- 200 SEATS
- 50 BEER LINES
- 6 FOOD TRADERS
- 2 BARS
- 1 AWESOME VENUE
That’s the premise behind forthcoming Leeds city centre underground hotspot Assembly Underground – and, you must admit, it’s a pretty sexy one.
Opening on Great George Street within the basement site which once housed Carpe Diem, Assembly Underground sits slap-bang in the middle of a triangle formed by Millennium Square, the hospital and the universities… and it promises to tickle the fancy of a demographic as diverse as that location suggests.
A big-money revamp has turned the space into a slick venue in which to eat, drink and generally make merry. Each of the half-a-dozen street food vendors will offer takeaway options for those on the go, but Assembly Underground’s covetable interiors and good vibes are more likely to tempt you to linger awhile.
You’d need to hang out for quite some time in order to work your way through the 50 beers Vocation Brewery will be vending from their state-of-the-art tap bar (that’s currently the highest number from a single bar in the UK; although with responsible drinking in mind I’d advocate spreading that sampling over multiple sessions).
The company might be best known for beer, but Vocation is also installing a sleek speakeasy; a glam little haven serving lovely libations that’s generally open to the public but also available for private hire.
Off the booze (or simply too early in the day to entertain the prospect)? At Assembly Underground, Underground Coffee will cater to caffeine fiends, the tea-total and everything in between; while also sating a savoury or sweet tooth with the likes of breakfast bits and bobs, pastries and cakes.
Mention of those snacks segues us nicely into something more substantial. Assembly Underground’s food traders will be serving from lunch ’til late every single day. And with all sorts on offer, you’ll have to engage in some serious – and seriously delicious – decision-making.
Upstarts Bread & Butter Churrasco are blazing a trail for Brazilian barbecue ‘oop North, and there’s superior pizza – the clue’s in the name – from Pizza Authority. Tripadvisor’s top-rated Falafel Guys will major in the same fabulous veggie- and vegan-friendly Middle Eastern food the duo currently serve from their red van on Briggate.
Punjabi food dons Jah Jyot are also taking up permanent residence within Assembly – with main man Ranie Sirah set to show the city why his business was named Best of the Best at the European Street Food Awards.
Completing the line-up is Slap & Pickle, whose ‘burgers, vibes and loaded fries’ strapline tells you pretty much all you need to know – except how much these guys care about mental health (they already have a programme of positive wellbeing initiatives in the pipeline).
Details are yet to be released about Assembly Underground’s events programme, but suffice to say it’ll reflect Leeds’ vibrant arts, music and culture scene. Aside from that? Assembly just promises to be a seriously awesome place to be all day, every day.
Make it happen
- Assembly Underground opens on 21 November at Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3ED
- For more information and latest updates, follow the venue and its traders:
Amuse Bouche 