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.
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.
Since then they've been a little quiet, but all for good reason it seems.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Edges will be opening their doors in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 June in a vacant railway arch at Fourth Court on Bridge Road in Leeds' Holbeck area.
It won't be your average pizza shop though, you'll have to preorder for now but trust us - it's worth it.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Edges said: "WE FINALLY HAVE an opening date, Thursday 18th June! All pizzas are pre-ordered like we have always done, and are slightly limited for now (still looking for helping hands!!!). The pre-orders will open the day before at 12pm via our Storekit link.
"We’ll be then opening Wednesday to Friday, 4-9pm and Saturday & Sunday 3-9pm. If there are still remaining slots left on the day, you can order up to an hour before the collection time. We have limited seating, for those who travel and would like to eat in. There is plenty of car parking space, to pick up your pizza, too.
"We can’t wait to see you all soon & more importantly, we can’t wait to start making some good food for you again."
We can't wait to get our hands on a coveted Edges pizza slice again, so you best believe we'll be there at the opening with bells on.
The 80-year-old Wakefield butchers that won Jane McDonald’s heart
Declan Kelly
When Wakefield's queen of the cruise ships recommends a pork pie in Yorkshire, you listen.
TV presenter, singer and national treasure Jane McDonald has never hidden her love for her hometown. While her career has taken her around the world, from luxury ocean liners to sold-out theatre tours, Wakefield has always remained close to her heart. And among the many things she proudly champions from her hometown, one local institution receives more praise than most: Allums Butchers.
In fact, Jane has often joked that one of the reasons she still lives in Yorkshire is because of their famous pork pies. Most recently, Jane was once again singing their praises during her album launch at HMV when we interviewed her. She has also recently spoken fondly about the butcher's legendary pies on Alan Carr's podcast.
Hearing her enthusiasm sparked our curiosity, so we decided to make the trip to Wakefield and discover for ourselves what makes these pork pies so special.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Located on Brook Street, Allums Butchers is more than just a place to pick up your Sunday roast. It's a business woven into the fabric of Wakefield's history, with a story stretching back more than 80 years.
The journey began in 1945 when Albert Allum started trading from Wakefield Market.
At a time when local communities depended on independent traders, Albert Allum built a reputation for quality produce, expert craftsmanship and exceptional customer service. Those values helped establish a loyal customer base and laid the foundations for a business that would stand the test of time.
More than eight decades later, the same principles continue to guide the company.
Today, Allums remains proudly family-owned and is run by third-generation butcher Jonathan Allum. While much has changed since Albert's early days on the market stall, the commitment to quality remains exactly the same. The business has grown into one of Yorkshire's most respected independent butchers, yet it continues to place traditional butchery, carefully sourced produce and customer service at the heart of everything it does.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Speaking to us about his relationship with Jane McDonald, Jonathan shared memories that stretch back decades. The pair first met as teenagers when Jane would visit the market alongside her mother. Like many local families, they regularly stopped by the Allum stall and, more often than not, left with one of the butcher's famous pork pies.
Jonathan remembers chatting with Jane as she collected her order.
"I'd often say, 'See you next week,'" he recalled. "And every so often she'd reply, 'No, you won't - I’m off cruising.'"
Jane has gone on to become one of Britain's most recognisable entertainers, known by millions for her television programmes and her successful career at sea and most recently her iconic Mighty Hoopla performance . Yet despite the fame, she never forgot her Wakefield roots. To this day, she remains one of Allums' most loyal supporters and regularly speaks about the business with genuine affection.
Allums' pork pies have become something of a Yorkshire institution in their own right. Handmade using a traditional recipe that has been refined over generations, each pie is crafted using seasoned pork, rich savoury jelly and a perfectly baked hot-water crust pastry. There are no modern gimmicks, just a commitment to making a classic product exceptionally well.
Naturally, we couldn't leave without trying the pork pies ourselves.
Sometimes the best food stories aren't about reinvention or chasing the latest trend. They're about preserving traditions, maintaining standards and doing one thing exceptionally well for generations.
More than 80 years after Albert Allum first opened for business in Wakefield Market, Allums Butchers continues to embody exactly that philosophy. And after finally experiencing their famous pork pies for ourselves, we can confidently say that Jane McDonald might just be right.
Georgina Pellant -
2nd December 2021 
