A comprehensive guide to the best independent coffee shops in Leeds

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Leeds is a big city, and coffee is something I (like many people) do not want to get wrong. It is easy to neglect independent coffee shops out of uncertainty and mistrust because they are unfamiliar. However, this article will hopefully persuade you to explore the vibrant independent coffee scene of Leeds, as it is something, I promise, will not leave you disappointed. These are just a few of my favourite spots which saw my through my first semester

Laynes Espresso

Like a glowing amber sanctuary which is situated just seconds from the station, you can almost grab a flat white here before catching a connecting train. This prime position means that it is the first independent coffee shop to greet everybody who travels to Leeds. Everyone, from the early morning commuters to Bruno Mars as he passes on his way to the First Direct Arena will come into contact with Laynes. So its a good job that it is one of the best. It is also the first independent coffee shop which I grew to love. Since then, Laynes has expanded and recently unveiled a bigger and brighter space, including an extra table at the window. Great news for all the Instagrammer’s of Leeds who crave natural light as well as their loose-leaf tea and granola. Expect a photogenic macchiato from Laynes on the 5th May on Bruno Mars’ Instagram. You heard it here first.

Located at 16 New Station St, Leeds LS1 5DL

La Bottega Milanese

With two locations in Leeds, you are never too far away from La Bottega Milanese, and this is the main reason I ventured into ‘The Light’ store on The Headrow. The outstanding coffee will instantly transport you 996 miles to Milan, and the custard tarts will bring you to 1546 miles south to Lisbon (where they are known as Pasteis de Nata) .

Another reason to love La Bottega Milanese is the staff who made me feel acknowledged and always welcome. They also seemed knowledgeable in the unique variety of ingredients and patisserie and took pride in their coffee. I asked Emily Tamara Jaggar, a team member at La Bottega Milanese, what her favourite thing is about working there. She replied by saying…

‘I think the best thing about working for La Bottega Milanese, apart from the amazing coffee, is the way we are all a family and we look out for each other. Everyone is from all over Europe and even though we come from different cultures, we all look after each other like family’.

So, if you are looking for a taste trip across Europe before your Monday morning lecture, La Bottega Milanese is the place to be.

Locates at 2 Bond Court LS1 2JZ, The Headrow LS1 8TL

Stories

Granted, Stories is slightly out of Leeds city centre but as you literally would travel North to Scandinavia, you travel North to Stories. This place served up one of the best coffees and peanut butter brownie I had ever tasted.

Just as La Bottega served up the taste of central Europe, Stories is the beauty of Scandinavia, squeezed into one independent store. You are never left wondering where each ingredient has come from, from the Columbian coffee beans to fruit from Leeds market in their fresh fruit juices. When asked where a bowl was from, I overheard the owner Emily remark that she could not remember as she bought so many things from so many places. To me, sums up the individuality of the café, so many rare, wonderful things, all in one place.

Located at 454 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS8 2HU

Hepworth Deli & Kitchen

If the words ‘All Day Brunch’ and ‘Afternoon Tea with Prosecco’ are not enough to sway you away from your favourite high street chain for the day, then I don’t know what is! With this and more, including pancakes that taste strangely like doughnuts from the seaside (which is a good thing) in the impressive setting of Thorntons Arcade, Hepworth’s is the epitome of the Leeds independent coffee scene. Additionally, if you take just one thing from the article, let it be this… If you ask for no banana on your pancakes, they give you an extra pancake instead. Winning.

     

Located at 21, Thorntons Arcade, Lands Ln, Leeds LS1 6LQ

Opposite Café

Opposite Café is hard to miss as a student in Leeds, as it is positioned in the very heart of the university area. You may therefore find it comforting after a three-hour seminar that you are only moments away from an independent coffee shop, filled with picture perfect flat whites, cactuses and hand-drawn sketches. I do not have a tendency to ease drop in conversations, but it was somewhat comforting to hear the person next to me panicking about a deadline for a final draft. Opposite café is the one to go to the day before your 3000-word essay is due in. It fills you with both caffeine and the valuable revolution that you are not alone.

  

Located at 26 Blenheim Terrace, Leeds LS2 9HD

Moments

Moments café is the one I would particularly recommend for the days when you would order some lunch with your coffee at your favourite chain, as the menu borderlines a restaurant. Perhaps one of the true qualities of this spot however, is the view through the large windows. I enjoyed my iced latte in a setting which almost resembled Wall Street. Moments is in the business heart of Leeds, which is evident from the high-rise offices and exquisite hotels which neighbour the café. The interior is also filled with green plants, therefore when paired with the impressive street backdrop, Moments really is the North’s concrete jungle.

 

Located at 8 Swinegate, Leeds LS1 4AG

Mrs Atha’s 

Possibly the most prominent memory I took from Mrs Atha’s, was the large cameo portrait of a woman (possibly Mrs Atha) on the wall. She overlooks every sip of coffee in her café, rather like the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg as he overlooks the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby. Fortunately, Mrs Atha’s does not resemble the Valley of Ashes in any other way, as it is filled with homemade cakes, coffee art and freesias on each table. While we are on the subject of symbolism and signs, I did overhear a conversation on the table next to me (I promise I don’t ease drop as often as you would think from reading this article). They were discussing how they were impressed with Mrs Atha’s and they ‘would try out more independent coffee shops in Leeds’, they ‘just don’t know where to start’ and they need to be ‘more publicised’. So, to the two businessmen in the corner on the Mrs Atha’s, this goes out to you.

 

Located at Central Rd, Leeds LS1 6DE

Café 164

Café 164 does not only pride itself on being an independent coffee shop, but its also an independent gallery – meaning you enjoy your coffee and cake, surrounded by paintings, illustrations and sculptures. Café 164 is rather like Leeds’ answer to Paris, as it has a miniature Louvre museum filled with croissants. Café 164 est sans aucun doute une visite.

Located at Munro House, Duke St, Leeds LS9 8AG

Pump n Grind 

 

Hyde Park’s newest coffee establishment, Pump n Grind is also coffee shop with a social conscience. The coffee is ethically sourced and roasted in store using a large, clunky-looking roasting machine. Their coffees are sold at reasonable prices because, as the store supervisor Chris tells me, they “want to keep prices fair for inclusivity.” He also tells me that 20 per cent of their profits go to St George’s Crypt, a Leeds charity tackling homelessness and addiction and all their coffee excess is given to The Real Junk Food Project, who serve it as their “pay what you feel” cafes.

Located at52 Brudenell Rd, Leeds LS6 1BD

I truly hope this selection of the eight best independent coffee shops in Leeds, has persuaded you to venture away from your trusted coffee chain to something new, even if it is just once. Experiment with this colourful coffee scene and even benefit the local economy and businesses in the process.