Right. I know I gave them 4 stars before, but I went back in for dinner today and I have to revise…read moremy earlier star rating. I had the kibbeh tonight as a starter. They have two types: round ones, and pointy egg shaped ones. The round ones are made of potato on the outside with a spiced mince on the inside. The mince in the round ones was as good as my mum's. The potato soaked up a little more oil than I would have liked but was still super crunchy and very very delicious. If I had had some lemon/lime to squeaze over it to help cut the oiliness it would have been perfect. Maybe that's just the Kenyan way of eating them! The pointy one had a mince in it that was flavoured with sumak and tasted wonderfully like sucouk - Lebanese sausage. I had the lamb kebab with khoubz for main and hubby had the mixed grill with chips. If anything, my lamb today was even better than the last time. It was just past medium, unbelievably succulent and juicy, and took me to my happy place. I think this place is going to prove very disasterous for my waistline. At least it won't dent my wallet though. Two huge meals (I saved my second kebab to have tomorrow - it tastes almost as good cold!) and a starter for just £13.50 with their student discount. I think I'm going to end up being a regular!

Greeted warmly and we chose our table out of the main flow of the service staff. Menu extensive and…read morevaried; we sought recommendations which were freely offered. Descriptions were accurate and modifications requested were honored. As the 'after work crowd' filled the restaurant, the noise level increased as patrons were lively and congenial. We asked for a takeaway box and meal for a family member not able to accompany us. As we departed we were again warmly received and assured that we would be welcomed back. I highly recommend not only the friendly staff but the authentic food from the Mediterranean region. -as a N American, the political discussion was appropriate and humorous.

There is somewhat of a dearth of Greek restaurants in Leeds, which makes the fact that The Olive…read moreTree falls just short all the more disappointing. My visit here was during a particularly busy service, which may explain the fact that the waiter seemed to forget about my table once or twice. This disappointment was quickly forgotten as we munched through the meat meze which was definitely the highlight - tasty, huge and authentic. The kebab I had for my main was similarly impressive, and the portions were big enough to stop me from considering a dessert. The atmosphere was a little bit flat however, and the service didn't improve through the night. The prices (as we noticed when we got the bill) are actually rather steep for such a restaurant, and it is usually impossible to park anywhere near the place due to its Headingley location. So, while the food was splendid, nothing else about the place came close to the standards set by the chefs. Pity.

It is a big tradition in our household to have a take out for our family gathering over Christmas…read moreeve. What a feast it was , the best ghorme sabzi, delicious and juicy chicken kebabs, amazing starters and nan bread. Darvish restaurant t is on of a kind, amazing hospitality, authentic food, best ingredients, everything bought on the day and when you order, cooked to perfection so you get to enjoy a unique eating expedience.

During the 3 years I have resided in Leeds, I have bought 1 take-away from here back in the days…read morewhen I lived on The Calls and had the food delivered. My Partner and I enjoyed the food but as we rarely had take-away and lived far from Harehills (where the restaurant is situated there are no pre or post meal bars within the vicinity to make an evening of a visit) so we never dined and experienced the tea house. Fast forward 2 years, I live very close and an Iranian has just moved to Leeds and into my house share. Therefore, it goes without saying that a visit was inevitable! My other new Housemate who is Indian joined us too. I ran into the restaurant on Saturday afternoon and booked a table for 8pm. We arrived just after 8 pm and had a lovely table by the front of the restaurant. The decor is very traditional with painting and artefacts of Iran. I wasn't keen on the small TV above the door but it turned out to be a godsend as the Iranian male wasn't too bothered about joining into the conversations. There were 3 other tables dining (2 British customer and a table of assumed Iranian's). it was enough to create a decent atmosphere but also to ensure we had plenty of attention. The restaurant does not have a licence to sell alcohol as in advance I had purchased some wine to match the flavours of Persian cuisine. There is a £3.00 corkage fee which I would of disputed if we would have bought numerous soft drinks but we only had saffron tea and coffee to complete the meal so I believed the charge as justifiable. The food was delicious and I polished off the boys main meals too. We ordered 2 starters between 3 and these came with 2 massive freshly made Arabic knobz bread, followed by 1 stew and 2 kebabs between us and rice. The price was £38.00 in total and we left a tip. I am due to make a return visit with my Boss on a Wednesday at the beginning of April!

