The Best New Openings in Leeds Right Now - April and May 2026

Leeds has had a busy few weeks for new openings, with everything from matcha bars and Mexican restaurants to frozen yoghurt, beer and bao. If you’re looking for the best new places to eat and drink in Leeds right now, these are the spots to have on your list.

MADE - Lower Briggate

MADE has just opened on Lower Briggate, bringing its matcha and açai bar concept to Leeds after building a following in Sheffield. The menu is centred around hand-whisked matcha, seasonal drinks, iced coffees, smoothies, açaí bowls, sandwiches and grab-and-go options. Expect pastel interiors, queues, and a lot of green drinks moving through the city.

Madre - Wellington Place

Madre officially opened in Leeds in mid-April, bringing its modern Mexican menu to Wellington Place. The restaurant is known for tacos, moles, salsas, Baja-style seafood and grilled meats, with a relaxed lunch feel by day and a more lively restaurant atmosphere by night.

The Smithfield - North Street

The former Reliance site has reopened as The Smithfield, with the North Street venue getting a full refurbishment and a new identity. The menu includes dishes such as braised lamb shoulder with pearl barley and salsa verde, and chocolate terrine with brandy snap.

The City Taproom - Sovereign Street

Kirkstall Brewery and Little Bao Boy have taken over the former North Taproom site on Sovereign Street, relaunching it as The City Taproom. Expect 16 tap lines, Kirkstall classics, guest beers, cask ales, Guinness and a bigger Little Bao Boy kitchen serving bao, loaded fries, noodles and rice bowls.

Kefiyo - Headingley

Leeds’ first frozen yoghurt bar has opened in Headingley, taking over the former Sixes site on Ash Road. Kefiyo is open with queues down the street for their incredible frozen yoghurt flavours, toppings and fresh açaí bowls.

Buckle Up Cowgirl - Electric Press

Buckle Up Cowgirl opened on late-April at Electric Press, bringing Leeds its first rodeo-style social experience bar. The concept centres around a mechanical bull and “gamified socialising”, designed for nights out that feel a bit less standard. The country music fans among us are screaming.

Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana - Harrogate

Rudy’s officially opened in Harrogate this month, bringing everyone's favourite Neapolitan pizzas to the beautiful town. Known for its simple and relatively cheap menu, it’s already drawing people out of the city for a quick dinner or day trip.

Coming Soon...

Kontrast - Saxton Gardens

A sauna, cold plunge and café concept coming to Leeds this spring, blending wellness with social space in a way that’s already popular in Manchester.

Açaí and the Tribe - Vicar Lane

A viral açai café concept set to open this spring as part of the Vicar Lane regeneration, bringing smoothie bowls, juices and wellness-led food into the city centre.

Silver’s Bakehouse - Farsley

From the team behind Silver’s Deli, this new bakery is set to open with cookies, focaccia pizza and proper comfort-led food.

Dishoom - Vicar Lane

One of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Leeds. Dishoom will bring its Bombay café-style dining and signature interiors to the city as part of the wider regeneration plans.

Sticks’n’Sushi - Vicar Lane

Another major name set to land in Leeds, combining sushi and grilled dishes in a more polished, design-led space.

Lane7 - Trinity Leeds

A huge entertainment venue opening later this spring, with bowling, games and a full bar offering, adding another social space to the city centre.

Leeds doesn’t tend to stay still for long, and this run of openings shows exactly where the city is heading - more variety, more concepts, and more places that feel built around how people actually want to spend time.