El Bareto in Leeds

The most authentic tapas bar, amazing food, excellent friendly staff, you won't be disappointed

The food was delicious and the service was good. We got our table on time and it was good value for the quality of the food.

We haven't been here for a couple of years now. Whilst I recall feeling pretty full when we'd left in the past, this time we left feeling portion sizes had gone down and price has gone up (about 30% more than our previous visit). We did really enjoy the food just not sure it was quite justified by the price.

Lovely food in what would be a cosy bar and restaurant had it not been for the fact that the room was very cold on the evening we went in September. Good selection of small and large plates and friendly staff to help you choose a suitable selection for your party. Enjoyed the house wine very much. Sort of place you’d be glad to have as a neighbourhood restaurant if you lived in the area. Do try it

Oh my gosh the food and wine here is UNREAL you feel like your sat in a little tapas place in Barcelona, it’s so authentic, delicious and the staff are also fabulous. I’ve been here 3 times now and will come back more it’s amazing x

As you’ll see from my review history, I once gave this place a five star review. I’ve had several lovely meals over the years here. The last time though was an absolute disgrace and has me seriously reconsidering my affection for this restaurant. Namely, £11.95 for five very thin slices of dry dull Manchego is absurd, and Huevos Rotos special for 11.95 was literally one small fried egg (so not even huevos plural as advertised) on some french fries with a bit of chorizo chopped onto it - maybe suitable level of quality for a £5-7 dish. Also the portions were generally less generous and the food less good - why swap apple in the walnut spinach salad for onion?? Ruined that salad. Staff were nice and attentive but what is going on in your kitchen?

Best tapas in leeds. Authentic Spanish owned and run. Staff are awesome. Come visit!

Cute, cosy concept of a place. Even though it's small it fits the style of the cuisine. Staff were helpful and told us what was what in terms of the menu once seated. Being a tapas place, portion size was as expected but nice. Between 2 of us we got 5 dishes but still went away hungry so maybe might be worth getting more. Service was good given they were busy.

We used to love this place but so disappointed with the food tonight. Overpriced and small portions 6.95 for a portion of greasy fried potatoes with aoli, not the crispy full plate we used to get. Fried squid which was more like scraps from the chip shop. The only saving ggrace was the wonderful Sean who gave excellent service as usual.

Great vibes perfect recommendations by the waiter and perfect amount of food.

I’m really sorry to write this review BUT, I was really disappointed with my food here today. The food was oily and made me feel ill. Expensive for what it was and the special of Huevos Rotos was described as fried potato, fried egg and crispy sausage but it was basically just chips and a fried egg. The waiter was lovely but I wouldn’t come back here again.

We enjoyed what we had to eat, thought it was a tad on the expensive side but apart from that I would recommend.

Having lived in chapel A for 7 years I used to visit often and was excited to take my partner here who recently moved in with me in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately it wasn’t the experience that i remembered and wanted to introduce to her. I’m writing this as genuine feedback to the owners and not as a complaint. Previously the restaurant had an excellent atmosphere and feel with nice candle lit atmosphere and great home cooked food. However unfortunately now, a lot of the food does not appear home cooked. The services was amazing as I remembered it but for the food alone I would no longer return. Which is a huge shame as this would be the kind of place I would visit monthly if it was as it used to be! In these kind of places small details matter such as real candles vs fake ones. But ultimately it was the food that was lacking and did not taste home made or authentic. Again this is not meant as complaint, but as constructive feedback and with the knowledge that this place has huge potential!