I'm always interested in new shops opening in Leeds Market as I like to support local business' and…read moretraders so I was excited to try Shawarma. A Lebanese and Halal 'pop up' stall situated in the 'Upper' part of the market near the haberdashery shop and flower stall (and close to the Source) which has an array of smells and sights to strike up interest from most people who pass by. (not sure if it's to be a permanent stall). So, new year, new adventure. I went here for lunch with my friend Al who always likes to try new stuff. The staff are very encouraging, explaining what they offer and showing you how its made. There are 10/12 choices on the menu- I chose veggie, Al chose chicken. The food is prepared and cooked in front of you so you have to wait and watch. it's mainly done on a grill or the veggie stuff (mainly being falafel) is shallow fried before being 'wrapped' and warmed on a panini maker! There were dishes of olives and hummus on the counter and you could see all the ingredients that go into your order. The prices are reasonable too= £4.50 or less per wrap/kebab etc. I was happy with my falafel wrap but it was a tad lacking in the spicy punch I expected, Al like his 'kebab cake' (we couldn't remember the actual name!) It was nice to experience different cuisine in a handy way and not be so stuffed after but next time I'm gonna be brave and ask for something a bit spicier! I think this is a break off shop from the Shawarma on Raglan Road in Headingley but having never been there I couldn't be sure- they do both seem to offer similar if not the same menu!

I've passed CM several times and decided to give it a try. I wanted to try the chicken shawarma but…read morethey were out of it that day so I tried the chicken bastilla which came with hummus and salad. I loved the chicken bastilla that I had in Marrakech and had hoped for the same with this one. It wasn't bad but can't say it was the best. CM usually appears very busy as its located in the Leeds market so it might take awhile to get your order in since you're not entering an actual restaurant but more of food stand. Service was good, friendly and quick. I would try it again but would opt for something different.

Disappointing…read more Actually, i wasn't disappointed as I didn't really expect much. We went in on a Friday after work as Big D had a 50% off card. First impressions from outside were "you're taking me HERE?" then inside, "oh".as I looked around and thought that it would probably be better after a big drinking session so that i didn't care that there was no one else in there, that the staff were positively miserable and the tablecloths were plastic. ok. the food might be amazing as is often the case with weird restaurants down side streets. it was adequate. My babaganoush tasted the same as the houmous, but possibly with more garlic and the falafel was clove-tastic. Dave's lamb looked...chewy. lots of food for the price, but not overly enamoured I'm afraid.

This place is a bit of a hidden gem. Don't be put off by the slighty grotty location and decor, the…read morefood is AMAZING. Yes, the ambience is a bit lacking and it's often a little empty, but the food really does make up for this - it's reasonably priced, delicious, plentiful and authentic. The service is informal but the owner/manager is friendly and will enthusiastically recommend things if you can't decide. I'd personally recommend the houmous, baba ganouj, halloumi and falafel, and my non-veggie friends reckon the mixed grills and chicken plates are amazing.

Take Away Chicken…read moreTagine with more rice than any three humans could eat in one sitting for a fiver? You'd be forgiven for thinking it'd be the single worst meal you'd ever have eaten in your life. There though you'd be wrong. Each order of this wonderful stuff comes with about a third of a large chicken that tastes as though it'd been cooked in a real tagine and a box...yes a box of cardamom infused rice. Not the single greatest take-away I've ever had, but they manage to provide really tasty food quickly and at a great price.

If, like me, you tend to order food rather a lot (no comments on my cooking habits, now) then…read moreyou'll know that Leeds has lots of places to choose for Indian, Chinese, kebabs and such like. When it comes to such cuisines as Lebanese we have much less option, so having spotted Arabian House on Yelp I was keen to give them a go. Since Hungry House had decided to gift me 20% discount again, I was all over it. Not least because it had gotten past 8pm, I'd nothing to cook, and I was starving! The menu offers a number of interesting and authentic dishes and because I'm indeciseive I opted for the mixed grill. To accompany this I chose some tzatziki, hummous, and a naan. The chap had a mosaghat batinjan (various spiced veggies with rice) and with all of the items a veritable feast arrived. Given the discount, the total order came to about £15 so it's incredibly reasonable, and they certainly don't scrimp on the portions. The hummous and tzatziki came in huge foil dishes, so there was plentiful dipping option, the naan was gargantuan, the mixed grill had tons of pieces of chicken, a huge wing, and a large lamb kebab sausage. The veggie dish was a large vat of goodness in itself, and came with a huge portion of beautifully scented rice. It really was the best rice I've had from a take away - long grained, infused with real cinnamon sticks, and other stuff. The chips I ordered as a side with the mixed grill came, also, in a huge box. We were not short on carbs. It took a little while to come, being about 10-15 minutes later than the latest possible time, so order early. As for the taste, I wasn't too impressed with the hummous, as it seemed a little bland. The garlic dip, on the contrary, was so garlicky it almost tasted spicy. The chips, being thin fries, had gotten a touch soggy from the condensation in the packet, but the mixed grill was great. I preferred the chicken to the lamb, as I've had better, but the chicken was cooked beautifully and went extremely well with the tzatziki. The rice was exquisite, and I'd certainly recommend you order it to accompany anything from here. (Except maybe the desserts.) All in all, it's certainly worth trying something from the varied menu. Russell C wasn't kidding on the portion sizes, so you can double up, save even more cash, and still enjoy a relatively healthy meal considering you're ordering take away. I'll likely try them again, but hope next time that the hummous is a little more flavoursome, and the wait not so long for arrival! In any case, it's definitely recommended.

