Ditsch

Giant pretzels always remind me of my holiday in Florida many years ago. So I was quite happy when I saw a place selling giant pretzels had opened in Leeds. I’ve not ventured to any of the flavoured pretzels, just stuck to the regular plain ones, which are tasty. There’s also a range of bakes and pizza slices, my personal favourite being the cheese and onion bake. Though I was disappointed to find they don’t sell the tuna pizza slice, like they do at the branch in the Arndale Centre. Prices are very good for what you’re getting and you can’t fail to miss it, purely for the smell of freshly cooked preztels coming out of it!

This place is so kitsch and is just what Leeds needed. There really is no other place that I know of, in Leeds. When the German Market is here during Christmas time I get so excited about the pretzel stand, well my savior that is Ditsch means that I can have these delicious Germans treats all year through.
Ditsch can be easy to miss, as it’s literally just a whole in a wall, there’s no shop to walk into, or place to sit. The entirety of their shop is where the baking and magic happens. There is a massive counter displaying pizza breads and pretzels, yum. Walking down the street you can smell it a mile off and trust me it tastes as good as it smells! I highly recommend stopping here for a shopping break as it’s certainly worth trying. Their pizza breads are delicious; I always have the barbeque chicken pizza. Its something different, something fun and really tasty too, how bad can that be?

After a holiday in Frankfurt last year, I was aware that the presence of Ditsch in the German city is as frequent as Greggs on our fair shores. But with more appetising fare.
I adore the concept of street food, there is something delightfully carefree about enjoying a snack in the sun. Although the food available is perhaps not the healthiest option on the high street, the delicious aromas that emanate from the stall never fail to tempt my taste buds. The same tempted taste buds soon become tickled when indulging in a treat.
Established over 90 years ago, the products at Ditsch are cooked on the premises, in ovens visible to the customer. I suspect the items arrive at the stall ready to be baked, as they do taste slightly synthetic. When you can purchase a freshly cooked salami pizza or barbeque chicken bake for a nominal couple of pounds, Ditsch offers a comforting option whilst on the move. Followed up with a cinnamon pretzel, expect to feel refuelled and ready to continue with your day.

If you need a fix of savoury goodness and can’t stand the thought of another pasty then this is the place for you. Ditsch serves warm and ready to eat pretzels and pizzas. The pizzas come in a variety of flavours and are just the right size for one person. Prices are around £2.25 and the service is fast and friendly. The food is always tasty and satisfying.

Yum yum yum yum! Finally a pretzel place. I don’t know how it was kept from me for so long, but yum yum yum yum yum! Before Manchester Arndale got bombed, there was a grand pretzel station that on treat days, me and the mother would indulge in. Pretzels became my friend, they came in all sorts of flavours sweet and savoury, warm or cool. They were huge and often had to be eaten in two sittings, but after the bomb, they were gone. Last year I saw something that resembled a crappy version of the pretzel stand, but they only had two varieties. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the small stand I pass almost weekly, is in fact a pretzel joint, woop woop. After trying a savoury pretzel I wasn’t particularly impressed, and yearnings of my childhood pretzels came flooding back. They just didn’t do it for me, which surprised me as the logo includes a pretzel. Ditsch come into their own with the pizza slices, which are tasty and cheap. The penny dropped, either that or my scepticism piqued, pizza places are ten a penny, so why not lure people in with the pretzel edge and then wow them with pizza instead. Either that or the pizza offerings are just a fluke in their superiority.