Opera North set to welcome diners to new restaurant, Kino

Exciting times are on the horizon for Opera North this summer, as the company announces an opening date for its much anticipated new restaurant, Kino.

Located on New Briggate in the historic, newly renovated Grade II-listed Opera North space, Kino will open its doors and start serving up a range of food and drink from Wednesday 6th July with an informal offer showcasing some of the region’s finest cheese and charcuterie over the summer. A top notch wine list, craft beer and cocktails sit alongside an evolving food offering sourced from the best local producers and featuring guest chefs and kitchen residencies over the coming months.

From September, the restaurant will open with a full food offer and a residency from one of Leeds’ most exciting pop-up brands.

Kino will seat up to 100 covers across 3 floors. The restaurant’s name and design take inspiration from the history of the site and a nod to the building’s former use, with ‘kino’ meaning ‘cinema’ in many languages. Incorporating clean lines and minimalist style, the restaurant’s interior will feel relaxed yet welcoming - the perfect place to enjoy a pre-show beverage, a post-theatre bite, or simply a meal in its own right, whether you’re heading to a show or not.

Kino is proud to be working with the best independent food and drink suppliers and local producers to support local business, at the same time keeping its carbon footprint as low as possible. Kino champions sustainability, and in addition to its awareness of its carbon footprint, the restaurant will run on renewable electricity from both its own solar panels and from the grid. Kino’s local suppliers and producers include Leeds’ George & Joseph, North Star Coffee Roasters, Latitude Wines and Northern Monk in addition to Darlington’s Acorn Dairy, Lishman’s of Ilkley and Bluebird Bakery.

Opera North is a Leeds-based national opera company, and one of the UK’s leading arts organisations. With an award-winning programme of work that’s toured to theatres throughout the UK, the organisation is a true champion of creativity, diversity and community – promoting the arts, bringing people together and promoting participation and performance across the board. Now, with brand-new front-of-house facilities set to transform its Howard Assembly Room 300 seat gig space following a £18m renovation project, Opera North is laying strong foundations for a bright future with Kino playing a leading role.

Kino will initially open on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and all day on Fridays and Saturdays. There’ll be a selection of pop-ups and guest chefs cooking up a storm in the coming months, and it all starts with charcuterie this July, which means diners can head in to sample a range of locally sourced cheeses from Chapel Allerton’s George and Joseph and meats from Lishman’s of Ilkley.

Richard Mantle, general director, Opera North says: “Opening Kino is the final piece in the puzzle following our transformative £18 million redevelopment programme, Music Works. Located next to Leeds Grand Theatre, where Opera North is a resident company, and below the Howard Assembly Room, the most eclectic music venue in the north of England, Kino will be the perfect spot to enjoy drinks and a bite to eat before a performance, or as a destination in its own right. With Kino, we continue to do what we do best – entertaining through memorable experiences – adding seriously delicious food and drink to our repertoire.”

Nicholas Chandler, assistant manager, George & Joseph says: “George & Joseph Cheesemongers are very excited at the news of yet another great restaurant opening in our great city and we are even more excited and proud to be collaborating with and supplying Kino with a great selection of local artisan cheeses. The more places people can enjoy cheese the better in our eyes, roll on July when Kino opens!”

Address: 34 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU
Opening Hours: Wed 5pm - 11pm, Thu 5pm - 11pm, Fri 12pm - 11pm, Sat 12pm - 11pm, from Wednesday 6 July 2022