Two Leeds restaurants have come up trumps in OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants for 2025.
Now that's quite an achievement if you're asking us.
And it's not the first time for the brilliant Bavette bistro over in Horsforth, who were also featured on the list last year just months after opening their doors.
Known for its fabulous French cuisine, warm atmosphere and unbeatable service - Bavette is a firm favourite from locals and tourists alike.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Also featured is The Highland Laddie, who after only opening this year have been scooping up the awards including Best Pub in the UK by The Good Food Guide.
Run by the masterminds behind Empire Cafe, this laidback old school pub are serving elevated pub classics as well as bar oysters and brilliant pints of Guinness. Sounds like our kind of place if you're asking us.
The list is curated not by critics, but by diners, taking feedback from the general public and curating the top 100 from their feedback and reviews.
Each year, OpenTable looks at customer reviews and metrics to determine the top restaurants across the country.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
And if there's anyone's opinions we truly trust, it's the punters spending their hard-earned cash.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Bavette said: "We’re in the top 100! Delighted to say we’re in OpenTable’s top 100 UK restaurants list again this year. The whole team are incredibly proud of our 4.9/5 rating, based on customer reviews.
"A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to Open Table’s email after their visit this year, we really appreciate them."
Manchester's favourite Mexican bar is about to become your newest nightlife destination in Leeds.
It's been a long time coming, but Salon Madre is officially ready to open in Leeds.
Although we may have to wait a little bit longer for Madre, the day-to-night eatery that has made waves over in Manchester and Liverpool, Salon Madre, its lively tequila bar and pool hall sibling, is officially opening on Friday 20 February.
Salon Madre, which will be located just around the corner from Madre at 114 Wellington Street, is where the party really gets started.
Image: The Manc Group
Expect tequila-fuelled nights, pool tables, lively DJs and Lucha Libre on the big screens.
There will also be plenty of tacos being flung out the kitchen to keep you going until the early hours.
If you’ve ever visited one of their venues in Manchester or Liverpool, you’ll know it’s an absolute riot and we can’t wait to welcome them to the city.
Images: The Manc Group
Co-founder Sam Grainger, inspired by countless trips to Mexico, says: “Mexico is alive with passionate artisans and cooks, mastering everything from street tacos to regional delicacies. It’s a world where traditions blend and evolve and we’ve built that ethos into the heart of both Madre and Salon Madre.”
Madre Leeds will open soon and you can even grab yourself a free margarita by signing up to their newsletter here.
We’ll keep you up to date with their opening times but for now, we'll see you at Salon Madre for a boogie, margarita and game of pool next week.
Award-winning Leeds restaurant announces shock closure just months after opening
Clementine Hall
Emba in Leeds will be closing its doors with the owner blaming rising costs and pressure on the hospitality sector.
Back in April last year, one of Leeds' top restaurants The Owl closed its doors.
Run by renowned Chef Liz Cottam, The Owl was reimagine into Emba - a trendy restaurant tat bridged 'the gap between cosy bar and vibrant dining room'.
To open Emba, Cottam opened a Crowdfunder where supporters would be awarded with prizes such as VIP dinners and merch depending on how much they donated.
But sadly just months after opening, Emba is to close permanently.
Cottam confirmed the sad news with a statement shared with customers over the weekend, saying she was completely "heartbroken".
She said: “This is no longer the right time to own independent restaurants like Emba,” she said. “Under the current conditions they cannot survive and the recent budget confirmed what so many of us already knew: no meaningful help is coming for hospitality.
"The experience of being here and the harsh financial reality of running a business here no longer stack up.
"Being award winning, popular, admired and loved no longer means profitable and as an industry if we’re honest most of us have not truly been okay since Covid."
She signed off the statement promising to return to the restaurant world, she said: “What I do know is this, I am not done. I will keep cooking, keep creating and keep finding ways to do the thing I love.”
Clementine Hall -
8th December 2025 
