Around one in 8 of us are now vegetarian - that’s nearly 100,000 veggies here in Leeds! So there is plenty of reason to ensure that there are plenty of rich, wholesome, adventurous and tasty vegetarian options on offer in contemporary Leeds restaurants. Leeds boasts its fair share of vegetarian establishments and here we present you with our pick of the best vegetarian restaurants Leeds has to offer.
We’re going to start with Hansa’s Gujarati Vegetarian Restaurant on North Street. The state of Gujarat, which is around the same size as England, is found on the East Coast of India and is predominantly Hindu. Killing living creatures is forbidden within the Hindu religion, especially for food, so Hindus have, over thousands of years, become masters of cooking with vegetable based ingredients.
The expertise certainly shows through in Hansa’s Leeds vegetarian restaurant, which boasts of blending Indian skills and experience with Hansa’s own East African upbringing. Having been serving up home cooked Indian vegetarian cuisine Cobra Good Curry Guide for over 30 years, the restaurant proudly boasts of being the “Best Indian Restaurant in the UK according to the Cobra Good Curry Guide”, and Hansa has published a cookbook in her own name to show off her recipes, which has been been highly acclaimed by critics at The Times, The Guardian and The Observer.
The restaurant has won many awards and much of this is down to what Hansa brings to the table. She encourages people to explore the range of food on offer and invites them to make themselves comfortable.
There are lots of menus available, all very reasonably priced, and as you would expect with an award winning vegetarian restaurant in Leeds, there is a wide variety of foods to try. Hansa’s is open from 5pm til 10pm, Monday to Friday and until 11pm on Saturday. There’s also a Buffet Lunch available on Sundays from 12pm til 2pm, when the whole family is encouraged to go, and under 3s go free. Whether you are a vegetarian or just like deliciously healthy food in a relaxing environment, Hansa’s is definitely worth a visit.
Apparently there are over a half million vegans in the UK, compared to just 150,000 in 2006. That’s a rise of 360% and if it carries on, we can expect to see more vegan restaurants popping up to serve them.
While having only been around for a relatively short time, this vegan / vegetarian restaurant, based in Leeds’s Corn Exchange has already built a strong reputation for healthy, low fat and low cholesterol, vegan cuisine. It is the go-to place on a lunchtime for those who love hummus.
The owners are well travelled and have enjoyed much of the food traditions of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They decided they wanted to create a place in Leeds that really specialised in hummus, falafel, salads with a wide variety of drinks, and they pride themselves on offering authentic and great tasting food in a down to earth way.
By down to earth, that means the hummus is made fresh everyday and without the use of any strange chemicals or preservatives. They claim to use just a pinch of salt, some garlic and a squeeze of lemon, and that this has made their hummus far more tasty and special than the stuff we can buy in the local supermarket.
Open from 11am til 5pm from Monday till Saturday, and 12pm til 4pm on Sundays, Humpit Hummus and Pita bar is an essential must-try restaurant for any vegan or vegetarian and makes a refreshing change for Leeds meat lovers. Come on, guys. You can’t eat burgers and steaks every day.
How do you fancy a taste of Indian street food, served fresh, here in Leeds? Based on Mill Hill, since 2014, this fine venue has already established a reputation, not only for authentic and savoury Indian street food but also for its superb craft beer bar.
The place itself has a very laid back feel to it, gently encouraging guest to chill out, drink and chat, while the food is served in interesting small round tubs.
The menu offers plenty of unique flavours at attractive prices. Why not try the bundo chaat which comprises samosa pastry, chickpeas, potato, tamarind chutney, onion, yoghurt, and turmeric noodles, for example, or the chole bhatura which is made up of chickpeas cooked in a rich onion and tomato sauce and served with soft Indian flatbread. Delicious.
Bundobust have a lot to celebrate. Not only are they listed in the Michelin Guide but also featured in the Sunday Times Best 25 Vegetarian Restaurants, as well as enjoying a whole host of other excellent write ups.
Every day starts with a big breakfast to energise us for the day ahead and Global Tribe Cafe offer glorious vegetarian breakfasts up on Swan Street in Leeds. I was going to call it Leeds’s best kept secret except for the fact that it has attracted lots of attention for its fine, large and varied selection of breakfasts.
If it is a full English you want, vegetarian style of course, or just a toasted tea cake, either way Global Tribe Cafe will deliver taste and satisfaction but they are much more than just a breakfast bar.
Proving to be popular for Leeds business lunch goers, this quirky cafe offers an interesting range of vegetarian and vegan cuisine from sandwiches or pasties on the one hand to the more exotic such as Jamaican Spiced Rice on the other.
They are open from 10am til 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and Saturdays from 10am til 6pm, and can be found above a crystal shop that they founded in 1999. The cafe embodies the flavour of their healthy mind, body and spirit philosophy, and they strive to be ethical and positive in all that they do. Again, this superb venue in the heart of Leeds as also enjoyed some excellent press coverage. Definitely worth giving a try and worthy of our list of the best vegetarian restaurants Leeds has to offer.
Situated in Leeds’s Grand Arcade, this is the place to go for a seriously fantastic range of scrumptious and healthy vegetarian meals, and has been for over 20 years. Not only can diners enjoy a good selection of food from the fixed menu, from light hunger busting snacks to meals that will fill you for hours, they also run a vegans specials board which features freshly baked cakes, a refreshingly varied range of drinks and superbly created vegetable burgers. Roots and Fruits really is a great addition to Leeds vegetarian restaurant scene.
Open from 11am until 7pm every day apart from Sundays when they close at 4pm, this modern and successful restaurant serves dishes full of flavour and vitality in the shape of salads, lasagnas, sandwiches, burgers, you name it, and all totally vegetarian.
They are serious about their food and regularly consult with experts to ensure their food is not only keeping up with what customers want but delivering nutrition and great value. Whether you feel like sampling their chipotle black beans, Jerk jackfruit (Caribbean sweet and spicy jerked jackfruit served with hard food, wraps and coconut sour cream, get yourself down to Roots and Fruits and tuck in, and you will get a 15% discount if you are a Vegetarian Society Member when you present your card.
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