Food critic Jay Rayner headed to Leeds for his latest restaurant review for The Financial Times, with his sights set on one of the city's newest pubs - The Highland Laddie.
Having only opened in May last year, The Highland Laddie has practically received a stream of praise ever since.
From the team behind the beloved Empire Cafe, it's a pub unlike any you'll find in the city.
Charming interiors and cosy fires matched with stellar food that rivals that of any restaurant in the city, it's no surprise that The Good Food Guide rated the Laddie has the Best Pub in Britain for 2025.
And now Jay Rayner, one of the country's most rated critics, has jumped on the Laddie-loving bandwagon.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review is glowing in every aspect, stating that "The Laddie, as it’s now being called, answers all those miserable questions about whether a pub is actually a restaurant in disguise, by making them feel irrelevant."
After making himself comfortable, Rayner continues to order a myriad of delicious things off the menu.
"Some of the food is purely comforting", he remarks before claiming "the must-have is the lyrically described “Sliced ham from the fire, dinner roll, butter & mustard”.
"It starts with the delivery of a laminated mustard menu. There’s Colman’s or Taylors English, Grey Poupon wholegrain and five types of Dijon, among others. More restaurants should have mustard menus. We are pointed at the Händlmaier Sweet Bavarian, a jar of which is delivered to the table.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"It eases the cheek-pink slices of still warm, thick-cut salty ham on their way as I fold them into the sweet springy block of bread with its butter-brushed crust. It is a dish ripped gently from the pages of The Darling Buds of May and made heavenly reality."
High praise indeed from Mr Rayner who finds joy in his experience til the very end, "At the end, the bill comes with a couple of Fruit Salad sweets, a ’70s classic.
"It’s a shameless clapback to an imaginary back-in-the-day, for nothing then was ever as good as this. But let’s not quibble with wonky nostalgia. Let’s just celebrate a present which has found space for the Highland Laddie amid the high-rise clutter."
A new Souvlaki Corner is set to open in south Leeds.
If you're a Leeds local who loves food, then you'll have most likely heard and dined at Souvlaki Corner.
It's an absolute gem of a restaurant and takeaway, situated in Wortley selling fabulous authentic Greek food at a great price.
And now they're opening a new site in the nearby town of Morley which is going to be even bigger and better. Get in.
The new site will feature a bigger space with more seating, offering both dine-in and takeaway options, as well as a brand-new bar.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Now you're talking our language.
Souvlaki Corner told The Hoot: "We’re excited to confirm that Souvlaki Corner will be opening a new site in Morley, Leeds. Our targeted opening is in around four weeks, although we don’t have an exact opening date yet and will confirm this closer to the launch.
"One of the highlights of the new restaurant will be a traditional Greek spit where we will cook whole lamb in the proper Greek way. It will be cooked over charcoal to give the authentic Greek flavour that people would experience in Greece.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Our chefs are Greek, bringing authentic knowledge and experience from Greece. The interior design will also reflect the style of the Greek islands, so when people visit they will feel like they are stepping into a little part of Greece."
They continued: "Souvlaki Corner was created to bring authentic Greek street food to Leeds, focusing on freshly grilled souvlaki, gyros, and traditional flavours served quickly and affordably. Since launching our first location, the response from customers has been fantastic, and Morley felt like the natural next step as we continue to grow."
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Clementine Hall -
26th January 2026 
