Forde in Leeds

A typical modern pop-up type restaurant, small, a little cramped with a compact menu that is overpriced. Not a place we will visit again in a hurry, not the experience we expected from the online description.

Great food and service brilliant.

We had an awesome anniversary meal here. The food was incredible (it was the first day of the autumn menu) and the service was top notch.

Went for an evening meal, unfortunately was a little disappointed. Service was very good, no issues at all there, friendly, polite and attentive - top marks. Unfortunately for us the food took a long time to come and didn't really 'wow' us in any way. I appreciate that tastes and likes are subjective so here's my take on it. Ordered octopus, steak, sourdough toastie, charcuterie board and something else. We were pre-informed that 'food will come out as it's ready'. At the time there were 4 people in the restaurant. It took 20 minutes for the toastie to come out, which was burnt on the underside, then the octopus came out. I was a little surprised that as they are sharing plates, there were 3 pieces of octopus. The steak was cut into 5. Would even numbers be better if sharing? Unfortunately the steak (£19.99) was cold (not sure if it was meant to be, as were the cherry tomatoes that came with it) and didn't appear to be a great cut with various pieces of gristle in it. The charcuterie board seemed to take forever to come, which is odd seen as it was 3 different types of meat put on the plate. To give a mental image - and not wanting to cause any offence to the staff who did it, the same effect could have been achieved by taking your favourite supermarket continental meats packet, opening it and turning the packet upside down on the wooden board. Not sure why that took so long? I would have thought that was the easiest and quickest item to get out of the kitchen. Considering how busy it was when we arrived and for the first 15-20 minutes before others started arriving, we were surprised at how long the food items took to come out. Maybe it was a one off due to new staff or a similar legitimate excuse but we weren't impressed with the whole experience. That said, again the person serving was very good, shame the food let it down. It should also be noted that as the customer, I didn't complain or raise concern while I was there and give Forde the opportunity to answer/resolve issues but in my mind, whoever is cooking the food should know if it's cold etc.

First visit and definitely won't be the last! What a gem of a place. I'd forgotten how much I liked Horsforth. We booked for a late Sunday lunch at 4pm. We arrived early and were seated straight away. Friendly, personable young man waited on our table. We had 2 courses, drinks and coffee. 'Hollyflower Cheese' was absolutely scrummy.😋 Restaurant not too busy. Great music in the background. Thank you.😋

Great service and atmosphere. Cocktails and wine were delicious and staff attentive and well accommodating. Food was good and great value for money.

What a night... Great food, excellent service and a good atmosphere. The LS £18 deal for wednesday and Thursdays is a total bargain - we probably ordered too much for comfort 😄. I'd happily have 2 small plates and dessert and still feel very well catered for since the portion sizes are generous for small plate food - maybe an option for a set price menu? Thanks for the great evening!

Amazing food, great flavours, we will be back soon to try more dishes.

Fresh beautifully cooked food, amazingly friendly attentive staff and a perfect cocktail. What more could you need? Highly recommend. Thank you for a great evening 😍

If you like tapas this is a place I am sure you will enjoy each dish individually cooked

Probably the best roast I've ever had

Fabulous meal, great food and service and funky atmosphere 👍

Such a lovely spot. Amazing service,very relaxed interior and delicious food. Well worth a visit!!

Great meal last night. Lovely service and setting. All the dishes tasted amazing. Tomato bread, 24hr pressed potato and the cabbage stood out for me! Thank you . We will definitely be returning!

Fabulous food, relaxed atmosphere, very friendly staff, well worth a visit you won't be dissapointed

Great food, nice place, lovely experience

Nice place. Small portions and tight on ingredients.

What an absolute gem of a place. Great food, lovely staff, and fantastic value for money. Strongly recommend a few things, including the baked camembert board, the chicken and egg (which was utterly incredible - so many flavours and textures), and the lobster croquettes. We had five sharing plates, a dessert each, and a cocktail each. Came to £100. Absolute bargain for the quality.

