Slap and Pickle burger restaurant finds new Leeds home after sudden closure of old premises

The business, which operates as a ‘pop-up’ style kitchen within established bars and pubs, was operating from Beer Hawk in Leeds city centre.

However, the bar, which was located on Boar Lane, suddenly closed in late 2023. Another site the restaurant operated in, Assembly Underground, also closed in December.

At the time, owner James Tabor said: “We just had some awful news that our site in central Leeds, Beer Hawk, is closing, beyond our control. We’re a tenant in the kitchen of the bar and the bar itself is closing. We weren’t given much notice about this.

"We knew it was on the cards in the future but we didn’t know it was going to happen suddenly and they’ve made it really sudden. We desperately need to find a new home in Leeds, whether it’s a pop-up or a permanent residence, in a place, in a bar, in a pub, in a manger maybe. We need to find somewhere because I am determined that none of our guys are going to lose their jobs.

"We’ve got a really good little team there, it’s a fantastically successful business for us and we love it and it’s gutting. We want another site in Leeds, we don’t want to lose it, the demand is there, we’re busy all the time, please, please, please, get the message out and help Slap & Pickle find a new home.”

This week, James announced that the restaurant had found a new home in Black Sheep Tap and Kitchen in Chapel Allerton.

He said: “After a couple of pretty heavy months, we are most excited to announce that Slap & Pickle has found a new Leeds home.

“We’ve gone upmarket: our new manor is none other than the already-brilliant Black Sheep Tap & Bar.

“We love the Black Sheep lot - there’s a lot of alignment between our two brands, and a shared vision on plans for the future.

“A HUGE thanks to everyone in Leeds who bent over backwards to help us find a new site after we had two close on us so suddenly in November and December. We were offered so many fantastic opportunities, but we think we’ve chosen the right home.”

Slap and Pickle also has a site in Horsforth, Hebden Bridge, London and Manchester, as well as two sites in Sheffield.