Without further ado – these are the restaurants you’ve decided are the best in Leeds. Take a look and chow down.
Let’s cut to the chase, you’re after the best restaurants in Leeds, right? Well, we’ve had a little help from our followers to compile this list of the city’s best loved places to eat. We threw out the question to you and these are the restaurants you showed the biggest amount of love to – and we’re right behind you with them all. So whether you’re looking for small plates or sushi, fine dining or no-frills fodder, use this round-up next time you’re looking to eat out in Leeds.
How we made this list
Our team have made it their mission to personally try every restaurant in Leeds. We visit new restaurants as soon as they open and regularly revisit old favourites to make sure they’re as good as we remember. And that’s the basis of this list. It’s written from experience – ours and yours – because in this case, we also sent out a call for recommendations on our social channels and used your suggestions to form our final list. Enjoy!
The Swine Bistro
The Swine Bistro (formerly The Swine That Dines) is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Leeds. Prepare for an uncomplicated, down-to-earth take on fine dining in a relaxed, almost cafe-style space, where it feels like you’re being welcomed into owners Jo and Stu Myers’ house for supper.
From Wednesday to Sunday, they take locally-sourced produce and create ever-changing menus in interesting ways. Think farmhouse bread with Bloody Mary butter, pork terrine, and wild mushrooms with polenta and herb creme fraiche. On Swine Sundays, their set menu of comforting dishes is an experience in itself, while their selection of natural wines and aperitifs pair perfectly.
Why we love it: You cannot – we repeat, cannot – miss their Sunday main event dishes.
Address: The Swine Bistro, 77A Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 3PS.
Website: swinethatdines.co.uk
The Whitehall
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
Can somewhere be a hidden gem, while also laying claim to being one of the best places to eat in Leeds? The Whitehall is an emphatic yes. This light and airy dining room is tucked away in the business district, blessed with high ceilings, luxurious furnishings and a menu that will blow your socks off.
It offers a blend of modern British and European cuisines. The French onion soup or choice of oysters are fine ways to start, while the main menu takes you from a six bone rack of Nidderdale lamb to seafood linguine and tiger prawn pizza. The wine list is equally impressive, full of choice bottles from white and red to sparkling.
Why we love it: If understated brilliance is up your street, The Whitehall hits all the spots.
Address: The Whitehall, West Point, Wellington Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4JY.
Website: thewhitehallleeds.com
Stuzzi
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
The spirit of real Italian osterias lives at Stuzzi. Go behind the Merrion Street doorway and up the stairs to enter a spacious dining room with its arched windows, exposed brick walls and a tempting wall of wine. Here they put a Stuzzi spin on traditional dishes, modern Italian recipes and street food staples to create a menu of small plates for sharing.
The dishes may change weekly, but the pasta is made fresh daily. It sets it up for repeat visits, and why wouldn’t you, when one week you could be devouring burnt aubergine arancino with a traditional Sicillian sauce and the next handmade Saffron Fazzoletti with poached lobster?
Why we love it: The fresh pasta might just be the best we’ve tasted – and we’ve been to Italy.
Address: Stuzzi, 7 Merrion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PQ.
Website: stuzzi.co.uk
Tharavadu
There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Leeds, many good, but Tharavadu is a cut above. It’s a Michelin-recommended favourite with spice lovers, showing off the incredible flavours of Kerala with dishes made by chefs who were born, raised and trained in the region.
Say bye to bhunas and ta-ra to tikkas, because this is where you try dishes you wouldn’t otherwise come across. The Adu Cheera Mappas is a divine tribute to a classic boneless lamb saag, while the Vazhuthananga curry puts tender aubergines front and centre in an aromatic sauce that uses traditional flavours in a modern way.
Why we love it: Have you seen the size of their famous paratha? Like, seriously, they’re as big as our faces.
Address: Tharavadu, 7-8 Mill Hill, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 5DQ.