We really enjoyed out first trip to Forde. The food was delicious. Highlights were the cabbage, the octopus and the chicken and the egg. Nice selection of wine. Fantastic waiting staff and lovely atmosphere we shall be back.

Not been for a while but things are still great here. The Wednesday / Thursday offer is incredible; 2 of us had the potatoes, chicken and egg, chorizo, toasties and a large perfect steak 2 coffees, 2 soft drinks, a beer and a glass of wine for £50.50 which is bananas. Fantastic value.

Wow! We went for Sunday lunch with the family and weren't disappointed. The food was amazing I had the nut roast and the rest of our group had chicken & beef, the gravy is something special and the chocolate brownie is to die for! Highly highly recommend for great food, fab atmosphere and lovely people!

Jin Hexia! The atmosphere is so relaxing 👍

Love this place. Never disappointed when we go. Reccomend to anyone wanting some quality food in a nice environment. Staff are great with the right level of attentiveness

Amazing foods, great service and love the chill environment.Will definitely go back again and try out more different dishes.

I really wanted to like this place due to previous experience, however , for £17 for a “lobster fishfinger “I’m not happy to pay for mashed potatoes and crayfish tail. I found one piece of lobster in there. The food is very mediocre. I wanted to really love this place because I’ve supported him at the Beehive in Thorner. For me, this place is disappointing.

Ok yes it was my fault! However bad handling and bad customer service on Fordes part. I made the reservation thinking my friend had said this restaurant. I arrived she wasn't there. I rang her we realized I had mixed the restaurants up. She is a vegetarian and there was very little to no vegetarian option on the menu. I told the restaurant the situation they told me they would charge me a £30 cancellation fee. They said my friend could have a tomato salad or a cheese platter for dinner! When we arrived the staff were very nice they said they could change anything on the menu however we ended up just having very salty toasties and leaving. I have worked with the public for over 20 years yes procedures need to be in place for no shows etc.. however this should be a guideline, extremely bad customer service!

Absolutely wonderful! Perfect venue for a birthday meal, brilliant food, great ambience, just excellent. Prawn cocktail was a fantastic starter, chicken roast dinner lovely (roast potatoes were a minor quibble), creme brulee gorgeous. The staff were fantastic. Highly recommend, and look forward to the next visit!

Underwhelming We had read some good reviews and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately the food did not live up to the standard of what we were expecting. Found everything to be bland. We had the Camembert where the best thing on the plate was the Parma ham, the cheese and potatoes needed some seasoning. We followed with the monkfish and lamb skewers, both lacked flavour. I find that when I’m paying a premium for the food, I dont want to believe that I can make better in my own home. The brownie, however, was amazing. I did leave still feeling hungry and was not satisfied with the food considering the price

Lovely restaurant. Great cocktails. Friendly service. Delicious food. There is nothing else really to it... except to give the example of how lovely they were. I went with my gf who is veggie and they were extremely accommodating without making a song and dance. She really appreciated it thank you :) sorry I didn't take a pic of the food it didn't last long enough to be photographed.

Decent lunch of small plates , monkfish warm tartare sauce , ox cheek celeriac purée Lamb fillet skewers , sharing board of baked Camembert/ charcuterie/ bread . Cracking glass of Pecorino and decent house red and house sparkling 👍

Hi there, we came for dinner this evening and to be honest I’m not the person to leave a bad review on a local restaurant, however after sending a private DM and not hearing back seems disappointing. We booked after reading great reviews and word of mouth. The food was not what we expected and the service was not great. We ordered few dishes but sent the pork back, it was bland, no meat but pure fat not even cooked well. the Catalan bread had no seasoning and on a French bread? Bread had no flavour something from the supermarket? The pork was changed for chorizo but honestly it was liked sausages out of a jar. Prawns lovely seasoning. Nothing fancy for the price you pay. Not 1 member of staff asked how are food was or even asked after sent the pork back. We dine at many places across the world and frankly I haven’t experienced anything like this and neither do in really feedback. But as not one person asked about our experience we were rather annoyed. We may have experienced an odd evening but as mentioned not great standard especially not matching the price. Many thanks

Absolutely awesome. The best Sunday Lunch. Attentive staff. lovely atmosphere. Will definitely be back.

