Mrs Atha's: Inside the longstanding city centre coffee shop hailed as one of the best cafes in Leeds
The manager at a longstanding Leeds cafe named one of the city’s best has said the support the business has received over the years has been an “honour”.
Mrs Atha’s opened in Central Road, Leeds city centre, 12 years ago by owner Warren Jones, who named the business after his grandmother.
The people of Leeds, on a number of occasions, have lauded it as the best cafe in the city and there’s no doubt that this reputation precedes it.
In fact, it was its very reputation that led current manager Danny Lewis to Mrs Atha’s nine years ago.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Danny, who worked as a barista in Harrogate prior to joining Mrs Atha’s, said: “It was a bit of a goal to always work in a coffee shop that was more local to me.
“At the time I lived in Leeds and I was travelling out to Harrogate, and I thought there's only one or two places that I would like to go and work - this was one of them.
“They had a job opening, I applied, and that was it. I just wanted to work somewhere that had a good reputation because I knew I wanted to learn more.”
And to have maintained that title over the last 12 years feels “damn good,” Danny said.
He said: “Back in the day, there weren't many alternatives. And I think Mrs Atha’s was one of the earlier entries into specialty coffee.
“Now, there's new places cropping up constantly that are able to essentially just slot themselves in because of the groundwork that these earlier coffee shops have done in approaching that culture in Leeds.
“For us to be considered amongst the original ones and still be highly regarded now is just lovely. We're obviously doing something right.
“The focus for us has never been about trying to make as much money as we possibly can. Anyone who wants to make money isn't going to open a coffee shop.”
Mrs Atha’s offers the highest grade of coffee sourced from independent speciality roasters, tea from a leading tea merchant in the UK and three different types of hot chocolate.
Customers can also enjoy a range of sweet treats and baked goods at Mrs Atha’s, which are from a range of local patisseries and bakeries and cater to different tastes and dietary requirements.
The cafe also offers a stripped back food menu. Danny explained: “A lot of places do really fancy food and that's brilliant.
“But sometimes you just want a bacon sandwich, and they don't do it. So we do all of the standard offering that you'd expect but, again, with the aim and focus on the provenance
“We source meat from really highly regarded butchers, really good sausage, really good bacon, chicken and all of that just bleeds into it.
“So you can come in and get crumpets and a teacake or a bacon sandwich, but you can also have overnight oats.”
Despite the difficult times for businesses and customers alike, support from the people of Leeds and beyond has been unwavering and there are many loyal customers who Danny and his team would call friends and family.
“Coming out of lockdown, the support that we had from those very same people and also just people who were newer was just amazing,” Danny said.
“We really had no idea how things were going to look and things were definitely different and we definitely took a hit with the amount of people now working from home, but to still be able to open and to be able to provide a cool and fun space for everyone has just been lovely.”
Earlier this year, the coffee shop released a statement regarding the ongoing construction on Briggate, which has been impacting trade since work transforming the former House of Fraser flagship store into a 10-storey block of student flats got underway in 2023.
The response the business received for its honesty was overwhelming.
“We've had a lot of support again from that core group of regulars, and we've had a lot of people coming in kind of specifically because they've seen that it has been an issue and they've seen that struggle,” Danny said.
“So many of them are just coming in and saying, ‘look, we need to support you, because if we don't use you, we're gonna lose you’ and this is from people we’ve never met. That's quite an honour as well.”
Passion for coffee and customer service aside, Danny said the best part about working at Mrs Atha’s is the team dynamic and seeing enthusiastic team members grow and lead up their own respective teams has been “mind-blowing”.
He said: “It's quite a small place, and the area behind the bar is very tight knit and closed in.
“As a result, you're working in close proximity with people for a long time. Some of my tightest friendships have been from various people that I've worked with across the years, some people who've moved on too. To call some of them my friends is definitely the best bit.
“The amount of staff that we've had who have worked at Mrs Atha’s and then gone on to do their own things is mindblowing.
“We've had one of the original members of staff move to Berlin and has now kind of worked himself up to be a green coffee buyer for one of the most reputable Berlin-based coffee roasters, which is just incredible. Another guy has opened up a couple of coffee shops down [south] and he's absolutely killed it.”
Mrs Atha’s has definitely stood the test of time, becoming a staple in Leeds for coffee and cake lovers.
And while the business may take each day as it comes, Danny said that owner Warren is keen to keep his late grandmother’s name above the door.
Branching out, Mrs Atha’s is now offering the venue for hire. Customers can enjoy personal events, photoshoots and more at the cafe. Find out more about Mrs Atha’s via the official social media channels.