The Smithfield revives a much-loved corner of North Street in Leeds

For more than two decades, the Reliance on North Street was a favourite with Leeds drinkers and diners. When it closed in 2023, many hoped the building would one day be brought back to life. In April 2026 that wish came true with the opening of The Smithfield.

The new venue is a collaboration between chef James Donovan and York's Crooked Brewing. The brewery spotted that the old Reliance building was empty and invited Donovan to help revive it, and the pair have set out to create a worthy successor to the much-loved original.

Donovan has said that, for him, it always starts with the Reliance. The aim is a warm and welcoming community pub with a dining room serving simple, good-quality, elevated comfort food, the kind of place where people can drop in for a drink as easily as they can settle in for a meal.

The menu is built around seasonal Yorkshire produce, with dishes designed for sharing. It is an approach that suits the building, which sits at 76-78 North Street on the edge of the city centre, close enough to town for an easy stroll yet with the feel of a neighbourhood local.

The site had a short-lived spell as another venue before The Smithfield arrived, so its return as a proper pub has been warmly received by those who remember the Reliance in its heyday.

Recognition has come quickly. In September 2026 The Smithfield was added to the Michelin Guide, one of two Leeds-area restaurants to join the guide that month. The team described the recognition as a real honour and one they do not take for granted.

It is a lovely example of a Leeds institution being reimagined rather than replaced, with a local brewery and a local chef working together to give an old favourite a second chapter.

The Smithfield is at 76-78 North Street, Leeds, LS2 7PN. It is closed on Mondays, so check the pub's own channels before visiting, and booking ahead for the dining room is a good idea now that word has spread.