The restaurant overall was ok, service was quick and efficient but upon ordering we were told we had selected too many dishes and we were instructed to remove dishes from our order, when I explained the reason for our extra choices (wanting veg and variety for young child) we were told again no you need to remove items from your order, I found it quite bizarre, I've never experienced this before in any other restaurant and I have been to other tapas restaurants and my view is we are paying so whats the issue if we want more than 7 choices, crazy really, Food was standard nothing spectacular, our chicken dish was definitely more well done than we anticipated, charred is an understatement, The atmosphere was strange also, no smiles or kindly faces from other people dining there, just the odd glare if my child made too loud of a noise, All in all I left the premises still hungry and a little disgruntled, It wouldn't be somewhere I would recommend or want to return too unfortunately

Great food with friendly service

Great meal which was incredibly delicious, super friendly staff and unpretentious vibe. The only fault I have is the prawns - a tiny tiny pot with only a few in, for something silly like £11.95 as I recall. Otherwise, perfect.

Popped in for a pint whilst at the Chinese takeaway. It was excellent

Fantastic place! Service was spot on. Food was fantastic, very reasonable price wise, the atmosphere was great....just like being abroad. It's a must for everyone who likes tapas and Spain.

Great service and great food, the waiter couldn’t do enough for us.

Great food and excellent service

Had the best evening here for my birthday. The food was amazing and the service was brilliant. Our waiter Shaun/Sean absolutely spoiled us with a free dessert and some shots to celebrate. He played great music and gave us a really personal experience. Will definitely come again and highly recommend. Thank you!

A group of 10 family members celebrating a 21st birthday on a busy Saturday night.From making the booking to organising pre ordering our food the staff were all very professional and extremely organised on the night we were made to feel welcome the atmosphere was fantastic and the staff were brilliant so efficient the food was delicious and order perfect and to top The night off the staff sang happy birthday to my son and presented him with a dessert with a candle in it i would highly recommend this restaurant if your wanting a intermate environment with delicious food and excellent staff then this is the place for you

Brilliant Food, Great Service and wonderful cosy atmosphere. Thanks Alicia and Stuart for the fantastic service. 100 % recommend - even if you have to travel some way for quality food, tasty Spanish specialities and proper service. Thanks All

Thought the food wasn't bad, being a vegetarian I felt options were quite similar to each other. Must say Sean (I think) is a great guy, it was really nice talking to him and his service was great. I think it's a better place for meat eaters.

It was a lovely restaurant, cute and intimate. Our server Shaun was so friendly, outgoing and gave us wonderful suggestions. His energy was infectious and it was sweet to see him enjoying himself with us and other tables. Thanks for having us!!

Another fantastic New Year Eve at El Bareto! Shaun and the team are so friendly and welcoming, the food is wonderful and the atmosphere is so positive and happy!! A fantastic way to end 2023 and start the New Year!! ❤️

My favourite restaurant, amazing food and nice staff

Really great food, the service is fantastic, definitely go there for your tapas fix.

Food on this visit was disappointing as was very very salty. I can't recommend this place

Great food. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere.

Chairs and cushions could have done with a brushing but all the staff were lovely, as was the food. I would definitely go again.

Fantastic meal with the family, great selection of tapas - check out the specials board, Ox Cheek was immense. 4x Spanish beers on draught too. Great little place

Food was excellent, place was cold and most people had their coats on. The toilets were dirty, the loo and basin itself was clean but the windows, floors, woodwork needed a good wipe down.

Amazing food, fantastic staff. Felt so welcome. Thank you 😊

Consistently great food. Lovely attentive staff

Lovely place, tucked away just off of Harrogate Road. If you're looking for delicious, authentic Spanish tapas in a cosy atmosphere - this is for you! The food was incredible, especially the crispy croquettes and chicken livers. The service was friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended!

Sat outside with a caffe con leche. Friendly service, good coffee.

Ambiente muy acogedor,comida muy rica,buena cerveza y la atención excelente

La comida se puede mejorar,ya que no tiene nada que ver con la comida española. El personal un 10.

Attended at El Bareto a year or so ago and couldn’t wait to return. Finally came back for dinner and it was amazing, the staff were lovely and so efficient. We order potato’s with aioli, squid, cheesey mushrooms, croquettes and two white chocolate cheesecakes.. all so tasty! For all of this and two gins it came to £76 which I felt I was very reasonable. Shall definitely be returning for the third time soon!

