The Botanist in Leeds

Food was excellent but what made the night was the interaction from the waitress (Izzy).So friendly, charming with great customer service made a great experience greater .👍

Izzy made our evening very special with friends tonight whilst visiting from Jersey. Her service was excellent. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone visiting Leeds

After a meal out we saw this bar & decided to pop in. It was FAB!! The atmosphere, the up beat staff, the cocktails, the live singer ..who was brilliant. Great for small groups & couples!

Very good atmosphere with a live singer, great gin and tonic.

Disgusting venue. Bouncer kicked our group out despite a local telling our mixed race friend to go back to where he came from. Bouncer thought he was one of the Kray twins and was very threatening. Definitely wouldn’t recommenced to anyone that isn’t a regular

Fantastic place, we have been a few times now, great food, great live music, can’t fault the place, lovely staff also. 👌

Beautiful food friendly staff and a graduation cocktail for my daughter 😊

Went for a birthday meal. Really tasty food, great cocktail selection and friendly,fast service. We had hanging kebabs, steak and a burger with some starters too.

Nice staff, skilled cocktail makers and a good atmosphere.

We visited Friday evening as a group of 12 celebrating 2 graduations. From the moment we arrived the service was exceptional. All the staff we so friendly. Nothing was too much. We had preordered, the waitress knew what everyone had ordered, we were all delighted as we had forgotten!! The food was lovely, our waitress checked on us regularly throughout our visit. Thank you for helping us celebrate such a special occasion.

Great place for food and drinks, the live band was good as well.

Just went for a cocktail, stayed for two! Not my first time, nice ambience. Great! Cocktail on left is the peppered peach mojito and on the right is the berry colada, which I could have smashed in 2 slurps!

Great cocktail making class, Harry was exceptional, knowledgeable and so much fun! Definitely recommend, lots of fun!

Went on a Saturday so was quite busy and loud… and long wait for food but it was delicious and the atmosphere itself gorgeous and cosy

We booked a cocktail masterclass for our friends birthday on Saturday afternoon. Harry was our mixologist running our class. We had a fab time. Harry was super friendly and so knowledgeable about all the cocktails and taught us some great bartender skills. He had great banter and we all thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you for a great master class Harry!

Would recommend everyone to visit. A beautiful place for quality dining. Stylish design and lovely atmosphere

Very nice food cozy atmosphere and very friendly staff

A wonderfully cosy and friendly restaurant. Brilliant service, amazing food and delicious cocktails! Huge thank you to Sam our waiter!

Great bar for a cocktail with a lovely atmosphere

Lovely food and service was absolutely spot on and more. A lovely girl called Hannah served us and was very attentive, kind and helpful. She was also very understanding with my partner being Coeliac, as well as other intolerances, and has ensured we enjoyed our meal and experience to its fullest potential with going out of her way to change things up where possible to cater for our needs. Overall a lovely time! Thank you Hannah:)

Place with a great mood, different than other places, fantastic food, drinks and staff- what else could we ask for! Sam and Billie went that extra mile from when we entered, nothing was too much trouble. Cannot praise them highly enough. The cauliflower cheese was to die for as was the cheesecake. Icing on the cake was the wonderful singer, at first we thought it was a tape- live music on a Sunday afternoon, lovely before our concert at night. We will be back. Thankyou.

The service was impeccable, the bartenders were so friendly, seth got me a plaster when I needed one while Tom made me amazing cocktails would definitely recommend

All very good . Food was great , reasonably priced . Drinks were overly expensive . Good place to go as a one off celebration

The food was really nice. Had a selection of the small plates between us and all were delicious. Staff were very friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was good with live music to listen to. Highly recommend.

Booked for 14 and everyone enjoyed their meal

Went in when it was a quiet sunny afternoon , usually outside spaces are snapped up but only a few couples outside, difficulty getting any staff, or real service on my visit, even though they were milling around, and it wasn't busy.

Great place to stop for a quality cocktail whilst out shopping in Leeds. Seating inside and out. It's a very popular place for food as well and it's advisable to book to ensure you have a table.

Love the feel of this city centre bar. Its got a great vibe and the decor is wonderful. A bit of a wait at the bar , but that's because it's so popular!! The non alcoholic mojito was amazing!!!!

Such a gorgeous outdoor seating space and wide selection of drinks. A must for a night out in Leeds. Cannot wait to be back.

Very enjoyable food and good service

Great choice of cocktails with very unusual varieties. We visited on a quiet afternoon, but it gets very busy in the evening

We had pork and shrimps kebab and calamari. The food were overcooked. The portions were too small as well. The atmosphere was nice. Just average experience.