Great team and great food, the best!

First visit and won’t be the last. Lovely place, staff so very helpful and genuinely friendly. Somewhere with a real passion for food. Food fabulous and very tasty. Highly recommend.

Fabulous Sunday lunch and very helpful staff

Booked out the venue for a private function, which worked perfectly for our group of 20. Thanks to Shawn and the team - food was great, layout ideal, and everyone had a brilliant time!

Lovely food and great service. Highlights were pig cheek, trout and pigs in blankets. Small issue with lemon posset unfortunately let them down at the end but overall very enjoyable.

The food was excellent especially the hot camembert which should be served with a spoon tu put the cheese on the hot patatoes. Thank you so much.

Absolutely fabulous. Food, service, even the background music were spot on. Thoroughly enjoyed a meal cooked to perfection, served by friendly, knowledgeable staff that just doesn't happen in many Leeds restaurants. Will most definitely return as it's a gem. Can't recommend enough.

Last BBQ board day, perfect whilst the sun is shining ☀️ The espresso martini cocktail, simply the best 🤤

First time tonight , absolutely gorgeous food , would definitely recommend, great atmosphere , great staff

I went with a party of 6 on a Saturday evening. As a veggie I knew that my options would be limited so was not put out that there were only a few plates to choose from. Sadly one of them was off the menu that day, so a bit disappointing. I had to wait almost 20 mins to get a drink, while I waited for the rest of my party to arrive. In the end I had to ask to be served, not good as it wasn't very busy at the time. Anyway, the food ! Sadly I didn't really get on with the whole concept of a 'small plates' menu. It just looked like a cunning way of charging for 2 or 3 plates when I just really wanted a plate of nice food. Of the two plates I had, I found the aubergines so well roasted that they were hard to cut up and digest, do left a lot on my plate. While the risotto was ok, I thought it relied too heavily on salt and garlic to give it flavour. It's probably just that this restaurant it's not to my taste but I think meat eaters may enjoy it more. It's not a place I will go to again. I should add, that I wasn't paying the bill, so thankfully I didn't feel to hard done by.

I love Forde. Not had a bad dish in the four or five times I've been. This time I finally made it for their Sunday summer BBQ board after missing it last year and it did not disappoint. We went for the meat version but there was also a vegetarian option. There was also a selection of sides, but we didn't try one of those A good selection of meat and just the right portion for two. The steak was perfect and the dips were a perfect accompiment. The pork and chicken were also tasty. Nice potatoes and some tortillas were a nice addition. Also had an excellent affogato for dessert. You can see how ace both dishes look in the photos. The service was excellent and I love the decor. It's great food with a nice relaxed atmosphere. I can't recommend enough.

Absolutely fantastic experience! This is a very snazzy, modern restaurant with absolutely delicious food. The interior, staff, atmosphere and food are all fabulous! Highly recommended!

We had an absolutely beautiful dinner at Forde! The menu has a wonderful selection of interesting dishes, we genuinely could’ve ordered one of everything if we had had room! Everything was delicious! We were glad we saved room for dessert too. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere was lovely! Couldn’t recommend highly enough. We will definitely be back soon :)

Took my mum in for a BBQ board on Sunday and wasn't disappointed. There was an amazing selection of meats on offer that were cooked perfectly with delicious accompaniments. The vegetarian option was just as wonderful. Service was warm and friendly creating a welcoming atmosphere. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a summer alternative to a Sunday dinner.

Food was nothing special, I’ve had far better BBQ food before. Service was great, atmosphere was okay. Wouldn’t go again and wouldn’t recommend to a friend

Sunday lunch 2 julay with 5 friends new menu pile of warm meat and bits of salad on a wooden board

From the moment we walked in the service was fantastic. More importantly the food was amazing. Loved the posh prawn toast, beef fillet, hassleback potatoes. Value for money was not too bad considering the food and on offer.

