The Best Cafes in Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (2025)

Food was good, plenty choices. Service was really good a lady called Muly, (hope I've spelt it correctly) she was friendly, kind and helpful, couldn't fault her. The Coffee Room at Leeds Train Station was clean, tidy and warm too on a cold wintery morning. Everything you needed in one place.

Served by nice chap called Mark. Very nice coffee and great sevice. Coffee shop is layed out very smart, and is very clean and tidy. Ill be sure to visit again when travelling through Leeds Station.

Great coffee shop that's hidden away in a relatively newly developed area near the canal in Leeds. The coffee was lovely, and the toastie's filling was nice. Shame the bread seemed to be just bog standard sliced bread. The staff are really helpful.

Lovely coffee shop with friendly staff and a nice selection of snacks and drinks. Also helps that the coffee tastes fantastic! Only 4 star on the food because they used to use thick slices of fresh bread for the toasties but swapped to pre-packed slices. Still tastes great but I do miss the crunchy crusts.

Delicious coffee, great service and Dog friendly. What more could you want?

Great little coffee shop tucked away in a nice area. Good amount of seating, great customer service and nice tasty coffee. Loses a star for price as two slices of cake and two regular coffees was over £15 which is more than your average in Leeds. Would return though and explore my options more.

A full-of-character cafe in central Leeds. Looks tiny from the outside, but there’s more room upstairs. Laptops are not allowed, so best to go there with a friend or a book.

As cool as a frozen artisan Dutch oven. Kapow has a vibe like no other, if you were to exclude comic stores. Its staff are first class baristas. I was lucky enough to bear witness to the craft of latte art while I waited. The attention to detail the barista displayed, even for a perfectionist like me, made me grin like a cat that got the cream. Kapow coffee is situated in an arcade, much like my favourite Brum coffee shop Faculty. It has 3 floors, well 2 if you exclude the barbers on the top floor. It sells quality merchandise. It serves awesome, artisanal coffee. It… needs coffee enthusiasts like you to go check it out. Trust me when I say, it’s more super than Superman’s socks.

The staff knows their coffee well if you love speciality coffee. They will provide professional advice on cupping. I only visited Leeds for two days and already went to the shop twice for beans, pour over and batch! Not to mention it’s uncommon to have barista providing pour over in the UK.

Came here for an almond croissant, but unfortunately they'd run out by the time we got there (~11am Saturday). Instead we got a regular croissant and a pan au chocolate. Both were lovely. We took them to-go. Next time we will arrive earlier and try for the almond croissant again (I'm on a quest to find my favourite almond croissant), and we need to try the coffee, too!

Always 10/10 coffee and bagels. The vegan pastrami is unreal and so are their chai lattes. The only reason I gave 1 less star for service is because they take a while on the bagels but honestly it’s so so worth the wait. We also got hot honey hash browns which were amazing too.

Fika North coffee is a great spot in the Headingley area. The coffees and bagels are delicious and expertly made. The only issue is the limited space inside, which can make it challenging to find a free table, especially on weekends!

I've been dying to come here after multiple rave reviews from friends and I'm so glad I did! The coffee was great, the food was gorgeous, and the atmosphere was so lovely I could have stayed and worked from here all day. Its so much bigger inside than I expected, the staff were friendly, quick, and gave the place a lively happy feeling about it. The vegan pastrami sandwich was amazing and I can't wait to try the other options as I was chuffed to see so many. Overall just a really nice cosy and comfy place to hang out or work

Great coffee here and lovely selection of pastries although I haven't tried the pastries. They look amazing. I have tried flat while and it's a good flat white. They use good beans. Good seating area as well

Barista was super friendly and made sure I left the cafe loving my coffee

Will be my favourite place for breakfast. Everything was delicious, great coffee, amazing breakfast, loved the options on the menu 😍😍Tried avocado with poached egg , fresh ingredients, juicy and delicious 🤤 Can’t wait to try everything on the menu . Thank you guys .

Coffee and breakfast served with love. Flat white - 5* rich and perfect served with milk and a brown sugar. Crunchy thick cut Bloomer bread served with rich butter - 5* perfect for a cold breakfast morning. Oat and Raisin cookie - 5* Proper nice. A must. Recommend 5*

I startled the staff with my seemingly strange order. “Could I have a Freddo Cappuccino”, I asked. Their response, “it’s not on the board, but we can try to make it for you”. How good is that for customer service? The resultant cold coffee based drink was above and beyond my expectations. What the barista at Coffee on the Crescent has created was indeed new. More an iced-whipped-flat-white than a standard Freddo Cappuccino. It looked sophisticated in a small glass and tasted beautiful. Coffee on The Crescent has so much merchandise to browse. It’s almost bordering on a trinket store. It’s a bright sociable place. A great meet up location for groups post park run or cycle ride. It has that “fit as a butcher’s dog” vibe.

A cafe / coffee shop in Leeds with a nice warm vibe and good coffee. The White Chocolate Blondie I had was nice too. Prices are reasonable with a coffee and Blondie costing £6.50

Great selection of coffees and pastries. Everything was tasty and sits across Hyde park which was convenient! We are out of towners and would definitely return for breakfast here again! Staff were great and the whole vibe inside was too!

It's a cute little cafe on the corner. We went during a busy period and managed a seat at the back. Atmosphere is alright, very cosy as it's a small place. The cakes were amazing, one of the best almond croissants I've had. The service was good, brought to the table. However the coffee was like warm and not that great but the coffee art was good. Maybe they were just a bit rushed to get coffees out when we were there.