Really nice place with lovely staff.

Friendly staff. Great food. Very good overall. Will go again.

Love this place. Like stepping into a small back street bar in Madrid

I’ve been here a couple of times now and the food has been excellent both times. Yes, the seats are uncomfortable but the service, food and wine more than make up for it!

This place managed to squeeze us in at the last minute on a Friday night. The Spanish bar maid was absolutely lovely, and the chap who served up was great too. We sat downstairs and I absolutely love the rustic feel and the seating arrangements/tables and style. For only the second time in the UK, I felt like I was actually in a tapas restaurant, eating actual Spanish tapas and drinking Spanish wine. Our date was perfect, the food was so good with our particular favourites being the chorizo croquettes, the duck, onion and cheese plate (sorry forgot the name, if the owner replies to this please name that dish!!!) And the Spanish meatballs. The food was so good, I actually forgot to take a picture until we were half way through the dishes, very unlike me. Perfect food. Perfect atmosphere, perfect date. Thank you!

Superb place, food and vibes! Thanks.

Lovely food,good service. It was a chilly evening but felt. it could have been a little warmer in the restaurant .

The atmosphere is great and it is a lovely authentic place. The staff are nice and attentive. We all thought the food was average for the price paid. Some of the portions were meagre and some didn’t taste great (eg lamb overdone) but others were really nice (eg jalapeno croquettes). Overall a lovely evening in a lovely place but food experience could have been slightly better

Muy buena comida, excelente y rápida atención

Deliciosa comida, fresca y buen sabor especialmente los chorizos en cyder. La verdad satisfecha con su comida y eficaz atención.

Authentic Spanish food. Great service and a nice venue! I will visit it again in the future.

Late evening supper. Lots of tasty dishes. Super friendly. Will come back and have a more leisurely time.

Possibly the best tapas in the UK!

Food was delicious as always. Thoroughly enjoyed each dish. It was the first time having a desert there and I wasn’t disappointed with the gorgeous cheesecake. Service was spot on thanks to Shaun.

The food is incredible, the staff are so lovely, and it has such an authentic Spanish feel, I love it!

For a privately owned restraunt it’s smashing! I much prefer giving money to independent places rather than the large companies! And this is a place I’ll visit over and over again! Great service! Great food! Great ambience! Thanks for the amazing restraunt!

Service was great. Food was good but some dishes better than others.

There are some great tapas restaurants in Leeds but I particularly like the homely feel of this place. The black pudding and croquettes were especially great.

I haven't visited this restaurant since before the pandemic and I feel it is under new management as the food wasn't upto standard, everything was covered in the same sauce and the presentation of certain dishes had a lot to be desired, it is also expensive, it used to be authentic Spanish tapas, not anymore!!

Had an lovely dinner here! Staff are gentle and attentive, food was really good and yammy.. Great seasonings from starter to dessert.

Perfect Tapas meal really! Shaun (sorry if misspelled) was a great attentive waiter with lots of charm. food was all lovely quality and generous portions. Well priced menu and cosy atmosphere

Nice food, a good atmosphere and hard working staff make this a great place for tapas

First time ever at this restaurant. I live very local and probably pass it 20 times a week and have never been. We arrived early and were shown very quickly to our seats, the restaurant is very small which is not a bad thing. The gentleman behind the bar explained the menu very well and we soon ordered our food. As with Tapas they arrive as Cooked, we had patatas bravas chicken livers, Jalapeno croquets and chicken in garlic with onions. fantastic service and price will be back soon have told friends and will be back soon.

We were made to feel very comfortable, served very quickly, 5 of us , ordered 12 Tapas all very delicious, catered well for a variety of pallets including a vegan, vegetarian and a customer with a nut allergy, the waiter was very aware and sensitive to our parties needs.

