El Gato Negro Tapas in Leeds

This is not regarding the food, but terrible management and follow up. We were regular guest in El Gato Negro Tapas in Leeds, as we visit there at least few times every month. We’ve booked the venue for our wedding dinner and paid the deposit since last year. However, they suddenly call us to cancel our booking few weeks before our wedding and inform us the restaurant gonna close in 2 weeks, in June. Someone from management team promised they will help us book a new venue (it’s very hard to find a restaurant for big group in the last minute) and they will transfer us an £400 pound to cover the difference price of food. It has been 4 months. We’ve trying to contact them, but actually no one help for the new venue, I have to solve the problem myself. No money received, although they keep saying different excuse, eg, they lost my account number, they are on holidays, the account will do it tomorrow, next week, the day after,etc. repeat and repeat, and then disappear. After they messed my wedding dinner, the one in charge doesn’t want to take any responsibility. Treat the regular customers like this, such a lier! Anyone if you love the place, be aware.

Very good food. And nice service as well.

Just had a great meal on the last day of trading here and the staff were excellent as was the food. Our server Nang was lovely and couldn’t do enough for us.

The best place in Milan, the service is excellent and very pleasant 100% recommended

Extremely over priced on everything and dishes arrived as solo dishes, not worth the money and the portions were tiny...even for tapas standard

Very nice interior and food is amazing, we have tried variety of dishes, and they all tasted great. Just wish if they have more halal selections . In all friendly staff and I highly recommend this spot for lunch and dinner

Even though it was not busy we were sat next to another couple in the middle of the restaurant + we had the wobbly table 😳 Ordered the food and it came in a good time, but the amount of salt on all the food (whether meat, fish or veg) was way over the top. Sorry to say, very average.

Really delicious food. Excellent quality. Highly recommended. Venue is so smart and staff friendly. Highly recommended.

Food and service was great, Nang was really helpful and added lots to the experience, would recommend this lovely place :)

I’ve been here a few times over the years but it has swiftly declined in quality. The food per tapas meal is severely overpriced, and more in line with a main meal (despite being small portions). On my most recent visit in May 2024 the service was slow; you’re constantly having to chase up on food, drinks or even the bill. The food was just drenched in salt, salt and more salt. I couldn’t finish most of them. They then had the cheek to add on a “discretionary 12.5% service fee” which I politely asked to be removed, after which the waitress scowled at the group and couldn’t get rid of us any quicker if she tried. Such a shame as it used to be such a good place to eat and drink in Leeds.

Second time visiting this lovely restaurant, food was amazing both times, definitely recommend. All went down hill when we were waiting to order dessert & cocktails. Our waitress (the only waitress working on the upstairs floor sat 11th May) stood next to us with her back turned for honestly about 15-20 minutes chatting away to the customers next to us after they’d paid their bill. We gave up hoping to be served, very disappointed & asked the lady behind the bar for the bill. Our waitress finally sprang into action as we were on our way down the stairs in search of an acting server. She asked us what our plans were for the rest of the evening… we said we are still hoping to get cocktails & dessert somewhere that’s on it to serve customers!!! That’s great she said, honestly not even sure what registered. The cheesecake sounded amazing, sorry no one was available to take our order.

We were visiting Leeds for the weekend and popped in without a reservation. The friendly staff said they could accommodate us in a hour so we returned and had a lovely meal. The decor was interesting and there was a good atmosphere with music and busy chatter. I have an egg allergy and the staff were really attentive/informative and helpful about it. Delicious food, filling! We had 5 tapas between us and that was plenty. Highly recommend.

Great atmosphere and decor. Not the best tapas I’ve had, due to the very small portions in comparison to the high prices of each tapas dish, making it more expensive than other tapas places. I also mentioned I have a peanut allergy (one of the 14 allergens) where I was asked by the waiter if I was okay with cross-contamination (even though peanuts are not on the menu). Would probably recommend better allergen training.

We had such an incredible meal here. We were recommended by a friend and wow it did not disappoint! The food was perfect - I still can’t decide which dish was my favourite. As silly as it sounds, the tomato salad was INCREDIBLE! So simple but just fantastic. The actual restaurant is such a beautiful building - it really feels special. Side note to anyone who is alcohol free! They have a fab alcohol free drinks menu! The Sin-gria mocktail is delicious! It was so nice to choose drinks from a full list. We can not wait to return!

Food was below average with very salty meatballs. Service was polite but offbeat. Beer choices were very minimal. There was no atmosphere whatsoever. The waiting staff were polite enough. They nocked the service charge off because I complained about the meatballs. The bill still came to £54 for 3 tapas and 1 lager each for 2 of us. Would I go again 🤔 not in a month of Sundays. I am very disappointed with the quality of the food. I've had real tapas in rural Andalusia, and the difference is miles apart.