Website: tharavadurestaurants.com
Heaney & Mill
Slap bang in the centre of Headingley, Heaney & Mill brings refined gastropub fare to the Leeds suburbs. It’s a stylish restaurant – inside, a blend of old and new, while the terrace out front is a popular sun spot. The food is where it’s at though, and they’ve got menus that take you from breakfast to dinner.
Start the day with banging Benedicts, while lunchtime promises splendid sarnies and super salads. In the evening, Heaney & Mill comes into its own – the Konro Grill sizzles steaks and prime meat cuts to perfection, but you can also treat your tastebuds to the likes of succulent baked plaice, glazed pork belly, and red pepper & burrata linguine.
Why we love it: It’s good for all hours, all days, all seasons – a gem in Headingley’s crown.
Address: Heaney & Mill, 48 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 2AL.
Website: heaneyandmill.com
Zucco
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
It’s the jewel in Meanwood’s crown, but what makes Zucco one of the best restaurants in Leeds? The service is on point, the dining room boasts modern Italian charm and the alcohol selection is full of choice wines, beers and spirits. But, of course, it’s the food people come back for – and boy, do they.
This is now a city-wide favourite with a well thought out day-to-day menu of small plates. It takes you from salt cod ravioli in a sage & white wine sauce to Himalayan salt-aged ribeye in a garlic butter sauce and Nonna’s polpette spaghetti. Better yet, the rotating line-up of specials keeps you on your toes.
Why we love it: Oh mamma mia, there are so many reasons, but the tiramisu is so good, it made us cry once. Seriously.
Address: Zucco, 603 Meanwood Road, Meanwood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 4AY.
Website: zucco.co.uk
Blue Sakura
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
What makes Blue Sakura one of the best restaurants in Leeds? Leaving aside the stylish, wooden-panelled dining room decorated with cherry blossom trees, it’s all about the all-you-can-eat sushi and Japanese tapas. From £29.95 at lunch and £42.95 at dinner, just grab the tablet at your table and order up everything from sashimi to nigiri.
Want more? How about that Black Dragon Roll, made with shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber and BBQ eel? But it’s not all seafood sumptuousness. There are a host of hot dishes too, from teriyaki chicken fillet cooked on a teppanyaki to short beef ribs in a secret sauce.
Why we love it: Did you see where we told you about the ‘all-you-can-eat sushi’?
Address: Blue Sakura, 2-3 Merrion Way, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8BT.
Website: bluesakura.co.uk
Kendells Bistro
Flickering candles. Chalkboard menus. A delectable menu crammed with French classics. Yep, Kendells Bistro is about to take your date nights to the next level. Quite frankly, this little restaurant is cosy as heck and one of the best places to eat in Leeds when you fancy a little intimacy alongside your cote de veau.
With low lighting and sophisticated service, it’s the perfect setting to pore over a menu of classic French fare. We’re talking French onion soup, steaks done to your liking, and slow-braised beef cheek with red wine and creamed potatoes. Each visit is a moment of discovery too, because the chalkboard menu gets updated daily.
Why we love it: Food so good and a venue so romantic you’ll be singing Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Je t’aime’.
Address: Kendells Bistro, 3 St Peters Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 8AH.
Website: kendellsbistro.co.uk
Wen’s
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
What makes Wen’s one of the best restaurants in Leeds? It has a menu of dishes that reflect what Chinese people eat at home. Authenticity can be bandied around, but Wen’s are true to it. Sure, you can still choose the Anglo-Cantonese staples, but here you can take a seat in this warm, no-frills dining room and go on a journey of discovery.
We’re talking juicy chicken thighs drenched with their secret homemade chilli oil and handmade flat Beijing-style noodles in an umami-filled soup. Yet the star of the show might just be Wen’s dumplings, made by Mrs Wen herself with addictive fillings, served with a salty, vinegary sauce.
Why we love it: We’re going to repeat it – Mrs Wen’s homemade dumplings make us want to live here.
Address: Wen’s, 72-74 North Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7PN.
