Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Shipley
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Shipley restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 61 restaurants in Shipley and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Shipley restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Shipley Restaurants
1. Sukhothai
Thai restaurant in Leeds
15 South Parade - LS1
Ban Kaewkraikhot’s small group of Thai restaurants started in Chapel Allerton and is now over 20 years old. She has invested in the lavish styling of this city-centre spin-off. A popular venue locally for celebrating an occasion, it wins upbeat (if limited) feedback for results from its very large (200+ dishes) menu.
2. Fleur Restaurant and bar
restaurant in Leeds city centre
Inside the lights - LS1
Award-winning Master Chef Finalist, Great British Menu-famed chef Bobby Geetha and Team provides a stunning contemporary British cuisine inspired by world flavours.Fléur Restaurant was the finalist for best Brunch in Leeds. Reviewed as Top 3 best Bottomless...
3. Sukhothai
Thai restaurant in Harrogate
17-19 Cheltenham Pde - HG1
Leeds entrepreneur, Ban Kaewkraikhot’s local outpost is a large, modern and fairly glam venue that wins praise as a “busy restaurant with very consistent cooking”. “Don’t publicise the fact that it’s your birthday!” if you don’t want a fair amount of fuss…
4. Sukhothai
Thai restaurant in Leeds
8 Regent St - LS7
2022 Review: Feedback remains limited but remains very positive for this Chapel Allerton Thai (part of a local group), which hits twenty years old in 2022.
5. The Tannin Level
British, Traditional restaurant in Harrogate
5 Raglan St - HG1
In business for nearly four decades now (est. 1985), this stalwart operation occupies a cosy cellar space in the lower ground of a solid Victorian mansion in the city centre (with a small outside seating area for warmer days). The well-rated, traditional-ish cuisine has something of a meat and steak bias; despite the name, the wine list is not huge, but offers quality vintages from a range of countries up to a little over £100 per bottle.
6. Prashad
Indian restaurant in Leeds
137 Whitehall Rd - BD11
The Hairy Bikers and Gordon Ramsay number amongst the fans of Bobby and Minal Patel’s West Yorkshire legend (est 1992 in Bradford before the move here in 2012) and “it continues to maintain a high standard” of “delicious vegetarian cuisine”.
7. Tharavadu
Indian restaurant in Leeds
7- 8 Mill Hill - LS1
“Don’t be put off by the outside!” – this “very popular” Keralan (a favourite, it is claimed, of India cricket ace Virat Kohli) wins a hymn of praise for its “authentic” cuisine and is “a must for fish and seafood fans”: “the meen koottan (fish curry) was a standout dish, bursting with flavour and expertly prepared. The mango lassi is also delicious. Highly recommended!”
8. Aagrah
Indian restaurant in Leeds
St Peter’s Sq - LS9
“They always go the extra mile” according to fans of this city-centre outpost of Yorkshire’s nine-strong chain of well-regarded curry houses – a family-run business established in 1977.
9. Tattu
Chinese restaurant in Leeds
29 East Parade, Minerva House - LS1
“Amazing decor, complete with cherry blossom” sets a glossy scene at this outpost of the national chain, where the pan-Asian selection adds Thai dishes and sushi to a menu backbone of Chinese dishes. Feedback was relatively limited this year, but all upbeat.
11. Aagrah
Indian restaurant in Shipley
4 Saltaire Rd - BD18
2023 Review: Mohammed Sabir was still working as a bus driver in Shipley when he launched his Kashmiri curry business as a mobile takeaway from his Commer van, the ‘Spice Box’ in 1976. The next year he opened his first bricks-and-mortar restaurant Aagrah, which still wins consistently solid marks for its food and has nine branches across Yorkshire.
12. Salts Diner
International restaurant in Saltaire
Salts Mill, Victoria Road - BD18
2021 Review: “Hockneys in view” as you dine are the most famous attraction of this noisy but atmospheric venue: a large, post-industrial space in the UNESCO-listed Salts Mill complex, open from breakfast on for a coffee or fuller meal (Saltburger, Caesar salad, etc).
13. Mumtaz
Indian restaurant in Bradford
386-410 Great Horton Rd - BD7
One of the biggest restaurants in our guide, seating 500 guests – this Bradford institution started out 45 years ago as a tiny Kashmiri shop close to its present “very comfortable” premises. Well-known for its “high-quality food”, fans include retired footballer Steven Gerrard and politico George Galloway, and there’s now a spin-off in Leeds and a national brand of ready meals.
14. Akbar’s
Indian restaurant in Bradford
1276 Leeds Rd - BD3
“Just like going back to the 1970’s… but on a larger scale!” – this city-centre veteran has grown over the years as well as spawning a national chain. The “old school Indian food is very tasty with large portions and the biggest naans anywhere”. The menu features ‘Chef’s Challenges’ for the Big Man (quantity) and for the Brav (heat).
15. Buon Apps
Italian restaurant in Otley
Hartley House, 50 Mill Way - LS21
A “fantastic setting beside the River Wharfe” provides the perfect backdrop for “good Italian food and friendly service” from Alessandro & Sofia Elena Tocca, who have established a strong local following over more than 20 years. Their Italian take on the classic Sunday roast is a highlight of the menu.
16. Bettys
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Ilkley
32 The Grove - LS29
2023 Review: “Afternoon tea IS Bettys!". This old-fashioned tearoom is “always worth the queue” for its epic teas and fine spreads of pastries and sarnies. It’s also “a great place to meet over a very good breakfast. Coffee, understandably, is excellent!”
17. Host
British, Modern restaurant in Ilkley
58-60 The Grove - LS29
2022 Review: A “very good value, high-quality place in Ilkley” where Joel Monkman’s large and small plates of British seasonal fare continue to win plaudits three years after its founding; also on the menu, lunchtime BBQ Buns and hearty Sunday roasts.
18. Shibden Mill Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Halifax
Shibden Mill Fold - HX3
“A real must-try with a lovely convivial atmosphere”, this historic former mill combines a “dining room and bar in heavy, dark wood that feels like it hasn’t changed much since the eighteenth century and the days of the BBC’s Gentleman Jack” (which was filmed here) with “food that’s much more modern (though retaining a Yorkshire heartiness)” from “very talented and inventive chef Will Webster”. There’s also a “fabulous wine list, with many offered by the glass”.
19. Salvo’s
Italian restaurant in Leeds
115 & 107 Otley Road - LS6
This “reliable Leeds stalwart” has served up “good Italian cooking” for 46 years under two generations of the Dammone family. Founder Salvatore’s sons John & Gip retired in summer 2023, but the new owners have promised to carry on their traditions, with the same staff in place.
20. The Box Tree
French restaurant in Ilkley
35-37 Church St - LS29
Without huge fanfare, Simon Gueller and wife Rena have moved on as owners of this ‘Gavroche of the north’ – set in one of the town’s oldest buildings; a restaurant since 1962; and famously a springboard for the career of the young Marco Pierre White. Since September 2022 it’s moved into the hands of local businessman, Adam Frontal (who ran Cookridge Hall Golf Club for nearly 20 years) and – although reports this year were not super-numerous – feedback is encouraging: “Under new ownership this great old timer is getting back its mojo, with great food and service in a traditional, if quirky, setting… not fully back to their old selves yet but they are getting there”. In October 2023, chef Kieran Smith moved on, perhaps as a result of his recent brush with a serious heart condition – no news as yet as to who will be replacing him, but his Insta suggests a smooth transition is in place, so we have maintained ratings. Top Menu Tip – “a very classy Sunday lunch”.
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