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See | Stay | Eat | Drink | Buy | Unwind
See
Enjoying a mainly pedestrianised city centre, one of the best things to do in Leeds is simply wander the streets, taking in the grand Victorian facades, the vibrant network of covered arcades and cobbled alleyways down by the river.
If the weather puts a halt to aimless strolling, there are plenty of indoor attractions in which to while away a good few hours. The Royal Armouries brings 3,000 years of warfare to life, with demonstrations of everything from sword-fighting to jousting, alongside a sprawling collection of ancient weaponry from the Tower of London.
Celebrating the Leeds College of Art's most famous graduate, the Henry Moore Institute is one of the city's cultural highlights, presenting an eclectic programme of changing exhibitions in a series of airy white gallery spaces – and with a brilliant secluded library to boot.
The Institute is housed in a modern extension to Leeds City Art Gallery, which itself boasts a fine collection of work by 19th- and 20th-century British painters – including Turner, Constable, Spencer and Lewis – alongside sculpture by Barbara Hepworth and Moore himself, as well as more recent additions from Antony Gormley to Tony Cragg. Don't miss the cafe in a magnificent Victorian tiled hall.
• Henry Moore Institute (74 The Headrow, 0113-246 7467, henry-moore.org/hmi) and Leeds Art Gallery (The Headrow, 0113-247 8256, leeds.gov.uk/artgallery)
Stay
Many of Leeds' best hotels have taken up residence in some of the city's finest old buildings – from the renovated corn mill of 42 The Calls (in which riverside rooms come complete with a fishing rod) to the luxury serviced apartments of Residence 6 in the Old Post Office building. But perhaps the finest – and most characteristically Leeds – is Quebecs Hotel, housed in the exuberant terracotta palace of the old Leeds and County Liberal Club.
Located just off City Square, near the station, the building's grand facade is richly encrusted with mouldings of lions' heads, plants and wreaths – and a balcony from which Liberal bigwigs declaimed to assembled crowds below. The interior is no less sumptuous: you proceed through wrought-iron gates, flanked by Corinthian columns, to a grand oak staircase that sweeps up to a gallery level lit by five tall stained glass windows, emblazoned with the coats of arms of Yorkshire towns.
The hotel has 45 en-suite rooms including the Chorley & Connon suite, which features two levels joined by a spiral staircase, and the Robinson suite, which has a bedroom in the top of the turret, open to the eaves and dotted with oval windows. The perfect place to spy out across the city.
• Quebecs Hotel, 9 Quebec Street, 0113-244 8989, quebecshotel.co.uk, doubles from £72, room-only
Eat
Filling the lower level of Leeds' majestic Corn Exchange, laid out like some great amphitheatre of gastronomy, Piazza by Anthony is the creation of Anthony Flinn, Yorkshire's answer to Heston Blumenthal. Having worked with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, Flinn was the first to introduce Leeds to such ethereal delights as "oyster emulsion" and "parmesan air" when he opened Anthony's on Boar Lane in 2004. For those who prefer their carrot mojito accompanied with vanilla foam, it is still the best place in town (two courses £36, eight-course tasting menu £65).
The less swanky sister restaurant, Piazza offers more straightforward fare, from roast cod loin (£16.50) to braised ox cheek (£14.95) and cumberland sausage and mash (£10.50) – served beneath the soaring glazed dome of the vast Victorian rotunda. For the more adventurous, every Monday night is Guinea Pig Night, a chance to be amazed and amused with a mystery three-course meal for £24.95.
The restaurant is ringed by a sequence of other outlets of Anthony's empire, including a patisserie, chocolatier, wine shop, cheese shop and charcuterie – as well as a bakery which runs a variety of bread-making courses (£95, 10am–4pm, including breakfast and light lunch). These outlets have recently been joined by Rib Shakk, offering burgers, pulled pork, and the meaty "handle bar" beef rib – arrive hungry, as it weighs around a kilo.
