Honest Burgers are heading to central Leeds on July 25th, with their latest restaurant landing on Cloth Hall Street, just next to the vibrant and newly pedestrianised Corn Exchange area.
The opening will create 20 new jobs and is the 41st restaurant in the brand’s established portfolio, which has seen launches in Liverpool, Manchester and London Bridge in recent years.
Founded in Brighton back in 2009 by friends Tom Barton and Philip Eeles, it didn’t take Honest long to catch on in London, where they have since become a household name.
Honest is the UK’s only burger brand to craft everything from scratch, with their beef patties, sauces, pickles, relishes and chips all made-in-house. They even have their own south London butchery, which has been serving their restaurants since 2017.
The brand has always championed local independent businesses, working closely with countless breweries and local bars on a range of food and drink collaborations. Back in spring, Honest launched a pop-up at the Leeds Brewery and tap-room Northern Monk, giving the people of Yorkshire a taste of things to come with a local special featuring Heathen IPA beer cheese and Faith pale ale pickled onions.
The secret to Honest’s beef lies in the sourcing and production process. At Honest’s in-house butchery pasture-fed British beef is chopped not minced. Chopping holds the flavour in and keeps the meat coarse and tender, so the burgers cut like butter, but stay together.
In May this year, Honest announced Honest Farming which will see the brand switch to regeneratively farmed British beef in partnership with farming collective Grassroots. The move has transformed the group’s supply chain to reduce its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of eating beef. By the start of 2024, all restaurants will serve this beef.
Menu staples range from the classic HONEST and TRIBUTE burgers to the fiery CHILLI burger which comes loaded with bacon, chilli cheese, Honest hot sauce, shoestring chips, and jalapenos. The best-selling HONEST – the burger that built the business – is inspired by British farmers market flavours: beef, bacon, cheddar and red onion relish.”
The veggie menu includes a choice of three 100% vegan burgers including the new Indian-spiced sweetcorn, cauliflower, and chickpea FRITTER, and the PLANT and BACON PLANT, both featuring the acclaimed Beyond Meat burger. The menu is complemented with a selection of side dishes, including Honest’s signature homemade rosemary salted chips, which have become an essential staple for Honest regulars.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Tom Barton, Co-Founder Honest Burgers said:
“Leeds has been a long time coming for Honest and we’re very happy to open on Monday 25 July. All of our restaurants have close ties with local breweries and producers. In Leeds that means beers from Northern Monk and a local burger (launching in August) featuring beer pickled onions, smoked cheddar and a brand new black garlic chipotle chutney from lockdown star Thiccc Sauce. And for the first time ever, we’ll be serving a cheesy version of our cult favourite bacon gravy for all your burger and chip dunking needs.”
To celebrate the Leeds opening, Honest are giving the first 500 customers a burger and chips on them. Simply head down to the new restaurant on Cloth Hall Street from 11.30am on Saturday 23rd July and be the first to enjoy the great British burger.
