Café Lento

A nice little quirky café with a great selection of smoothies, cakes and books to read if your company isn’t so great. I will be visiting again

Love this place which is fueled by funky music and the passion of the owner, Richard.
I seem to be slightly addicted to their tuna baked potatoes for some reason!
Richard always greets with a smile and staff are always friendly.

Went for a full English breakfast which was tasty. Nice casual atmosphere, good value though the portions could’ve been a bit bigger.

I’ve only been to Café Lento a few times but it has fast become one of my favourite places to go in Leeds. It feels so laidback in there that you can’t help feeling relaxed too. On my first visit, I wasn’t sure whether it was table service or I was supposed to go up to the counter to order. When I asked, the lovely chap behind the counter merely replied, «Whichever you’d prefer!» The menu is classic café food: hot and cold sandwiches, full english breakfasts, baked potatoes etc. They have a cabinet full of homemade cakes at the counter and a good variety of hot & cold drinks. All very reasonably priced as well.
In theory, it sounds like nothing different to many other cafés, but there’s just something special about this place in my opinion. Everyone else there seems to be regulars, people who pop in for the atmosphere and to wile away a few hours, have a chat with the owner or read a book in the corner. It just feels like a really nice getaway from the hubbub of Headingley and it’s easy to lose track of time. But at no point do you feel a glare from any of the staff implying you’ve been there too long nursing your cup of tea and/​or using their free wifi. In fact, the warm friendly demeanour of the staff is probably the biggest factor as to why it has such a lovely atmosphere in there.
There’s seating outside too, if you’re lucky enough to visit on a day when the weather is behaving itself, and live music now & again though I haven’t experienced that myself yet. Oh, and though it’s small, there’s a lot of seating and it can fit more in than you realise — on my last visit, the entirety of Leeds Rhinos seemed to be getting coffee in there and there was still plenty of room for a friend & I to tuck into delicious generously-​filled bacon sandwiches!

I’ve been here twice since my last review, and enjoyed it so much I have to upgrade to 5 stars. My boyfriend and I went today for lunch and both had the sausage, cheese and onion sandwich (choice of meat or veggie, very nice). There was a choice from 4 different types of bread, and the sandwiches were huge and delicious. We’d planned to leave after that, but the cakes were calling our name so we stayed for coffee and goodies. They do cakes by That Old Chestnut — the best vegan bakers in Leeds — so how could we resist?
The atmosphere is cosy and the owner is so friendly, he seemed to know everyone who came in. We had a nice chat about Joni Mitchell and our mutual love of That Old Chestnut, and when we left he told us warmly how lovely it had been to see us. Between that and all the posters and CDs for local events and artists in there, it’s obvious that he really cares about running a quality local café with a warm and friendly atmosphere — and it’s really paid off.

I tried this lovely little café a few weeks ago when I met a friend of mine for a catch up.
This place is really great. Everything you want from a café; great selection of hot drinks, all available with soy milk. Wonderful cakes, I had the carrot cake, which followed a veggie sausage sandwich and this was very nice too. It’s warm and cosy inside and the staff are super friendly and welcoming! The owners are clearly very conscientious when considering their menu, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, as well as gluten free. They also have a selection of board games, which is always a winner for me! My boyfriend and I spent the best part of an hour playing Boggle, so much fun.
There is very much a local vibe to this place, with flyers and information on events and just a real sense of community. All café’s should aspire to be like Café Lento, they just get it right!

At last a café that does a full English that my antipodean friend can relish in, the reason being? I hear you ask is that my good friend is wheat intolerant, now to his great surprise and pleasure he can now partake in said full English adorned with gluten free sausage and toast.
Music to his Aussie ears, I thought he was going to shed a tear or two, Viva Café Lento!!!

I know, I know. I just keep sharing the Lento love. Nothing drastic has changed since a few weeks ago, except that since all internet providers seem to be sent to destroy me, I set up shop in Lento on Monday and it was fantastic. The owner is an absolute gent, who without comment, allowed me to utilise both his electricity and his wifi for the entire day. Of course, I bought some teas and coffees throughout, but I’ve been judged on this before and made to feel like am internet philanderer so for that I’m massively grateful.
New things of note that I discovered on this lovely day include:
— Amazing loose leaf teas are available. Try the ‘Christmas’ one, it’s too divine.
— Their sausage sandwich is king amongst porkly offerings.
— Their large latte is incredibly good value for an injection of caffeine
— The cushioned seats at the back are very comfortable, even after 7 hours.
— Both the owner and the chef are truly wonderful people, and so very friendly.
It’s the perfect Headingley spot for a coffee, tea, beer, chat, catch up with a long lost friend or just a day dream. Love it.
P. s. Did I mention the generous wifi usage?!