Good atmosphere in an old interesting building with lots of history. Staffs are friendly and nice, portion size is tad small though, recommend to get the cheese and ham on platter with brown bread

Very expensive and the food was very basic. Staff were just milling around. It was just ok.

My Wife and I where taken there as a belated Christmas treat by our family. we had the bottomless brunch the staff were super friendly and attentive, the tapas were super tasty and of great quality, the range of drinks that were on offer included Spanish beer and cava and a good range of cocktails were also available Will definitely go again

Nice tapas bar in Leeds city center. The staff was very nice. The wine menu needs a bit of improvent and the current prices reviewed. The tapas are good, the quality of the product is high, although they could be a bit more generous.

Impeccable service from Nang! Nothing was too much trouble and her friendly and warm service was so appreciated, she had several recommendations and service was always with a smile! Will definitely be returning soon. 5 star service from a lovely lady!!

The best Tapas in leeds with very friendly conscientious expertly trained staff .The Ladies who lunch

The food was amazing. Tapas deal at 3 for £20 was great considering the quality of the food and the portion size being spot on, definitely enough to fill up on. Highly recommend the patatas bravas and the jamon iberico croquettes! Service was amazing as well, really friendly staff, even for a large group.

Birthday celebration meal. First time and EXCELLENT! Plenty to choose from with veggie, vegan, gluten free and meat options. Good selections of alcoholic and other drinks. Helpful and engaging hosts. Will come again

Lovely meal. Great food and service. Sirilak and Lise was brilliant!!!! Would highly recommend. Thank you

Loved our 3 for £20 tapas lunch. The dishes were delicious and enough for 2 people on each plate. We got 6 plates and each was fresh, beautifully presented, and very tasty (the sweet potatoes were particularly divine! ) excellent service everything well explained.

Came for Tipsy Tapas at 3pm. Food was great and the service wasn't bad either. My only issue is with the price. £38 for 3 very small plates of food and maybe 3/4 drinks isn't worth it in my opinion. You would be better suited heading somewhere else for a bottomless brunch.

Food, service, everything was amazing. Best birthday meal ever. The Head Chef couldn't do enough for us. He has a great team and definitely we will be back .

A beautiful and central spot with friendly staff. The food can be quite expensive but the quality always meets this standard. I would fully recommend, especially for an evening meal.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere 👌

We had a lovely welcome and the staff were very friendly and attentive. We had a light lunch, having the offer of 3 dishes for £18. It's was nice, the best dishes being the caramelised cauliflower and baby squid. The jamon croquettes were too heavy with nutmeg or mace, whatever the flavour was. But overall, very good.

Service was excellent, waiters are very nice and take care of you. Drinks were served in few minutes and food in less than 10 minutes. Food is... FAR from the real Spanish tapas. It's also overpriced. The kitchen needs improvement.

Superb service, food top notch! Big thank you mention for Abbie also. Can't thank you enough for your help

Great food, good service. Really nice decor and a good atmosphere

This place is lovely. Nice atmosphere and great staff. We are a mixed veggie and meat eater couple it is nice here but the veggie dishes all feel like sides and lack a "star" or main dish. Easy 5 star of they could expand their horizons just a lil bit. If you are not veggie inclined then you will have a great time!

Amazing visit. The service was impeccable and the food is just delicious! Craig was an amazing host, really authentic in his welcoming approach

Pleasant staff, but food was too salty, nothing special and served luke warm. Not somewhere I would recommend or return to.

Great food, starters mains and desert, lamb, prawns, cauliflower all highlights, great atmosphere, lovely setting, 100% will go back

Great meal very friendly.staff couldn't do enough for us

It was my first time visiting and it didn't disappoint, the interior, the staff, the atmosphere and most importantly the food and drinks were fabulous and I will definitely be returning soon. Loved the original Thomas Crapper toilets too.

Great restaurant, great food and staff looked after us very well. Booked a table online and secured the booking with credit card details. Perfectly happy with this - I think more restaurants should do this to deter folk from being no-shows! We selected lots of different items from the main menu, starting with the charcuterie board which gives you a choice of 2 cheeses and 2 meats. We loved the La Peral blue cheese with orange blossom honey. The tapas was served at regular intervals so we weren’t over-faced. Can also recommend the mini Catalan chorizo cooked in Aspall cider (probs our favourite), the caramelised cauliflower with Shaba Shaba, and the Catalan bread with olive oil, garlic and fresh tomato. All the food was delicious. We chose the Argentina Malbec which complemented our food perfectly and the boys had a few of the Victoria Malaga beers - no complaints there! The decor is beautiful, tall ceilings and a stunning chandelier and the ambience was perfect for a Saturday evening. Thank you for looking after us; we will be back!

Good service but poor food- do not order the calamari, although it was soft & tender the batter was burnt! Clearly the deep fryer oil was old causing the whole dish to taste of burnt oil. The service was good but the food is poor definitely not worth the visit. Such a shame.