I went to this restaurant I ordered a dessert It was totally out of date I complained See response received from this dump attached Rubbish food Rubbish service Plain rude response

Amazing rum and raisin ice cream

Great drinks and atmosphere. It was abit windy outside

I love The Botanist restaurants and go to one in each city. The staff are friendly. The food is really good. It is a lovely environment with greenery everywhere. It is quite expensive. I would recommend for a treat. There are good vegan and vegetarian options.

We’d reserved a table weeks before but ended up being sat virtually in the doorway - after we’d ordered and had drinks brought over my friend noticed a couple of free tables further in the restaurant. We asked to be moved and were told those tables were reserved!!!! We did get moved thankfully - when our main courses turned up the order was wrong & I had to wait about 10 minutes for my order while my friend had to eat before hers went cold 🤦🏻‍♀️ Bit disappointed as we love the place

good place for a catch up with friends family, i always order the hanging chicken skewer very nice food staff lovley

Booked a table following a show at the arena. We were not disappointed. We were served by Kyle, who was so helpful and knowledgeable about the foods on offer. We had the sharing board to start with and the sharing kebab for main. Everything was fresh and so tasty, we were not disappointed. A lovely setting and a nice staff team. Live music too. Would highly recommend.

My boyfriend and I came in on Saturday, went to the bar and the server was rude and looked like he just didn’t want to be there, we then ordered drinks and it took about 20 mins for him to make 2 cocktails. We don't usually complain about wait time but along with his attitude it was just not good. And this is how our drinks came, it was half full and filled with ice, so without the ice I bet you’re looking at quarter of a drink for 9 quid. We hate to complain and never do but we we’re just really disappointed after the service and drinks we received.

Cocktails are overrated for the price .

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale- 355ml can - £7.50 What an absolute fleecing.

love this place always go for the cheese baked in bread and halloumi kebab,

The food was okay, however the customer service was awful. As soon as we arrived, the team at the reception ignored us. Eventually, they took us to our seats, where the table was dirty, the menus were oil stained and the drinks menu was filthy. We asked one of the team if they could clean the table and the waiter reluctantly cleaned the table but failed to clean it properly. When my wife asked for a glass of wine, the glass that she received had a lipstick stain on it, she then asked for a new glass and the second glass was even more dirty than the first. When she asked the waiter to bring yet another clean glass, the waitress questioned my wife in a dismissive tone asking “where is it dirty?”, the waitress realised it was actually dirty and proceeded to finally bring a clean wine glass. Overall the food was okay but the customer service was very poor. We will not be returning to the Botanist in Leeds.

Nice atmosphere although my lunch companion was a bit cold and kept her overcoat on. Our server was polite, friendly and helpful. On her recommendation I chose the sea bass which was beautifully cooked, well presented and very tasty. I loved it. My friend opted for the Korean burger and, on tasting, regretted her choice -- it didn't look that tasty and so it proved. I'd go back again for the fish and the service but not sure my friend will want to! We did go back. Friend still cold (it was chilly). Friend chose the sandwich and deeply disappointed - it looked a bit grim - I had the hot board which was a curates egg, good in parts. Service was excellent and there was a nice buzz to the place. Go again? Maybe.

Still a popular venue although it's looking tired, it needs some TLC.

Lovely Mothers Day lunch with Fizz!!! Food was delicious. Staff so polite and stopped to chat even though very busy and working hard. 3rd visit and didn’t disappoint - will be back x

Good food, good drinks selection, good service

Our 1st visit to The Botanist, we both had the hanging kebabs which were super tasty ..,tasted as delicious as they looked…. We shared a bottle of wine and I’d say the cost is line with Leeds City restaurants. The staff were all super friendly. We will definitely doing a return visit

Visited this establishment 5th March during our trip to Leeds to see OMD. We had read some reviews and the place sounded like a good choice. Unfortunately not living up to our expectations. We both had the hanging kebabs which were nothing special, not much meat and made to look better with the peppers and onion, disappointing. The accompanying chips were offered to be upgraded which I did and were thick cut disappointing ( probably frozen) my wife ordered a portion of sweet chilly fries £5,25 and way over priced. Our drinks were also overpriced with a small 330 ml bottle of leiffe £5.95. £2.50 glass of coke. My biggest issue with this place, and what appears to becoming the norm in many places, is that service charge is added automatically which is illegal unless it is very clearly displayed of stated at the time of placing an order. Where has this voluntary option gone???. The service of taking your order and delivering you food to your table is what you expect when you visit an establishment that serves food ! You give a tip if the waitress / Waiter impress you enough to reward them is surely voluntary. I would not recommend any place that enforces a service charge without clearly dissplaying or informing a customer of the fact. I will not return to this chain and would not recommend unless your happy to be forcibly charged for a service that is expect when ordering food / drink.

