Aws Caffe – Roundhay Road

Kissra is the centrepiece. This thin, fermented sorghum flatbread — a cornerstone of Sudanese cuisine — arrives alongside rich, aromatic stews known as mulah. The Kissra with Okra pairs the flatbread’s slightly sour tang with a thick, slow-cooked vegetable stew for a deeply savoury combination. Kissra with Khudra offers a lighter, vegetable-based alternative, while Kissra with Um Regiga brings a thinner, concentrated meat sauce. Each version builds on the same foundation — the fermented dough that defines Sudanese home cooking.

The all-day breakfast menu opens with Fuul Musalah. Spiced fava beans arrive as a hearty, protein-rich bowl — a step beyond the plain Fuul, with a warming spice blend that lifts an already essential Sudanese breakfast staple. Scooped up with rounds of baladi flatbread, it sustains from mid-morning through to evening.

Shayaa Laham delivers half a kilo of grilled lamb. It is the most substantial dish on the menu and the one to order when you arrive hungry — simply prepared, letting the char and rendered fat carry the flavour.

The Falafel Wrap Sandwich tucks crisp falafel into flatbread for a quick, lighter option.

A short desserts section covers Kunafa, Baklava, and Qattaif — traditional North African and Middle Eastern sweets sold by the piece, ideal for finishing a meal or taking away. Several dishes suit vegetarian diets — the Fuul, Falafel, and vegetable Kissra among them — though no explicit dietary labelling appears on the menu.

Fresh Juice

Karkadi steals the show. This deep-red hibiscus juice is a Sudanese staple — sharp, floral, and served ice-cold from glass carafes lined up on the counter. The juice bar stretches to ten varieties, from mango and pineapple to a thick avocado blended with milk. A rotating Friday Special rounds out the selection.

Coffee & Tea

A full espresso menu covers cappuccino, latte, macchiato, and a straightforward black coffee. Red tea rounds out the hot drinks at the other end of the counter.

No Alcohol

Aws Caffe is entirely alcohol-free. Canned soft drinks sit alongside the fresh juices for those after something simple.

The space announces itself through the counter. A curved glass display case with a black metal frame runs across the front — food trays stacked on one side, rows of brightly coloured canned drinks on the other. Behind it, a dark laminate countertop leads to a stainless steel espresso machine, white disposable cups stacked beside it, and open black shelving loaded with supplies. A red-bordered menu board on the white wall is the only visual feature in the room — food photos along the top, full price list below.

That is it for decoration. The walls are bare white plaster, unadorned. No artwork, no branding, no plants, no feature lighting. A flat LED panel overhead casts bright, even light across everything — functional, clinical, and deliberate in its refusal to set a mood.

The seating area follows the same logic. Tables and chairs fill the room in a straightforward arrangement suited to solo diners and small groups stopping in for a quick meal. There is no attempt to create zones, no soft furnishing, no visual distinction between one seat and the next. Dogs are welcome outside, and the cafe accepts card and contactless payments.

This is not an oversight. Aws Caffe’s identity lives entirely in its menu and its community — the Arabic text on the wall-mounted board, the carafes of karkadi glowing red on the counter, the smell of fermented flatbread from the kitchen. For the Harehills community it serves, the bare walls and bright lights are not a lack of atmosphere. They are the atmosphere — a community canteen where the food is the point.

Roundhay Road is one of Leeds’ main arterial roads, running northeast from Harehills through to Oakwood and Roundhay. Aws Caffe sits at number 134, in the Harehills stretch — a densely populated inner-city area with a large East African and South Asian community that gives this part of the road its distinctive character. The cafe joins a growing corridor of independent food businesses reflecting the neighbourhood’s cultural diversity, from Eritrean restaurants to Indian sweet shops. Dine in, take away, or order for delivery. A toilet is available on site.

Monday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Roundhay Road runs northeast from Harehills into Oakwood and Roundhay, and the stretch is becoming one of the most culturally diverse food corridors in Leeds. Heading further up the road towards Oakwood, a growing cluster of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean restaurants and cafes reflect the communities along the route — from Syrian and Eritrean cooking to Indian sweet shops and Greek street food. The variety alone makes Roundhay Road worth a dedicated food crawl.

For a change of pace after your meal, Roundhay Park is a short bus ride or drive away. One of the largest city parks in Europe, its 700 acres of parkland, lakes, and formal gardens make for an expansive post-meal walk. The canal gardens and upper lake are the highlights, and Tropical World — a conservatory housing tropical plants, butterflies, and meerkats — sits at the park’s Princes Avenue entrance.

Heading in the other direction, the Harehills Lane junction connects through to Chapel Allerton, another Leeds neighbourhood with a strong independent food and drink scene worth exploring on the same trip.