There's very few steakhouses we trust to get our cooking preferences right each time but Blackhouse on East Parade is serving up some seriously mouthwatering brunches.
Specialising in blending causal lunches with sophisticated fine-dining options, Blackhouse remains the sole venue venture from Living Ventures for good reason. Their intimately lit restaurant provides a lunchtime spot where leaving 'well fed' is an understatement.
Blackhouse’s menu brings out the best of meat. Think Half-Roasted Chickens, huge steak portions, fish and chips and plenty of veggie options too. With so many worldwide-inspired dishes to choose from, there is something for every dietary requirement, even vegans and vegetarians- a rarity at steakhouses.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The portions here are plenty, but don't compromise on quality- even on the weekends when the special lunch menu is combined with a boozy bottomless brunch experience.
On the menu, guests can choose from the likes of warm chicken and chorizo salad; the classic fish and chips with tartare sauce and mushy peas or opt for classic favourites like the half-roast chicken.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The Half-Roasting Chicken is the ultimate winter warmer for anyone looking for a cosy lunchtime treat and paired with a glass of bubbly. Served with skinny chips, stuffing and mouth watering gravy, the half chicken is plenty to keep you going on a cold windy day.
Those wanting to test out the famous Blackhouse-steak without committing to an English Tomahawk won’t be able to resist the Blackhouse Steak Sandwich.
We’re talking fillet steak, tenderly cut into chunks and topped with onion, mushroom, burnt onion mayonnaise, horseradish cream and mature cheddar, all between two soft pieces of bread. Served with skinny fries, this is another winter warming dish that is perfect for an afternoon treat.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Turning this incredible lunch menu into a boozy afternoon of unlimited tipple, the bottomless brunch offerings come with a choice of Prosecco, beer or wines.
Each guest chooses their selection on the day and can choose to stick to their sophisticated beverage of choice or mix and match according to the palette's needs throughout the full 90 minute sitting.
Available 12-3pm every Saturday from East Parade at £36.50 per person, make sure that you book a table in advance to avoid disappointment as during the weekend when you'll be competing with those looking for a lunchtime option in the city centre as well as the bottomless brunchers.
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.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
Sophie Smith -
6th April 2022 
