Marco’s New York Italian is part of the new developments that have taken shape since the First Direct Arena strode into town and helped to rejuvenate the area of town near the Merrion Centre. We had the chance to visit Marco’s New York Italian on the day they were hosting a Pup Themed Party before a Paw Patrol event at the arena.

It is easy to look at a chain restaurant and be judgmental, especially when there’s a celebrity chef’s name attached to it, but we felt that our two-year-old would love this event, and we’re always up for trying a new family-friendly option in town.

With a range of kids’ dishes (all priced at £3.95 for one dish, £5.95 for two courses and £7.50 for a full three course meal) on offer, the prices are really reasonable for little ones and it’s easy for kids to find something they like. Kids can even create their own burgers or pizzas. Our little girl opted for a more traditional meal: spag bol.

For adults at Marco’s, there are salads, pizzas, burgers, and of course pasta dishes and the dishes are again relatively reasonably priced, especially if you opt for the express lunch menu.

While the food I sampled was certainly nice enough and our little one got the standard spagetti face through her enjoyment of her meal, the real highlight that made this a great occasion for our little lady wasn’t the food but instead the chance to meet two of the Paw Patrol characters and to high five them and generally give them a huge amount of love and attention!

The characters stuck around for a fair while and were happy to be photographed; full credit has to go to the Marco’s team for organising this as a way for families to get into the mood of Paw Patrol before the event, or in our case meet the characters without going to the event (as our little lady is still a bit too young to attend an event at the arena).

From what we’ve heard, there may be more events like this in the future, so keep an eye out at Marco’s New York Italian – it could well be the place to start your family fun in Leeds.