Nesso, Leeds: I had brunch, afternoon tea, and drinks for two at a new upmarket restaurant for under £50

I stumbled on Nesso the other evening. I had been rushing through Leeds as the sun set when I spotted Nesso and its cascading windows and open door.

It intrigued me. I couldn’t work out whether it was a co-working space, a restaurant, or a stylish furniture shop.

When I got home, I searched it out on Instagram. This recapped my memory that I’d seen a smaller version of this venue opposite Morley Town Hall.

Nesso is an Italian brunch, afternoon tea, and wine bar serving up French toast, pancakes, meatballs, open sandwiches, and a range of freshly baked sweets, including cannoli and tiramisu.

We booked a table for the afternoon, not knowing whether we’d fancy an all-day brunch or a treat such as afternoon tea. As I was visiting Nesso with my teen daughter and toddler daughter during a day out in Leeds, I was unsure what they’d fancy.

Fortunately, when we arrived, Nesso was spacious with ample room to manoeuvre a buggy.

The cafe feels stylish yet cosy, combining Japanese minimalist interior design with the coziness of Scandi “Hygge” design.

We sat by the window and immediately spotted groups of people devouring afternoon tea and drinks. It’s not your traditional afternoon tea place - far from it.

Rather than drinking cups of tea in fine china, people were sipping colourful matcha lattes in glasses, as well as coffees and Prosecco.

The menu features a wide array of dishes including French toast with Biscoff and an ice cream cone, Italian meatballs, ham benedict, and bacon pancakes.

We were torn about what to have until we saw the Nesso brunch afternoon tea option.

For £44.50 for two people, you get afternoon tea, a glass of Prosecco each, tea or coffee, and either a focaccia pizza or two brunch dishes plus an ice cream cone dessert.

With our afternoon tea, we chose two brunch options, including the baked falafel and the Italian pesto and mozzarella crostini. Instead of prosecco, my eldest daughter got a very berry smoothie, and I ordered an ube latte. Ube is a purple yam.

I’ll be honest, I chose it because of the colour, and it sounded more appealing than a beetroot latte. The sweetened ube, combined with hot frothy milk served as a latte, was incredible.

The afternoon tea arrived on a three-tier stand with vanilla cupcakes and a selection of cannoli at the top and homemade scones with a pot of jam and a pot of cream underneath.

I’m not a fan of cupcakes, but having lived in Italy, I enjoyed the mini selection of cannoli. The scones were delicious and moreish..

Then our two brunch dishes arrived. My daughter finished off her sourdough layered with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella. I loved my falafel, which came in a large tapas-style dish baked with a spicy tomato sauce and topped with hummus. The vegan falafel was served with a gluten-free pitta.

I finished my falafel dish first before attempting to eat any more afternoon tea. They also offered us a cone of ice cream as part of the afternoon tea, but we had to ask for doggy bags as we were so full.

Rather than being purely a cosy co-working hotspot, Nesso felt ideal for families by day who want a bite to eat from an independent cafe during the day or for more mature adults who fancy relaxing in a wine bar environment after hours.

More importantly, for me, it was a lovely treat of an afternoon without breaking the bank or feeling too formal. It is incredible value for money considering its location.