Had a really nice cappuccino in here whilst I read my book. Staff were lovely and the coffee was decent quality. I only wish that there were cushions on the seats as I was uncomfortable pretty immediately after sitting down. If you could put a basket of seat cushions out I would come more often and stay longer and have a few more coffees :)

Recently reopened, the Union Coffee house is a great place to enjoy Sunday brunch. We had the eggstravaganza ( one with bacon, another with salmon, both delicious and generous in portion size) accompanied by great tasting coffee. The service was friendly and efficient. We look forward to another visit next time we're in Leeds.

The refurb is lovely, I can tell they are still adding some final touches but it’s so much better than before, a lot more airy. Coffee is still amazing and the food is lovely too. I’ve had the avocado and salmon sandwich and salmon eggsatravaganza. Would be good to have a few sandwiches pre made for on the go / meal deals or a quick lunch like they previously did. Really really good value for money and extremely fresh ingredients and lovely staff. I’m happy it’s re-opened, I’ve been quiet a few times now and it’s been really consistent too.

Lovely cafe with delicious food. Here’s a photo of their brunch item “Eggstravaganza”. The staff were also kind and made sure every customer was happy. Well, this Turkish customer is happy!

The roasted squash special and kimchi kroque were unreal. Looked so good I had the first bite before taking the photo... 😅

First time today with my daughter. I must say the food truly exceeded my expectation. It was very busy at the time and we were told to wait outside with the outdoor heating on. We were given a table inside fairly quickly. Not many cafes would do Turkish eggs and I’ve tried this at 3 different cafes and by far House of Koko is by far the best. The bread came with it was thick and fluffy. We’ll definitely be back again!

Popped in for coffee, while I waited for my wife to have her eye operation, but ended up having a very nice breakfast indeed - it's not very often I'm in this neck of the woods living out York way, but with the wife going in for eye surgery at a local hospital and a wait of a couple of hours, no point in travel back home to turn round an come straight back. Thats why the coffee hunt, so glad I did - good strong coffee with a very nice eggs royale, on an english muffin. Spot on and service was excellent

We visited on the day they were releasing their new menu and the food was absolutely unreal. So beautiful and so tasty. They have nailed it! I had the smashed peas. Everyone working was so lovely and one of the chefs even came out to deliver a sauce and explained what was in it and a bit about the food. Can tell they were excited about the new menu and for good reason. Can’t recommend it enough.

I highly recommend to go and try. Food is excellent, tastes good, fresh and very good presentation. Stuff is very friendly and helpful, will make you feel welcomed to ask and give you time to pick your choices. Tiramisu is very delicious and doesn’t contain alcohol which I would like to thank the owner for that. Pistachio cheesecake was not good at all. Doesn’t taste cheesecake or pistachio 😅 And I think they used food coloring. Advice for owner, and I consider myself as an expert in cheesecakes 😅 Just do a normal cheesecake slice and add pistachio sauce which you can buy from costco and do it yourself. Keep it as simple as possible, no need for all these layers or different tastes. Its Pistachio cheesecake. Present it on its side and drizzle the sauce on it. That’s it, it can’t go wrong from there, easy to produce, easy to maintain taste and quality, more profitable and the top layer won’t crack 😉 As you wont need a brilliant chef for that as well. Overall experience, 5/5 I loved it and will come next time for the coffee. Btw you have a great competition with black sheep 😅 so hope you keep it up to the same standards as I expect. Thank you and I am sure your business will thrive well. 😍

Such a lovely spot for a post pilates treat! The coffee is amazing! I went for a honey latte with oat milk & a heated almond croissant + picked up some pastries including the tiramisu brownie they were all so nice. Would highly recommend if you like good coffee with a selection of savoury & sweet food options!

This was my first time here after often grabbing a coffee to go in the morning at their Park House location. The iced Spanish Latte was delicious but what I loved the most was the general atmosphere. I visited before work on a Thursday and it was busy with people sitting both inside and outside, some chatting to others, some sitting solo. It felt like an atmosphere you don’t often find in the UK and is more commonly seen in mainland Europe and I loved it! Definitely want to come back and sit in, and I also would love to try some of the food as it looked lovely.

Bottega is a lovely Italian coffee shop with excellent coffee. Their focaccia sandwiches are a standout—packed with flavor and a great complement to their drinks. Be sure to try the tiramisu and pistachio cheesecake; they’re delightful!

Mrs Artha’s Café in Leeds is an absolute gem! From the moment you step inside, the beautiful industrial décor catches your eye a perfect blend of modern chic and rustic charm. The exposed brickwork, hanging lights, and tasteful furnishings create a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes you want to linger. The staff were nothing short of amazing incredibly welcoming, friendly, accommodating. Whether you’re popping in for a quick coffee or settling in for a meal, they make you feel right at home. The service was prompt without feeling rushed, and every interaction felt genuinely thoughtful. The food and drinks were a delight too beautifully presented and bursting with flavour. You can tell a lot of care goes into the menu. If you’re in Leeds, Mrs Artha’s Café is an absolute must-visit. A stunning spot with top-notch service to match highly recommend!

My favourite spot for coffee and breakfast. Always of a high quality. I think it has the nicest decor compared to any other cafe in city center. Its lowly lit and relaxing. It's priced quite cheap for what it is. No frills, but friendly service which is perfect for me. This isnt America!

Superb as always. Mrs Atha’s never dissapoints. The Food and coffee are always exemplary. Awesome interior and wonderful attention to detail in everything they do right down to the teaspoons❤️

My go-to independent cafe in Leeds. We got the sweet and savoury pancakes which were both delish. Highly recommend this place, the manager/owner is always lovely and a laugh.