Zeco Chapter 3: Sustainable Lunch Spots in Leeds
Sustainable Lunch Spots in Leeds
At Zeal, a marketing agency for start-up eCommerce brands, we are getting serious about plastic-free July by making more eco-friendly choices for our office in Leeds. This month, we are taking action to make changes concerning fast fashion, plastic use and sustainable products.
Us serious snackers realised that the lunches that we end up buying and bringing into work are FULL of single-use plastic packaging, and plastic packaging accounts for nearly 70% of all of the UK’s plastic waste, as found by WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme). We decided that this needed to change and discussed what choices we could make to do our bit for the environment.
CUE… Zeal’s favourite eco-conscious lunch spots for hanging out with your colleagues or taking out that special client! These are all in Leeds, and either make efforts to be as sustainable as possible or are meat-free! Feel free to tuck in.
Fat Annie’s started as a hot dog van in the Northern Quarter in Manchester until they moved to Leeds Kirkgate Market in 2017. In 2020 they made a move to become totally meat-free due to the owner’s feelings about meat consumption in the UK. They are now a totally meat-free American diner covering mouth-watering burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes. If vegan/veggie alternatives are your thing, Bundobust, Doner Summer and Knaves Kitchen are definitely worth checking out!
Opening Times: Monday until Saturday – 10AM-5PM
Address: Leeds Kirkgate Market, Vicar Lane, Leeds City Centre LS2 7HY
Tel: 07857 950954
Rainbow Junktion is a café in Hyde Park that ‘intercepts food that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, restaurants and a number of other sources, and turns it into healthy, nutritious meals for anyone and everyone on a pay-as-you-feel donation basis’. The menu changes constantly depending on what is picked up that day so check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for the most up-to-date menus. It’s a cafe inside of an eco-church called All Hallows with the aims of reducing food waste, feeding hungry people and building a community. It’s a little out of the centre, but well worth the visit!
Opening Times: 11:30AM-3PM Monday and Thursday (food served 12AM-2.30PM)
Address: All Hallows’ Church, 24 Regent Terrace, Leeds, LS6 1NP
Tel: 07421 455346
Claiming to create ‘no fuss farm to fork goodness’, Eat Your Greens is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant serving up lunchtime specials such as veggie hash, sharing plates, sides and snacks. They have a seasonal weekly-changing menu and use all organic produce where possible because ‘it’s good for the planet, good for you and good for the farmers that grow it’. It sounds perfect to us!
They also have a large selection of organic produce, so why not get in the weekly shop whilst you’re there and kill two birds with one stone (not literally, of course).
Opening Times: Wednesday & Friday 12AM-2PM, Saturday – 11AM-3PM
Address: 42 New York St, Leeds LS2 7DY
Tel: 0113 244 6896
The Cha Lounge is a self-proclaimed ‘independent, sustainable, zero-waste café bar and tea room with a passion for high quality, healthy food and drinks’. Their brunch menu is delectable, holding all of the classics like eggs benedict as well as some stuff you might not expect.
They want to reduce waste so much that they encourage you to ask to swap out ingredients in your meal that you aren’t a fan of – it’s a win-win situation!
Opening times: Thursday & Friday — 8AM – 3PM, Saturday & Sunday — 8AM – 4PM
Address: 24 Dock St, Leeds LS10 1JF
Tel: 0113 242 4532
Honourable Mention
Whilst Out of This World is actually a shop, it does have an incredible deli counter full of savoury and sweet treats galore. The deli is vegan, and the perfect place to pick something up if you’re in a rush! They claim to be ‘West Yorkshire’s premier one-stop shop for all things healthy, ethical, organic, locally made, and eco-friendly.’
Opening times: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 9AM – 5PM, Tuesday & Saturday— 9AM – 6PM, Sunday 11AM – 5PM
Address: 20 New Market Street, Leeds, LS1 6DG
Tel: 0113 244 1881
With all of the discussion surrounding climate change at the moment, it’s more important than ever to start making decisions to try and help with the cause and cut down on plastic use where you can. So, next time you’re picking out where to go for your team lunch, why not make an eco-conscious choice and pick one of the best lunch spots in town? We know we will!
Listen to ZealTalk. Our podcast on startups and their Zeal.
