Considering all the ups and downs we've endured over the past (nearly) two years, we can completely understand anyone who thinking of swapping out cooking for dining out in Leeds this Christmas - especially on Christmas Day.
The good news is, if you are looking to do just that, you're spoilt for choice. Christmas, typically hospitality's biggest time of the year, was all but cancelled for the industry in 2020 - so this year Leeds restaurants are going all out on the big day.
Whilst there are loads of restaurants in Leeds offering Christmas menus, those that are staying open on Christmas Day have created extra-special offerings just for the occasion.
Keep reading to discover where to go out to eat on Christmas Day in Leeds this year.
If you're going all-out this year, the Deer Park probably has one of the most extravagant Christmas Day menus in Leeds. Of course, that comes at a price - namely £97.95 for adults (champagne and cocktail included), or £41.50 for kids.
Think starters like burrata and fig, a seafood sharing plate for two (seared wild Atlantic scallops on a tomato risotto, Szechuan pepper squid, king prawns with lemon mayonnaise, Devon crab rillette, rustic bread and butter) and grilled goats cheese with beetroot rosti.
Mains-wise, roasted turkey gets a lift with a cranberry pastry parcel, lemon and thyme stuffing and a Cumberland pig-in-blanket, whilst further choices include pan-roasted halibut in Thermidor sauce, beef wellington with bread sauce and Bordelaise jus (vegan option available) and candied root vegetable bake.
Cocktail choices are vast, including favourites like espresso and french martinis, Aperol spritz, blood orange and passion fruit collins and old fashioned. If you're not going in for the booze though, the classic five-course menu on its own is £82.50.
If you're looking for a bang-up Christmas dinner in cosy settings, you can tuck into five festive courses at Leeds pub The Adelphi this Christmas Day with prices starting from £64.95.
Think mains like turkey with all the trimmings, a root vegetable and walnut wellington, pan-fried salmon, roast sirloin of beef or rump of lamb - plus sweet, indulgent desserts followed by a cheeseboard.
There's also a separate three-course menu for children, priced at £27.95.
Leeds pub The Roundhay Fox is open on Christmas Day serving three festive courses for £62.95. Open for both lunch and dinner, the kitchen is cooking up a specially created menu with choices like beef fillet wellington, slow-cooked pork belly, turkey, venison steak and sweet potato and apricot tart.
There's a separate menu for children, priced at £30.50, with similar choices to the adult menu served in smaller portions - like curried vegetable wellington, hand-sliced turkey, and rump of lamb, plus chocolate or vanilla ice cream for dessert.
With two Christmas Day sittings at 12.15pm and 2:15pm, Weetwood Hall is a fine choice for a three-course festive lunch. What's more, you can even book a room upstairs if you want to turn your Christmas lunch into a getaway.
Mains choices include roast turkey, beetroot and goats cheese tarte tatin, slow-cooked beef suet pudding or poached salmon, whilst desserts include the classic Christmas pudding and a chocolate torte.
Children's menus are also available, priced from £25.
For 1920s glamour in spades this Christmas Day, head over to Browns - a solid city centre favourite. Priced at £85 for adults and £16 for children, there is a five-course menu on offer with all the seasonal favourites plus bubbles and a few additional surprises.
Think Browns festive turkey with cranberry stuffing, pigs in blankets, red wine jus; rack of lamb with butternut squash fondant and pickled blackberries; and beef or portobello mushroom, chestnut and spinach wellingtons - all served with garlic and thyme roast potatoes, mulled wine braised red cabbage, shaved Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, maple roast carrots and parsnips.
Malmaison's Chez Brasserie is pulling out all the stops for Christmas day with four courses and a complimentary welcome glass of champagne for £99 (or £49.50 for children aged 5 to 12 years old).
Begin with truffled arancini 'for the table' before digging into starters like beef tataki or crab and oak-smoked salmon, followed by a mix of contemporary and traditional mains choices ranging from turkey breast to beef fillet, pan-fried cod, or spinach and vegan feta pithivier (it's a pie).
If you don't like turkey, Miller and Carter could be a shout this Christmas Day The steakhouse is serving up a five-course Christmas Day menu for £72.95 - with a 'steak experience' course served as an option instead of mains like turkey, risotto and grilled seabass with prawns.
The restaurant also has a four-course Christmas Day set menu for children and a gluten-free Christmas day menu.
In case you missed it, a bakery in Bramley has received lots of attention recently after people have sampled some of its impressive bread and pastries before raving about it online.
Since then, Ruth, the mastermind behind it all, has generated queues from her summer house-turned bakehouse with people coming from far and wide to sample her flaky favourites and doughy delights.
Baking for more than 10 years and opening The Fat Pigeon just outside of Leeds city centre three years ago, there's no denying that the pastries and more produced here are some of the best.
This micro-bakery has a mighty menu and although Ruth's personal tastes might lean more savoury, the menu heavily favours sugary baked goods.
Anyone who loves a good sweet treat will be glad to know there's croissants, traybakes, cinnamon buns and the star-studded kouign-amann, a French-originating buttery pastry that covers all bases as it's sugary, sweet and slightly salty - heaven in baked form.
Ruth posing with a pigeon statue alongside some of her delicious golden creations / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
There's plenty more dough-based delights that cater to the savoury palate too. Think sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia that's oozing with perfectly paired herbs and generous amounts of oil.
What makes this place even more special is the fact that not only the products being created and consumed made by a Leeds local, most if not all of the offerings are made using Yorkshire produce.
Ruth has made sure to keep local produce at the heart of all her bakes with Met's in Farsley who providing cheese, Whiteley's contributing fresh vegetables like parsley and rhubarb, flour from East Yorkshire's own Stringers and The Organic Dales for any dairy items - it really doesn't get more Yorkshire than this.
Enough from us, social media user's are singing this bakery's praises too as one commented "Delicious. Delicious. Delicious" and another going as far to say, "Beats every pastry I had in Copenhagen".
The sourdough loaves and bloomers at The Fat Pigeon are homemade and look as good as they taste / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
Hopefully you're reading this on a Friday or early Saturday morning, otherwise all I can do is apologise for tempting you with all this bakery's homemade golden goodness so far in advance.
The Fat Pigeon is open from 9am to 12pm every Saturday meaning you can stock up on some of Leeds' best bread and pastries to tie you over until the next weekend, depending on your will power.
Here’s five of the best new openings coming to Leeds this year
Clementine Hall
We're almost half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open this August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
New York-style pizza pop-up, Edges Pizza, is set to open in Leeds.Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residences across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat. Edges will be opening their doors in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 June.
Okay, this one might not be happening this year...but we still had to mention it so please forgive us.
Trinity Leeds is embarking on a major transformation with a £15 million expansion, introducing a second food court called ‘Freight Island’ The upgrade will add around 72,000 sq ft of new space, including a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking City Square the perfect spot to enjoy great food with skyline views.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd December 2021 
