Bringing your own booze, or bottles, is a great way to reduce the cost of eating out while ensuring you can always enjoy your favourite tipple. Here are some of the best Leeds restaurants with a BYOB policy.
Jino’s Thai Cafe, North Lane
This family-run restaurant in Headingley serves delicious and reasonably priced Thai street food. Jino’s head chef, Malinee, moved to the UK from Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand before opening her cafe in Leeds in 2003. Malinee and her team prepare their food using fresh ingredients and traditional cooking methods, so you can look forward to sampling authentic Thai flavours. You’ll find hot and sour Tom Yam soup, papaya salad and stir frys ‘straight from the wok’ here, along with dishes like Pla Shu Shi – crispy haddock pieces cooked in coconut cream with lime leaves – or a rich yet mild Gaeng Masseman Curry. Drinks include cold Thai tea topped with condensed milk and Singha beer on tap, but you’re also welcome to bring your own bottles with no corkage charge.
Bab Tooma, Roundhay Road
West Yorkshire’s first Syrian restaurant, Bab Tooma in Roundhay serves a wide range of Middle Eastern dishes. To start here, you can choose from salads or hot and cold mezze, such as vegetarian and meat Kebbeh (fried bulgur wheat balls). Mains include dishes like Karen Yarek – aubergine stuffed with minced lamb – or grilled meats like the aromatic Chicken Shish Taouk, which is marinated and grilled to perfection. You can then tuck into baklava or a Flower of Damas – a decadent and eye-catching dessert made with flaky pastry and luxurious Belgian chocolate. The restaurant’s decor brings the outside in, recreating the feel of a Levantine courtyard with mock window arches, hanging foliage and glowing lanterns. Bab Tooma serves soft drinks, Arabic tea and coffees, or you can provide your own alcohol.
Gaucho, Park Row
The Leeds branch of this highly-rated Argentinian steak restaurant is located in the heart of the city and boasts a chic interior with a modern industrial feel. Gaucho specialises in prime grass-fed beef, which is all 100% carbon offset. On the restaurant’s à la carte menu, starters include an Argentine sausage plate to share or a vegan smoked corn ceviche with a maple and lime dressing. Steak is naturally a popular main here and you can enjoy it just how you like, choosing your cut along with a side and sauce. There are also options like Secreto Iberico with quince purée and Malbec jus, or dry rubbed spatchcock chicken in a kiwi and lime hot sauce. Gaucho currently offers the opportunity to start the week with a treat as you can bring your own booze every Monday from 12pm with complimentary corkage.
Kuala Lumpur Café, Bennett Road
This restaurant in Headingley serves Malaysian cuisine, including specialities and delicacies from various parts of the country. These include traditional curries, fried noodles and the Master Chef 2014-winning dish Nasi Lemak – an aromatic coconut rice served with chilli sauce, peanuts, fried anchovies, boiled egg and cucumber. To start, you can try vegan or regular chicken satay or a Gado-Gado salad made with tofu and warm vegetables. You can then move on to dishes like Masak Kicap, a tasty yet mild curry that’s slowly simmered with curry leaves, cinnamon, star anise and dark soy. Vegan sauce bases and a banana blossom alternative to the Kari Ikan fish curry mean the restaurant is a great dinner destination for those following a plant-based diet. Kuala Lumpur doesn’t serve alcohol but it does sell Teh Tarik, iced Malay ‘pulled tea’. You can also bring your own alcoholic beverages with no fee.
La Besi, Clarendon Road
Located in Woodhouse, this informal Italian has an outdoor seating area where you can dine al fresco in the summer. La Besi serves all of your Italian favourites with tempting starters such as deep fried mozzarella balls wrapped in parma ham or pan-fried king prawns cooked in a tomato sauce with garlic, shallots, fresh dill and chilli. Mains include pizza, pasta and risotto or dishes like Pollo au Parmigiana – chicken in breadcrumbs served on a bed of fettuccine. If you have any room left, you can then enjoy homemade tiramisu or a real lemon filled with sorbet. La Besi opened almost twenty years ago and its owners have found that their BYOB policy is a real draw. You can bring a bottle of wine or beer to drink and relax knowing that your bill won’t grow.
Images- @jinosthaicafe, @babtooma_uk, @klcafeheadingley
