Victoria Leeds: Cut & Craft Triples in £1.5m Expansion

The York-born steakhouse has expanded into a former Paul Smith unit, part of more than £2.5m of reinvestment reshaping the Grade II-listed destination around food and drink

A Leeds steakhouse has more than tripled in size, expanding into a former luxury fashion store as food and drink take a bigger role in the city’s prime retail space. The Cut & Craft has completed a £1.5m expansion at Victoria Leeds, growing from 3,875 to 12,375 sq ft, and now seats 370 diners. The extra space, adds a cocktail bar, two private dining rooms and a stage for live music. It is the latest and largest slice of more than £2.5m invested in the destination this year.

Why This Matters For Leeds

For Leeds, this is a vote of confidence in the heart of the city. The Victorian arcades built for shopping are finding a vibrant second life around dining, drinks and live entertainment, giving people more reasons to stay in town into the evening and supporting hospitality jobs as they do. A regional restaurant group choosing to invest £1.5m in a single Leeds site, in one of its most historic buildings, speaks to the pull of the city centre.

The investment at Victoria Leeds

Alongside the extra covers, the redesign adds a bar area serving cocktails, champagne and small plates, plus two first-floor private dining rooms that can seat up to 40 or hold more than 100 standing. A dedicated ground-floor stage brings live music and late-evening entertainment on Thursdays and Sundays, pushing the venue beyond lunch and dinner into the evening economy.

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“The Cut & Craft wholeheartedly demonstrates the standard and quality we work to cultivate.”

— James Edmondson, Asset Manager, Redical

From Fashion Floor to Dining Destination

The Cut & Craft’s investment is the largest in a series of tenant and landlord reinvestments at Victoria Leeds this year, together worth more than £2.5m, as owner Redical continues to strengthen the destination’s food and drink offer. Across prime retail more widely, landlords have increasingly added dining, bars and live entertainment alongside shops to draw evening footfall. The Cut & Craft has grown steadily since it was founded in York in 2018, opening in Leeds in 2022 and in Manchester in 2025, and now welcomes guests across all three cities.