Wow! Last night's meals was one of my top 3 best meals ever! After spotting Mr Matt Healy in Morrisons, I decided to book in and try out Forde for the first time the following week. Myself and my wife opted for the 3 small plates for £18. We chose our 6 small plates and each one delivered perfectly! Each plate arrived at the most perfect time, the service was impeccable, especially as my wife is gluten free so the staff made extra effort with our food. The waitress was lovely and funny and our water glass never ran low! We ordered the bread board, the chorizo, the roast chicken, roasted cod, posh prawn toast and risotto. Credit to the chef for knocking out these dishes in such a small space. Looking over throughout our meal he never seemed flustered despite the restaurant being full. Credit to Matt Healy too for producing these amazing spring/summer plates. The marmite butter and chicken fat butter on the bread board was exceptional. Our favourite though was the Roasted Cod and celeriac mash. No wonder the waitress said "good choice" when we ordered it. My wife ordered a cocktail after the meal and she said it was delicious, I was also impressed with being able to get a pint for under £5 in Horsforth too! All in all a fabulous meal for under £50, one we were talking about all evening afterwards and will be back very soon! Nice one Matt and all the team at Forde.

Great food and a great little spot!

First time here. Came on a Saturday night in a group of 4. Small restaurant with a cozy feel and modern decor. Staff were excellent. Fast efficient and friendly. Menu is based around small plates and sharing. We decided to try almost all those on offer (except the risotto and ratatouille). Everything was delicious. So much so, that we ordered seconds of a couple of items. Great value. Overall a fab night out. We will be back.

Lovely little place. The staff were welcoming and friendly and the food and drink were great too. They recommend 2-3 dishes per person and in my opinion this is bang on, we had six between two of us and left full but not uncomfortable. They bring out a couple of dishes at a time to not crowd the table, but we were never left waiting for the next dish(es) to arrive. The cocktails were delightful and complimented the food very well. For me, the star of the show was the cod which was served on a celeriac puree, but the other dishes were good too. Almost the entire menu was available gluten free, which is a nice bonus for anyone avoiding gluten. Definitely book in advance, as there are not a lot of tables and they may struggle to accommodate large groups. Overall we were very happy with out visit to Forde and will be returning in the future.

Had a lovely family dinner on a midweek night. It was quiet but there was a pleasant ambiance nevertheless. Staff were attentive and helped us to understand the menu. The food was great. Small plates is a great concept - a bit like tapas but with a British twist. We tried a few cocktails all of which were an imaginative twist on the usual suspects. We'll definitely do again. Thoroughly recommended.

Lovely little date night/ Birthday meal at the Forde, lovely service and excellent food!

Wow … amazing food & service … will be visiting again very soon

Had small plates at lunchtime, every dish was excellent, especially the cod. Would recommend this venue if you want something different with really good service. Good value for money as well.

Excellent service, Shawn made some amazing recommendations!... The cod was 👌 Can't wait to go back and try some different things!

Really good, will definitely return!

Wanted to try here for ages and it did not disappoint! The staff were really lovely and managed to squeeze us in last minute. Sunday roast was absolutely delicious :) we’ll definitely be coming back

Really great restaurant with urban decor and great music creating a trendy refreshing vibe. Super professional staff with really interesting menu and delicious food cooked perfectly . An absolute asset to Horsforth. We will definitely return

Four of us had a fabulous Sunday lunch. Delicious food. Fab menu, great staff and service. Definitely going back for more

Website said “ Come alone and bring your laptop, where you can work alongside us using our free WiFi. We will make sure you're kept topped up with outstanding Coffee and superb food.” However, I went by with my laptop and got turned away. Was told that they don’t offer workspace. 3 stars still because the place looks amazing and food looks good. Maybe just caught the staff at the bad time and I’m not the target market.

Booked last minute for dinner. Felt so welcomed from the second we stepped foot in the restaurant. Amazing food from start to finish and was honestly a little upset when it stopped arriving. Loved the interior, loved the drink list, and loved the fact that the staff were passionate. The tables might be a little close together if you’re awkwardly British..