Great atmosphere and food. Excellent service from Luke. Nothing was too much trouble. Worth a visit. Thank you

Amazing food, luke gave great service and our food came out so quickly. Highly recommend the lamb skewers and toasties. Luke walked us through service and checked in on us throughout. 10/10

Really good food, nice big open room and good atmosphere. Would definitely come again. Luke is the boy

We visited on a Saturday lunchtime and took advantage of the 3 for £18 offer. Service was good on taking our order and getting us drinks. Dishes came out as and when ready which is usual for tapas. However one of our dishes was forgotten and was only brought when we asked about it as they were clearing the other plates. Food was plentiful. The cauliflower was odd as a whole quarter which affected how well this was cooked. Disappointingly a 10% service charge was automatically added to the bill. If a service charge is going to be added then the service (ie ensuring all dishes received) needs to be excellent.

We have visited this branch before, and also the one in Liverpool. I was disappointed that this time it was necessary to leave credit card details in order to book for lunch. This is a practice that I am not comfortable with. We arrived at lunchtime when it was far from full. The heating needed to be turned up as the interior was a little chilly. We took advantage of a lunch offer of three tapas for £18. The food was good, the service friendly, and the interior of the building is attractive. Sadly, we probably won’t return because of the booking system.

Food was amazing and service was even better! Luke made it a lovely evening, super pleasant guy :)

Excellent meal, thoroughly enjoyed everything. The staff were lovely, the lady who served us in particular (don’t know her name but was blonde and Lithuanian) was fantastic and recommended a great wine.

Great space and atmosphere! The food is pretty good overall - some excellent (the octopus! the broccoli! the peppers!), some just ok (the squid), but there's plenty of alioli which goes a long way with me. Perfect place to go with friends.

Delicious tapas that came out quick and fresh, with a great selection of wines too.

Good food but service was a bit all over the place. Nice atmosphere.

Had a lovely meal with my friends here, the lady who greeted us was lovely and our waiter Luke was just divine. Food was tasty too.

Luke has lovely hair and he brings the best Catalan bread ever. Once upon a time there was Christmas

Great Tapas restaurant. Lovely staff, delicious food. But, they really must consider at Doggy bag facility. Food waste is so unnecessary, 5 of us had the 3 Tapas each deal, but, there was pretty much 3 dishes wasted. Next time we will obviously just order 4 between the 5 of us. It surely can't be that hard to procure takeaway boxes?

Luke was excellent, great service and attention to detail - an impromptu Sunday visit made very memorable and fun!

Luke was fabulous, attentive and cheerful. The food was great and the service was fab! A great choice for a Sunday treat.

Excellent service food great. Luke provided wonderful service for the the evening. The octopus and short rib were the outstanding items for us

First visit for a Birthday for our daughter who has just returned from travelling around Australia- Tapas was the chosen cuisine as that was what she missed the most. It did not disappoint and Luke was so attentive and friendly- he looked after us so...

The food was great and the portion sizes were generous. By far the service was the highlight, Luke was incredible and helpful. Overall, a really enjoyable experience.

Had such a lovely meal today at Leeds , Luke our waiter was fab and couldn’t help us enough .. nothing was too much trouble and I would very much recommend coming here for a meal 😁

The food was delicious. Loved the Aran uni balls and of course parades bravas. The atmosphere fantastic. Our server Luke was especially great! Can’t fault it really.

Good fabulous. Staff always lovely here. Luke is just great. Knowledgeable on the menu. Nothing too much trouble. Always have a great evening here

Food was great, Lise was a great server :) will definitely be coming back in the new year once we’re back!

Thanks for your service Lise 👌🏼 Always fantastic food & service (also love the Thomas Crapper toilets lol) See you again soon

Amazing food and service . When everywhere was fully booked , they found for us a table . And Lise wS serving us just amazing. Great experience .

Lise is very kind and welcoming. Superb service and tasty food, 100% recommend. Would come again !!

Awful slow service and very cheap tasting food , rude servers won’t be returning , lots of better Spanish tapas elsewhere

Really enjoyed the evening. Maitre de quickly organised a table for us and Luke gave great waiter service.

Lise was an amazing sever. Food was unreal. We had padron papers, patas bravas, squalid and creme brûlée.

Had a perfect little b'day meal, staff were very accommodating. Our server Lise was very attentive. Will definitely be back!!

Fantastic food and drinks. Luke was the best waiter!!! Great atmosphere. Delicious bravas and Padron. Nice cocktail.

