Castleford Restaurant Guide

Handy for Leeds Playhouse, a “lovely French restaurant that‘s been there forever and understandably” – it provides much of what you’d want from a Gallic bistro recreated in a northern town: relaxed, affordable (it has long been of note for its early-bird deals), unpretentious, and with cosy décor that seems even cosier by the light of flickering candles.

“Still innovating despite being an old hand in this space” – this ‘OG’ of the successful, small northern group combining “great, cheap Indian veggie street food” with craft beer in a lively setting has spawned siblings in Liverpool and Leeds (although its Birmingham branch did not endure and closed in July 2024). “Tremendous even for meat eaters so long as you have an open mind!”

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

“Amazing Thai food that can be eaten in a tuk-tuk” awaits at this “buzzing and bright” street-food outfit – est. 2015, and now the flagship of a seven-strong northern chain. Recreating the atmosphere of Bangkok’s markets, there’s no shortage of choice on the menu (bao buns, curries, tom yam soup) while the atmosphere, as per the inspiration, is “hectic” (“and you can have to queue”).

A report of “the best meal of the last year” is indicative of the quality of the food at this modern canalside venture in the city centre, which originally opened five years ago at Kirkgate Market. Chef Mark Owens, who trained at Le Gavroche and was head chef at the Box Tree, sends out a souped-up gastropub menu featuring the likes of beef & oyster sausages. Founder Liz Cottam closed her flagship restaurant, Home, last year.

This “very Gallic” and “traditional basement bistro” in the city’s financial district is just the job for schmoozing clients over a boozy lunch. Founded by Robert Chamberlain and Andrew Carter in 1991, “nothing has changed for many years” – “we weren’t there for business, but judging by the loud conversations around us there were plenty of others who were”.

This “relentlessly excellent” family-run spot on “an anonymous corner in Meanwood” is “starting to get the attention it deserves” as “a place where a kind of magic can be experienced in plates of delightful Italian food”. “Russell Norman lives on in north Leeds!” – a reference to the late founder of Brutto and before that Polpo in London, where Rosario Leggiero worked before opening Zucco with his chef brother Michael over a decade ago. Michael’s wife Clare is also part of the team, and their sons Matteo & Joe are being groomed to take the reins.

This “Headingley institution” has provided good-quality pasta, pizza and Sicilian specialities for almost 50 years. John & Gip Dammone were both awarded MBEs last summer, having spent their entire working lives at the restaurant their father Salvatore founded in 1976. They sold up in 2023, and the new owners are not making big changes.

In a picturesque village near Wetherby in Yorkshire, this branch of a glitzy Cheshire-based Italian operation is strongly rated across the board – owned since 2020 by Sir Malcom Walker of Iceland, the group recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special menu of dishes such as Wagyu beef and truffle lasagna.

“A true experience that can’t be beaten for people-watching”, this two-year-old branch of the glitzy national chain wins gasps of (mainly) admiration for its “amazing” if “slightly tasteless decor” (green onyx flooring, mirrored ceilings, a forest of foliage), while its menu of “good food” grabbed vicariously from a hit-list of fashionable Asian cuisines generally passed muster. Founder Richard Caring sold his controlling share in the group for a cool £1 billion in the latter half of 2024.

“The food’s awesome, chef Jono delightful and the waiting staff superb!” according to fans of Jonathan Hawthorne’s “atmospheric” modern British dining room: a first-floor space with open kitchen, quirkily accessed at the corner of a building in the city centre, which is “lovely, although the climb up the steep stairs may put some people off”. This former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist continues to offer a nine-course menu for £79 per person (as well as, early week, a five-course alternative). There was one disappointment this year, but even this was “a game of two halves: some so-so dishes, followed by some really good ones”.

Just like its much-loved Epsom elder sibling (est. 2016), this spin-off from chefs Nand Kishor & Sanjay Gour has quickly raced to the top of the Trip Advisor ranks, with an offering that includes a five-course tasting menu, alongside weekend thali brunches. It hasn’t yet elicited the same reams of feedback as the original in our annual diners’ poll however, but reports are encouraging, if well below the full-on raves of its cousin ‘darn sarf’.

Launched in February 2024, this welcoming, unpretentious bistro in Horsforth is the work of Yorkshire-born chef Sandy Jarvis, returning after a successful decade at kitchens in London. Low-intervention wines are also a major focus, as his partner and co-founder Clement Cousin grew up on a biodynamic vineyard in the Loire Valley, and his family’s wines are on the list. Early feedback in our annual diners’ poll suggests it’s doing an excellent all-round job as a superior local bistro (but its early PR coup of being declared the best local restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide may be over-egging matters a bit).