Leeds restaurants: The 16 best places to eat according to BBC Good Food including Ox Club and Sarto

From cheap eats to special occasions, there is so much choice when it comes to dining out in Leeds.

By Abbey Maclure

Published 1st Sep 2023, 16:30 GMT

Updated 2nd Sep 2023, 16:51 GMT

You can find cuisines from across the world in every corner of the city, and picking where to dine can feel overwhelming. To help you out, we’ve pulled together an expert’s guide to the best restaurants in Leeds.

Writing for BBC Good Food, restaurant guru Tony Naylor has compiled a list of the best places to eat in the city, with a recommendation for every occasion.

Here are the 16 best restaurants in Leeds according to BBC Good Food – and what they had to say.

Here are the best restaurants in Leeds according to BBC Good Food

1. Best restaurants

Here are the best restaurants in Leeds according to BBC Good Food Photo: National World

The first recommendation was North Star Coffee Shop and General Store in Leeds Dock. BBC Good Food praised the flat white at the roastery's cafe, as well as the Yorkshire breakfast menu and sweet treats from the neighbouring Nova Bakehouse.

2. North Star

The first recommendation was North Star Coffee Shop and General Store in Leeds Dock. BBC Good Food praised the flat white at the roastery's cafe, as well as the Yorkshire breakfast menu and sweet treats from the neighbouring Nova Bakehouse. Photo: Bruce Rollinson

The guide recommended Brewery Wharf restaurant Home for special occasions. BBC Good Food said: "Underpinned by fine Yorkshire produce, dishes such as roast garlic rabbit dumplings, a caviar-topped riff on omelette Arnold Bennett with crumpets, or perfect pan-roasted halibut with slivers of Jerusalem artichoke and a creamed fish stock reduction, are elegant crowd-pleasers"

3. Home

The guide recommended Brewery Wharf restaurant Home for special occasions. BBC Good Food said: "Underpinned by fine Yorkshire produce, dishes such as roast garlic rabbit dumplings, a caviar-topped riff on omelette Arnold Bennett with crumpets, or perfect pan-roasted halibut with slivers of Jerusalem artichoke and a creamed fish stock reduction, are elegant crowd-pleasers" Photo: Simon Hulme

Next on the list is OWT cafe in the Corn Exchange, which BBC Good Food called a "real find". Owners James Simpson and Esther Miglio (pictured) change up the lunch menu regularly - and now host Thursday dinner service, too.

4. OWT

Next on the list is OWT cafe in the Corn Exchange, which BBC Good Food called a "real find". Owners James Simpson and Esther Miglio (pictured) change up the lunch menu regularly - and now host Thursday dinner service, too. Photo: Simon Hulme

Pasta restaurant Sarto in Duke Street was recommended for casual dining, cheap eats and being kid-friendly. The guide said: "Sarto’s communal dining room – an ultra-minimal, retro-modern gem – is as sharp as the cooking across renowned arancini or, for instance, a winningly spiky plate of kale and almond pesto fettucine with pickled cauliflower."

5. Sarto

Pasta restaurant Sarto in Duke Street was recommended for casual dining, cheap eats and being kid-friendly. The guide said: "Sarto’s communal dining room – an ultra-minimal, retro-modern gem – is as sharp as the cooking across renowned arancini or, for instance, a winningly spiky plate of kale and almond pesto fettucine with pickled cauliflower." Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Serving from North Taproom in Sovereign Street, Little Bao Boy received high praise from BBC Good Food. They said: "Owner James Ooi’s buns are persuasively light and his inventive fillings (fried chicken thighs marinated in gochujang buttermilk, for instance), bristle with big flavours."

6. Little Bao Boy

Serving from North Taproom in Sovereign Street, Little Bao Boy received high praise from BBC Good Food. They said: "Owner James Ooi’s buns are persuasively light and his inventive fillings (fried chicken thighs marinated in gochujang buttermilk, for instance), bristle with big flavours." Photo: Little Bao Boy