21 Co. opened five years ago, in 2018, as a pop-up cafe in Far Headingley. And then a year later, moved as a cafe and gallery to Headingley Central. Like most cafes, they had to close for the pandemic – but they re-opened in August 2021. And currently they have a rolling tenancy in the Centre, but they’re hoping for something more permanent. But why 21 Co? Well, most of us are born with 46 chromosomes. But some babies are born with an extra copy of chromosome 21 - which changes how the baby’s body and brain develop, and this is known as Down syndrome. Hence the name of the cafe, as it is run ..read more

‘Fika’ is a Swedish word meaning “a break from activity during which people drink coffee, eat cakes or other light snacks, and relax with others” (according to the dictionary). But why is there a cafe in Far Headingley with a Swedish name? Well, Gemma Williams’ best friend married a Swedish man and then moved to Stockholm – so when Gemma and Elis set up the cafe on Otley Road, this was a way of keeping in touch with her! She and Elis opened Fika North five years ago, in April 2019 – and then just a year later, they had to close for Covid. But they re-opened as a take-away, and were so succes ..read more

West Park Lounge is one of the fruits of a productive liaison between Turkey and England. Oguz Odabas who runs the Lounge was born and bred in Bodrum, “world renowned as a paradise for tourists” (according to its website). He met and married one of those tourists, Alice, and thereby came to England. Oguz has worked in many restaurants around this country, most recently the Lotus Grill in Morley. He took over West Park Lounge some five years ago. As an enterprising businessman, he saw West Park as a very positive area, where the cafe had many long-standing patrons. The Lounge is now very muc ..read more

Following the success of their pilot pop up Café 21 in Far Headingley in March 2018, the Leeds-based Down Syndrome charity, Sunshine & Smiles, has now opened a new gallery & coffee shop, 21 Co, in Headingley Central/Arndale Centre. “We aim to help young adults with Down syndrome get vital work experience and we have had amazing support from the local community,” says Ailith Harley-Roberts, Service Manager at Sunshine and Smiles. “We have worked with members of Headingley Development Trust and Schroders to take on a tenancy in a newly-refurbished retail unit in the heart of Headingley ..read more

JMA Photography Here at Coffee on the Crescent, we’ve not just been making coffee during lockdown.  Here’s what we’ve been up to behind the scenes to improve the environment around us. We love The Crescent – but behind the shop, bins have been overflowing.  What’s meant to be a public footpath has been blocked by rubbish.  And the problems are compounded by weekly flytipping. Every week, we’ve taken all the cardboard out of the communal bins, and put it in our recycling bins. And we started clearing the footpath of debris.  We asked the Council, and they helped.  N ..read more

News that the The Cat’s Pyjamas in Headingley has reopened has been met with delight by its very many fans across the U.K.  The popular Indian street food and craft beer restaurant on Headingley’s Otley Road is owned by two childhood friends, its chef Daljit Singh and his business partner Aftab Ali.  It was the reputation of Daljit’s food that first made the Cat’s Pyjamas brand synonymous with quality and won the restaurant national awards and plaudits from food/restaurant critics. As Daljit explains, “My passion is to connect the British people with Indian culture through various tasty dishe ..read more

“Hi there, we are Bart and Hirman and we run the new Kuala Lumpur Cafe in Headingley. We offer authentic Malaysian food in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. The Cafe is a small bistro, quite hidden, and can be found in Bennett Road. The décor inside is simple yet cosy and we aim to make you feel like you are at home away from home. We are the first truly Malaysian restaurant in Leeds.” Hirman was born and raised in the small town of Tapah in Malaysia and it is his passion for cooking as well as eagerness to share it with friends and others that is the inspiration behind Kuala Lumpur Café. “My mom ..read more

Still a newish kid on the block, Syed Miah’s restaurant ‘Voujon’ serves some of the finest Bangladeshi food cooked with a contemporary Indian twist that can be found in Leeds. An old Bangla word, the name Voujon means “an invitation to dine”. This smart but relaxed family-owned restaurant is set back on Otley Road in one of Far Headingley’s old Edwardian villas. Located on the ground floor of the Ascot Grange Hotel, it is a quite separate business. Why set up a fine dining restaurant here? According to Syed who was brought up in Leeds and has over 20 years experience running restaurants in Yo ..read more