Laynes Espresso

Nick Cave, Mark Lanagan played whilst I was in. To me this is good music, and makes me feel at home.
Food a bit fancy, but ok as a rare occasional treat. Coffee very good, but slightly on the smaller side. They had a selection of sandwhiches and cakes for lunchtime, but I went with the rarebit as a treat. It was delicious.
There’s more tables downstairs, and choice of reading material which included the Leeds Independent Guide, which was a great help in planning the rest of the visit to Leeds, before I went to the Brudenell for a gig.
Just around the corner from the train station. Turn right as you come out.

A great space, lovely coffee, very tasty savouries and nice cakes. Much preferred over the immediate neighbouring coffee spots — but sometimes short on seating and slightly more fussy than I need; but that’s their nature — which makes them who they are!

A perfect find to end a day trip
Just by the train station, Laynes is the perfect spot to end the day with a fine coffee and a handmade cake. On a grey, misty Autumn day, I had a scrumptious pistachio and raspberry slice alongside my brewed coffee, exactly what I needed to pick me up before jumping on the train again.
I can’t wait to start my next trip here, with a sandwich or another cake. See you soon, Laynes!

Being in serious need of a good coffee and breakfast this morning I decided to visit Laynes, as I had already read great things about it.
I had a latte, which tasted great and the avocado on sourdough which was amazing! The chilli and lemon seasoning on the avocado gave off great flavour and the perfect level of spicy while the toasted bread complimented the soft avocado brilliantly.
On top of that, the atmosphere of the coffee house was great, the staff were friendly and helpful and had smiles on their faces which is always great to start your day with.
Overall great place to go and definitely one of those places where you can take a good book or notebook and relax for a few hours.

I’m a massive coffee snob and since moving to Leeds, I’ve been told this is one of the best places to visit for coffee. Everyone was right!
The coffee was excellent (I had a latte £2.70). The staff were friendly. I didn’t eat here but the cakes looked great and I will certainly go back and try one of them! They had pastries, salted caramel /​peanut butter brownies, a raspberry & lemon Victoria sponge and a few others.
It’s pretty small inside so probably not the place to come if you plan on nursing a coffee for hours on end. It’s right next to the train station and they’re open Sunday which isn’t true for many of the good Leeds coffee shops and is a definite advantage.

Situated very close to Leeds train station, this is one of the nicest coffee shops i’ve ever visited.
En route to TMBTC for lunch, i stopped by here for a flat white.
The coffee shop is very small, but they have the best coffee here. They also have an excellent menu of snacks and sandwiches. Their home-​made soups looked and smelled delicious, so next time i’ll definitely be trying some of that!

Friendly people and a high quality cup of coffee

Best espresso in Leeds. The staff are also very knowledgeable about their coffee. This is a must go place for any coffee lover.

— Great coffee
— Good snacks
— Good location to people-​watch out of the window (though in Leeds, that’s mostly a minus)
— Constrained seating
— Not obvious there’s some additional seating downstairs
— Really need to keep the door ajar to get the steam out
— No frequent customer card
— Pricier

Not much space, but excellent for espresso drinks and teas, and quite good sandwiches and cakes.

Laynes espresso’s namesake is of great quality (Square Mile espresso) which is turned into tasty drinks.
Unsurprisingly my macchiato was better than what my hotel nearby managed to produce, however what was surprising was the amount of milk in it. Macchiatos aren’t on the board and I was charged the 25% extra price of a piccolo, so perhaps there was some miscommunication. What was also surprising was the combination of lack of staff, number of customers and the resulting wait. The staff mentioned there are usually more hands on deck, and handled things as best they could, but at 8.20am on a weekday it’s always going to be busy — other customers decided to leave the queue as a consequence.
My 20 minutes in the queues weren’t unpleasant, but I assume I’m not alone in preferring to not stand around waiting for the coffee. Despite this, the drink tasted good and that’s what I was there for. Hopefully this is a one-​off, if not then you may be running to catch your train!

Sirious java place. The cappuccino was just fantastic. If you are looking for major step up above the usual chaine quality java this is your place.

This shit is REAL.
Strawberry-​cheesecake-​frappuccino-​lovin’ lilies, stay away. This is a COFFEE shop. Black roasts that punch you in the mouth. Sour espresso that screeches on your tongue. Aeropress and proper americano. Foam, flavor. Full on. Right on.
Too much to take? The Café Nero down the road will happily help you hide behind a cinnamom-​swirl-​mocha-​whimpo of your choice. Have a cookie to sweeten up your mouth while you lick your wounds. When you’re ready for the shit to hit the fan, you can join us ladies and gents who are into the real thing.
P. S. Their avocado on toast is pretty good too.

The fact that you can hardly find a seat in which to enjoy your drink speaks to how good the coffee is. Next time, I’m saving space for one of the scrumptious-​looking cakes I spotted my neighbour enjoying.

