In Headingley, where lovely independent cafes and coffee shops are far from rare, Bare Coffee still…read moremanages to stand out as being somewhere special. The cafe is tiny. There are a few tables and chairs inside but I think the capacity for customers must be about 10. Outside at the front there are a couple more tables and there are a few more in the back garden. Fortunately we were able to find space at a table in the back. The atmosphere indoors is chaotic but fun, three members of staff shout orders and jokes to each other behind the tiny coffee bar, each of them laughing and jostling for space. You get the impression that your order won't be delivered very quickly but that it will be worth the wait, and the chaos is exciting rather than stressful, the laughter is infectious. This contrasts to the garden areas which are far more relaxed. Personally, given the right weather, I could happily spend all day here. It's perhaps more of a courtyard than a garden, but it's lined with plants, including strawberry plants. The strawberries were just starting to ripen during my visit and I couldn't help worndering if they use them in their recipes. I ordered the Spanish picadillo hash. It came with fried potatoes, cherry tomatoes, chorizo, black pudding and a fried egg. My sister's enormous veggie breakfast came with sourdough toast (all the bread comes from the Leeds Bread Co-op and loaves are available to buy from the cafe), mushrooms, eggs, cherry tomatoes and leak and cheese veggie sausages. We also both ordered delicious Soy lattes, the coffee is North Star. Everything was exactly as delicious as it sounds. If you're in the Headingley area and looking for brunch I really doubt you could find anything better.

Wonderful place, proper top notch coffee here, and comfy seating nice rustic but modern decorread more

From the owner: Corner House is an independent coffee shop and bar. Open from 8am until late daily, we serve…read morebrunch, lunch and evening small plates, as well as exceptional coffee, wine, beer and cocktails

Now, I don't often get out to Chapel A, but on the odd occasion I do a visit to this little treat…read morestop is an absolute must. Granted, there are not many tables so it can be hard to grab a seat, but I'd suggest it's worth the wait given what's in store. A few Saturdays ago, treats we're on the agenda. As I'd not been here in ages, we decided to seek out some delectable sustenance here, as that is precisely what I got my friends. I had heard tell these guys do a mean burger, and since I've been banging on about seeking out Leeds' best it seemed only fair to tackle that for lunch. Oh. My. Word. After an enticing wait the food arrived and what lay before me was some kind of demi-god, as far as patties go. A beautifully baked sesame seed bun, with all the fluffy, crispy, freshness you could hope for in a bread cake. The accoutrements included a wonderfully fresh bit of salad, perfectly melted cheddar, and a delightful home made piccalilli. The meat? Seasoned to perfection, juicier than I've known, and cooked like a dream. Slightly pink, like a real burger should be, and a right ruddy messy affair. I was in heaven. Of course, you know all about their award winning cupcakes by now, so I needn't wax lyrical about the white chocolate as raspberry nirvana that I polished off at home, but what you probably didn't know is that I've found a contender for one of Leeds' finest burgers. Try for yourself and let me know how you get on... Moar treats? Check in on Yelp and you get 25% off afternoon tea!

The Sunshine Bakery is a delightful and delicious new addition to Chapel Allerton's row of pretty…read morelittle shops on Harrogate Road. I just love the name - so twee and smile-inducing! As soon as I heard about it I just knew I had to check it out ASAP! I have both the requisite sweet tooth and and a love of all things kitsch and vintage-inspired. Hence I LOVE The Sunshine Bakery! The outside of the shop is painted a sumptuous deep plum colour and the sign features gold, hand-painted lettering with a quaint feel. Inside the walls are covered in oh-so-vintage pink flocked wall paper...but to be honest that's not exactly what your eyes are drawn to with all the tasty treats on display! Anyone with a particular predilection for sweetmeats will be literally drooling all over the shop! The cupcakes cry 'EAT ME' with their generous helpings of many-coloured icing and array of flavours. There are also such delights as champagne truffles, as well as slightly less exciting (though very delicious I'm sure) savoury items including sandwiches and soups as well as tea and coffee. There is a lovely atmosphere at The Sunshine Bakery, with friendly, smiling staff, and the customers seeming very happy to be there and oh so close to their next cupcake fix! I also opted for Eton Mess...it was absolutely delicious! If you live in Chapel Allerton you may find yourself trying desperately to avoid the temptation to visit the Sunshine Bakery daily...luckily for my health I live a reasonably long bike ride away...however, the exercise required to get there will probably just allow me to justify a rampant gorge-fest upon arrival! YUM!

