Over the past couple of years we’ve shared with you our favourite restaurants in Leeds, serving the most wonderful foods from all over the globe – but it occurred to us that we omitted our own fair isles! British cuisine used to be the laughing stock of world cuisine, but we can assure you that the traditional restaurants we’ve picked for you in Leeds will leave you salivating for more.
Malmaison Brasserie – 1 Swinegate, Leeds, LS1 4AG
Head chef Andy Lawson and his wonderful team offer a menu of stunning traditional cuisine served in elegant and stylish surroundings. Proud of its past as a bus and tram office, Leeds Mal is a perfect venue for an intimate dinner, but can also accommodate larger parties in one of its private rooms.
Moments Café – 8 Swinegate, Leeds LS1 4AG
Swinegate seems to be a hotspot for great food in Leeds because Moments Café has to be on any list of fine traditional restaurants. Currently, Moments is only available for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, so make sure you book in advance because they soon fill up. Their food is simple, wholesome, well presented and absolutely consistent in quality, and we can assure you that this family run establishment will make you feel so welcome that you’ll never want to leave!
The Man Behind the Curtain – Top Floor Flannels, 68-78 Vicar Lane, Leeds, LS1 7JH
If it’s slightly wacky Michelin star standard fine dining you’re after then The Man Behind the Curtain is definitely for you. The menu is Carte Blanche (the chef, Michael O’Hare, chooses the menu) and consists of some of the oddest sounding foods you could imagine – strange but utterly delicious. At £65 per head before wine a visit here isn’t cheap, but you will be presented with ten courses of food designed to enliven and tantalise all five of your senses.
Brasserie 44 – 44 The Calls, Leeds, LS2 7EW
If it’s a nice, quiet meal in elegant surroundings you’re looking for, you could do a lot worse than try Brasserie 44 in The Calls. The prices are reasonable and the food is always of a high standard with a well-balanced menu of traditional foods with a twist, which is why we consider Brasserie 44 to be one of Leeds’ finest undiscovered secrets.
Dish Dining Room and Cocktail Bar – 19 Boar Ln, Leeds LS1 6EA
Serving contemporary British food of an exceptional standard, Dish is a high-class establishment for a special treat. Okay, so the restaurant may be in the cellar of the building, but what a cellar! Modern, sleek and inviting, Dish may be all about the food, but upstairs you’ll find one of the best cocktail bars in the whole of the North of England, so leave a little room to indulge in something tasty to wash it all done with.
All of these great restaurants are only a short step away from Trafalgar Street car park, so why don’t you drop your car with us where we will take extra special care of it for you while you enjoy your meal.