WANTED: Best restaurant, café, brewery and dining nominations in Leeds for YEP Oliver Awards 2019

Nominations for the Yorkshire Evening Post's Best Restaurant Oliver Awards 2019 are coming in thick and fast in what looks set to be our busiest year ever.
Harry Gration at the Oliver Awards 2018Harry Gration at the Oliver Awards 2018
Harry Gration at the Oliver Awards 2018

The Yorkshire Evening Post is seeking nominations for its Oliver Awards 2019, the 11th annual awards for the best restaurants and dining in Leeds.

You can nominate ANY eatery or dining experience in Leeds - rules on nominations can be found here. Below are all the available categories.

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If you're a business and want to sponsor a category, you can do that by emailing this address.

Oliver Awards 2018Oliver Awards 2018
Oliver Awards 2018

Former Masterchef finalist Matt Healy has already confirmed he will be attending the industry awards in March, which will be hosted by BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration.

We have a number of new categories this year, including Best Brewery and our new People's Award and two new sections for Best Cafe and Best Bar.

Perhaps the biggest change to this year's awards, however, is our new judging panel, which consists of industry experts: consultant chef Stephanie Moon, food writer and journalist Amanda Wragg and beer writer and author Simon Jenkins, all of whom will be casting their eyes over the nominations.

All the Oliver Awards 2019 Categories in full

Best Indian <- Nominate at the link

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A hard fought category, given it’s long association with British diners. We’re looking for restaurants which excel by creating aromatic, evocative dishes that set our imaginations on fire.

Best British <- Nominate at the link

We’re looking for restaurants which deliver authentic home-grown dishes just aching to be ordered, whether it’s taking our national cuisine to new levels, with a flourish, or presenting classic dishes just how they ought to be served. Best Italian <- Nominate at the link

Style and elegance go hand in hand with quality Italian dining and these should shine through in this category. Judges will be searching for restaurants which go the extra mile to create a bespoke dining experience, replete with all the culinary delights diners expect.

Best World <- Nominate at the link

This category takes in food from across the globe, including the Middle East, the Far East, South America and beyond. As such, the overall dining experience has to be able to stand out. Judges will be looking for flair and imagination and restaurants which bring something different and even unique to the table.

Best Leeds city centre <- Nominate at the link

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Quite simply, the best restaurant in the city centre. Entrants will excel in service, providing just the right atmosphere to keep customers coming back, while the food will be second to none. Best Suburban <- Nominate at the link

The fringes of our city are often overlooked but they provide a breeding ground for some of the best loved (and hardest working) restaurants, creating dining destinations people are happy to travel to. Often, they are able to create a homely atmosphere others find hard to replicate, but food and good service go without saying.

Best Rural <- Nominate at the link

Several years ago, the Oliver Awards responded to demand and extended its reach into the rural climes of our county. This award recognises all those places where people love to go because they are guaranteed a superb experience time after time, with a stunning setting, superrb food and sublime service.

Best Newcomer <- Nominate at the link

This is always a busy category and one of the hardest to judge. Winners of this award usually go on to greater things. We aim to use it to celebrate all those restaurants which are trying to make a name for themselves by recognising the hard work and passion that goes into making their dreams a reality.

Best Service <- Nominate at the link

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Quite often, service can make or break a restaurant and we know how much effort those in the industry put into making sure people not only enjoy their experience but want to return time after time. Judges will be looking for polished, assured performances from those front of house. Best Fine Dining - Sponsored by Slingsby Gin <- Nominate at the link

The Leeds dining scene has changed in many ways over the years but perhaps one of the indicators of the confidence in the market is the growth of fine dining establishments, which offer something special or unexpected to diners looking for a memorable night.

Best Chef <- Nominate at the link

This award will be judged solely by our industry experts, who are already immersed in the dining scene, intimate with the ways in which it operates and the people whose ingenuity helps mark a restaurant out as inescapably important. Best Lunch - <- Nominate at the link

This award was created to recognise all those places which manage to create great food for people in hurry. It’s the cafes and restaurants which manage to put out outstanding cuisine to people on the go. Best Bar <- Nominate at the link

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Oliver has for a long time acknowledged the role bars play, not just in terms of providing liquid refreshments but also the occasional snack to go alongside. This is a new award and we want to highlight all those places which are going above and beyond to cater for a discerning, often diverse clientele. Judges will consider food, drink, atmosphere, service and value for money. Best Cafe <- Nominate at the link

Another new award and one focussed entirely on cafes and what they offer. Judges will be looking for places which do their own thing but do it well, often offering bespoke dishes, with a slick, well-drilled operation. Scrumptiousness rules the roost here. Best Brewery <- Nominate at the link

The Oliver Awards can no longer afford to ignore the presence and impact of small and micro brewers, of which there are hundreds in Leeds. This new award aims to shine a light on all those passionate, hard working individuals and companies of people who have forged something special, relying on their own imaginations and hard graft. We will be looking for ingenuity, passion, the product and vision for the future. Judges can’t wait to get started. The People's Oliver Award <- Nominate at the link

A new award aimed squarely at promoting family restaurants, nominated by readers for their unwavering commitment to making sure every member of a group, no matter what their age, is catered for when they come to eat. Here, we will be guided by you but judges will be looking for the personal touch, for restaurants which in some way mark themselves out for applause and for sheer passion and dedication to the task in hand.

Outstanding Contribution <- Nominate at the link

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The final award of the night and a chance for us to single out someone special for praise, whether because they have overcome some personal difficulty or achieved something out of the ordinary. Anyone can nominate but the results are kept a secret and only revealed on the night of the awards.