Yeadon Restaurant Guide

A “fantastic setting beside the River Wharfe” provides the perfect backdrop for “good Italian food and friendly service” from Alessandro & Sofia Elena Tocca, who have established a strong local following over more than 20 years. Their Italian take on the classic Sunday roast is a highlight of the menu.

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).

“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).

This “reliable Leeds stalwart” has served up “good Italian cooking” for 46 years under two generations of the Dammone family. Founder Salvatore’s sons John & Gip retired in summer 2023, but the new owners have promised to carry on their traditions, with the same staff in place.

This “authentic local Italian with a difference” benefits from an “excellent variety of imaginative small plates” and “enthusiastic service led by the family owners”. One of “the most enjoyable dining experiences in Leeds”, it’s “worth the trip out of town” to Meanwood.

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.

2023 Review: “Afternoon tea IS Bettys!". This old-fashioned tearoom is “always worth the queue” for its epic teas and fine spreads of pastries and sarnies. It’s also “a great place to meet over a very good breakfast. Coffee, understandably, is excellent!”

2022 Review: A “very good value, high-quality place in Ilkley” where Joel Monkman’s large and small plates of British seasonal fare continue to win plaudits three years after its founding; also on the menu, lunchtime BBQ Buns and hearty Sunday roasts.

This “buzzy but very noisy” Hispanic quartet (in Marylebone, Farringdon, Victoria and Canary Wharf) offers a “good range of tapas” and “interesting wines by the glass and the bottle”. They still have plenty of admirers as a “reliable” option, even if they “no longer provide the novelty or the high standards they once did”.