Best restaurants in Leeds

Tables and chairs are set on a lawn with strings of lightbulbs hanging overhead

For more exciting restaurants and weekend ideas for food lovers, check out our best UK city breaks. For more regional dining recommendations, discover the best restaurants in Manchester, best restaurants in York, best restaurants in Newcastle and best restaurants in the Lake District.

Best places to eat and drink in Leeds

Bavette – for a French bistro

In little over a year, this new wave French bistro has established itself in the affections of handsome Horsforth, a town-slash-suburb just north of Leeds, and won wider regional and national acclaim. Chef Sandy Jarvis executes the classics in style (onion soup, cassoulet, shellfish bisque, crème brûlée), while manager and sommelier Clément Cousin pours interesting low-intervention wines, including some made by his family in the Loire Valley. Bavette is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant we would all want on our doorstep. bavettebistro.com

Eat Your Greens – for veg-forward small plates

Fundamentally, a bar-restaurant serving tasty veg-forward plates, natural wine and A1 craft beers, this hip, friendly space is also part provisions store, a platform for local DJ talent and hosts various foodie events. It’s a busy fulcrum of good things, basically. A keen focus on seasonal, local and organic produce underpins a menu of sharing plates that might range from smashed potatoes with umami chilli salt and garlic aioli or beetroot, pickled red onions, confit garlic ricotta and beetroot tahini, to osso bucco with creamy polenta and a rich bone marrow, tomato and red wine gravy. Last year, EYG opened a stand-alone shop and café, Greens Grocers, also in central Leeds. This summer, it will run one-off events in its riverside outdoor space, including a Greens & Friends barbecue series. eatyourgreensleeds.co.uk

The Swine Bistro – for comforting dishes

Cult fave, The Swine That Dines, will relaunch in two new forms this spring. Its city-centre site, now called Here Comes The Bun, will serve the Swine’s sensational hot sandwiches and US-inspired desserts, while its new intimate restaurant, the Swine Bistro, will open in suburban Headingley. Expect crisply executed, comforting dishes from exec chef and co-owner Stu Myers, such as sea trout, clams and borlotti; braised rabbit with Dijon mustard sauce, crispy bacon and broad beans; or homemade venison and red wine sausages, pickled pear, salsa verde and puy lentils. Award-winning roast dinner expert, Kirsty Cheetham, has been appointed head chef at the Swine, so look out for its planned Sunday lunch services. @theswinebistro

The Empire Café – for an all-dayer

Tucked down a ginnel in the city-centre, this compact all-dayer has gained a huge rep for its breakfasts, rotisserie chicken, creative, seasonal sharing plates and good cocktails. Said chickens, served with chicken schmaltz potatoes, rotate in an open rotisserie which helps them self-baste in their juices. Diners then add a flavoured “lather” (say, smoked garlic and hot honey or Kashmiri butter), and a crumb. Wider dishes are eclectic and exciting, from bacon-fat glazed ribs to, for example, a reblochon nata with chestnut purée or barbecued venison vindaloo. The Empire team is about to open a second venue, a pub, The Highland Laddie, out in the inner ‘burbs of Burley. empirecafeleeds.co.uk

Chef Jono at V&V – for date night

Comprising just eight tables, Jonathan Hawthorne’s intimate, tasting menu restaurant is date night gold. The chatty staff encourage a relaxed atmosphere, as the open kitchen dispatches dishes such as bone marrow crème brûlée, chilli lobster and crab bisque with passion fruit, or mushroom tiramisu. With its porcini sponge, white chocolate and shiitake ganache and coffee and cep caramel, the latter is, says Jono: “A very modern take on a classic.” chefjonoatvandv.co.uk

Sarto – for fresh pasta

Foodies from two local independents, Layne’s Espresso and The Brunswick, teamed up to open a fresh pasta-focussed spot in central Leeds. A speckled quartz counter takes centre stage in the bright, canteen-style restaurant. Hop onto a stool and peer over hunks of parmesan, jars of gobstopper-sized olives and freshly baked sourdough loaves to watch head chef Ian Chapman, aka Yanni, and his team whip up plates of handmade pasta.

Mushroom marsala was the highlight on our visit – springy trompette, chestnut and baby oyster varieties tossed with marsala cream through folds of fettuccine. Or try Yanni’s unusual slow-cooker lamb rigatoni with chopped mint covered in nutty Sheep Rustler cheese. Bookend your pasta with a pumpkin, sage and Cornish cheddar arancini to start, and a portion of creamy tiramisu for dessert.