Our first visit to this restaurant and it wasn't to bad. Staff very friendly and a nice little place. Food was good but some stuff overpriced for amount you get. Blackpudding was a bit of a disappointment and just a bit bland but the prawns in garlic/ lamb chops/ where excellent. We also had the manchego cheese to start but was very disappointed by how thinly sliced it was for the price of it and only 6 slices . White chocolate cheese cake was excellent for dessert. All in all was a nice evening at this restaurant and overall bill wasn't to bad for 2 of us. Would recommend a visit to anyone. Just a few tweaks to the food and I would of give 5 stars

One of the best tapas restaurants in Leeds.

Amazing food and a great service, would highly recommend!

Horrible frozen calamari, rather overpriced dishes. I am Spanish and I won't return here

Fantastic little Tapas bar, great food and fantastic relaxed friendly atmosphere with a real buzz when busy. I'd recommend to everyone

Nice friendly place. Staff very pleasant but food a bit disappointing. Steak and fish, very nice but the squid wasn’t the usual kind you get in a nice tapas bar and the prawns not as shown on the pictures! The meal was over £100 for two of us, a few dishes each, which I thought was rather expensive given it was just okay. I’ve really wanted to go for a long time so it was a shame.

Amazing food. Great atmosphere.

The service at El Bareto was, and is always, second to none. The staff are just so kind and friendly. The food is just delicious. The jalapenos are the best we've ever had and the roasted pepper was devine. I would go on listing all the dishes we had and saying they were all good, but you're best just experiencing this sensation for yourself.

Our first visit, I went on a Friday with the mrs for date night. It feels authentic tapas atmosphere and decor. Our server Sean was amazing, broad Yorkshire accent then heard him speaking flawless Spanish to another server. The food was perfectly cooked and seasoned (I am incredibly picky when it comes to seasoning!) There was a large group of Spanish folk there which is always a good sign for a tapas restaurant! Would recommend to anyone. Get the garlic prawns and the black pudding.

Lovely little Spanish tapas traditional style restaurant with warm welcome, service and fantastic food. Very well priced too and Sean, our server was very accommodating and generous with our drinks! Definitely be back

Have been to this place a few times and the food is always excellent. Amazing Tapas with great 'Yorkshire' portions and excellent value for money- would recommend the grilled king prawns, veal and walnut, honey and spinach salad - all superb. Also lovely white rioja which they import from Spain. Also would like to mention the staff that go out of their way to be friendly with excellent service -particularly the Englishman (sorry not sure of your name) and the Spanish lady who served us on arrival .Agree with previous post - best Tapas in Leeds by far.

This is definitely my favourite tapas restaurant in Leeds... A hidden gem.

A place with lots of character. Good ambience but poor seating, a bit uncomfortable. Food was a bit too salty for my taste. Friendly staff.

Lovely ambiance & car parking, service is good

I don't know really.... staff were nice ambiance was ok seats are uncomfortable. So the food hmmm not really what I expected really all depends on what your ordering croquets were not good at all....jalapeño croquet not good.... potatoes and onion omlete no not good defo microwave...... cheese and mushroom was really grim......salad was grim .. lamb chops nice.... prawns nice... basically if it had to be cooked it was ok even if it came a while after the microwave courses ... of course the beer was nice... all in all not for me won't be back overpriced suppose it depends on how much is in your pocket but for the quality yeah paid to much .... if you're looking for a nice meal look elsewhere would be my advice feels like this place has lost the passion ... pictures might look OK or may be not ...

Excellent food, service and atmosphere.