Oh ho ho! An FTR for me! Such a rarity these days, I'll take one where I can find one…read more Anyway, on to the words. If you've been about Leeds, you'll have surely bumped into Opposite cafe, either in the Victoria Quarter, or opposite the Uni. (Get it, get the name?) These guys have been about for a long time, and unless I'm mistaken, were amongst the first to bring a proper cup to Leeds. At least, that's how I think of it. I've enjoyed many a decent cappuccino from these guys in the past, so having heard that they've a new presence in the Chapel of A, a visit was a must. They're nestled quite visibly on Stainbeck lane, right near the cash point, and in the heart of the action. The shop is actually really lovely to be inside, despite being small. As we went in I spotted a chap sat, laptop open, and I'm sure he was even plugged into the juice so it looks like there's plenty of opportunity for a lazy afternoon browsing and drinking the black nectar. Each table has a grid on it, and the one of the end even has black and white squares marked out, ready to chess or draught it up. Not sure if you can get the pieces from behind the bar, but being a bit of a chess fiend as I am, I have to come back to play a game - it'd be rude not to, since they've gone to the effort! The staff were sound, as you'd expect from these guys. Friendly, helpful, and they know their coffee. The flat white was as good as I've ever had, and they even warned me that the espresso they were using at the time was quite sweet so take a sip before adding my own sugar. I did, and for the first time in ages forwent the added sweetness - there was no need. It was marvellous. The chap had a sweet potato salad, which looked delicious. The deli counter has all manner of treats, healthy to boot, so you can do more than caffeinate yourselves here. The added bonus is that none other than David Firth, of Salad Fingers fame, has painted the mural (in chalk, I think) on the back wall. So, of course that looks excellent. Basically, it's fantastic, and I can't wait to return. Amazing stuff.

Definitely my favourite of the Opposite Cafes. It's smaller than the one by the Uni but bigger than…read morethe kiosk in the shopping arcade. Overall it looks really cool inside; they've definitely used their space well which makes the area feel just right as opposed to overcrowded. They're not doing filtered coffee just yet, which just about broke my heart, but they're pumping out good quality Red Brick espresso. I'll definitely be back as soon as I hear they've started doing their v60s and aeropressing!

I've always been a fan, enjoying the odd one off night in the bar downstairs, and a wee bite to…read moreeat. But it wasn't until meeting the lovely Rachel C for an evening bite that I realised their secret weapon. Now, this is something that I don't think I've ever ordered before - not just here - but in general. I just can't recall. I'll go a lasagne, burger, sandwich and so on any day. But... A salad?! Never! Just not the thing that gets my tastebuds excited, however, having had a large lunch I wanted a light dinner and the goats cheese salad seemed appealing somehow. My. Word. Don't underestimate that bad boy, it'll take you buy surprise, and rub it in your face when you can't finish a plate of the lovely lovely goodness. Let me explain: You get a full bowl of leaves. The plate is packed with salad, fresh, crisp and bouncy, and delicately drizzled with a thick balsamic. Then come the plentiful tomatoes, cucumbers, and other such little healthy treats. And the final bit of boom is the goats cheese and pine nuts. Huge thick slices of the creamiest, tastiest cheese you could wish for. It was delectable! So, you know the rest. Dare's an ace spot for coffees, snacks, lunch, dinner, and has an excellent meal deal. (Two for one on early bird - which means you can be paying as little as four quid for dinner.) But the secret to this spot? That goats cheese salad, man. It's game changing.

Dare cafe certainly feels like the classiest cafe to get your lunchtime eats in Heagindley. Bare…read morebrick walls with local artists' works hanging, sleek glass exterior, cool little tables and chairs - it's nicer than any of its competitors, and it knows it. The food, like the interior, is also head and shoulders above the competition. The nachos are a definite highlight, but it is arguably the salads which make Dare a stand-out eatery. A choice of Mediterranean mixtures that all go down a treat (especially when you choose to add extra ingredients) have rightly given Dare the reputation of being the best place to grab lunch in Headingley. One word of warning, however - the place gets very busy at peak times and the tables are rather crammed on top of one another, so if you're after somewhere to seduce, or even have an important conversation, I'd give it a miss.

In my 65 years I have visited many coffee shops in many different countries and Fika stands with…read morethe very best of them. Excellent coffee every time, great service, unbelievable bagels and fine music. It would be foolish to miss it!

One of the best ideas in a long time was to go get breakfast cum lunch...so that would be brunch…read morethen, at Casa Mia. I don't really care that it's in Chapel Allerton, the super cool area of Leeds, but it is, but that's not the primary reason why you should visit Casa Mia, you should visit Casa Mia because it's bloody good at what it does. Sitting rather unassumingly on the street it resides, the moment you approach Casa Mia, you are greeted with a warm hello that if it were a colour would be red or reddy orange. On warmer days, or as it's England, a day it's not raining or snowing will do, it's lovely to sit outside, order the sweet but well deserved American style breakfast or the Italian one if you choose, relax, chat if you must, read a book and just enjoy being taken mentally to somewhere warm and beautiful even though you are just in chilly Leeds. Lunch is equally as pleasing, with paninis, pasta, salads, fish, ciabatta, soups, all lovely in their descriptions and tasty on the tongue. It's a shame to rush through the mains, for the dessert, but they all look so good. Baskets of pastry filled with fruit and glaze and cream, oh and pie, oh and ice cream, and yes I think I'm drooling. The drinks selection is massive, in the morning there's a lovely range of fresh juices to choose from, starting with the traditional orange, apple, pineapple, to the pomegranate and kiwi flavours. Coffee is beautiful, strong and rich and reasonably priced too. Where most people go gooey eyed is over the hot chocolate menu. From the traditional to white chocolate, mint, orange, cherry, cinnamon apple, dark, extra dark, the list seems endless.

