Opposite Cafe Leeds: Meet the woman behind the new speciality coffee and brunch spot in Meanwood

Opposite Cafe opened on Tuesday (April 9) in Meanwood, bringing speciality coffee, cakes and an innovative brunch menu to the bustling street of Stonegate Road.

This is the business’ fourth venue in Leeds. Founder and owner Lou Henry opened the first Opposite Cafe at Leeds University in 2006, before opening a second site in Victoria Quarter three years later, which Lou said was the first specialty coffee shop in Leeds.

She later opened a third site in Chapel Allerton in 2013. And now, Lou is eager to recreate the magic of the suburban site in Meanwood.

Lou, who has lived in Meanwood for about 20 years, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I love that shop. I love the mix of people working from home and kids, people who live locally and that community vibe. 

“We managed to find this spot and it's absolutely perfect because it's exactly the right size. We've got a huge space downstairs for our kitchen, we've got access for our catering deliveries, we've got a massive outdoor seating area.

“It’s on the main road, and we've got amazing places like Wildcraft Bakery and Humbl. These lovely little businesses keep popping up - there's lots of really vibrant stuff happening here. It just feels like the right time, the right place.” 

The sale of the Woodhouse site, which Lou said had struggled to bounce back after the pandemic, has helped fund the new venue, which has been under renovation since September 2023.

The new space features tabletops made from recycled yoghourt pots from Welsh company Smile Plastics and repurposed oak shelves from benches in its Victoria Quarter shop. The shop has come alive by the help of Ground Control Leeds. Lou said: “The one thing I'm really passionate about, apart from coffee, is sustainability. And I've found it really difficult to bring that into my business - until now. 

Get a daily headline round-up, as well as all of the breaking news updates, when you sign up to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s free emails

“There's lots of bits and pieces that are quite higgledy-piggledy, like there's not a single piece of worktop, there's about five or six bits joined together, but it's because we used existing pieces and cut them to size to fit. 

“I've made a massive push to do as much as possible in the shop sustainably. I'm going to start trying to look at ways to innovatively cut out the waste that we have using the energy that we use. Watch this space - I've got lots of ideas.” 

Opposite Cafe in Meanwood serves its signature speciality coffee, roasted in collaboration with North Star Coffee Roasters. It also serves a full brunch menu, made in partnership with MorMor, renowned for its innovative Levantine cuisine, to bring a unique take on classic dishes.

The initial brunch menu from MorMor will feature dishes such as shakshuka, merguez and fried egg sandwiches, mezze platters and pancake stacks, available Thursday to Sunday from April 18.

Find out more information about Opposite Cafe in Meanwood via its social media sites.