Table 26 in Swillington has been crowned the Restaurant of the Year award for Yorkshire and Humberside at the English Curry Awards.
Knowing where to get a decent curry from is an essential part of British life.
All the poppadoms, onion bhajis, pilau rice and not to mention the array of flavoursome curried dishes available in Leeds can be overwhelming at times: there are over 60 different options on takeaway apps in the city centre alone.
But officially, Table 26 is the the best place to get your bhaji fix. The curry house was crowned Restaurant of the Year in Yorkshire and the Humber this week at the English Curry House.
The popular restaurant has been open for less than two years but has already made a huge impact on the Leeds foodie scene.
Describing their journey so far as a "rollercoaster ride", the local eatery were recognised for both quality and customer service and chosen by members of the public.
Table 26 received their award from the National British Curry Awards earlier this week. / Image: Table 26 Restaurant
The award has specific categories that restaurants must show in order to be considered for the award, these include obvious signs of hard work, determination and impeccable service. The markers also ensured that any restaurant considered were creating and serving "delicious dishes at an excellent standard".
Table 26 were up against five other highly-ranked curry houses across Yorkshire including Curry Corner, Shama Bingley and Shalimar Restaurant Harrogate but outsawarded their award by English DJ and Presenter, Tommy Sandhu.
The Swillington restaurant is popular with locals but also receive a lot of traffic from Morley, where their previous restaurant, Table 27, was based.
Table 27 closed just before the initial lockdown when Covid-related restrictions were enforced as the owners wanted to downsize.
Table 26 opened in January 2020 and fought through the open-then-close difficulties that the pandemic brought.
One of their famous dishes is the Agni Karahi, a smoking hot dish that comes still covered by flames, a delight to many customers.
Leading up to the festive season, the award-winning curry house have now launched their Christmas menu, offering the perfect opportunity to put the now-famed curries to the test.
The menu consists of four-courses, with poppadoms, sizzle mix starters and any main course dish from the menu. Finish your Christmas dinner off with a sundry, chapati and traditional Indian sweet.
For £32.95, it's a steal that even the Grinch couldn't turn down, but with business booming after their recent award, tables are booking up quickly.
New regulations are set to be put into place as part of the Briggate Action Plan.
Proposals for the plan, aimed at making some of the city centre’s busiest areas safer for everyone, received a huge amount of support during a public consultation last year.
Since then, the council have been drawing up the necessary regulations and signage, with the new rules now due to officially come into place over the next few months.
Once implemented, the action plan will mean a requirement to walk bicycles and e-bikes within the city centre’s pedestrianised shopping area from 10.30am until 8pm every day.
That means no surprise bicycles will try and run you over as you're doing your shopping, hooray!
The action plan will also introduce prohibitions around certain street trading activities in targeted areas, including mobile street traders.
Extended restrictions will be put into place during major city centre events including Leeds Pride, Light Night Leeds and the Leeds Christmas Market.
Anyone breaking the new rules could be given a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council, said: “The city centre welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and our aim is for every one of them to have the best and safest possible experience of Leeds.
“Through this action plan, we’ve taken important and meaningful steps to address issues which the public have consistently told us were impacting their enjoyment of the city centre whilst also creating potential safety issues for shoppers and pedestrians.
“With these new regulations in place, our hope is that both day-to-day visits and major events will now be even more enjoyable, successful and welcoming.”
The new restrictions on pedlars are expected to be in place from Thursday 1 October, with restrictions on bikes in pedestrianised areas due to be in place by the end of the year.
Huge new two-storey late-night venue with beer hall and games is coming to Leeds city centre
Clementine Hall
A new late-night venue is set to open in Leeds city centre.
And luckily for us, we don't have long to wait.
Introducing Klubhaus, a new venue by The Bierkeller brand that will open its doors on Friday 30 October on Merrion Street in Leeds city centre.
Combining a whole host of things, Klubhaus will feature drinks, games, and its very own beer hall on the top floor.
'The Bier Hall' will offer your classic Bierkeller-style benches alongside a huge stage and vast dance floor, perfect for events and live DJs.
Elsewhere in the two-storey venue, there will be two bars and plenty of games including dart boards, pool tables, and Bierkeller's popular ‘Spin the Wheel’ game where customers are given the chance to spin a large wheel behind each bar to unlock discounts and offers.
Dave Howarth, Brand Manager of The Bierkeller said: “Klubhaus is an exciting Bierkeller concept, and Leeds is the perfect city for a more drinks-led, late-night version of the brand.
“With two floors, two bars and The Bier Hall, we've built a venue on Merrion Street designed for the perfect night out.”
Considering the location, we've got a feeling this will do very well for those who prefer to party at the top of town on Merrion Street.
And with the prospect of bagging yourself a free drink from the mysterious wheel...who could resist?
You can have a look at what to expect via the Klubhaus by Bierkeller website here.
Sophie Smith -
22nd October 2021 