Have been meaning to go here for a while now but have a dog so assumed he wouldn’t be allowed. When I called the lady on the phone actually told me they are extremely dog friendly and even allow dogs indoors, the first big positive of the experience! When we arrive the place was full outside making for a brilliant atmosphere. The waitress was very attentive and helpful. Everyone was super friendly and doing all they could to make the experience lovely, we felt like we had spent a few hours in Spain. As it was busy the chefs were even running the food which I loved as you could tell everyone really cared about the food and service. Onto the food now, which was incredible. The portion sizes were big for tapas so plenty to share. There were so many dishes to choose from and many amazing Spanish meats. The Spanish chorizo from the specials was my favourite. Fair to say probably the best sausage I’ve had in my life. Will 100% be making this a place I visit regularly. Also 1L of sangria for £15 was absolutely delicious and perfect for a hot summer evening. Thank you so much to the team at el Bareto!

This was our second visit as the food was good the first time. However, the first time we were told they would spread out our order but instead brought everything out really quickly. On the second visit yesterday we were seated at a table with our children. We noticed a big spider (daddy long legs) walking up the wall behind them. I got rid of it. Then there was another and another! I removed 4 in total. We then moved tables only to have to get rid of another big spider!!! The staff didn’t seem bothered at all. The waiter came to take our order but never informed us of the specials. We then had the meal and the food was simple but tasty. However, after the second round of dishes, the waiter came over and said they needed the table back in 5 minutes! We had to rush our drinks and had no chance of getting a dessert. Nobody asked once what we thought. Will not return!

Friendly service family atmosphere and very good food would happily go again

Pleasant staff, great food and brilliant atmosphere.

We rang last minute to see if there was any tables available to be told there was at a later time than we wanted , a few minutes later a lovely man Shaun rang us back to say if we didn’t mind sitting outside we could come anytime . 4 of us visited this beautiful authentic Spanish tapas bar/restaurant, we had a lovely welcome and was shown to our table outside under a heater . Shaun recommended how many dishes we should choose between us , the choice and food was outstanding and the men said the beer was very nice . Highly recommend this place and will definitely return

Excellent tapas, very helpful staff, very enjoyable evening out.

Great place, great atmosphere, great and quick service...what more to say? We loved the croquetas! Definitely coming back!

Hidden gem of a tapas bar. Authentic and welcoming. Can’t rate highly enough

Big portions but a bit on the salty side to my liking. Others may like it though..

Stepping into El Bareto feels like stepping into Spain, it has a great authentic atmosphere and cosy decor. The food is delicious, always great options on the specials board and the red wine is fab. Particularly like the grilled prawns, baked aubergine with goats cheese...

Excellent tapas choice and quality. Cosy atmosphere and very friendly, accommodating staff.

We ate here Tonight for a double birthday celebration. The welcome was warm and the service was attentive and efficient. The food was superb, full of flavour and tasty. I asked the host to recommend a white wine and his choice was excellent. The second...

Lovely restaurant with great food, friendly service and a small bar if you just want a drink. What more could you want?

Laúra and Shaun were the best hosts, we had the most beautiful date night made even better by the fantastic service. The food was exquisite and served quickly and piping hot and fresh- we had Jalapeño croquetas, Chorizo con cider, ratatouille with fried egg, Spanish meatballs and Patatas con garlic aioli. Friendly hosts and delicious food really made it a super special night and we can’t wait to come back :)

Lovely variety of tasty food. Good, friendly service.

A follow up visit when coming back to Chapel Allerton. Once again excellent tapas, great service a very nice atmosphere. Thanks for another very good evening.

Excellent place to go for tapas and a few beers with friends. Staff are super.

Such a shame - the food and service here used to be top notch but sadly it couldn’t be further from this now. Tasteless, expensive frozen food that arrives minutes after ordering, stressed out staff and gross facilities. What a loss to the Chapel Allerton hospitality scene. Avoid at all costs - save your wallets and your tastebuds!

The most expensive frozen food ever. The food was awful, frozen and tasteless, bread was stale and the bill was big. Avoid.

Loved the atmosphere, great staff and the food is just like you were in Spain. Top notch. 👍🏼