What a wonderful birthday / Xmas celebration. On what is one of the busiest days of the year, Luke and the team delivered a friendly, charming service and really made the afternoon for us!! We’ve been kicked out of restaurants before due to our unique...

luke was amazing , had great food and a lovely time ! will be back for more ! highly recommend the vegetable paella arranchini

Luke was really attentive, knew the menu and recommended a cracking white Rioja. Why do I have to write more than I want to? The review was sufficient, the service. From Luke was brilliant

Our waiter Luke was exceptional with service and check in and making sure our experience was unreal !

A group of 13 ate on a Friday night so we expected it to be busy. We had pre-booked and ordered our food with a choice of a vegetarian, pescatarian or meat set menu. 'Starters' came relatively quickly and good descriptions given of the food. It was difficult to know who had what menu and which was assigned to each, even with menus on the table. The dishes were obviously sharing plates as well which added to the confusion. Next time we'd be better off trying to sit in menu groups! We then had a very long wait - well over an hour for any more food to be served, as the kitchen prioritised a group of 75 in the upstairs function room. Most frustrating! When our food eventually arrived it was hot, delicious but we definitely had the same problem with identifying what was what (save the chicken and prawns which were obvious)! As we ate so late, none of us wanted to try the desserts, which was a shame. The staff were lovely and most apologetic but it didn't give a good impression to the customers downstairs. I'm not sure that I got value for money as the set menu was quite pricey. I'd like to return outside of "Christmas/New Year" to see if the experience is better. Otherwise, nice ambience, comfortable seating and music not too loud.

Tipsy tapas are the best thing and our fab waiter Luke made the whole experience great - v attentive and knowledgable about the menu…

Food was lovely, service was great, reasonably priced great lil surprise for just stumbling across it

Great service. Some of the menu items were missing but overall a good experience. Very attentive to allergy and dietary requirements.

Best food, service and ambience / can’t wait to go back!

Luke was amazing, funny and great service!!! Food was also lovely and came out quickly. Cocktail selection was great also

Don't bother! Overrated and overpriced, the food I had was bland at best. It took 45 minutes between arriving at the restaurant and taking my first bite at the 15 or so dried up, thinly sliced chorizo Ibérico. Thankfully, they gave me another 10 minutes...

Lise and Luke couldn’t have been more attentive, food was amazing thanks to Luke for the recommendations 😘😘😍😍 well worth the money and not expensive either THANK YOU we will definitely be back very soon with the gang this time 😍💙💛🤍

Luke was exquisite, I've never experienced such a service. Attentive, caring, thoughtful, bravo Luke!

Fantastic tipsy tapas, we had a large table next to us, which when I book next would ask for a booth. Lots of choice on tipsy tapas menu 😋

They make the serious mistake of providing alcohol by saying “This is alcohol-free”…..but the decoration are good

Very good no no the spanish atmosphere that I would expected but we had a very good time

Great food, great wine, perfect service. Three items was more than enough. Really more than enough.

We go here for lunch regularly and the food is really good. It’s a varied menu, served as and when when it’s ready which we prefer with tapas, and the 3 for £18 make it great value for money. On Sunday we were served by...

Nice place but super super expensive for what you get, service is pretty slow even though the tapas is tiny.

We booked a table for dinner having visited for lunch previously. Really poor food and zero ambience, service was ok. The food was luke warm. The baby squid looked like sweepings up from a restaurant that served actual squid. The meatballs had a really strange...

I met a friend in Manchester yesterday and we went to her favourite restaurant,El Gato Negro. It was my first time and we had an absolutely delicious lunch. Today, I was in Leeds with my husband to do some business, and on our way back...

Lovely tapas bar in a nice building, the food was very tasty indeed and up with the tastiest tapas we have had, price was standard (mid range) My only slight negative was gratuity is added on the bill before being discussed etc, come on guys...

Amazing place to go, I would highly recommend! Myself and my other half had lunch here and the food was absolutely delicious and filling, they catered to my allergies better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to and the atmosphere was relaxed! Our host Jurgita...

At one point a supposed supervisor or manager,without prior notice,came to us,while were still eating,5 minutes after they had brought us our order,and said that we should vacate the table because there were people coming in and they would need them..We had been in the restaurant for more than two hours..the table was never marked has reserved..We felt disrepectful,it was unpleasent and inhumane.

Bottomless brunch! Jurgita was amazing such a lovely host, amazing bottomless brunch day with the girls

Me and my mum went for her birthday. All the staff were amazing and wished her happy birthday. Food was amazing and they made her feel special with an extra treat. Really appreciated it. Will definitely be back

Ordered all vegetarian food and they accidently brought us a meat dish (we ordered vege arancini they brought us cod balls) which I accidently ate... Had to ask at the end for a reduction in the bill for this as I wasn't happy about eating...

Very enjoyable impromptu lunch, spoilt by the fact we were not told before hand that we needed to vacate our table by a certain time, so felt we were rushed at the end when we were told we had to move

Fantastic food and really friendly and helpful team. Highly recommended. Will definitely return again.