It's been a bit chilly lately and I was really fancying a chicken shawarma to remind me of my trips…read moreto the much warmer Dubai. This appeared to be the only place selling them so I thought we would give them a go. When we arrived, the ambience and smells were so good we switched to moroccan mode, going with a mixed meze and the aubergine tagine (which I was a bit dubious about). The meze was the usual babaganoush (nice and smoky), humous, olives, pitta etc, but with a bit of chicken shawarma on the side to stay with the mission objective. All the food was excellent but the aubergine tagine was so good I will definitely go back and order it again.

This charming little slice of Northern Africa next to Hyde Park is perhaps the best of the cafes…read moreclumped together around the crossroads. Inside, you'll find Moroccan rugs and Algerian furnishings creating a unique atmosphere in which students and working folk on their lunch breaks enjoy the large but selective menu. It is not just the décor which gives this place its unique sense of authenticity - the food itself echoes North Africa, from kebabs and tapas to spicy meat and humous sandwiches (try the kofta kebab), and it's all served quickly and cheaply. L'Oranaise provides a refreshing change from the usual in an area in which the eateries are increasingly becoming all too familiar, and more importantly, it gives you a real feel for North African culture and cuisine.

If there's one new restaurant you've got to try before the new year is out it's The Agora. Whilst…read moreit isn't fine dining in the strictest of senses, compared to say, Kendell's Bistro or Brasserie Forty 4, it is a fantastic place to eat. There's a few reasons, which I'll go into, but let me explain -the five star rating spans the whole experience. So, the staff. Every time I've visited this delightful restaurant the greeting has been most warm and the staff have been attentive. If there's something not on the menu at that time they've suggested alternatives and you're always greeted with a smile. The décor and ambience is lovely; it's spacious and classy without making one feel as though you've to be overly dressed up. Then there comes the food. Everything I've eaten here has been delicious. Their grilled houmous is some of the best I've tasted and the boreks are to die for. The lamb dishes are delicious and they make a mean moussaka, if that floats your boat. Basically, it's all fresh, mouth watering cuisine, cooked beautifully and above all they feed you like a king. On top of that the food seems to be really healthy, so you can eat until you burst on their fantastic lunch time deal, without feeling as though you've a small loan to take out. You can eat on a budget without having to accept sub-standard food, which feels like a rarity these days. Add to that the home made desserts, which are fabulous, and you're on to a great meal out right there. As for drinks, you can always partake of some of the usual wines and beers, but my choice has to be that home made lemonade. Simply delicious and I'll be sending spies for the recipe.

Oh I'm sad :( I really, really wanted to like this place. So many friends have recommended it, and…read moreI want to support independent restaurants. The owners are really friendly, and it is cosy, but despite that, dinner was a disappointing experience. We decided to take advantage of their 3 courses for £14.95 offer, and - credit to the owner lady for her honesty - she dissuaded us from ordering extra houmous, saying we wouldn't need it. She was right - the portions are extremely generous! We started with halloumi which was really really good. Then we had platters for our mains (£3 extra on the deal, they told us upfront, and it's fair because they are HUGE). Boyfriend's meat platter was apparently quite tasty. My veggie platter had some nice moussaka and rice on it, but everything else wasn't so good sadly. The keftedes and falafel had been deep-fried for so long that they were really crunchy and just tasted of salty fried-ness rather than what was inside. The feta roll was also so oily I couldn't eat it. The briam was quite nice but nothing special honestly. We were feeling really full by this point so we got the bill rather than having dessert. Unfortunately because we hadn't had three courses we were charged full price for the dishes, and they are quite pricey! There was a sign on the wall saying two courses are £12.95, but this didn't seem to apply. To be fair, perhaps we should have enquired about this, but we'd already made a fuss over getting our drinks, so we wussed out. Service was quite slow, and we had to ask twice before our drinks came out - well after the starter had been served. Rowena's right though, the home-made lemonade is really gooooooood. Unfortunately we both felt pretty ill that night - not in a food poisoning way, but I think just massive indigestion from greasy food. I didn't finish my veggie platter, but I found myself wishing I'd skipped the keftedes and falafel entirely. Gah, I feel horrible giving just two stars, because they are really friendly. However I have to be honest and say I don't really want to eat there again - especially given all the other great places there are to choose from in Headingley. I've heard the desserts are amazing, so perhaps one quiet lunchtime I should pop in for some cake and a lovely lemonade and give these guys another chance.