Owned by Cameron’s Brewery, Head of Steam on Park Row is one of Leeds’ most popular venues for cask ales, cocktails, casual dining, arcade games and live music. Set over two floors, the striking city centre building with its charming railway-themed interiors and friendly atmosphere is just a few minutes walk from Leeds Railway Station.
Opened just two years ago, it is was the second Head of Steam venue to open in Leeds City Centre and is the only one serving food. If you’re looking for laid-back vibes, quality ales on tap, a great selection of craft beers and tasty home-cooked grub then this place is well worth a visit.
Recently, Head of Steam on Park Row launched a brand new bottomless brunch in Leeds offering – a dining concept that has seen an incredible surge in popularity this year. Priced at £25 per person, diners can choose one dish from their set menu and consume as many alcoholic beverages as they wish during their 90-minute time slot.
Leeds certainly has no shortage of restaurants offering Bottomless Brunch and despite all being similar in price, some are certainly better value for money than others. As we’re currently on a mission to discover which Leeds restaurants are offering the best Bottomless Brunches in Leeds, we were more than happy to accept an invitation to sample Head of Steam’s!
We booked our slot for Sunday 24th October and arrived just before 1 pm. After checking in at the bar, we were quickly led to a quiet table by the window – the perfect spot for people watching on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Our waiter, Joe, soon introduced himself and took our first drinks order. As it was my husband’s birthday, we opted for Prosecco but other options included Bloody Mary, Craft Beer Flight, Aperol Spritz, lager, ale and cider. We were delighted to find out that we didn’t have to stick to drinking Prosecco for the full 90 minutes as many venues offering bottomless brunch only allow you to reorder the same drink you started with.
During our visit, we unashamedly managed to consume 8 (or was it 10?) glasses of prosecco, a pint of lager, an Aperol Spritz and two soft drinks between us.
Now, when it comes to brunch, the food options for Bottomless Brunch vary considerably from venue to venue. With it being such an incredibly popular dining concept, restaurants of all cuisines are offering their own versions so Bacon and Eggs are no longer guaranteed.
In keeping with the branding of Head of Steam, the food options are delightfully traditional. Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, Fruit Granola and The Full English are all on there alongside international favourites (American Pancakes, Belgian Waffles) plus their own tasty creation – The Piggyback Burger.
Having seen the menu prior to arriving, we had already decided on our dishes – Full English for myself and the Piggyback Burger for my husband.
We were both thrilled with our meals. Our generous portions were cooked to perfection – crisp streaky bacon, succulent sausages and seductively runny egg yolks.
Although we each enjoyed every aspect of our flavoursome, non-greasy brunches, we both agreed that the hash browns were the stars of the show. Slightly larger than usual with soft fluffy centres and just the right of crunch on the outside, they were the perfect accompaniment to our runny yolked eggs.
My husband, who would happily live off hash browns for the rest of his days, was overjoyed to find the crispy triangles both inside his burger and on the side – full marks from him for that alone!
All in all, we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We fully expected there to be at least one element of the offering that would disappoint but it really was exceptional value for money. The food certainly exceeded our expectations, we were never left without full glasses and the lovely lad who kept the bubbles flowing was friendly, welcoming and attentive.
As parents, daytime drinking isn’t something we get to indulge in very often so, towards the end we had to switch to soft drinks or risk a rather awkward and embarrassing stumble back to the railway station! We’ll certainly be visiting again and we cannot wait to try their other menus.
