Food with friends is one of life’s true pleasures, and sharing is caring when you feast on these delicious platters.
Solo snacking is great, having dinner with mates is even better, but gathering round a table with friends and tucking into a mountainous platter of irresistible grub takes the proverbial biscuit. We won’t tell anyone if you want to work your way through every single one of these sharing platters in Leeds – honest! After all, someone has to do it, and it might as well be you and your pals…
Tavernaki
© Copyright Leeds-List 2022 by Katie Nicole
Step inside Tavernaki and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a taverna on a Greek island. That sunshine feeling extends to a menu that’s big on authentic flavours, letting you recapture tastes of holidays past with olives, hummus and halloumi grilled until it squeaks. If these small plates make you feel like sharing, plump for the poikilia, a generous meat platter piled high with Greek sausage, lamb chops and chicken souvlaki, as well as chips, dolmades and fasolada. The view through the window might be Great George Street but it could just as easily be the Aegean.
Tavernaki, 18 Great George Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3DW.
Friends of Ham
Credit: Justin Slee
If ever there was a job called ‘charcuterie boffin’ or ‘cheese genius’, Friends of Ham would employ the very best of them. They have an inventive menu of sharing boards you can work your way through. There are five set platters, ranging from the Iberian treats of the Spanish board to the ploughman’s, with seasonal and vegan options to keep everyone happy. If you fancy freestyling it, create your own custom platters from a range of superbly sourced meats and well-kept cheeses, perfectly paired with the springy delights of Leeds Bread Co-Op sourdough.
Friends of Ham, 4-8 New Station Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5DL.
Comptoir Libanais
Tucked away inside Everyman Cinema in Trinity Leeds, Comptoir Libanais is a riot of primary colour that perfectly captures the tastes, sights and smells of the Middle East. You can graze on vibrant mezze dishes like delicately spiced Lebanese potatoes with sumac and squabble over who gets the odd one in a dish of three lamb kibbeh parcels. To skip any arguments, go straight for the mezze platter, generously compiled with herb-flecked tabbouleh, flatbread, falafel, cheese pastry parcels and the addictive baba ghanuj, polka-dotted with pomegranate seeds.
Comptoir Libanais, Trinity, 27 Albion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5AY.
Zaap
You’re in for a great time at the flamboyant Zaap. The vintage tuk-tuks and knick-knacks create a vibe similar to a bustling Bangkok market. The menu leans heavily towards street food, so you can mix and match classics such as crispy wontons, steamed prawn dumplings and bao buns so pillowy you’ll want to rest your head on one. The Bangkok platters come two ways – standard and veggie – and are big enough to serve two if you’re also ordering mains. You’ll get the perfect intro to the menu as you plough through chicken satay, fish cakes or golden tofu.
Zaap, 22 Grand Arcade, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PG.
Revolution
Credit: Lucas Smith
Revolution has always been party central, but among the cocktails and endless range of shots, there’s some solid sharing food to be found. Slide into a snug booth with your friends and you can order up a whole mess of snacks from their Sharers menu. The house platter will do nicely if there are two of you, with cheeseburger sliders, crispy fried chicken, corn dogs and those all important crispy mac ‘n’ cheese bites alongside charred corn and loaded nachos. Veggies get the same thing with a ‘this is not meat’ twist and vegans swap mac ‘n’ sheet for falafel.
Revolution, 48 Call Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6DT.
Bundobust
Credit: Bundobust
Bundobust’s meat-free take on Indian street food is made for sharing, all served up alongside an always-brilliant range of beers. No-one will be able to keep their hands off your okra fries, dusted with magical mango powder – but there are some fab platters too. There are combos for two, four and, if you’re mob handed, the Bundo Combo that feeds six people with pretty much every delicious dish on the menu, including tarka dhal and the classic paneer tikka with mushrooms. It might just be the biggest sharing platter you can find in Leeds.
Bundobust, 6 Mill Hill, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5DQ.
Veeno
Veeno is ideal for a communal eating and drinking experience – it’s the Italian way after all. With many of the wines on offer hailing from the company’s own Sicilian vineyards, you’ll want to pick food that’s the perfect accompaniment to quaffing. If there are two of you, opt for the Grande platter, while the Grandissimo is tailored for four or more diners. Either way, you’ll be treated to Parma ham, salami Milano, speck, gorgonzola, Italian breads, fig jam and other delights, all served upon a wooden slab. You can start at either end and meet in the middle!
Veeno, 5 Wellington Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4AP.
The Decanter
Credit: Reece Leung
You may already know The Decanter for its stupendous wine list, but did you know that they also serve up some of the most tempting charcuterie platters in Leeds? The combo is where it’s really at. Aimed at four or more, this includes all their meats and cheeses, along with pork scratchings, almonds, olives, chutney, crackers and piccalilli. Cheese-wise, there are Yorkshire classics such as Harrogate Blue and Fountains Gold, while the meats will take you from chorizo and serrano ham to prosciutto and even Yorkshire lomo. It’s a thing of wonder that demands to be devoured.
The Decanter, 17 Park Row, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5JQ.
Red’s True Barbecue
It’s nigh on impossible to eat at Red’s True Barbecue without wanting to try your dining partner’s dishes – everything is so mouth-wateringly tempting. Happily, you can cut out the indecision by sharing it. If you order their Feasting sharer, you’ll be presented with a carnivore’s dream of baby back ribs, Texas smoked pork belly, XXXL wings, smoked chicken and chopped pork and, if you’ve still got a tiny bit of room left, sides galore. Their justly celebrated slaw, onion rings, fries, broccoli Carolina, frickles and meaty BBQ pit beans are a feast in themselves.
Red’s True Barbecue, 1 Cloth Hall Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2HD.
Stuzzi
Credit: Harvey @ Stuzzi
While most people tend to read a book before turning off the light at night, there would be no shame in having Stuzzi’s menu as your bedtime reading. The stylish small-plates Italian upstairs in Grand Arcade swings and hits with its savoury dishes, but you might find it hard to make a choice from their luscious ‘Dolci’ – dessert – menu. You don’t have to. Simply opt for the piatto do dolci and you and your fellow diner can sample an array of sweet goodness. This irresistible platter takes in cannoli, raspberry meringue, panna cotta, polenta cake and plenty more besides.
Stuzzi, 7 Merrion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PQ.
Flight Club
It’s share and share alike at Flight Club, the social darts watering hole with its fairground explosion theme. You’ll find a truly informal atmosphere here, so you can focus on thrashing your friends or co-workers at arrows while sharing fries, pizza paddles and even sweet treats. The platters are made to be grab ‘n’ go, with Korean beef skewers, chicken tikka kebabs and coconut popcorn chicken. If you’re vegetarian, there’s a platter for you too, with mushroom quesadillas and the delightful Russian roulette of padrón peppers – will you get the devilishly hot one?
Flight Club, Sovereign House, 1-2 South Parade, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5QL.
Cover image credit: Reece Leung.
