Whether you like yours in ramen, soups, pho and good old traditional stir-fried dishes, there are so many great places to get noodles in Leeds.
Traditional noodles make the ultimate winter warmer, and now that the seasons have firmly changed to a constant cycle of rain and blustering winds it feels like the perfect time to wrap up and head out in search of Leed's finest noodle dishes
Fortunately, we've got just the selection for you to choose from.
We've put together a list of all the best places to slurp up some delicious carbs around Leeds city centre. All that's left to do is choose your favourite and get those chopsticks at the ready.
House of Fu
This tasty ramen bowl is made up of chicken and shiitake broth, sesame & miso tare, Yorkshire kale, tantan pork, mayu, egg, chilli and garlic confit / Image: House of Fu
House of Fu has only been in Leeds for three short months but has already proven popular with noodle fans in the city centre. With a fresh interior design and tasty ramen bowls that don't take themselves too seriously, it's one of our top picks.
The Original Fu Ramen here is a winner, combining pork broth with toasted rye noodles,BBQ chashu pork, fresh menma, spring onions, nori and egg cooked with burnt garlic oil. Delicious. Wash down with a frozen cocktail but don’t forget to leave room for dessert - the vegan miso caramel ice-cream sandwiches are worth every bite.
Bar Soba
Located on Greek Street, Bar Soba is hardly subtle in its design. Its hot pink logo and street-art décor make the site one of the trendiest ramen spots in Leeds, but it’s the vast menu that makes Bar Soba so special. Paying homage to South East Asian street food artists, each meal is packed with flavour designed to ‘get your tastebuds dancing’.
Their £6 lunch menu is one of the best value meals around. Opt for a large plate of teriyaki noodles with your choice of meat or tofu filling. It’s crispy, sweet, spicy, salty and savoury all in one delicious sauce. Looking for something a little different? Add cheeseburger spring rolls for just £3.
Pho at Trinity Kitchen
This healthy spicy green noodle soup comes with pak choi, green beans, morning glory, lime and fresh Thai basil / Image: Pho Restaurant
Getting your Pho fix at Trinity Kitchen is always a delight. Whether you choose wok-fried noodles cooked with lemongrass, chilli and peanut, or aromatic pho (a rice noodle soup that is Vietnam's national dish) prepared over twelve hours, Pho really does bring the best of Vietnamese street food to the city centre.
For a truly authentic experience, pair your dish with a Cá phê (rich Vietnamese coffee from Caphe VN) or a jasmine flower tea bloom, where the flower actually blooms in front of you as you slurp and sip your way through your meal.
Senbon Sakura
Simple, fresh and authentic. That’s exactly how Senbon Sakura comes across. In the Greet George Street restaurant, guests describe the service as excellent, the food as tasty and the price as reasonable. The restaurant offers a wide selection of sushi and rice dishes, but its ramen is a standout meal on the plentiful menu.
You can grab your ramen twelve different ways, but the classic ‘Senbon Sakura soup ramen’ is a favourite - combining chicken, king prawns, salmon and cha-shu, it's perfect for those that want a bit of everything. As for veggies and vegans, there is still plenty of options including vegetable tempura or the vegan cha-shu meat ramen.
Oba Leeds
There are tasty noodle dishes aplenty at one of the newest restaurants, we're obsessed with the careful presentation too / Image: Oba Leeds
The Merrion Centre's newest restaurant fuses Korean and Japanese food for an extensive range of dishes that are bursting with flavour. Inspired by their existing food store, Hang Sing Hong on Vicar Lane, Oba Leeds is the team's latest venture to feed the people of Leeds with delicious cuisine.
Try either of their staple noodle dishes, japchae: a combination of juicy glass noodles with Korean style beef and stir-fried vegetables. Vegetarians will be delighted to hear that meat-free alternatives are available. The only way to top this meal is to have a raspberry lemonade mocktail on the table too. Made fresh-to-order with soda and fruit, it's a showstopper.
Mi's Noodles
Oba's sister store, Mi's Noodles also operate in the Merrion Centre, in fact, one is just a few steps from the other. Driven 'to use the most original methods to cook traditional cuisines', Mi's team aim to bring the ultimate taste of Yun Nan, China to the table. The only important decision here is ramen or vermicelli.
If you prefer hot, spicy food above all else; Mi's noodles are the only ones to sample. The Super Hot Special, compromising of fish, king prawn, roasted pork, crab meat sticks, fish balls and bean curd rolls, is just one of the speciality dishes that are on offer. Pair this with a salted lemon Seven Up for a truly unique sensory experience.
