Holbeck-based brewery Northern Monk have announced that they will be opening a brand-new Leeds city centre venue, taking over the former Assembly Underground.
The new venue, called The Northern Market, will feature a food market, beer hall, and a range of frozen cocktails, with a fully stocked bar pouring the freshest Northern Monk beers from 10 tap lines and on-site beer tanks, including Faith, the brewery’s flagship Hazy Pale Ale, as well as wines, and spirits.
Food vendors include Falafel Guys, Big Buns and Six Slice Pizza with more set to be announced.
Located on Great George Street in Leeds city centre, The Northern Market is the brewery’s second venue in Leeds after The Old Flax Store on Marshall Street in Holbeck, which has been home to Northern Monk’s original brewery and Refectory taproom since 2014. They also have a Refectory bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Russell Bisset, Co-Founder of Northern Monk, said:
“At Northern Monk we’re on a mission to create incredible beer experiences. If we do our job right, hopefully some of the best in the world. We’ve long harboured dreams of more Northern Monk venues where we can do just that, but the pandemic sadly pushed those back.
“Our two current tap rooms are based in former textile mills where we’ve really celebrated their heritage and role in the North. The Northern Market sees us take on a 140-year-old Grade II listed building, directly opposite Leeds Town Hall in the heart of the city’s civic quarter. We can’t wait to give the building a new lease of life as the Northern Market, alongside our food vendors, while acknowledging its history and place in the city.”
Falafel Guys is run by brothers and co-owners Abdalla and Ahmed Gouda.
Abdalla said:
“When COVID pushed Assembly to close we felt that us and Leeds lost something special, and we wanted to make it our mission to bring the venue back to life. So, we partnered up with Northern Monk to proudly bring to Leeds the Northern Market. Having worked on this with the guys from Monk for some time now, we are confident we are going to deliver something amazing. The Northern Market is a space where people can gather, socialise and eat amazing food. When we started with Falafel Guys, our goal was to bring people together using food, and the Northern Market is an extension to that. What everyone can expect is great food, in a super welcoming and fun space.”
Ahmed added:
“We can’t wait to open the doors and welcome everyone back and meet new people. We’ve genuinely missed all our customers, some of which became friends. We are very passionate about food, and we have some great ideas which we can’t wait to share and hear everyone’s feedback. There will be a great variety and quality of the vendors with something for everyone from wraps, salad bowls to burgers and pizzas with very familiar brands like Falafel Guys, Bigs Buns and the latest addition Six Slice Pizza. We have a few food surprises up our sleeve, but everyone can be sure we won’t disappoint and we will deliver one of best venues in Leeds.”
The Northern Market is due to open by early November, with more announcements on food vendors coming soon.
This post is based on a press release issued by Northern Monk Brewery
Photo: L-R Ahmed Gouda, Russell Bisset, Nick Pounder, Abdalla Gouda
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