My favourite café in Leeds. First of all, the people and food are always unpretentious. Wholesome, organic Italian coffee (I remember you telling me where you got the machine from), fantastic homemade food, and brilliant vibe!
I think everyone who visited me in Leeds from across the globe has been here. Either for breakfast, brunch, coffee or even just to have a quiet afternoon with thee self and book (:

I love this place! The sandwiches and breakfasts are so satisfying, this is a great place to cure a hangover. I would recommend this place to anyone, such a friendly vibe.

Café lento is a lovely bohemian change from the pubs and average coffee shops in Headingley!
It is situated on the outskirts of the town surrounded by greasy fry-​up joints and tacky take-​away shops. It’s surrounding businesses make its floral décor and romantic themes stand out a mile. The hand painted flours and renaissance themed outdoor chairs draw me in instantly.
I like Café Lento as it is unique in both décor and menu! Sometimes my stomach is shouting for a change away from takeaways and Gregg’s and Café Lento offers the perfect solution! Personally I love their light bites menu which offers dishes such as soup and roll (£3.25) and humous and red peppers (£2.75). The also offer Baguettes, sandwiches and salads on quite an extensive menu for such a small Café. The menu is generally healthier than KFC around the corner (apart from the scrummy full English breakfast which is just perfect with a hangover and cheap at under a fiver!!!) which makes eating here a not so guilty pleasure!
If you aren’t peckish and just fancy sitting in the gorgeous, almost Parisian surroundings with a coffee they serve Lavazza which to me is just as tasty and less expensive than a Costa Coffee latte or Starbucks!
Bored? Go there now, sit on their high oak stall with the newspaper and sip on one of their homemade smoothies or ultra tasty milkshakes to pass the time away! Before you know it you will have forgotten you are even in Leeds!

Probably the best thing about North Lane, Lento is a gorgeous little café that specialises in coffee and sandwiches, but also provides those who need it with Full-​English platters and ‘butties’.
These fry-​up material is top notch — sourced from a local butcher rather than a wholesaler or supermarket, the bacon and sausages are miles better than what you usually get in these sort of small breakfast cafes. The Full-​English itself costs less than a fiver, not bad considering the high quality of ingredients and the size of it.
The breakfast baps provide less value for money, however, between two and three pound for a bacon sandwich is a little bit steep, regardless of the quality of bacon. They also often a vegetarian Full-​English which, as far as I’m concerned, misses the point, but exemplifies the consideration this place has for people and the planet.
Almost obsessed with ethics and morality, Café Lento serves plenty of fair-​trade food and drink, the best of which is the coffee. The lunch sandwiches are formed from similarly fresh ingredients, and there selection is eclectic to say the least — the peanut butter and apple sandwich is one you are unlikely to see anywhere else, but you’d have to be braver than me to try it (I’m more of a boring beef and mustard man).
Combined with its delicious menu, Lento has a relaxed atmosphere but is usually quite busy — yet its still perfect if you’re on your own and want to read the free papers or use the free Wifi. Highly recommended.

Café Lento is one of those places that seamlessly combine coffee culture with local community. It’s unassuming and inviting from the outside, with a couple of table and chairs outside for sunnier days, and modern but homely on the inside. With lots of exposed brick and coffee coloured walls it’s nice and clean and inviting without being intimidating. It sits in steep contrast to it’s surroundings, but that shouldn’t put anyone off from taking a step inside.
Coffee and food. Two of the simple things in life that are often beautiful leisure time indulgences that so so many people seem to get horribly wrong. I am happy to report that Café Lento is not one of them.
The coffee is fairtrade, this will be impressed upon you whilst you cogitate what to order, it’s all fairtrade. Lovely. But who’s is it and how does it taste. It’s Lavazza Tiera, not my particular favourite brand of coffee, but it packs a nice smooth punch so fair enough. They do well with what they have, and offer a good range of hot beverages, with large latte’s at £2.30 and Americano’s at the good price of £1.50, amongst others. Cold drinks for sunny days are also available, adding a shot of espresso to one of their milkshakes is a lovely way to waste some time over a good book outside.
If your belly is rumbling, then unlike Starbucks and Costa and Nero and all those others, Lento offers food beyond the panini, there’s soup and a roll, Greek salads, jacket potatoes, hot sarnies, cold sarnies, and the saving grace the full English breakfast. The only thing missing from the full English is a nice side of black pudding, but that could be my Mancunian routes shining through. £5.50 for juice, sausage, egg, bacon, beans, tomato, mushrooms, bread and butter, it’s definitely a feast worth the indulgence.