Three Cottages Meanwood review: I tried the spritz menu at this cafe bar in Leeds 'coolest' neighbourhood

The broadsheet newspaper, in its role as the arbiter of ‘cool’, declared in a recently published listicle that the Leeds suburb had beaten the likes of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and a historic harbour in Bristol to take one of the top spots.

Visting for the first time earlier this month, I fell in love with Meanwood’s independent spirit and its village-like charm, despite only being a couple of miles from the city centre.

One of my favourite spots was the Three Cottages Café, which is perched right on the periphery of the suburb’s flourishing green park.

The café and bar is a charming stone building with space to eat inside and a large outdoor seating area. I arrived on one of the first properly sunny days of the year and set up my laptop for a working lunch, enjoying the heat and lamenting the fact I had to work.

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It made the ‘Summer of Spritz’ menu, chalked onto a blackboard hanging from the venue’s floral veranda, straightforwardly irresistible.

And despite a catalogue of inventive cocktails on the list, I felt duty-bound to order an Aperol Spritz having spent most of this long and soggy spring craving a glass of the invigorating orange fizz.

By that measure, it delivered entirely. The tangy bitterness of Aperol followed by refreshing Prosecco and ice cold soda water – divine.

It took my mind off the reality that I was here with my laptop and had, in a moment, really ought to get back to work.

But not before getting another order in. Feeling energised by that restorative amber medicine, I opted for one of the creative spritz cocktails, the Caribbean Spiced Spritz.

It had the flavour of rum, with an aromatic taste and a large wedge of lime. This was almost as enlivening, but nothing beats an Aperol in this weather.

The cocktails were £8 each, which is the price I’d expect to pay for a good spritz. And the Three Cottages’ beautiful outdoor seating area presented the ideal space to enjoy them.

I’ll definitely be back – only next time I’ll be leaving the laptop at home.

Factfile

Address: Green Road, Meanwood, Leeds, LS6 4LE

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6m; Sat-Sun, 9am-6pm

Website: https://www.threecottagescafe.co.uk/

Scores

Drinks: 10/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Service: 8/10