The Michelin Guide has added its newest recruits, and it's great news for a newbie over in North Yorkshire.
Fifty Two at the luxurious Rudding Park hotel opened its doors in May 2024, offering punters an immersive dining experience that is guided by the restaurant's homegrown produce.
Named after the number of raised beds in its kitchen garden, this is a meal about as seasonal as its gets.
Designed to create a sense of food theatre in a large shipping container that boasts a light and airy atmosphere, diners can watch the chefs at work as they concoct their magical creations on an open kitchen island.
And it's clearly gone down a treat, as Fifty Two has been added to the coveted Michelin Guide just seven months after opening.
The Michelin Guide said: "Set in the grounds of the Rudding Park hotel and named after the number of raised beds in its kitchen garden, this is a restaurant guided by its produce.
"It occupies a set of converted shipping containers, furnished with bespoke oak tables, where the chefs lead the service of their creative dishes. There’s a playfulness running throughout, exemplified by ‘Dessert Islands Discs’, where guests can choose a track to play while the puddings are served. Those desserts are a highlight, with exquisite execution of dishes like brown butter custard tart with baked apple."
Image: Fifty Two at Rudding Park
Sounds pretty fancy if you ask us, and yes we'd be lying if we said our mouths weren't watering at the thought of a brown butter custard tart.
Fifty Two joins the likes of Bavette, Ox Club, The Box Tree, Forde and Prashad on the Michelin Guide with myse over in Hovingham still holding the only Michelin star in Yorkshire.
So it's fair to say we're spoilt for choice when it comes to getting some good grub in and around Leeds, but we already knew that already.
Find out more and book your table Fifty Two at Rudding Park here.
Authentic Turkish street food is coming to Kirkgate.
Leeds city centre is gearing up to welcome yet another new food spot, and this one is all about homemade lahmacun, shawarma wraps and plenty of signature tahini sauce.
Tahin will open its doors at 10 Kirkgate, next to The Cat Cafe, and with signs already up we don't think it'll be long until they welcome their first customers.
The restaurant is listed as a Turkish restaurant that specialise in their homemade tahini sauce, hence the name.
According to the restaurant's Instagram profile which has been going for a few years, Tahin also specialises in home-made lahmacun wraps alongside shawarma wraps.
For anyone unfamiliar with lahmacun, the Turkish staple is often described as a thin, crispy flatbread topped with a richly seasoned mixture of minced meat, herbs and vegetables.
Wrapped up with fresh salad and sauces, it makes for a satisfying and flavourful lunch to enjoy on-the-go.
Their Instagram suggests that Tahin once existed before back in 2022, so although this may not be a completely new venture, we're nevertheless very glad to see them back.
Its location puts it right in the middle of one of Leeds' busiest areas, making it the perfect mid-shopping pit stop for those wandering around Briggate or stopping for a bite to eat before heading out on the town.
The new opening comes at a time when Leeds' food scene is continuing to expand, with a string of independent restaurants and street-food concepts opening across the city centre throughout 2026.
This Leeds bistro has been named one of the best restaurants in the UK to plan a staycation around
Clementine Hall
A much-loved neighbourhood Leeds restaurant has been given another major accolade.
There’s no shortage of brilliant places to eat in Leeds, but one Horsforth bistro has just been given a pretty huge seal of approval - and it might be worth planning your next staycation around.
The brilliant Bavette has been named one of the best neighbourhood restaurants in the UK to plan a staycation around by Condé Nast Traveller, appearing alongside a handpicked list of restaurants from across the country.
The list celebrates neighbourhood restaurants that are worth travelling for, with the magazine highlighting the growing appeal of venturing outside of busy city centres in search of smaller, more intimate places to eat.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And Leeds has bagged itself a spot thanks to Bavette, and we can't say we're surprised.
The French-inspired neighbourhood bistro is run by chef Sandy Jarvis and his husband Clément Cousin.
Since opening in 2024, Bavette has quickly become one of the city's most talked-about restaurants, attracting diners far beyond its Horsforth home and scooping up accolades such as the 2024 Good Food Guide's Best UK Local Restaurant, a 2025 and 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a place in the 2026 National Restaurant Awards Top 100.
Condé Nast Traveller hails Bavette as "a true neighbourhood gem", saying: "The restaurant takes its cues from the couple’s London bistro roots, serving hearty yet elegant dishes made with seasonal ingredients.”
They finish by saying: "Reservations are hard to come by - but so worth it once you get your foot in the door."
We really couldn't agree more.
And while a trip to Horsforth might not technically count as a staycation for us Leeds locals, Bavette is certainly one restaurant worth crossing the city for.
Clementine Hall -
9th January 2025 
