Brighouse Restaurant Guide

“An airy space with unusual dishes and great cooking” – this comfortable independent opposite the civic hall scored highly in this year’s annual diners’ poll. The focus is on small plates, some of them very original: who’s for ‘honey, soy and gochujang roast carrots, toasted sesame, with tahini satay’?

Chef-patron Eric Paxman trained under Marco Pierre White in London and Bill Granger in Australia, and has cooked for luminaries including Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vowed ‘I’ll be back’ – a sentiment shared by numerous guests at the venture he opened in his hometown 14 years ago. “Lunch and early-bird evening specials are an exceptional bargain”.

“A real must-try with a lovely convivial atmosphere”, this historic former mill combines a “dining room and bar in heavy, dark wood that feels like it hasn’t changed much since the eighteenth century and the days of the BBC’s Gentleman Jack” (which was filmed here) with “food that’s much more modern (though retaining a Yorkshire heartiness)” from “very talented and inventive chef Will Webster”. There’s also a “fabulous wine list, with many offered by the glass”.

2021 Review: “Fantastic food” (“always plenty of interesting seasonal options, including great vegetarian choices”), that’s “great value” too, ensures the continuing popularity of Janet & Simon Baker’s eclectically decorated stalwart.

“Blimey, these guys can cook” – the tenor of most reports on chef Mark Kemp’s converted pub (est. 2018); “the menu (all in the tapas/small plates mode) ranges far and wide” (“something like gyozas stuffed with sobrasada and basil, served with a makhani sauce”), but despite such adventurous combinations, there “isn’t a single duff note” on the menu – which is also “tremendous value” and “utterly, indulgently delicious”. Top Tip – “it now opens Wednesday to Saturday and getting a table at the last minute is nigh on impossible. Book in advance and enjoy… just don’t take my seat!”

One of the biggest restaurants in our guide, seating 500 guests – this Bradford institution started out 45 years ago as a tiny Kashmiri shop close to its present “very comfortable” premises. Well-known for its “high-quality food”, fans include retired footballer Steven Gerrard and politico George Galloway, and there’s now a spin-off in Leeds and a national brand of ready meals.

“Just like going back to the 1970’s… but on a larger scale!” – this city-centre veteran has grown over the years as well as spawning a national chain. The “old school Indian food is very tasty with large portions and the biggest naans anywhere”. The menu features ‘Chef’s Challenges’ for the Big Man (quantity) and for the Brav (heat).

2023 Review: “A popular local staple for many years”, this posh and hugely successful pub has been run by the Truelove family since 1968 and – much extended over the years – is known for its “consistently good food and service, with a great atmosphere”. Supporters reckon it is currently “back on form and, though expensive, a great meal is guaranteed (potted shrimps and shellfish superb!)”. A contrary view is that “the dining room decor is in a time warp, with no hint of frivolity to brighten the dullness”, while the “surprisingly long menu could do with being edited”, and the dishes arrive in “generous portions, but lack finesse”.

2023 Review: Mohammed Sabir was still working as a bus driver in Shipley when he launched his Kashmiri curry business as a mobile takeaway from his Commer van, the ‘Spice Box’ in 1976. The next year he opened his first bricks-and-mortar restaurant Aagrah, which still wins consistently solid marks for its food and has nine branches across Yorkshire.

2021 Review: “Hockneys in view” as you dine are the most famous attraction of this noisy but atmospheric venue: a large, post-industrial space in the UNESCO-listed Salts Mill complex, open from breakfast on for a coffee or fuller meal (Saltburger, Caesar salad, etc).

This “wonderful canalside restaurant, flooded with light” was originally at Kirkgate Market, moving to the Mustard Wharf development two years ago, where it is “a great addition to Leeds” – “the food is delicious but the relaxed atmosphere is also a key to its success”. Liz Cottam, a MasterChef semifinalist, and Mark Owens (ex-head chef at the Box Tree) also run Home at Brewery Wharf.

This “vibrant and busy” basement venue with an “interesting French menu” is a “longstanding favourite”, whose “very good lunch” makes it an “ideal and consistent business brasserie”. Opened in 1991 and still run by founders restaurateur Robert Chamberlain and exec chef Andrew Carter, its many fans are happy that it has “not changed in 20 years”.