Only Shelley

If you’re Leeds based, I imagine you’ll have either tried Bavette (or have it on your list of restaurants to try). Bavette is a neighbourhood French bistro located in Horsforth, Leeds.

We visited over the summer to celebrate my birthday and couldn’t resist sharing the word of our experience. Awarded as the best local restaurant in 2024 and after hearing nothing but good reviews from friends, we were super excited to see whether it lived up to the hype. The menu offers a selection of traditional French dishes with a focus on high quality ingredients.

For wine, we opted for the house white. However, Bavette also offers a range of family special wines which I’d certainly like to try on our next visit.

To start we chose the Crab Tartlette with Fennel & Pea Shoots and Saffron Aioli. As well as the grilled mackerel with a raisin, anchovy and pine nut crumb. Even the baguette & herb butter as a simple snack on the side was delicious.

For mains, I had the Brill with shrimps, cucumber, dill, chard and fondant potato. Whilst my partner had the Pork chop with Ratatoullie, olive oil pomme purée and fennel velouté.

Finally, for a slight sweet treat to end our meal, I opted for the sorbet. I’d always choose a starter over a dessert, but there’s something about sorbet that offers a perfect sweet but refreshing finish to a meal.

The atmosphere felt relaxed and casual, there was no rush between courses – we had plenty of time to enjoy the wine. Whilst left to enjoy at our own pace, exceptional service didn’t go amiss and we were never left waiting to be attended to.

The menu regularly changes, but you’ll find a sample menu on their website to get a flavour of their offering. I look forward to visiting again and trying something new. If you’ve tried Bavette, what were your thoughts?