Always amazing food and great team. Love the GF options too. Forde always deliver great team lunches and tailor to our requirements.

We went for lunch on a Saturday. I had the salmon which was so tasty and my husband had the cod which he enjoyed too. The waitresses were really attentive, friendly and very helpful. The decor is very trendy and the toilet was clean with a nice touch of free deodorant, wipes and nappies. My only complaint is that the pancakes had defrosted frozen fruit on the top which for the price point and with a michelin star chef running the restaurant I would have expected fresh fruit or something better but I can understand it for cost saving reasons in this financial climate. Overall they made special food and the service was excellent. I would definitely recommend this place to others and this place is an asset to Horsforth.

Sunday lunch and house red just Devine cheese board yummy blue cheese with the best coffee to end a perfect lunch Thank you

What an excellent restaurant! Several courses of flavoursome food excellently cooked and presented helpful and friendly staff!!

This place was a lovely little spot for Sunday lunch. Simple menu, but delivered well. We had the the vegetarian nut roast and it delivered on taste as did the rest of the veg that came with it. The gravy was spot on. We order cauliflower cheese with crispy onion and truffle as the special side. Which topped of a great traditional Sunday roast. Dessert was just as nice. To make things better. 3 courses for £30 is just bang for buck in this climate. The atmosphere was relaxed and laid back with staff being attentive but not over bearing. Great place. Great staff. Great atmosphere. Enough. Just great.

Sorry guys, but, did not live upto expectations. I will say, our waitress was great. It was a Sunday lunch, so more of a carvery, I've had better. I will go back during the week to see what the other menue is like, but, as I said sorry guys, did not hit the mark this time.

This was our first visit and after checking out recent reviews our expectations were quite high. Firstly the decor is spot on , comfortable with enough space between tables. The open kitchen is also a nice touch 👌 The wait staff were nice and friendly in particular the young lady who looked after us very well and went the extra mile later on when taxis didn't arrive to pick us up from the car park on the bottom road ( we were exchanging cards and presents ,) she came out to check we had been picked up and as we hadn't we were invited back in and taxis chased up ... excellent customer service and a credit to the restaurant. Now to the food , it is tapas style which suits us BUT I've got to say that some of the dishes portion sizes were n some cases miniscule which was a disappointment... we ended up ordering a total of 15 dishes as there simply was not enough on our original order of 12 ( we're not huge eaters but trust me portions are small) anyhow what we had was delicious and cooked to perfection, also presented very well. There is a decent wine list plus Estrella on draft. Overall a good dining experience.

Sunday lunch second to none. Great atmosphere and the bar/restaurant is open to everyone xx oh and good music lol

What an excellent afternoon at Forde for my Dad's 87th birthday celebrations with three generations. The food was superb, the service just perfect, great atmosphere, not at all what I thought it would be, but so much more and as we all travelled far and wide to be there and it was so worth it! Cheers Jacquey

Hidden wonderful venue and certainly would recommend visiting. Also we use for lunches to be delivered and never been let down and the team at work love the lunch options : )

Banging! I've been here a couple of times and they've smashed it out of the park. Honestly, I'd be comfortable blindly ordering the whole menu, likewise for wine and cocktails. The torched soy salmon was a revelation and I'm gutted I didn't order a second portion. Honorable mentions for the bavette steak and Forde Anglia cocktail! No doubt that I'll be back ASAP!

Been 3 times now and every time the food and service has been excellent

Really lovely place. Great vibe chilled and comfortable. Came for coffee and brunch both of which were excellent. Will most certainly be going back to try the rest of the menu which looks equally as good. Service was also amazing. Fantastic addition to Horsforth!

Fabulous atmosphere here, Matt and the staff are just brilliant, great food of course and the changing themed menus keep it very interesting and enjoyable every visit! Highly recommended

Our favourite restaurant in Horsforth. Staff can't do enough for you, food is beautiful and the portion sizes are perfect.

Perfect Sunday lunch 10/10 for food, value and service

Fabulous food,fabulous atmosphere, Lovely,helpful staff.