Every now and then, I have to venture to Leeds for work. Given that I’m not terribly fond of trains, it’s not something that I look forward to. However, ever since I found out about Laynes, and it’s proximity to the train station, I’ve found myself looking forward to my work trips. I’m joking — a little — but I do make the time to go to Laynes every time I have to make this trip, even if the coffee shop is on the other side of the station that I need to get to.
So what’s good about Laynes? It’s certainly one of the best coffee places in Leeds, or so I’ve been told. I’ll be honest and say that I’ve had better in London. The flat whites I’ve had here are a little on the milky side for me. Still, they’re consistent and the standards are high.
Another great thing about this place is that if you’re able to get there early in the morning, you can get a bostok — an almond and raspberry brioche — baked by Thierry Dumouchel for a nice, hearty breakfast. I’d tried a number of times to get there early enough to get one and only succeeded last week. Was it worth it? Hell, yeah! I bought a couple more to bring back to London!

If you are a coffee drinker and you’ve not made a daily stop at Laynes Espresso part of your routine, you are missing out. If you are a serious coffee drinker passing through, you must make the short walk around the corner from the train station and stop for a cup.
The crew at Laynes aren’t just serving up pastries and pouring coffee; they show a genuine understanding of the art and science of coffee brewing. Even more, they happily share their enthusiasm for the craft as well as their knowledge of the bean (check your coaster and learn something about what you’re drinking…).

Well… reviewing Laynes feels almost pointless; because there is a heck of a lot of love for this place, and it’s all totally deserved!
Without a doubt the greatest coffee shop in Leeds — hands down. I love the coffee, the look of the place and the impeccable service.
Utterly superb!

The first time I stopped in at Laynes, I was just wandering around close to work and fancied a sandwich. All that was left was a solitary, highly-​priced, grilled halloumi sandwich which I didn’t even want.
That sandwich, and the coffee I bought with it, turned out to be fantastic and I’ve been in fairly regularly since.
Laynes is a reminder that coffee isn’t just about the quantity in the cups; this is a shop that instead provides amazing coffee and awesome service to everyone who sets foot in the door. Sure, there’s not much room, but whether you get to sit down or not, it’s totally worth it.
Even more so if you grab a brownie too.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best coffee in Leeds (indeed it is the best coffee in my world).
The place itself is pleasant although the seating isn’t great (short people dring coffee too) and it’s not a place I would head for if I wanted a cosy chat with a friend or just to have some relaxation time with the love of my life (ok I mean book but don’t judge me).
The staff were very friendly and happy looking and seemed happy to explain what they had on offer.

Picture the situation. You’re in town, perhaps just off the train, and you’re craving a caffeine fix. It happens, we all know the feeling, right? Long journey, long shopping day, long no-​excuse-​but-​I-​love-​a-​fix day. Well. You could walk on autopilot, as most of us do, mindlessly plodding one foot in front of the other like a brand brainwashed moth towards the *Costa/Starbucks/Nero’s light. *Insert identikit icon here. I’m not perfect, I do it too. However, it’s little discoveries like this that inspire a tidal wave of action within me, to implore you back to the independents.
So, ride that wave right on into Laynes. Fresh from the surf of this encouragement, you’ll find a quaint, clean, cool little café. Forget the décor for a second. Let your nose lead you to the counter, and just take a breath. Fresh, delicious, aromatic beans of such flavour await you –perhaps don’t linger too long. They’ll wonder what the hell you’re up to. But, take a breath. And let yourself take it all in, let the temptation of the senses begin.
Then, order a cappuccino, and my God (wo)man, order the brioche. That life changing combination will have you forever crying tears into your luke-​warm-​under-​done-​pithy-​weak «coffee» from the inferior cafes. Dried out, day old cake and a milky streak of nothing? I don’t think so. Poetry. Coffee as strong as the Clifton Suspension Bridge, as powerful as honesty, and more delicious than nectar. The brioche? I can’t even begin to describe. The fantastic chap suggested I dip it into my coffee, and what a winning combination. It was moist, it was gooey, it was bready in the most delightful way– basically, I’m jealous of my past self, since I don’t have it right here right now. I want more. More more more.
So, I got a bit carried away there. (I’ve been reading poetry recently.) But, if I’m honest, and frank, the coffee was incredible and the cake was one of the best I’ve had in Leeds. The chap who runs the place is lovely and welcoming, and would happily advise you on what he offers, should you require a nudge like I did. They offer a range of exciting teas, for those who aren’t as bean obsessed, and the space is perfect to sit and take in the world as it wanders by. The cakes are locally sourced, they make their own blend of coffee (as I understand it) and it’s utterly worth your pennies.
And hey — if it’s enough to have me waxing quite so lyrically, here’s hoping that’s given you the nudge you need to dip in and take a sip. I’m certain you’ll be delighted.