Got a hankering for halloumi? Souvlaki make you salivate? Here’s where to head to get your Greek food fix…
There’s no denying it – Greek is some of the best cuisine around. Luckily for us, Leeds is awash with restaurants where you can sample some of the country’s finest fare – stifado, souvlaki, spanakopita, you name it. Be it a sit-down affair or a cheeky takeaway, you’re bound to find your new Greek restaurant in this tried-and-tested roundup. Check them out.
Tavassoli’s
If you want a true taste of authentic Greek cuisine, sitting down at Tavassoli’s is a no brainer. You’ll find the family-owned eatery tucked away on New Briggate, where it’s been slinging classic dishes with big flavours ever since 2017. Although the menu doesn’t stray far from the authentic, the interior is anything but, with neon signs and funky patterned wallpaper.
And to eat? Well, all the dishes are infused with a secret medley of Persian-inspired spices, setting it apart from other Greek food in Leeds. You’ve got your pitta pizzas, halloumi burgers, and of course, the main event, gyros. Choose from pork, chicken, halloumi or falafel, all topped with tzatziki, lettuce, red onions, tomatoes and skin-on fries. It’s truly divine.
Tavassoli’s Cafe & Grill, 14 New Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6NU.
The Med Greek
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On the hunt for the best Greek restaurants in Leeds? You have to start with The Med Greek. The Filochis, the family behind the eatery, have always dreamed of owning a restaurant as a way to share their beloved Greek food with the people of Leeds, and the love that they put into their dishes is undeniable. It’s small and casual, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view over to Woodhouse Moor.
The menu covers everything from souvlaki to skewers to Greek salads and baklavas. Gyros, of course, are an ever-popular option, and you can enjoy them in a wrap or a box, with your choice of chicken, pork, kofta, falafel and more. Want a taste of everything? The mixed grill box is now famous and for good reason – it’s piled high with fries, pork & chicken gyro, crispy pitta and salad.
The Med Greek, 1 The Crescent, Woodhouse, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 2NW.
Santorini
Located in the heart of Headingley, a meal at Santorini will whisk you off to far-away shores. It’s sleek and sophisticated, with gilded chairs, polished wood flooring and a backlit bar – there’s even a cherry blossom tree in the corner! You can expect a variety of authentic Greek and Turkish dishes, with popular favourites and traditional family recipes on the cards.
Kick off the affair with a couple of the small plates (the arancini, dolmades and tzatziki are the perfect trio) before the menu takes you on a culinary journey covering gyros, salad bowls and a whole host of classics. If you want to try something different, the beef guvec is a speciality you won’t get elsewhere – slow cooked beef brisket served with vegetables in a rich and aromatic sauce.
Santorini Bar & Grill, 55 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 3AB.
Olive Tree Brasserie
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Sitting pretty in Leeds city centre is where you’ll find Greek restaurant Olive Tree Brasserie. The stunning Grade II-listed building is on South Parade, where they’ve created a cool, calm and welcoming place to eat, mixing raw wood with micro cement walls, abundant foliage and Mediterranean-inspired furnishings. But that’s just the start – their menu is equally impressive as we can attest to.
During the week, you can take advantage of their mezze lunch offer where you can get three dishes for £14.95 – think honey pastourma, padron peppers and dolmades. On the rest of the menu, you’ll find gyros and kebabs sitting alongside traditional Greek dishes like moussaka and kleftiko. Our favourite? The beef stifado – it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Olive Tree Brasserie, 8 South Parade, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5QX.
Tavernaki
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If you’re looking for authentic Greek food in Leeds, look no further than Tavernaki. From the outside, it may not catch your eye immediately, but step inside and be transported to a quaint Greek taverna that feels miles away from Leeds city centre. It’s small and cosy, with an open plan kitchen which gives it a really personal feel – there’s good reason it’s been around for nearly a decade.
Starters cover everything from hummus and calamari, but we couldn’t get enough of the melitzanosalata, a smokey aubergine dip. The main courses, though, are where the real magic happens. Souvlaki? Check. Stifado? Check. Moussaka? Check and double check! For something a bit more exotic, plump for the lamb chop brizoles – they cook it here for six hours with a secret herb mix.
Tavernaki, 18 Great George Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3DW.
The Agora
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The Agora is one of Leeds’ best Mediterranean restaurants. A gem in the heart of Horsforth, it specialises in rich, vibrant Greek and Turkish flavours through the use of bold spices, fresh ingredients and special family recipes passed down through generations. The interior is relatively unassuming – but it’s not a bad thing, it’s just that the food is where the real magic happens.
You can bag a sharing meze for two, piled high with the likes of moussaka and falafel, but if you want a plate all for yourself we won’t blame you. Jumbo king prawns, mixed souvlaki and the sea bass fillets are just a few of our favourites, but it’s the meatballs that keep us coming back. Lamb meatballs, with aubergine, peppers and tomato sauce, topped with cheese? Yes please.
The Agora, 207-209 New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4DR.
Lime Tree Bistro
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A Greek restaurant in south Leeds? It can only be Lime Tree Bistro. The small but perfectly formed eatery draws inspiration from the flavours of Greece, Turkey and the Mediterranean, using expertly-sourced ingredients to create dishes that are bursting with flavour. The dining room is relaxed and modern, so kick back and get ready for one of the tastiest meals around.
We love the portion sizes at Lime Tree Bistro – trust us when we say they’re seriously generous. You could be digging your knife and fork into Moroccan lamb piled high one visit, and a ginormous spanakopita the next. Elsewhere, the grill section covers kofta, kebabs and skewers, and you’ll even find a section dedicated solely to pasta and pizza – we love the Turkish pide.
Lime Tree Bistro, 28 Queen Street, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 9BR.
Mythos
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There’s no denying that Mythos is one of the best Greek restaurants in Leeds. Both their Hyde Park outpost and their Chapel Allerton venue do takeaways and are also sit-down affairs, while the latter is beautifully decorated too – think exposed brick, lovely bay windows and hanging greenery. But, as we all know, it’s really the food that will keep you coming back.
We recommend sharing a couple of the mezedes plates to start – the courgette fritters come with a moreish, herby yoghurt dip – before moving onto one of the grill boards. Our favourite is the halloumi – cheesy goodness comes loaded with oregano fries, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pita and, the star of the show, the Mythos sauce. Drizzle it all over and you’re good to go.
Mythos, 68 Brudenell Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 1EG & 5 Stainbeck Lane, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 3PG.
Pitta Fan
If you’re after a laidback Greek restaurant in Leeds, get yourself down to Pitta Fan. It’s brought authentic Greek street food right to the heart of Oakwood, making it the go-to if you want to wrap your lips around some tasty gyros. The interior is modern, sleek and relaxed, providing the perfect atmosphere to enjoy your meal in, but if you just want to take away, that’s fine too!
And to eat? Starters cover spicy prawns and calamari, which lead you on nicely to a whole host of delights, from beef stifado to vegetarian moussaka. That aside, it wouldn’t be right to not grab a souvlaki or that gyro we mentioned (and tasted) – you are at Pitta Fan after all. Choose from all manner of delights, but in our humble opinion, you won’t get much better than the homemade falafel.
Pitta Fan, 641 Roundhay Road, Roundhay, Oakwood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 4BA.
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