Understated, but make no mistake, this is top notch food in a relaxed and down-to-Earth environment. Prices are very fair, given the quality. Friendly, down-to-Earth approach from staff.

Super Sunday lunch reasonably priced and excellent atmosphere

Stopped in for an impromptu lunch, picked this place as it was the only eatery with anyone else in it on the high street. Nicely done inside although a little squashed at the tables. Polite and friendly staff, nice lunch although very very oily to the point the sourdough bread was mush and not enjoyable. Lovely coffee, the cava was on point and all served in nice cups, glasses etc. Could easily be 5 stars and definitely one to try :) if we ever end up in horsforth again will go back and hopefully update this to a 5.

Four of us just had Sunday lunch at this place. The food was absolute quality - delicious! We all had 3 courses. Beautifully presented. Not overfaced. Great service and pretty amazing all round. I so recommend and will be returning The chef, Matt Healy, has pitched it perfectly!

I would visit again. Been local it's fantastic to have such a lovely to restaurant within walking distance. The BBQ sharing Sunday platter food was outstanding and very tasty but ...... we all could have eaten more the portion size was lacking. One wrap each when you are sharing with young adults isn't enough. The sharing BBQ platter for two came with two wraps each ?? More yummy food next time please but we will be back. Deserts are to die for.

Went for a meal here with my wife last night using two gift vouchers that were given as wedding gifts, absolutely loved the set up, they have nailed the atmosphere and the food was stunning. The lemon prawns are a must if they are on the specials! And the charcuterie board! The Chilean red complemented everything. Highly recommended this place! And will be going again!

Really delicious tapas style food, we’ve been a few times now and living in horsforth will become regulars. Highly recommend!

Came last night (Saturday) at 6.30pm. Food was absolutely wonderful - special shout out to the marmite butter, steak and chimichurri, risotto and the chicken dishes. Wine was delicious - and a good selection - but thought the cocktails weren’t very imaginative. Service was brilliant - the lady with the tattoos made the experience all the better. She was knowledgable and friendly. All in all it was a brilliant Saturday night food experience, so thank you, Forde. We will be back when we are next up this way.

Have been here a few times for lunch, dinner and Sunday roast. Food has always been amazing, the team are polite, friendly and welcoming. Risotto with truffle is definitely a highlight.

Fantastic food, specials were outstanding. Service was really good, friendly and efficient. Relaxed bistro serving Michelin standard food.

Incredible meal from start to finish last night, every dish was full of flavour and just kept getting better than better. A perfect Saturday night ❤️

Had the summer bbq weekend board at lunchtime - really superb. Hoping to go back for lunch tomorrow.

Amazing food and service, will definitely be back!

Fabulous night - we had seven of the small plates and every single one was delicious. Couldn’t fault a thing. Service was outstanding, wine was great and reasonably priced - really glad we came. Just working out when we can come back again!

Ate here for the first time last night. One of the best meals out we have had in a long time. Everything was so tasty and cooked to perfection! The hasselback potatoes with blue cheese and the fillet steak were just superb and the lemon posset for dessert was stunning. Lovely friendly greeting and great service. The place had a nice buzz about it too! Will definitely return!

Fantastic place, excellent menu, brunch was delicious and it’s great to go to a cafe where they know how to make a proper coffee. Love this place!

Interior decor great, feels like a proper night out in a city as oppse to local. Wine list good, chose Shiraz which was lovely. Service was good. We had British tapas in the evening, I did feel slightly rushed with meals landing quickly on a very small table! The sourdough was actually tiger bread! Bit cheeky at £1.50 a slice, all other meals were well put together and very tasty. Dessert was a choice of three different flavours of Brownie, scrummy. Will definitely go back and recommend to anyone, price point £££

Wonderful service, lovely food. Very reasonably priced for the quality of food we received. We had a wonderful time tonight and would 100% return again in the future! Thank you!

Nice food but small portions and limited menu for £28 for 2. Would try Sunday lunch. Service was good