Best restaurants in Yorkshire 2026: Our food critics' top five restaurants in West Yorkshire
You can always guarantee yourself a good feed in West Yorkshire, whether that is a fine dining restaurant, pub grub or cuisine from around the world.
The cultural melting pots of big cities such as Bradford and Leeds make for some interesting combos and brilliant takeaways.
As part of our Best Restaurants in Yorkshire 2026 big reveal, we’ve put together our food critics’ top five restaurants in West Yorkshire.
We asked our weekly food reviewers to name the best restaurants they have eaten at in 2025. You can see the full top 20 list here.
As if to hammer home the point, in the top five restaurants there’s a mix of Italian and Indian, classic pub grub and fancy cheeses, and you can probably get most things in between.
From newcomers to old favourites, and in no particular order, the five best restaurants in West Yorkshire are...
Zucco
603 Meanwood Road, Meanwood, Leeds. LS6 4AY
Our reviewer says: “Zucco has been going for more than a decade now and is still one of the best restaurants in Leeds, consistently producing Italian food of the highest standard.
“Sharing plates have become a bit passé but done well they can still be a delight, and here they are done extremely well.
“Zucco isn’t only the best kind of neighbourhood restaurant, it’s the best kind of restaurant period. Modern diners are a discerning bunch and if this place didn’t cut the mustard then they wouldn’t still be beating a path to its door.
“But the fact is they are, me included, and I reckon that’s a pretty good sign.”
Swine Bistro
77a Otley Road, Headingley LS6 3PS
Our reviewer says: “The Myers have come a long way since the Greedy Pig, their little caff on North Street.
“They may have upgraded significantly with space for a proper kitchen, a room (in time) for private dining and the magical number of 40 covers, but they have not abandoned their original ethos of simple, unfussy food from a menu that Stu will tweak with the seasons and change regularly.”
Highland Laddie
36-38 Cavendish Street, Leeds, LS3 1LY
Our reviewer says: “The menu features 20 small plates for sharing – a mix of comfort and adventure. The Laddie marooned among the high-rise flats feels a bit like that lonely farm on the M62 that’s trapped between the eastbound and westbound carriageways.
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“Hidden it may be, but this hasn’t stopped Leodians from finding it. Students occasionally pop in to take a photo for TikTok, then dash home for an early night. They don’t know what they’re missing.
“Under the inspired direction of Sam and Nicole, the Highland Laddie looks to be in safe hands, a young couple bringing the traditional British boozer into the 21st century. George Orwell would have loved it.”
The Cheesy Living Co
478 Roundhay Road, Oakwood, Leeds, LS8 2HU
Our reviewer says: “The Cheesy Living Co is a good news story and a welcome one given the recent spate of high-profile restaurant closures in Leeds.
“It’s the brainchild of Jake Fischer and his partner Soph Branowsky who started their business during the pandemic selling charcuterie and cheese online. In 2022 they opened their first in-store deli in the Corn Exchange, Cuthbert Brodrick’s architectural masterpiece in Leeds city centre.
“This quickly proved popular and the following year they opened a second home in Oakwood, a smart suburb wedged between Harehills and Roundhay that is home to some rather good cafes, bars and restaurants.There’s now a third deli set to open in another Leeds suburb this spring, though at the time of writing the pair haven’t revealed where.
“Along with their focaccia sandwiches and sharing boards, the speciality here is the fondues. The fondues here, served for a minimum of two people, come with slow roasted potatoes sprinkled with rosemary and paprika, confit garlic, cornichons, balsamic pickled onions, plum and port jam, hot honey and bite sized pieces of bread perfect for dipping. All the good stuff.
“The Cheesy Living Co isn’t fancy or expensive, which just shows that good food doesn’t have to be. I’d happily come here at any time of the year, but on a glacial winter’s evening it really did warm the old cockles.”
Cinnamon Kitchen
The Queen’s Hotel, City Square, Leeds LS1 1PJ
Our reviewer says: “Cinnamon Kitchen Leeds is renowned chef Vivek Singh’s first restaurant in the North of England. It’s also a welcome addition to the burgeoning Indian food scene here.
“The star of the show was the chicken biryani with burhani raita. I’ve had oodles of biryanis over the years and I’m hard pushed to think of one as good as this.
“The spicing on the perfectly cooked chicken was once again on the money and accompanied by a crispy naan (cooked in a tandoor oven) it was the kind of elevated comfort food that makes you feel happy to be alive.”