The Assembly is an independent bottle shop, cafe and bar that has just opened in the East Leeds suburb of Crossgates. The bar is owned by husband-and-wife team Matt and Stephanie, who have always had a dream to set up their own business.

Matt is Crossgates born and bred and Stephanie has been a Leeds girl since she went to university, meaning their passion has always lied in Leeds, and after continuously driving past an empty unit, they decided to pursue their dream in Crossgates. The inspiration around The Assembly came from a desire to create somewhere they would visit where they actually lived, as they felt that something was missing.

They felt that the city centre is quite saturated and wanted to give East Leeds something that the other suburbs have. They have created a small, charming and intimate bar which has the feel of an Old Gentleman’s club. They wanted to make sure that people would visit and feel relaxed, so they have decorated the interior with vintage furniture and comfy chesterfields to really make The Assembly feel like a home from home.

If you want to enjoy a drink, the have a well edited selection of wines and craft beers for you to choose, from a variety of unknown independent suppliers as well as Leeds favourites like North Brewing Co and Northern Monk. They have a number of spirits to choose from included flavoured gin and their speciality spritzers – such as an elderflower spritzer which is Stephanie’s favourite. Their selection also makes for a great present if you wanted to take one (or five, we won’t judge) home with you!

Their food will focus on bar snacks – with produce coming all from local independents. They wanted to give charcuterie more of a Yorkshire twist, so butchers Lishman’s of Ilkley have supplied them with an amazing range of meats, including a pork and fennel Salami. Chapel Allerton favourite George and Joseph have also curated a cheese board especially for The Assembly, which they have called the Yorkshire Cheese Board. They also will serve pork pies from Wilson’s, bread from Leeds Bread Co-op, gluten-free bread from Wildcraft bakery and cakes from Hannah’s Kitchen. They want to champion not only Crossgates suppliers, but Leeds based ones too.

The name “The Assembly” came from a trip to Ibiza with their friends, where they were drunkenly talking about their dream. They expressed that they wanted to bring like minded people together – whether that be local customers or local independents. The definition of Assembly is a group of people gathered together in one place for a common purpose – which is exactly what they are doing.

They will be open 6 days a week, from afternoon till evening. Locals in the area have been incredibly supportive about the opening and have continuously expressed their excitement. They hope that the opening of The Assembly helps put East Leeds on the map, as Matt says: “watch this space for LS15!”