Little Tokyo
Little Tokyo Leeds have a great selection of noodle dishes, including our favourite, the shallow stir fried noodles / Image: Little Tokyo Leeds
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined traditional Japanese piquancy with flavours present here in Yorkshire? Having opened over twenty years ago, Little Tokyo has been rated in the top one hundred restaurants in the country and offer the epitome of flavour fusion and continue to be leaders in their market.
Whilst there are plenty of bento boxes, sashimi and soups on offer, the shallow stir-fried noodles are our recommendation. A generous portion of noodles, boiled to perfection with stir-fried vegetarian soy sauce, delicious. Visiting on a Sunday is a particular treat as customers can feed the koi fish after enjoying their meal.
Silver's Bakehouse is finally here, and it's just as fabulous as we'd hoped.
Just when you thought Leeds’ favourite sandwich spot couldn't get any better, they go and open a bakery.
Silver's Bakehouse has opened its beautiful pastel green doors today over in Farsley to queues of excited fans eager to get their first taste.
So, what's on offer at Silver's Bakehouse?
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Well, as masterminds of the almighty sandwich you'll be happy to know you can still get one here. However, their iconic sub sarnies have had an Italian makeover and are now served in fresh, springy sourdough which is baked onsite.
Elsewhere on the menu you'll find brown butter buttermilk brownies (try saying that three times), a range of delicious cookies, sausage rolls, soft amaretti biscuits and Dark Arts tiramisu.
There's also a fab selection of Italian drinks on offer in a swanky new fridge, as well as a coffee menu so you can pick a brew to go hand in hand with your chosen baked good.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The interior is just as gorgeous, complete with yellow walls, red tiles and a mirror hanging above the baker's table so you can really see all the magic happen.
And trust us, it is magic.
There's a couple of benches outside so you can plonk yourself in the sunshine to enjoy your sarnie, which is what we'll be doing in this glorious bank holiday sunshine.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can really tell this is a proper labour of love, and Chris and the team have done a cracking job of keeping that Silver's spirit in there.
Go and say hello to congratulate them on this fabulous new opening, it's a great addition to Farsley and the Leeds foodie scene.
The beautiful West Yorkshire valley walk that ends at a top gastropub
Daisy Jackson
If your idea of a perfect Sunday doesn't involve a stroll in the countryside followed by lunch in a country pub - we can't be friends.
And if that does sound like your idea of a very nice day out, we've found a pretty spectacular walk-roast combo for you, right here in West Yorkshire.
You can start your day by strolling through surprisingly varied and very green countryside, with stunning valley views, before resting your weary legs beneath the table of an award-winning gastropub.
If you haven't guessed it yet - we're off to the Shibden Valley, just outside Halifax, where your gentle hike will lead you straight to the warm embrace of the Shibden Mill Inn.
The walk begins in the car park beside the pub, but don't get tempted in for a pint just yet.
There's an easy-moderate 5.6km circular that will lead you along a country lane, dropping down to cross a brook, then heading back up a gentle incline towards the top of the valley.
The views along the Shibden Valley from here are beautiful - lush green fields dotted with trees as far as the eye can see.
Then the route takes you along some wide open fields, with plenty of wildlife to spot along the way, before heading into peaceful woodlands.
You can take a break here to paddle in the stream before continuing on through farmland, with friendly horses to say hello to.
Views along the Shibden Valley Circular. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Then you'll find yourself back at the Shibden Mill Inn, a pub that's consistently finding itself in the prestigious Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Dating back to the 17th century, it's a pretty white building converted from a former mill, with ivy climbing all up its walls.
There's a sizeable beer garden - with a live musician playing when we popped in - but it's hard to resist the cosy charm of the pub's interior, where staff have to duck beneath the low ceiling beams and no surface feels totally straight.
The Shibden Mill Inn's Sunday roast offering does a set menu, with two courses for £40 or three for £45, changing seasonally.
You'll find pub classics on the starters, like chicken liver parfait and homemade soup, before delving into the main event - the Sunday roast.
We love a pub that gives you both mashed AND roasted potatoes, which the Shibden Mill Inn does, along with roast seasonal veg and a towering Yorkshire pudding.
The Sunday roast at the Shibden Mill InnChicken liver parfait, and soup Chocolate fondant with torched marshmallowInside the Shibden Mill Inn
There's roasted salt-aged sirloin of beef, cooked perfectly pink (though they're happy to give it a bit longer if you prefer your meat to not be blushing); or an excellent wedge of belly pork with crispy crackling.
And on the side, a portion of cauliflower cheese that is actually more cheese than cauliflower. Perfect.
Puddings are a nice mix of heavy winter favourites and lighter, fruitier desserts - but we go full stodge, with a chocolate fondant dessert topped with torched marshmallow, salted caramel, and sugared pecans, and have no regrets.
If you want to replicate this Sunday walk and roast, you can see the full circular route here.
Sophie Smith -
6th October 2021 