Beer drinkers have a choice between European stalwarts Birra Moretti and Amstel, or try the local North Brewing Co Triple Fruited Gose Sour. Negronis are short and punchy, just as they should be, and there’s a succinct Italian wine list heavily weighted towards Venetian and Sicilian varieties. sartopasta.uk

Sarto Pasta Leeds Interiors including bright walls and wooden long tables

North Star Coffee Shop & General Store, Leeds Dock – best coffee shop in Leeds

This calm, contemporary glass-fronted space at Leeds Dock (also pictured above) is a hangout for local chefs and business owners on their days off. Gather with friends around one of the large wooden tables or nestle into a cosy nook to enjoy a moment of peace with your coffee.

North Star has travelled the globe to find the best beans in the business, and it rotates its offer of not one, but two contrasting single origin espressos to ensure they satisfy varying taste buds. Baristas use geeky coffee equipment to bring out the best of the beans – delicate Ethipioan coffee is dripped through a Kalita filter and served in a glass carafe, and the toffee notes of the Colombian batch brew is blasted out of a huge jet on the counter. There’s even a tap that provides water in three different temperatures to let loose-leaf Storm teas shine.

The adjoining roastery is a constant flurry of activity, with the state-of-the-art coffee roaster turning away and sacks ready to be filled with the day’s beans and carted off to coffee shops and restaurants across Yorkshire. northstarroast.com

Nova Bakehouse – from sourdough loaves to pizza by the slice

Down on Leeds Dock by the River Aire, Sarah Lemanski and Hannah Mather’s bakery draws a crowd for everything from its sourdough loaves to Saturday’s pizza slice options, such as fennel salami with fermented hot honey. There is a bench on which you can perch, nibble and watch the open-plan bakery at work. Alternatively, potter with your cinnamon-dusted madeleines, knock-out salted caramel brownie or, that Nova classic, the morning cake. Nova’s take on a light, US-style soured cream coffee cake, the morning cake features a tonka bean infused layer of cocoa powder and an almond crumble top, memorably stencil dusted with icing sugar sunrays. novabakehouse.com

Bread with sunrise in flour at Nova Bakehouse

Owl, Mustard Wharf

Liz Cottam’s market restaurant upped sticks from Kirkgate Market to a new waterfront spot, Lockside, in 2022. With double the space, there is more opportunity for Liz and her team to get creative with the modern British menu, that includes Scottish salmon with sea buckthorn, North Yorkshire red deer and Granny Smith apple tart. There’s a chef’s table experience as well as a more casual bar and canalside terrace for walk-ins. theowlleeds.co.uk

The interior at Leeds restaurant Owl, featuring sleek grey tables and chairs and overhead wood lamp shades

Wen’s, North Street – for Chinese food

This family-run Chinese restaurant is owned by the Wen family, with Yorkshire-Chinese lad Chao on front of house while his parents make everything from scratch in the kitchen downstairs (the sound of a doorbell lets the restaurant know that dishes are ready). Dough is pulled with a machine brought over from China to make noodles, and then stir-fried with steak strips, large spring onions grown in the garden and soy sauce. Chao greets guests with the tea of the day constantly brewing on a little stove behind the trinket-lined counter (we tried Chinese pu-erh). Authentic Chinese and Szechuan dishes include pan-fried whole sea bass topped with chilli mince pork, sweet, spicy kung pao chicken with crunchy peanuts and plenty of lip-smacking Szechuan peppercorns, and fried rice studded with pieces of Chinese sausage and seasonal vegetables. @wensrestaurantleeds

North Brewing Co. Leeds City Tap, Sovereign Square – for Yorkshire beers

Try unique ales and bitters in North Brewing Co’s city-centre taproom. House headliners include award-winning Transmission IPA and crisp American pale ale Sputnik, along with tropical session brew Sea of Kindness. Peruse collaborations such as a grapefruit sour with Square Root, and the Buxton Brewery’s dark, malty Smoked Imperial Stout (also reduced into a syrup to make a smoky old fashioned), or choose from a fridge of guest beers in colourful cans.

If you’re peckish, order pillowy-soft bao buns or braised beef donburi bowls from Little Bao Boy’s hatch beside the bar. northbrewing.com

Laynes Espresso – best brunch in Leeds

Originally a small espresso bar, Laynes Espresso now offers an earthy space to relax in with tiled floors, exposed brick and plenty of dark wood.

This trendy coffee shop showcases blends from roasters around the world, as well as the best from London and even the city’s own roaster, North Star (see above). Learn the tricks of the barista trade at one of its on-site workshops, grab an espresso on your way to the station down the round, or sit in and savour the smooth texture of one of the best flat whites in the country.

