Fika North— Headingley Leeds

‘Fika’ is a Swedish word meaning “a break from activity during which people drink coffee, eat cakes or other light snacks, and relax with others” (according to the dictionary). But why is there a cafe in Far Headingley with a Swedish name? Well, Gemma Williams’ best friend married a Swedish man and then moved to Stockholm – so when Gemma and Elis set up the cafe on Otley Road, this was a way of keeping in touch with her!

She and Elis opened Fika North five years ago, in April 2019 – and then just a year later, they had to close for Covid. But they re-opened as a take-away, and were so successful as a point of contact in a time of isolation. People alone or working-from-home would queue around the corner – as far as Moor Road – and pause to chat. Some positives came out of that dreadful era. The take-away still runs alongside the cafe. Gemma says, “We feel we’ve created a community here.”

Gemma and Elis met when they were younger in Wales but only got together years later in Leeds, in 2009, when they met in Hyde Park. They've been married for 10 years. Elis studied Fine Art at Leeds Met University, while Gemma trained as a designer in Huddersfield. She worked in many branches of design, including product design for M&S, and interior design.

But she and Elis wanted to work for ourselves, together. They really do work very much as a team. And they wanted to work for a community. So they found the premises for Fika North on Otley Road, and they’ve found it so rewarding since – people who come into a cafe are in a good humour, looking for a treat and a pleasant time. Customers here are very diverse, parents and kids, academics and students, sportspeople from Beckett Park. “Athletes like caffeine!” says Gemma.

Quality is Fika North’s watchword. The coffee isn’t cheap – but it’s good, always from single origin, roasted in Shipley, served by qualified baristas. And the patisserie is quality too, from Laynes Bakery in Armley, fresh every morning, before opening at 8am. Their aim is always to sell out, enabling them always to sell the freshest products!

Visit Fika North, and enjoy coffee and cake with friends!