*. If that isn’t enough to peak your interest, they also serve a range of sandwiches, platters and meat boards, afternoon tea and have a great real ale selection.

LS6 The Clock Café

One of the tastiest spots in Headingley, LS6 is a great place to meet for a coffee and a catch up. Their menu has a great vegetarian selection, along with breakfast burrito and French toast – yum! They also serve a limited dinner menu from 5pm – 9pm.

Opposite Café

Popular with students thanks to its great location opposite the University of Leeds Parkinson steps, (hence the name!), Opposite Café has a great range of sandwiches, cakes and coffee so is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat between lectures. They also have cafes in Chapel Allerton and Victoria Arcade.

Leeds - Roundhay Park

Days Out

If you’re looking for somewhere to go after you’ve had your brunch, why not try one of these places for a fun day out with your mates?

Roundhay Park

Fun fact for you all: Roundhay Park is one of the biggest city parks in Europe! The beautiful park setting is a perfect place to spend the day wandering, particularly around the large lake in the middle of the park. You could also fit in a trip across the road to Tropical World, seeing the butterfly house and aquariums.

Kirkstall Abbey

Just on the outskirts of Leeds, this abbey ruins is a real show-stopper. There’s a large park area to relax in and on the last weekend of each month a farmers market takes place with a great range of stalls from local independent businesses.

Royal Armouries

This Leeds museum is based at Leeds Dock (which provides a lovely view on the walk in!). It’s free to get in and has arms and armour from across the world as well as exhibitions. A great (and cheap) day out doing something a little bit different.

Leeds - Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen

Bars

After a busy day out you might want to head out into town and grab a few drinks. There’s the usual student places dotted around the city, but there’s also some great independent bars that are well worth trying. Here are our favourite picks:

The Maven

Maven is hidden away just past the Corn Exchange and is well worth finding. Their cocktails are delicious and the gin tea pots and quirky décor is certainly a talking point.

The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes

The Brotherhood is a sports bar in the popular north Leeds area, near to The Pit and Belgrave (which we’ll come on to next). This is a great place for a more relaxed, casual evening, with a large pool table area and plenty of TV screens to keep up to date with any sporting action.

The Pit

As mentioned above, The Pit is a great spot not only for drinks, but food too. They have a delicious range of tapas, BBQ food and burgers available, as well as a great cocktail menu.

Belgrave

Belgrave Music Hall has something for everyone. Dough Boys pizza or Patty Smith’s burgers will help soak up the generous range of drinks on offer. There’s a big roof terrace for those occasional sunny days and they regularly host live music, comedy, film and art exhibitions.


So there you have it, our list of some of the best places to head in Leeds. We could have included so much more, but this is a selection of our favourites. If you’re new to the city hopefully this will give you a few ideas of where to go!

Where’s your favourite place or thing to do in Leeds? We’d love to find out!