Chatang Opens at Merrion Centre Leeds with Custom Bubble Tea and Malatang

Chatang Leeds brings handcrafted bubble tea and build-your-own malatang hot pot to Woodhouse Lane as the scheme strengthens its food and drink offer

A new East Asian food and drink concept has opened at the Chatang Merrion Centre Leeds on Woodhouse Lane, bringing custom bubble tea and malatang hot pot to the Arena Quarter. Chatang officially launches with a grand opening on Friday 8 May, offering a buy-one-get-one-free promotion for three days across its drinks menu. The concept is primarily grab-and-go, with a menu of made-to-order milk teas, fruit-infused teas, matcha creations, and iced blends, all fully customisable for sweetness, ice levels, and toppings.

Why This Matters For Leeds

The Merrion Centre has been steadily diversifying its food and drink offer beyond the traditional shopping centre mix, and Chatang adds something genuinely different to the Arena Quarter. Bubble tea has moved from niche to mainstream across UK city centres, and malatang is following a similar path. For Town Centre Securities, which owns and manages the Merrion Centre from its Leeds base, the arrival of independent food concepts like Chatang is part of a strategy to keep footfall growing.

What Chatang Merrion Centre Leeds Offers

The drinks menu is the core of the concept. Everything is made to order using premium ingredients, with customers choosing their base, milk tea, fruit tea, matcha, or iced blend, then adjusting sweetness, ice, and toppings. The food side is malatang, a Chinese street food format where customers pick their own ingredients from a fresh selection and have them cooked in a rich broth or served as a dry mix. Owner Vincent Deng said the concept is designed to feel modern and personal, with everything fresh and customisable. The grand opening promotion runs from Friday 8 May: buy any drink and receive a free regular drink from a selected range including Snow Jasmine Green Tea Latte, Mango Fruit Tea, or Passion Fruit Tea. The first 100 customers also get a complimentary fridge magnet.

The Leeds Business Briefing

Every deal, development, and decision shaping Leeds this week — in one email.

“”We’re proud to bring Chatang to Leeds and introduce a concept that’s all about flavour, choice and experience. We wanted to create a place where people can enjoy authentic drinks and dishes in a way that feels modern and personal to them.””

— Vincent Deng, Owner, Chatang

Merrion Centre’s Growing Food Scene

Lynsey Clarke, asset manager at Town Centre Securities, said Chatang enhances the Merrion Centre’s food and beverage offer and fits the evolving Leeds city centre dining scene. The Chatang Merrion Centre Leeds opening is the latest addition to a 1 million sq ft mixed-use scheme in the Arena Quarter, originally built in 1964 and still owned and managed by Leeds-based property company Town Centre Securities. Its position next to the First Direct Arena and between the city’s business and student districts gives it a natural audience for grab-and-go food concepts. With almost 9 million internal visitors in 2025, the centre continues to attract new operators looking for footfall in a city centre location.