The all-day food menu includes local classics such as Yorkshire rarebit with Henderson’s relish on caraway-seeded rye toast, and a decadent home-baked ham hock and Doreen black pudding hash.

Take time over one of the exotic dishes on the brunch menu, from shakshuka with dukkah and harissa butter, to sweetcorn fritters with halloumi, chimichurri, poached eggs and pickled chilli. In-house baked goods are to die for – cinnamon rolls, cardamom and almond cake, and coffee cake made with the house espresso – while additional treats from local baking company, Noisette Bakehouse (more info above), plumps up the sweet treat offering with salted caramel brownies and rye flour cookies. <laynesespresso.co.uk

Poco – for Sicilian street food

Created by Elvi Drizi, who also runs popular Leeds restaurant Culto, Poco is a small restaurant serving Sicilian street food. In Italian, ‘poco’ means ‘a little bit’ and that is exactly what the restaurant on Kirkstall Road offers, with delicious small bites including authentically Sicilian pizza al taglio served by the slice from large rectangular trays. All the chefs come from Sicily and they only use authentic recipes and Italian produce in their cooking. facebook.com/pocosicilian

A person holding a board topped with a slice of pizza

Bundobust – for Indian street food and craft beer

This innovative restaurant and bar combines vegetarian Indian street food with a huge range of craft ales. A bustling place where food is served in disposable bowls with biodegradable cutlery, it offers a casual dining experience with small plates and low prices.

With no curry option, or meat, Bundobust is a world away from old-school curry houses, but dishes such as vada pav (a fried spicy mashed potato ball served in a brioche bun) and bundo chaat (a samosa of pastry, turmeric noodles, yogurt and tamarind chutney) have gained cult status. Try the onion bhajis: aromatic with garam masala and ajwain, filled with lush onion and cauliflower, the batter lifted by threads of spinach.

On the drinks front, this bar provides a platform for independent brewers such as Kirkstall Brewery and Northern Monk, and offers limited edition ales and collaborations. Its menu is succinct, tempting and all-vegetarian, from spicy nuts to massala dosa, a mini crêpe with potato and onion dry fry, lentil soup and coconut chutney. bundobust.com

Zucco – for Italian food

Nonna’s polpette and spaghetti; rabbit, pancetta, white wine and potatoes; and almond and raspberry polenta cake – these are just three reasons why locals flock to Zucco, tucked away in one of the leafier suburbs of Leeds. Run by brothers Rosario and Michael Leggiero, it’s a cool and contemporary place with black and white floor tiles, white subway wall tiles and a beaten tin ceiling.

And if that look sounds slightly familiar to fans of a certain well-known chain, then it won’t come as too much of a surprise that Michael was manager at Polpo’s short-lived restaurant at Leeds Harvey Nichols. Click here to read about more of our favourite Italian restaurants in the UK. zucco.co.uk

Friends of Ham – for Spanish tapas

Pop in to Yorkshire beer, wine and charcuterie specialist, Friends of Ham, for sharing platters and small plates. Choose from the extensive charcuterie list – (here's how to make your own) – we tried Barbaresco salami from Piedmont, prosciutto from Parma, and popular British bath chaps, made from the pig’s cheek. Small dishes include spicy 'nduja on sourdough toast with cornichons, traditional Spanish anchovies, and ham hock and black pudding terrine.

Wines are curated with the utmost care. Take the Renata Pizzulin Clagnis as an example, a subtly spiced, fruity Italian red wine made by a couple as a weekend project in the northeastern Friuli region of Italy. This is what we loved most about Friends of Ham, the care and attention in sourcing the best of the best and serving it unpretentiously in a warm and friendly environment. friendsofham.com

Ox Club, The Headrow – for modern British food

There’s a lot to like about Ox Club, a modern British restaurant in Headrow House, a former textile mill built in the early 1900s. It feels and looks great: warm lighting, cool rustic-industrial design. The staff are bright, its craft beer list is unusually interesting and the pricing is keen.

The focal point is the Grillworks grill imported from Michigan – it’s used to cook everything from hanger steak to guinea fowl, hake and razor clams. Expect delicate accompaniments such as buttermilk polenta with tea and molasses brine; creamed flageolet beans with bacon jam; or Jerusalem artichoke with mushrooms and ymerdrys (a Danish sugared rye bread crumb).

Although vegetarian options are limited, the side dishes are all innovative and vegetable-based: try brussels sprouts with bacon and cured egg yolk, coal-roasted beetroot with muscovado walnuts, or kale with chard, cider and golden raisins. oxclub.co.uk