I'm so happy I found this breakfast spot. The abundance of windows lets a lot of light in which…read moregives the whole place a light airy feel and helps start your day on the right foot! The menu is modest, but no complaints about the food, I enjoyed a fresh squeezed orange juice with my eggs and toast, exactly what I needed. I finished off with a slice of cake... yes for breakfast, why not!? On the other hand I got a toastie to take back with me and the bread had mold on it... All in all a nice experience and standard food (hopefully in date).

Absolute favourite little cafe! The food is just amazing, as well as the prices and the staff are…read moreso lovely! I will always recommend this place to anyone who asks

Just opened as Munch, the new people seem keen to please, it's very bright and very clean !…read moreI had a jacket potato and a coffee £5.50 ... I reckon that's a bargain, it was very nice too, and service with a smile, always a bonus.

I came across this sweet little place today after finding my proposed lunch venue was closed(…read more It is a surprise to find such a lovely new centre and the place was thriving. The Cafe is based within a refurbished building that was previously somewhat unremarkable. The Cafe is fairly small although is nicely set out and is very green, the Centres ethos is around re use and recycle and Hawker's Green fits in a treat. I was very nicely greeted on my arrival and on serving The menu was pretty decent and had lots of tasty dishes, from daily specials to salads and wraps. Certainly not a greasy spoon eatery, thank the Lord. The prices were pretty reasonable on the whole, the mains were around £5.00 for example. My choice was between the lamb and apricot tangine or the slow cooked sticky beef, both available with rice of hand cut chips. I went for the slow cooked beef and the first one that arrived was extremely fatty and not appealing at all. On speaking with the Manager, she gracefully apologised and said she and Chef were very sorry. I received another soon after and it was indeed lovely quality slow cooked beef. The description was of sticky beef in a barbecue type sauce. The sauce was a real let down and was more of a hint of flavour and could not be described as a sauce. The hand cooked chips were lovely and tasty. Portion size was rather small and again I was disappointed, I am used to Irish portions you see ) Soon after my arrival, there was a sizable party of Parents and Toddler's arrive. They had booked and despite this the Staff appeared to go into shock and it was hard to distinguish any ones role within the Team. It is fair to say that there was chaos at the front of the cafe and the atmosphere was rather tense and uncomfortable. All in all, I was pleased to have found the place and shall surely visit again, hope to find the Team more on the ball and in control next time. I wonder if the place has only just recently opened and the Staff are still settling into allocated roles?

A friend and i popped in to the Heart Cafe the other day to grab some breakfast and as we wandered…read morein we were pretty excited. It's a gorgeous space, airy and packed with promising goodies, Fentimens drinks for example, amongst other loveliness. We sat down and perused thw menu, there were plenty of options, including any kind of eggs you'd like, bacon baps and all day breakfasts. Not feeling i had the space to eat an all day breakfast i opted for poached eggs. When they arrived i was pretty excited. They were small but looked good, that was, until i realised the bread (which was meant to be toast) was both stale and mouldy. Not so good. My friend finished her sausage bap and i rather awkwardly returned the eggs. Of course, the lady who served us was mortified! She quickly took them back to the chef, who offered to replace them, but i didn't really fancy any after that. She gave mea refund, which was good as i hate having to ask, and it was only when i went to catch a bus later that i realised i wa short of a pound in my refund! Doh. So, all in all, i was a little more than miffed. The cafe is a lovely space, and the selection is varied, but a dissapointing visit this time. I'll definitely go back, as everywhere deserves a second chance, but there really isn't any excuse for mouldy bread and toast which had basically been briefly touched by a toaster! Hopefully it'll be better next time.

Oh me oh my. You know I do try. I really do. After two years of stuffing my face I finally took the…read moreplunge and joined Slimming World this February. 5 months and 2 and a half stone later I'm really starting to see the difference.....and then this conversation takes place: Man: I'm going to take you to Patisserie Viennoise in Otley. Moi: Sounds lovely. Pass the fat free chicken salad would you? Man: I used to work there, I made the chocolate boxes out of chocolate. Moi: Fantastico. Is that my Diet Coke? Man: They're boxes of chocolates, made from chocolate and filled with truffles. Moi: *CLANG* *CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG* Luckily for the boyfriend he survived being clubbed over the head repeatedly with a frying pan and off to Otley we went. And there I was introduced to Mr Bun the Baker, sorry, I mean Trevor of Patisserie Viennoise. Creator of MANY WONDERFUL GOOEY CHOCOLATEY CAKEY TYPE THINGS. Things SO gooey and chocolatey and beautiful that you can hardly bring yourself to smash them into your mouth. For about 4 picoseconds. I never thought it would be possible to drop £35 in a patisserie but what the hell do I know? All I can say (seriously because my mouth is still stuck together with cocoa and butterfat) is that when a man buys you £35 worth of cake, florentines and chocolate truffles in a chocolate box made from chocolate it's frankly rude to pass on even the merest molecule of it. Slimming World. I am so so so so sorry.