Creative, unusual and inspiring – there’s nothing quite like a tasting menu, and Leeds is home to some of the best.
Put down the a la carte menu and leave the decisions to the chefs – it’s time to check out the best tasting menus in Leeds. From multi-course Michelin magic to a high-end Indian affair, we’ve eaten our way through the city’s best multi-course experiences, serving up the ultimate to-do list for foodies. Only one question remains – where are you heading first?
Chef Jono at V&V

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A trip to V&V to check out Chef Jono’s culinary magic is a rite of passage for Leeds foodies. Step through the doorway on New Briggate and climb the stairs to enter a haven of fine dining, where seasonal produce is turned into experimental dishes that taste as good as they look, and boy do they look good.
There’s a range of menus to go at, but we love the five-course menu available on Wednesday and Thursdays. At £45 per head with a drinks pairing for an extra £40, it’s refreshingly accessible. Kick things off with seabass crudo then move through three savoury courses, before finishing with a zingy lemon and honey dessert.
Elsewhere, the Signature menu extends the experience to 10 courses, adding delights like vitello tonnato, made with ox tongue, bonito and caper, and Chef Jono’s iconic mushroom tiramisu, as made famous on MasterChef: The Professionals. Visit on a Sunday to try out his roast dinner tasting menu.
Where: Chef Jono at V&V, 68 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU.
What: Five courses for £45 & paired drinks for £40, 10 courses for £79 & paired drinks for £70, or a five-course Sunday tasting menu for £49 & paired drinks for £39.
Why we love it: The food’s sublime without an air of pretension.
Owl

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A sister venue to HOME, Owl serves modern British tasting menus in a picturesque setting on the banks of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, with floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the space with light during the day, and clusters of ceiling lanterns providing a low-lit ambience by night.
There’s a lunch and a dinner menu, with five course and seven course options for each. Expect meat, fish and game, alongside a host of unusual flavour pairings, notably in the show-stopping duck terrine, which delights with tangy chilli and pineapple pickle, duck ham and cured duck yolks.
Elsewhere there’s soy-glazed pork cheek, 100 day salt-aged sirloin of beef and hand-dived scallop, making it a real treat for meat-lovers. But desserts aren’t just an afterthought, oh no. Dig into a remarkable plum and pecan pasteis de nata then indulge in a rich Michel Cluizel dark chocolate ganache, bliss.
Where: Owl, Lockside, Mustard Wharf, Mustard Approach, Leeds, LS1 4EY.
What: Five courses for £55 or seven courses for £67 at lunchtime, and five courses for £67 or seven courses for £84 at dinner.
Why we love it: The waterside location is the perfect match for the exquisite food.
The Box Tree

Credit: Ben Clucas
There are tasting menus out in the Leeds suburbs too, and a trip to Ilkley will reward you with marvellous fine dining served within a stunning 18th-century building. Blending classic styles, impeccable service and remarkable gastronomy, it attracts diners from far and wide, and it’s easy to see why.
Their tasting menu takes you on a culinary journey through around 12 courses, so be sure to arrive hungry. Kick things off with noteworthy snacks like parmesan custard and a fantastic take on cheese on toast, then sink your teeth into freshly-baked sourdough with Vegemite butter – simple but so effective.
A trio of lamb-centric mains takes you from a deconstructed Shepherd’s Pie with sticky lamb shoulder, to spring lamb and violet artichoke, to lamb sweetbread with anchovy and green olive. Flavour combinations are remarkable yet refined, a real testament to the hard work of Head Chef Brayden Davies.
Where: The Box Tree, 35-37 Church St, Ilkley, Leeds, LS29 9DR.
What: Five courses for £55 or seven courses for £67 at lunchtime, and five courses for £67 or seven courses for £84 at dinner.
Why we love it: The gorgeous interior of this stalwart amplifies the wonderful tastes.
Shears Yard

