The winners of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Leeds food and drink awards have been named.
The Oliver Awards were first launched in 2008, with the aim of showcasing the incredible talent from our city’s diverse and vibrant hospitality sector. There were hundreds of entries this year, our 14th awards, and our panel of judges had the tough job of whittling them down to a shortlist, with the winners across 16 categories announced at a glitzy ceremony at Headingley Stadium last night.
There were three new categories this year - Best Dog-Friendly, Best Hotel Restaurant and the return of the popular Best World Restaurant. At the end of the evening, the prestigious Overall Restaurant of the Year award was announced, before guests enjoyed the official after party at Green Room.
Here is every Leeds business to have won an Oliver Award 2023.
Here is every Leeds business to have won an Oliver Award 2023.
13. Sustainability Award
The Sustainability Award, sponsored by ReFood, went to Pizza Loco. The Oakwood pizzeria demonstrated a fantastic commitment to reducing its imprint on the environment, including swapping Italian-imported flour for UK grown and milled, regeneratively farmed flour, using organic Yorkshire tomatoes and an innovative carbon-free dining scheme. The finalists were: Brewdog Leeds North Street; Bottle Chop; Gaucho Leeds; Kino at Opera North; The Tetley. Photo: Pizza Loco
Farrands bar won the Best Customer Service category. Judges praised its warm, welcoming and knowledgeable staff who go above and beyond for their customers, creating the feel of a neighbourhood bar in the heart of the city centre. Manager Amy Edgley (pictured) is intensely passionate about the wellbeing of her team, which translates through to customers, and her staff know the bar and its menus inside and out. The finalists were: De Baga Restaurant; Ephesus Rodley; Escapism Bars; Grumpy’s Bar + Wood Fired Pizza; The Box Tree Restaurant. Photo: Gary Longbottom
HanaMatsuri scooped Best Fine Dining Experience. Diners at this tiny Meanwood sushi bar step inside the world of brilliant patron chef Kaoru Nakamura, experiencing his traditional Omakase tasting courses - ‘Omakase’ means to leave the selection of dishes to the chef, allowing his passion to shine through. His inspired dishes combine high-quality Yorkshire produce with traditional Japanese cuisine. The finalists were: byMolly; Chef Jono at V&V; Prashad; The Box Tree Restaurant; The Ivy Asia. Photo: National World
The prestigious Chef of the Year award went to Craig Rogan, executive chef at The Dakota Hotel. Under Craig’s leadership, Dakota Grill has risen to one of the most highly-regarded restaurants in the city, with inspired menus celebrating high-quality Yorkshire produce and modern British food with a twist. As well as his creative and utterly delicious menus, Craig demonstrated an exceptional commitment to supporting up-and-coming chefs. The finalists were: Chef Jono at V&V; Kaoru Nakamura - HanaMatsuri; Minal Patel, Prashad; Simon Jewitt, Crafthouse; Simon Shaw, El Gato Negro. Photo: Simon Hulme
The judges crowned Prashad the Overall Restaurant of the Year. From its beginnings as a deli to one of the most prestigious Indian restaurants in the country, the Drighlington venue blends traditional Gujarati cuisine with modern techniques and seasonal Yorkshire produce. The restaurant is run by Bobby and head chef Minal Patel (pictured), who has led the restaurant’s development after her parents-in-law, Prashad’s founders, took her under their wing. Minal is responsible for developing the well-loved, seven-course tasting menu to resounding success. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe