A brand new independent for Leeds is poised to fill the empty unit which was Munro House’s Ipsum Vinoteca, on the edge of Quarry Hill, in the former Arts Quarter of the City. Sarto aims to open this Autumn and is the brainchild from two of Leeds’ legendary indies, Laynes Espresso and The Brunswick.
So-called because of the building’s history in clothmaking (used by Coss & Morris manufacturers, Hirst & Thackray raincoat makers and Frazer Brothers clothing through the first part of the 20th century), ‘sarto’ is the Italian for ‘tailor’.
The lease has been signed, and we can reveal that the owners of successful Leeds venues The Brunswick and Laynes Espresso have taken the keys together, and are planning a unique concept for the venue – the best homemade pasta.
With these two success stories at the helm of this now-vacant unit, the Quarry Hill area will see another welcome addition to the indie food and dining scene, alongside Munro House’s Cafe 164 and Colours May Vary, as it faces a £300 million redevelopment.
A ‘Tailor’-made Experience
Work is very much underway on the unit, but it will be a few weeks before Sarto comes to fruition. The team behind Sarto this week announce exclusive preview nights at Laynes, as they also launch a Kickstarter project to bring in some much-needed funding to provide the final touches SARTO needs.
They need £15,000 to get SARTO over the finish line.
That’s why the SARTO team have this week announced their crowdfunding efforts, in tandem with an exclusive pop-up of SARTO due to take place in Laynes Espresso.
SARTO exclusive Pop-Up
SARTO will be showcasing a taste of their new venture at Laynes Espresso, on 30th & 31st August, 6th & 7th September and 13th & 14th September.
Alongside starters like truffle arancini and desserts like the classic Italian Tiramisu, the team will be serving up amazing pasta mains such as: tagliatelle with lamb shoulder ragu, ricotta & mint, and Pici with pangrattato, summer squash purée & sage.
With sittings at 7pm and 8pm (but only 15 tickets available for each), demand is set to outstrip availability. Tickets are available here – https://sartoatlaynes.eventgenius.co.uk/
Kickstarter Campaign
In return for a Kickstarter donation, SARTO are offering up a range of exclusive merch and experiences to their donors- from an exclusive tshirt to a pasta making course with the Head Chef, and even an all expenses paid trip to Rome with the team for the biggest donations!
To see the range of exclusive experiences and merch, and to donate to get SARTO over the finish line, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sartopasta/sarto-pasta
SARTO Owner & Co-Founder, Dave Olejnik:
“The idea for SARTO grew out of a conversation we had, where we realised we were thinking the same thing as The Brunswick guys. So we decided to join forces to help create the best thing we could!
We were under no illusions that a new venture would be pricey, but this joint project needs your investment – to take the finish up a level, and make sure SARTO ends up being not just good but great.”
SARTO Owner & Co-Founder, Matty Wall:
“It’s been over 4 years since we started development on The Brunswick, so working with Laynes’ Dave Olejnik on this new challenge has been so rewarding. It’s great to see how we as a team have evolved since then, and since the start of this new project. More information to come in the following weeks!”