Credit: Will Stanley
Head to The Calls for one of Leeds’ most affordable tasting menus, and enjoy it within the stunning surroundings of Shears Yard. Inside this lovely independent it’s all exposed brick, high ceilings and twinkling lights, making it a great fit for a laidback yet intimate date night with your favourite person.
There’s one tasting menu on offer, serving up six generous-sized plates for £55 per head. First up, homemade bread and butter, followed by oysters, which come with a £3.50 surcharge. Follow this with white onion and parmesan soup, then crab & tiger prawn arancini in a shellfish bisque – delicious.
Next up, it’s a dry-aged rib eye steak with a marvellous beef fat carrot, bone marrow persilade and roast beef sauce – rich, meaty and excellently crafted. It finishes with an indulgent dark chocolate torte with malted caramel sauce, but there’s an additional cheese course available if you’ve still got room.
Where: Shears Yard, 11-15 Wharf Street, Leeds, LS2 7EH.
What: Six courses for £55 & drinks pairing for £35.
Why we love it: Expect generous portions and a lovely atmosphere.
Dastaan
Fancy something completely different? Head to Dastaan in Adel – a much-loved, much-decorated Indian restaurant where there’s no trace of chicken tikka masala. Step inside and you’ll find contemporary decor, floor-to-ceiling windows and a buzzing atmosphere, which is matched with outstanding service.
Alongside the sprawling a la carte you’ll find a five-course tasting menu, packed with some of the restaurant’s biggest hitters. Kick things off with your choice of roasted garlic & palak shorba or pani puri, followed by chicken lollipop or beetroot tikki. Next up, the duck and chicken seekh kebab is sublime.
For your fourth course there’s a choice of curries – creamy chicken makhani, spicy lamb leg handi gosht, Keralan-inspired malabar prawn curry or a kathal and pea masala with jackfruit. Be sure to save room, because your choice of authentic Indian dessert awaits. For us, it’s gulab jamun every time.
Where: Dastaan, 473 Otley Road, Adel, Leeds, LS16 7NR.
What: Five courses for £47 & paired wines for £25.
Why we love it: It’s a tasting menu adventure into authentic Indian food.
Hern

Credit: Oliver Lawson
Out in Chapel Allerton you’ll find Hern – somewhat of a hidden gem, it’s one of Leeds’ best and most unassuming fine-dining restaurants. Inside it’s wonderfully intimate, a small dining room with no airs or graces, making for a laidback experience where the focus is well and truly on the food.
You can enjoy the tasting menu from Thursday to Saturday, enjoying four courses for £55. Menus change weekly, but expect the likes of homemade focaccia and snacks to start, before tucking into creative and seasonal delights like refreshing courgette gazpacho and chicken liver parfait toast.
Your second course brings more exciting flavours, along with a third course, featuring the likes of French-inspired chicken, boudin blanc, asparagus and potatoes. There’s an optional fish course for an extra £12 – pro-tip, share it if you fancy – and a cheese course for another £12. It’s a guaranteed winner.
Where: Hern, 5 Stainbeck Corner, Leeds, LS7 3PG.
What: Four courses for £55 with an optional fish course for an extra £12 and a cheese course for £12, paired wines £35.
Why we love it: Laidback, intimate dining in a neighbourhood restaurant that’ll make you want to move to Chapel Allerton.
Craig Rogan at The Collective
A fine-dining restaurant inside a furniture store? Unusual, maybe, but it’s a concept that really works. Craig Rogan runs the show at The Collective, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner within the store’s refined-yet-relaxed surroundings. But it’s the tasting menu you’re here for, so that’s what you’ll get.
There’s one menu on offer, with six courses setting you back £70. Kick things off with creamed potato, ox cheek and smoked pancetta bordelaise, then ignite your senses with king prawns, ‘nduja, scotch bonnet and cucumber. Your third course serves up hen of the woods with cheddar and sherry vinegar.
It doesn’t stop there. Market fish with brassicas and harissa is swiftly followed by oh-so-juicy brined and roasted chicken, served with asparagus and chive. A tart combination of raspberry, bergamot and walnut brings up the rear, and if you’re not stuffed, you can add a cheeseboard for a £12 supplement.
Where: Craig Rogan at The Collective, 33 Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 5DA.
What: Six courses for £70.
Why we love it: You can buy the plates you’re eating off!
Six By Nico
Nico Simeone’s Six By Nico has taken the nation by storm, and its Leeds venue opened in 2023. The concept is simple – six-course themed tasting menus which rotate every six weeks. Themes range from far-flung destinations to inventive concepts, providing plenty of reason to return again and again.
The Greek Isles menu will whisk you off to the Aegean, taking you on a six-step journey through the sun-soaked islands. Moussaka kicks things off, followed by tomato salad with whipped feta, smoked lamb with baba ganoush, and black pollock with summer zucchini. It’s inventive, accessible and a whole load of fun.
If you’re willing to trust the chefs implicitly – and you should – the ‘Trust’ experience serves up five or ten courses from a blank menu. You’ll literally receive a blank menu, upon which you can write what you think you’re enjoying – will you get it right, or will you be way off? It’s a unique idea and a must for foodies.
Where: Six By Nico, 9 East Parade, Leeds, LS1 2AJ.
What: Six courses from £42 & paired wine from £33, or a four-course lunch for £20. The Trust menu is available in five-course form for £30 or ten courses for £45.
Why we love it: We love guessing what theme will be next!