• Piazza, The Corn Exchange, Call Lane, 0113-247 0995, anthonysrestaurant.co.uk/piazza
Drink
Leeds was the home of the Tetley's brewery for almost 200 years (it was demolished in 2012) and has a long tradition of beer drinking. It is a tradition its students like to keep up, with Leeds Met topping the University Drinking League last year – its students allegedly drinking 26.7 units per week during term time and the union claiming to sell more beer than the Munich beer festival.
Their enthusiasm might have something to do with the number of fine watering holes they have to choose from. From the ornate Edwardian interiors of Whitelocks – the city's oldest pub, described by John Betjeman as "the very heart of Leeds" – to the trendy gay bars of Lower Briggate, Leeds has something for every taste.
Despite the increasing number of cocktail bars and clubs, beer is still what the city does best, and what better to drink than the city's own ale, from the Leeds Brewery. Established in 2007, it produces four beers – Leeds Pale, Yorkshire Gold, Leeds Best and Midnight Bell – the latter giving its name to the brewery's flagship pub.
Located in the heart of the historic Round Foundry development in Holbeck Urban Village, south of the River Aire, the Midnight Bell is a hidden gem, enjoying a secluded courtyard beer garden, surrounded by the historic brick engineering works. For those in more of a hurry, the brewery has also opened a bar next to the train station, the Brewery Tap , where its Leodis Lager is produced in a gleaming brewhouse upstairs.
• Midnight Bell (101 Water Lane, 0113-244 5044, midnightbell.co.uk) and the Brewery Tap (18 New Station Street, 0113-2434 414, brewerytapleeds.co.uk)
Buy
Leeds isn't known as the "Knightsbridge of the North" for nothing. The arcaded streets of the glitzy Victoria Quarter, housed beneath spectacular stained-glass ceilings with mosaic and marble floors, are home to such brands as Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith, Mulberry – and of course the sparkling mothership of Harvey Nichols.
But for a more unique Leeds experience, leave the superbrands behind and head over the road to Kirkgate Market, the heart of the city's retail heritage, whose glass domes and grand cast iron frame date back to 1857. The market is still home to 800 stalls, including a Polish delicatessen and a Chinese supermarket, along with an Asian bazaar every Wednesday morning. Stroll down "fish row" to pick up Yorkshire's finest potted shrimps and fresh Whitby crab, or stop for pie and peas or oysters at one of the many sit-down cafes. Don't miss the various test trading initiatives, including The Source, which provides a platform for small independent food retailers – serving everything from African samosas to Gujarati cuisine and Yorkshire chorizo.
Kirkgate Market is also where the Leeds cognoscenti come to shop for specific needs at stalwart family-run stalls – such as hosiery specialist Dorothy Goodall (whose sign rightfully proclaims "famous for legwear"), purveyor of the finest tights, knee socks, leggings and long-johns since 1963.
• leedsmarkets.co.uk/m/kirkgate-market
Unwind
After a long day traipsing the streets, there's better way to unwind than by going for a dip in Bramley Baths – one of the north's last remaining Edwardian public bath houses, recently taken over by the community to be run as a not-for-profit social enterprise from 2013. Swim in the airy top-lit pool, surrounded by colourful changing cubicles and ringed by a delicate iron-work balcony, or go for a steam in the Russian sauna.
If you still have energy to burn, Leeds is rightfully known for its wealth of clubs – from the cosy HiFi Club, a home of soul, funk and jazz, to the cavernous brick vaults of Mission, pumping out house music beneath six railway arches.
But for a more unusual, independent experience, head over to Wharf Chambers, a co-operative members' club (membership £1) which occupies the ground floor of an old pork pie factory. Atmospheric and friendly, it operates as a showcase for the city's experimental and punk music scene, as well as hosting film screenings and political gatherings. The industrial white-tiled room is furnished with solid wooden tables and comfy sofas – and a table football table – while the bar serves cheap and interesting drinks, along with samosas and banana chips. It's also a great place to find out what other interesting things are happening in the city.
• Wharf Chambers, 23-25 Wharf Street, wharfchambers.org
