Belgrave Music Hall
Belgrave is a great venue located, funnily enough, on Cross Belgrave Street in the city centre. They will be screening the 1977 drama/romance film ‘Annie Hall’ on the 14th of February so pop on down with your sweetheart for a few drinks, and maybe even a bite to eat. Word on the street has it that the pizza stand at Belgrave will make you a vegan pizza if you ask – you just have to order a minimum of two slices since they’re making a whole new pizza for you. They also have a cool deck outdoors on the roof. .
Grove Café
The décor and ambiance leaves a lot to be desired but Grove Café on Cardigan Road in Hyde Park does some of the best vegan food in Leeds. I would personally recommend the curry dishes but there’s also a choice of a vegan cheeseburger or vegan pizzas. They even the creamier traditional curries are on offer as vegan options, including the korma and the pasanda. Or, if you prefer something hotter, Grove also offers a vegan rogan josh, or a vegan masala. All their naan bread is vegan to; I would recommend the peshwari naan. What’s more, they often have vegan chocolate cake on offer too. The pricing is very reasonable and take away is also available if you’d like a little more privacy with your spicy treat…
Hyde Park Picture House
If you’re around the Hyde Park area, the Hyde Park Picture House is really something special. The cinema was opened over 100 years ago and the exterior and interior of the building are truly amazing. Showing a mixture of new releases and older classics, the Hyde Park Picture House makes for a quirkier alternative to your standard fat cat cinema companies. Little tip though: there’s not much food on offer, particularly if you are vegan, so buy your snacks beforehand. Conveniently, there’s a Sainsbury’s Local directly opposite.
Oxygen Freejumping
For something a little different, why not try out Oxygen Freejumping on Kirkstall Road? There are over 120 trampolines, a giant airbag, an assault course and the world’s first fitness reaction track! Spend an hour bouncing around and getting your hearts racing before returning home for… bouncing around and getting your hearts racing. Book a Valentine’s session quickly though, because this fun idea is in popular demand! http://oxygenfreejumping.co.uk/blog/whats-february-oxygen/
The Great Escape
Test the strength of your relationship with a 45 minute session at The Great Escape. You have to work together to race against the clock by solving a series of puzzles. There are a number of game themes to choose from including ‘King Arthur’s Secret’, ‘The Devil’s Playground’ and ‘Underworld Conspiracy’. This date is a little pricier at £25 per person but it is a truly memorable and unique idea for a date, and is conveniently located on King Street smack bang in the city centre. Move quickly, because spaces are filling up! Let’s just hope it doesn’t all go wrong and it ends up in the great escape from your relationship… https://thegreatescapegame.co.uk/leeds/book-now/
Little Tokyo
Those of us who are into Japanese food will absolutely love dining at Little Tokyo. It is a refreshing change from Wagamama or Yo Sushi with its authentic Japanese style decorations and dishes. They offer four varieties of vegan sushi and many hot vegan dishes. They offer yasai katsu or tofu curry served with Japanese curry sauce and rice, vegetable gyoza dumplings, vegetable spring rolls or even vegan “chicken” skewers and tofu “steaks”. With a reasonably priced menu and lots of vegan choice, Little Tokyo is another city-centre favourite amongst local Leeds vegans. St. Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year and Little Tokyo offers £5 off to anyone spending £25 or more on their lunch time menu.
Wapentake
Wapentake is an artisan bakery, café and bar on Kirkgate in the city centre dedicated to their love of Yorkshire. This is a good choice for a daytime Valentine’s date off the beaten-track, but it would also be perfect for a fun evening together too. They bake fresh vegan bread and offer vegan cakes daily. A cup of coffee and a slice of vegan cake is a low-key alternative for a quiet, romantic Valentine’s Day. They also offer vegan sandwiches, vegan brunch and they always offer 2 vegan options within each list of courses on the seasonal, weekly evening menu. There’s a shelf dedicated entirely to Yorkshire-based gins, and cocktails are also on offer; what could be better than that? Finally, there’s even more good news: Wapentake is dog-friendly!
Images: Authors Own