Hunslet Road, say hello to Caffe Brigante, a cool new independent Italian cafe and bar.
The South Bank is fast becoming a happening part of the city centre – Kirkstall Brewery’s Tetley takeover, the Aire Park development and now Caffe Brigante. The Italian cafe promises to provide quality coffee, homemade panini and all manner of tasty desserts that will bring a slice of the Mediterranean good life to the city centre.
We loved the floor-to-ceiling windows © Copyright Leeds-List 2024
“Caffe Brigante is an Italian cafe that’s going to bring a new taste to Leeds,” co-owners Simo Alrababa and Alessandro Mosciaro told us. “Our main thing is obviously the seven different types of tiramisu, which we’re going to make gluten free and vegan as well. You order one, we make it in front of you and serve it in a cup, which is an idea that comes straight from Italy.”
So, how did Caffe Brigante first come to be? Well, Simo has spent the last seven years working as the general manager for a city centre restaurant, but he wanted to be the one to bring something new to Leeds. Committed to quality, he avoids pre-made food and prepares everything fresh each day, from tarts and pizzas to cakes and tiramisu.
After much deliberation, we settled on the strawberry and Nutella © Copyright Leeds-List 2024
The cafe is equally as lovely on the outside as it is on the inside. There’s large floor-to-ceiling windows at the front that let in an abundance of natural light, creating a bright and open space. Inside, the walls are painted in deep maroons and muted dark greens with a snug corner for you to hunker down in. It’s rustic and cosy.
And now, what all really came here for – the tiramisu. From classic and Baileys to pistachio and limoncello, the hardest part was deciding which flavour to go for, but we settled on the Nutella and strawberry. Creamy, indulgent and sweet in equal measures, it was made in front of us with so much love and care, but we have to admit we devoured it in a matter of seconds. So good!
We loved how cosy it was inside and couldn’t resist bagging a sofa © Copyright Leeds-List 2024
Elsewhere, there are plenty of sweets and savouries to keep you going. The Italian sandwiches are loaded with fresh ingredients, the apricot croissants flaky and sweet and the almond biscuits perfect for dunking in your coffee. Speaking of the coffee, it’s all imported from Italy, with other drinks including smoothies, milkshakes, Moretti and wine.
So, there you have it! If you’re still wondering why you should come down, Simo put it perfectly. “It’s going to look different from all the other cafes in Leeds. It’s designed to be like an Italian cafe bar you’d find on the back streets of Rome or Venice, with homemade, fresh produce.” Brigante means hope, and that’s exactly what we have for this place.
Caffe Brigante, 17 Hunslet Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1QN.
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