Website: wensrestaurant.co.uk
Phranakhon
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
Thai tapas. Yes, you read that correctly. Phranakhon’s unique Southeast Asian offering is so popular, it was one of your most popular recommendations. It all starts with a descent into a charming, trinket-filled dining room below ground. Once you’ve got your table, you can set about a jam-packed menu of Thai dishes, small plates style.
That means you can try a host of favourites in one sitting. Pad Thai, Massaman and Thai green curry are all present and correct. But you can also expand your Thai cuisine horizons with a few one-offs, like their trademark crunchy chicken wings in a lip-puckering soy, garlic and chilli glaze.
Why we love it: What’s better than Thai food? Thai tapas – a chance to try so much more.
Address: Phranakhon, 11 York Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2DS.
Website: phrankhon.co.uk
Chef Jono at V&V
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
If it’s culinary creativity you’re looking for in Leeds restaurants, look no further than Chef Jono at V&V. There’s confidence and imagination in every corner of this gastronomical experience and it stems from Chef Jono Hawthorne, a Masterchef: The Professionals finalist. He creates a monthly-changing tasting menu to take your tastebuds on the most delicious of journeys.
It’s playful, artful and tasteful, all in one. The tomato, goats cheese, chilli parkin is a unique Yorkshire creation, while the “Fish Pie” elevates a classic dish above its simple name. There’s even a mushroom tiramisu that has to be tried to be believed.
Why we love it: He’s a wizard in the kitchen and the whole Chef Jono experience is one that has to be sampled.
Address: Chef Jono at V&V, 68 New Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6NU.
Website: chefjonoatvandv.co.uk
Hern
Credit: Sam Binstead
A visit to Hern in Chapel Allerton will give you a new definition of ‘small, but perfectly formed’. This petite dining room is one of Leeds’ best-kept secrets. It’s owned and run by Rab Adams, who puts the focus on fresh, seasonal produce when menu planning – it’s something he thinks about a lot, since the menus change regularly, as do their blackboard specials.
It means every visit is one of discovery as you sample exquisite combinations, like guinea fowl with white bean puree and chicory, or asparagus, pumpkin seed & parmesan tart. This is fine dining, with not a hint of pretension – and the tasting menus are a true culinary experience.
Why we love it: You’ll fall in love with the food, with the chef’s and the venue’s understated approach.
Address: Hern, 5 Stainbeck Corner, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 3PG.
Website: hernrestaurant.com
Ox Club
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
Ox Club has cemented itself as one of the best places to eat in Leeds since it opened within Headrow House back in 2015. These guys are fire-cooking experts, igniting the solid-fuel grill that takes centre stage in their kitchen to create incredible combinations of ingredients and flavours.
You’ll get to try it all in a dining room packed full of plant-inspired Scandi cool, but what will you eat? Start with smoked beef tartare with a gherkin ketchup, followed by the likes of coal-roast cauliflower, succulent grilled cod or 400-gram aged bone-in sirloin. And you have to finish on the out-of-this-world burnt basque cheesecake, trust us.
Why we love it: They work wonders on the grill, and every visit gives you a chance to sample something new.
Address: Ox Club, Headrow House, Bramleys Yard, The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PU.
Website: oxclub.co.uk
Bavette
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
Slap bang in the heart of Horsforth, Bavette has breathed new life into French cuisine in Leeds. Led by Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin, this is a charming neighbourhood bistro that will transport you to Parisian streets. The dark green walls are off-set by gold mirrors and stylish lighting, but the real magic is in the food.
The menu is small, but effortlessly formed. You can’t go wrong with a crisp, warm baguette with herb butter before taking on the crab tartlette with saffron aioli, and ending with a braised lamb shoulder served with petit pois and boulangere potatoes. For French food in Leeds, this is the crème de la crème.
Why we love it: The steak the restaurant is named after might be the best we’ve ever had.
Address: Bavette, 4-6 Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4RJ.
Website: bavettebistro.com
House of Fu
The ramen gods have answered all of your noodle soup prayers with House of Fu. This Japanese restaurant is a cool, canteen-style affair, full of stylish artwork, tiled walls and neon signs – there’s even karaoke booths and a cool secret bar upstairs! But getting your slurp on is your priority and the menu delivers spoon after spoon.
