OUR TOP STREET FOOD PICKS AT KIRKGATE MARKET LEEDS 2024.
Amongst its infamous fruit, veg, clothing, homeware, and jewellery stalls, Kirkgate market is home to numerous street food vendors and cafes. Here’s our top Kirkgate market food picks that you should check out in 2024!
1. Banh and Mee Vietnamese Street Food
Banh and Mee’s journey started over 30 years ago in Hanoi. When the war broke out in Vietnam, Mama Nguyen and her family had to leave their home and found themselves in the hills of Yorkshire. Mama began making her homemade recipes for Yorkshire folk and they loved it! Thus, began the infamous Banh and Mee!
Monday – Saturday at 11am-5pm, Banh and Mee owners Mylinh and Sengy bring traditional Vietnamese family recipes with a Yorkshire twist to Leeds Kirkgate Market. Serving bánh mì’s (traditional Vietnamese sandwiches), pho, rice box’s and snacks from Kirkgate Market since 2016, the street food cafe serves a variety of tasty specials including Saigon Noodles and Viet Style Chicken Curry.
2. Jenny’s Jerk Chicken
Consisting of Caribbean, African, and Jamaican cuisine, Jenny’s Jerk Chicken is an iconic stall at Kirkgate Market. This street food vendor is the home of tender and juicy jerk chicken with it’s £6 Jerk BBQ meals and £5 jerk wraps. If you’re not a Leeds local, don’t worry! The chain also has stores in Wakefield, Manchester, York, Dublin and Harrogate so you can indulge in some mouth-watering Jerk chicken in any of these cities. If that’s not good enough, you can now order your food from anywhere you like as Jenny’s jerk chicken is available to order for both delivery and collection on Just Eat!
3. Chop Chop Leeds
If you’re looking for authentic Asian cuisine in Leeds, then look no further! Selling a variety of foods from the Far East, Chop Chop opened its doors at the end of 2020 and haven’t looked back since. With Wok Fried goods and fortune cookies galore, the kitchen prides itself on taking inspiration from street food hawkers all over Southeast Asia. Whether you want to indulge in some sweet and tangy Korean beef or delicious salt and pepper boxes, Chop Chop has it all! Be sure to try their tasty homemade sweet and sour sauce, you won’t be disappointed!
4. Istanbul Bakery
Don’t walk, RUN over to Istanbul Bakery in Kirkgate Market to try some of their shawarma sandwiches and tasty falafel. Not to mention their delicious £7 lamb box’s and £2.50 pizza slices! The bakery has been rated 5 stars on trip advisor and we can see why. From freshly cooked bread and pizzas to homemade baklava, Istanbul bakery has something for everyone to enjoy. Famous for its friendly service and great staff, Istanbul bakery always has huge queues so be sure to get down early. The food is now available on Uber Eats and Deliveroo now!
5. Fisherman’s Wife
When it comes to frying up authentic fresh fish and chips, nowhere in Leeds beats the longstanding chippy, The Fisherman's Wife. Starting up in Halton, back in 1960’s the Fisherman’s Wife moved over to George Street and is now located in the heart of Kirkgate Food Market. Whether you want Cod and Haddock or just a chip butty, The Fisherman’s Wife has got you covered! With its freshly caught fish from Whitby served in a crispy light batter with golden cooked chips, The Fisherman's Wife is a renowned name across the North of England with restaurants in Leeds, Whitby, and York. Go ahead and grab some fish and chips on Monday – Saturday at 10:30am-4pm to eat in or takeaway!
6. Pollini’s Pizza Slice
After originally opening its doors in Halifax, Pollini’s Pizza Slice branched out to Leeds in 2022 providing the tastiest pizza to Kirkgate Markets visitors. Offering pizza, milkshakes, burgers, crepes and naan bread kebabs, Pollini’s are super popular amongst Leeds locals and are well known for their cheap prices and speedy service. Offering a variety of pizza toppings from ham and pineapple to donner meat, the food vendor claims to be the home of Yorkshire’s biggest pizza with their largest being 24 inches. Get yourself down to Kirkgate to try some of their sweet treats or chip away at one of Pollini’s enormous pizzas!
