The Best Brunch in Leeds
Turkish eggs by the station, bagels in Headingley and a food hall that solves the group brunch problem.
By Only Leeds Editorial
The best brunch in Leeds is at Laynes on New Station Street for Turkish eggs, WOLFØX on Britannia Street for Benedicts, and Fika North in Headingley for bagels, with White Cloth Hall on Crown Street the weekend move if there are six of you and nobody can agree. That is the shortlist. Below is the long version, city centre first, then the suburbs, because some of the best plates in Leeds are a bus ride from Briggate.
Laynes, New Station Street
Laynes, at 16 New Station Street (LS1 5DL), opened in 2011 and is still the brunch everyone recommends near the station. It is barista-owned, the coffee is Square Mile's Red Brick, and the plates are serious: Turkish eggs, a croque madame, and a chocolate chip bread and butter pudding if you are making a day of it. There is a vegan breakfast and a sweet potato and chickpea hash for the non-egg crowd.
WOLFØX, Britannia Street
WOLFØX, at 2 to 4 Britannia Street (LS1 2DZ), near the station, does Benedicts three ways, salmon, bacon or wild mushroom, plus brioche French toast and an almond croissant. It is the place to take someone you want to impress without looking like you are trying.
White Cloth Hall, Crown Street
White Cloth Hall, at 27 Crown Street (LS2 7DA), is a food hall from the team behind Whitelock's, and at weekends it does brunch from 10am to 1pm. Everyone gets what they want: Kaya French toast from Kuala Lumpur Cafe, stacked sandwiches from Morty's, hash and egg from Salma's, or the classics from Lupton's Chop House. Mimosas are £5.
More in the city centre
- Olive & Rye, 18 to 20 Queens Arcade. Brunch all day. Eggs Benedict, a hot smoked salmon muffin or berry pancakes.
- Manahatta, Minerva House, East Parade. New York-style, until 4pm. Strawberry and Nutella waffles or the NY Club bagel.
- Moose Coffee, Bond Court. All-day breakfasts. Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup or the Manolito huevos rancheros.
- Green Room, 36 Wellington Street. Brunch tacos, loaded hash browns and Korean fried chicken pancakes, for people who think breakfast is too polite.
- If Bar, 42 Call Lane and 18 York Place. Yorkshire full English, Turkish eggs and stacked pancakes, all day.
- Nesso, 42 Merrion Street. Brunch served all day, with a pork meatball hash, panettone French toast and its own Nesso Benedict. There is a second branch on Queen Street in Morley.
- Banyan, The Old Post Office, City Square. A full English, Belgian waffles, or poached eggs with halloumi or smoked salmon, in the old post office building.
- Browns, The Light, The Headrow. Lobster Benedict if it is that kind of morning. Brunch runs from 9am at weekends.
- North Star, Leeds Dock. The roastery's own cafe on The Boulevard. Yorkshire rhubarb pancakes and breakfast butties with some of the best coffee in the city.
Fika North, Otley Road, Headingley
Fika North, at 94 Otley Road (LS6 4BA), does bagels better than anyone in Leeds has a right to. Order the rose harissa chickpea bagel or the pastrami and Emmental, and grab whatever pastry is on rotation. The coffee is Casa Espresso with guests from Hard Lines. Next door at 90 to 92, Loaf does Tarka eggs and an aubergine parmigiana sandwich if Fika is rammed.
House of Koko, Chapel Allerton and Oakwood
House of Koko has two sites, 62 Harrogate Road in Chapel Allerton and 464 Roundhay Road in Oakwood. The Hot Honey Hash toastie is the reason to go, and the Bacon and Biscoff pancakes are the reason to go back.
Vegan and veggie brunch
Hyde Park Book Club, at 27 to 29 Headingley Lane, is completely vegetarian and does a big book club breakfast and oyster mushrooms on toast. The Greenhouse on Town Street in Horsforth is a plant-based cafe doing pancakes with granola and berries, vegan bowls and tofu scramble. Wapentake on Kirkgate does a Viking Breakfast and a vegan sausage sarnie.
Out of town
The Mill Kitchen & Bakery at Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley is worth the trip for banoffee pancakes, a Mexican breakfast and a Bloody Mary, with a wander round the old mill buildings afterwards.
How to brunch in Leeds
Weekends are busy everywhere, and the small places like Laynes and Fika do not have many tables. Go before 10am, or go on a weekday. If you have a group, White Cloth Hall is the only stress-free option. All of these appear in the Leeds-List brunch guide, and the Leeds-List coffee guide has more on where the beans come from. Hours change, so check before you set off.