These dreamy bowls of steaming goodness include the Original Fu, their signature, but don’t be afraid to invite a bit of heat with the Spicy Fu Tantanmen, with its spiced pork mince and chicken & pork broth blend. No ramen for you? Try the rice bowls, super bowls and the glorious gyozas.
Why we love it: With ramen this good, you’ll be ramen it home. No but seriously, it’s top tier.
Address: House of Fu, 15-19 The Headrow, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PU.
Website: hellohouseoffu.com
Eat Your Greens
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
The multi-faceted Eat Your Greens is now a firm local favourite as your votes proved. It’s a bar and organic grocery store, but it’s also one of the best restaurants in Leeds. The venue is anything but stuffy – more a cool, relaxed hangout that happens to have one of the most interesting menus in the city.
Theirs is a fuss-free approach to organic, local and responsible ingredients with an abundance of veg-first dishes. The result is a farm-to-fork eating experience that takes you from seared organic onglet steak with a lime & chilli puree to charred cauliflower with a mole sauce, pico de gallo and pickled red onion.
Why we love it: There’s nowhere else in Leeds city centre doing quite what they are, from the produce they use to the dishes they serve.
Address: Eat Your Greens, 42 New York Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7DY.
Website: eatyourgreensleeds.co.uk
Empire Cafe
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
The city’s past meets its present at Empire Cafe. Chef Sam Pullan discovered a ghost sign when he was renovating his all-day restaurant on Fish Street and decided to keep both the sign and the name from its past life. Now, it’s one of the must-try places to eat in Leeds.
It’s a throwback, a place where you can grab a coffee and butty to start the day, but come lunchtime onwards, Sam’s refined approach to classic British fare comes to the fore. The steak and chips is their trademark, the modern take on a mixed grill a revelation, and the ‘Wall of Flame’ spit rotisserie chickens a delight for all the senses.
Why we love it: If you had to define Leeds by a single restaurant, The Empire Cafe would be it. Oh and the Guinness – the creamy, creamy Guinness.
Address: Empire Cafe, 6 Fish Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6DB.
Website: empirecafeleeds.co.uk
Forde
A stalwart of the local dining scene, acclaimed chef Matt Healy is focusing on simplicity at Forde in Horsforth. It’s one of the best places to eat in Leeds – a rustic, stripped back restaurant with a stylish, green-tiled bar and comfy banquette seating. Drop by between Wednesday to Sunday for a fine menu of small plates made for sharing.
Think baked camembert with charcuterie, sourdough and pickles, roasted onion & goats cheese tart, and tajin-roasted half chicken with avocado and lime aioli. Can’t decide? Take advantage of their three for £18 offer and sample a delicious array of dishes. You’re sure to find a new favourite.
Why we love it: Stylish setting with a menu championing local and simple, Forde is a necessity for Leeds foodies.
Address: Forde, 7 Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 5LJ.
Website: theforde.co.uk
The Box Tree
Credit: Bruce Rollinson
This one is out in Ilkley, but with multiple awards, a Leeds postcode and multiple recommendations from you, how could we leave out The Box Tree? Tucked away inside a character-packed 18th-century building, a visit here is a real treat. Led by Executive Chef Kieran Smith, you can look forward to a tasting menu experience like no other.
The quality of the most simple of things, like the fresh bread, is apparent from the start, but it goes up a level quickly. Think chicken liver parfait, agnolotti of Yorkshire ricotta, and North Yorkshire breed pork, followed by a trio of sweets spanning flavours of honey mango, banana & birch ice cream, and Scottish blackberry.
Why we love it: Like no other venue in a Leeds postcode, it’s full of personality, from the award-winning food to the dining room.
Address: The Box Tree, 35-37 Church Street, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 9DR.
Website: theboxtree.co.uk
After something specific?
Whatever you fancy, we've got a list for that...
