Meanwood Tavern: Leeds pub announces Oakwood's Pizza Loco will take over its kitchen

The Leeds pub, operated by Whitelock’s Ale House, opened in September last year in the former East of Arcadia building. The pub has hosted Well Oiled Detroit Style Pizza as its first kitchen resident for the last 12 months.

The pub has now announced that Oakwood pizzeria Pizza Loco will take over its kitchen next month, as Well Oiled’s residency comes to an end.

Pizza Loco was founded in 2014 by pioneering pizza chef Ollie Reynolds, and has earned a reputation as one of Leeds’ best pizza joints - earning a 4.8* ranking on Google and winning the Sustainability Award at the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Oliver Awards 2023.

It serves classic 12” Neapolitan pizzas with a contemporary twist, alongside Panuozzi - its legendary pizza-dough sandwiches. Diners can expect soft, light and airy crusts with generous toppings and an emphasis on sustainable British ingredients, including Wildfarmed UK-grown and milled organic flour, Yorkshire-grown organic tomatoes and British charcuterie.

Ollie said: “We love traditional Italian pizza, and we also love to experiment - our pizzas aren’t just about what the Neapolitan ‘rules’ stipulate.”

The Well Oiled residency will come to an end on Sunday September 3, and Ollie and his team will takeover the Meanwood Tavern kitchen on Thursday September 7. The Meanwood Tavern currently opens at 4pm on weekdays, but there are plans to open earlier in the week to serve Pizza Loco’s Panuozzi pizza-dough butties at lunchtime.

The managing director of Whitelock’s and the Meanwood Tavern, Ed Mason, said: “We have loved working with the Well Oiled team the past twelve months and wish them all the best.

"It’s been an exciting journey and their pizza is amazing - and with Pizza Loco, we’re pleased to have found someone with the same attention to detail and commitment to quality.

“We love Ollie’s pizzas - Pizza Loco is one of the best pizza restaurants in the region, and when Ollie told us he wanted to join us at The Meanwood Tavern we jumped at the opportunity. Ollie’s passion, and ethos of supporting local indie food suppliers matches our own.”