A Leeds neighbourhood has recently been described as one of the coolest in Britain, as ranked by the Telegraph.
Meanwood, which sits in the north west of the city between Headingley and Scott Hall Road, was the only Leeds area to make it onto the list. It was praised for being one of Leeds' leafiest and 'most creative' suburbs and for being full of great bars and food venues.
The neighbourhood is home to the Meanwood Valley Trail, which takes you from the city all the way up to the beautiful Golden Acre Park. The trail has been described as the 'green artery' of Leeds that takes you out from the city buildings to the countryside.
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The Telegraph recommended Zucco, Wildcraft Bakery and Marcels Cafe for food, while pointing to Meanwood Brewery's taproom, No.8, Alfred and the Meanwood Tavern for drinks. I headed down to Meanwood one afternoon to try some of the places the Telegraph recommended in its glowing appraisal of the area, and see if I agreed with it being ranked the coolest neighbourhood in Leeds.
Walking down into Meanwood from the Headingley side, I passed lines and lines of old red-brick homes, with vibrantly painted cable boxes peppered between them. Meanwood Street Art coordinates the painting of the boxes, which has been going on since 2020.
Meanwood has a relatively small high street, though there are pubs and coffee shops dotted around the area if you know where to look. Most of them though, are facing each other on Meanwood/Stonegate Road, the centre of the neighbourhood.
It was a grey, dreary afternoon as I headed up the hill towards the main road, and the warm lights of the high street bars were inviting. I met a friend who I had roped in to assessing the area properly, and we decided to follow the fairy lights up a narrow alley to Meanwood Brewery's taproom.
Here, you sit in a cosy taproom or covered outdoor area, and have the choice of a huge range of Meanwood Brewery's own ales and other unique flavours. We sampled fruity beers that both of us liked but neither really understood, and enjoyed watching people pass in and out of the taproom for a quick drink while most were still at work.
Later we visited the recommended Meanwood Tavern, just across the road. They're contrasting venues in set-up, with the taproom small, stone-walled and cosy and the tavern a much more open space, freshly painted green and orange.
But we found both of them ideal places for a casual drink. It felt more local than heading into the city centre to go to the pubs there, and less overrun by students than any of the places in nearby Headingley.
Meanwood Tavern played jazz music that was just loud enough for an atmosphere but not so loud to leave us shouting across the table, while dogs sat by their owners' feet. You can get pizza from the in-house Well Oiled kitchen, and the whole bar is dotted with thriving plants.
Meanwood's bars are the places I would ideally want as my local, perfect for being a few years removed from university and looking for somewhere with a casual night-time atmosphere, but not too far from the centre.
As for the food, we took the recommendation for highly-rated Italian restaurant Zucco, which is just a few steps from Meanwood Tavern. The staff were very friendly and up for a chat.
As for the menu, it spoils locals with great Italian fare. We ate high-quality burrata, rabbit, salmon tagliatelle and courgette fries, and enjoyed all of them immensely.
Like much of Meanwood, Zucco had that intimate, cosy feeling, while clearly being popular with locals. My feeling is that it's probably actually quite dangerous to live so close to a great Italian.
Meanwood is also home to a local pantry, which allows anyone living in the area to do their shopping from surplus food at a very low cost. Its Myrtle Tavern has also previously been named Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards.
In the afternoon we had, we explored just the centre of Meanwood, but I was left wanting to see more. It's a place I can imagine myself living, and spending evenings after work at the cosy bars or having a nice dinner.
So in conclusion, while I haven't explored every neighbourhood of Leeds in such detail, I'm ready to cast my vote for Meanwood as the coolest area of Leeds. Arty, green and full of great food and drink, I think the title is well-deserved.
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