Whether you’re a plant-based veteran or just looking for more ways to spend your meatless Mondays, you’re in luck: Leeds offers a banquet of vegetarian and vegan menus. From cosy sit-down meals to junk food takeaways, there are a plethora of choices in the city.
Friday Night Favourites
Oporto, 31 Call Lane, LS1 7BT
Everyone knows Call Lane for the bars, but hiding on the strip is a haven for vegan junk food in the city. The ever-popular bar, Oporto, is home to Knave’s Kitchen, who have mastered the art of seitan. Without a falafel or lentil in sight, the team serves up naughty offerings of loaded ‘cheese’ fries, dirty burgers, jerked jackfruit, buffalo bites, ‘chicken’ goujons and more.
402a Kirkstall Rd, LS4 2QD
Fed up of only being able to eat mushy peas and chips at your local fish & chip shop? JJ’s Vish & Chips has you covered. To simply reduce JJ’s to a plant-based alternative would pay a disservice to its quality. The food here is not just an option for vegans and vegetarians to reminisce over forgotten flavours, but it is a strong rival against the traditional fish & chip shop. Owner Jessica Jones is transforming the landscape of this British delicacy by proving the same classics can be enjoyed plant-based. The shop’s colourful artwork reads a lasting heart-warming thought: “Thanks to you, there’s now plenty more fish in the sea.”
Your New Favourite Lunch Spots
Kirkgate Market, LS2 7HF
Nestled between the butchers and fishmongers, this small yet ambitious eatery is serving up innovative and wholesome plates. Sourcing all their produce from the market itself, partners Esther and James serve delicious handmade meals with their signature flavours, inspired by the changing seasons and the traders around them. The weekly changing menu always offers a tasty vegan special that isn’t to be missed, along with a meat and fish special to keep omnivores happy. Along with breakfast (until 12), all-day cheese toasties, homemade cakes and complimentary coffee on offer, OWT is a small foodie haven to spend your lunch break.
Kirkgate Market, LS2 7HF
Inspired by the arepa stands, tejo bars, and rich flavours of Columbia, sisters Beth and Anna serve up big Columbian cuisine without the meat. You can’t miss their colourful stall in Kirkgate Market, or resist the wafts of coconut, sweet plantain and smokey chipotle that lure you towards their vibrant kitchen. Tuck in to a plate of Kanassa and the bustle of Kirkgate Market transforms into the colourful, warm rush of Columbia.
3 Burley Place, LS4 2AR
Donuts as big as your head? Pink lattes? And all 100% vegan? There’s nothing better than a quick sugary pick me up from this cosy cafe. Whether you like a pumpkin pie doughnut with a “Black Sabbath” coffee, or you’re a fan of a simple classic glaze, Temple is your new go-to place.
3 Sheaf Street, LS10 1HD
Grub and Grog has one of the best names and one of the best menus. A quaint little cafe near the docks, G&G can be found in the middle of Sheaf Street Cafeteria and serves breakfast and lunch all through the week, with a fantastic range of veggie and vegan dinner options on a Friday and Saturday. Everything is fresh, wholesome and healthy, whether you’re a fan of sandwiches, salads or brunch.
Not-so-Naughty Takeaways
82 Brudenell Road, LS6 1EG
In the heart of Hyde Park, newcomer PUNK is packed with food good for the soul. The menu is 100% vegan, but even omnivores will salivate over the spectacular food on offer; choose from a range of pizzas, burgers, wraps, salad bowls and desserts. An added bonus is that the menu is completely handmade, so you can guarantee that everything will be made with its own unique PUNK twist. With their distinctive take on familiar favourites, PUNK is your dependable friend for all plant-based needs.
12 Hyde Park Corner, LS6 1AF
Amongst the takeaway strip of Hyde Park Corner, there is a new kid on the block. Behind this new takeaway are the masterminds Dom, Lucas and Shaz, who are on a mission to make ‘food without compromise’. Showing that vegan food is anything but boring, they are striving to make plant-based options more accessible and familiar to vegans and carnivores alike. Priding themselves on delicious food with an emphasis on sustainability (the restaurant is completely plastic-free and all their packaging is fully recyclable), Friends of Food is certainly a refreshing mark on the Hyde Park takeaway scene and is a name to be remembered.
Words by Kieran Blyth, Alex Wright and Meg Firth