An absolutely gorgeous hidden gem in the heart of Leeds, with an incredibly extensive range of delicious handmade cocktails

Lovely meal. Portions a good size (meat platter to big for me!) and the service from the friendly staff was exceptional.

Great restaurant! Always love the food and the staff are super friendly. It’s a great place to come with friends or partner. Drinks menu keeps everyone happy with great cocktails to good choice of craft beers.

Always amazing food at The Botanist with a great selection of cocktails. The service is always very good too.

Been twice for a Sunday roast and also for botanist bingo on a Wednesday evening and couldn’t speak more highly of this bar. The roast was exceptional and the friendly staff gave us honest recommendations on what they think is nice and also reasonably priced. If you’re at a loose end on a Wednesday evening and bingo is on then definitely give it a go, such a fun evening and free to enter. All in all a great place in Leeds to eat and drink for all occasions.

We got a meatboard and another side dish to share. It was lovely. Really tasty, enough to share as a main, and was good value for money. The cocktails were delicious

Had a great time, Harvey was a great bar tender for us. We had some great cocktails!! Also great decorations for the outside and inside

Had a brilliant time here. Was served by Seth, he so helpful and super friendly! Really made the whole experience special!

Had a lovely time. Seth was a great server, I said I couldn’t have grapefruit and he tailored the drink for me, I was really grateful! thank you, Seth!

Food was slow and chicken on a skewer was very dry and cold as were the chips Was overcharged on the drinks. Staff just were not interested. Shame it used to be ok but wont be going back

Unfortunately i feel Botanist has taken a massive step back with regards to Gluten Free and not having a separate fryer therefore resulting in a much reduced menu and passing the risk back on the customer

Great food and service, cool bar too

Table server was rushed. I ordered lamb but ended up with pork. Then after I had finished my main meal he brought the bill, so I asked another server for the dessert menu. The food was excellent though.

I want to say thank you to the chef and staff for understanding my food needs regarding salt. The staff were amazing and ensured that all food was prepared without salt for my arrival. Great place 100% perfect

Went earlier today when it was quiet, great range of vegan, including a dessert available. Had the vegan board and a banoffee sundae, everything was delicious, well cooked and presented beautifully. Staff were friendly and welcoming and the place was clean. Great experience!

Updated review from second visit. Our second visit was such a disappointment, The food just wasn't the same. We had a sharer kebab, the food was only just warm when we got it, the waitress checked on us, but it was when we had only eaten a couple of chips, which were put on a cold tray so didnt stay warm for long, the chicken had a funny taste like it was old. When asked at the end if everything was OK, I said the food was cold, got an apology and asked if anyone had checked on us, which they had, but too early. We won't be back again. I gave 5 stars for our first visit but can only give a 2 now. Such a shame Great staff and ambience. The food was amazing, we visited on Sunday so there was a reduced main menu due to the Sunday roast, which is fair enough, there was still a good choice. The salt and pepper onion petals were amazing. The hanging kebabs are perfect, and we upgraded to sweet chilli fries on one of them, best fries I have had so far. We also had the bonus of live music, a singer with a guitar who was very good and not too overpowering. Perfect. Would highly recommend.

I got the prawn pasta and it was one of the best I've had, delicious!

Having eaten here several times before , I felt let down by our experience today . No one available on arrival for several minutes . Shown to seat and asked if any allergies as the waiter was already walking off? Drinks arrived promptly . Both ordered calamari starter , was a wait for it to come , but it was tasty. Plates taken away quickly , but then no staff around in between courses . Eventually asked if we wanted another drink . My husband ordered lamb kofta hanging kebab, some of the ones on the online menu were not listed? Not sure if the menu was reduced with it being a Sunday . After a long wait , mains were served I ordered the lamb roast dinner , lamb was cooked well with plenty of flavour. The vegetables however were barely warm . Roast potatoes were baby potatoes roasted , and not at all crisp. Carrots and other veg looked quite limp, and not as fresh as it could have been . Gravy was hot. Not sure if the tepid veg was due to waiting so long or an oversight. All in all was let down by the Sunday lunch. Husband said kebab was ok but was more meatballs on the skewer than typical koftas. Had to find someone to ask to pay bill, after waiting and declining desserts. Was shown the bill in a split second on a device and didn’t realise there was an added service charge. Service was very slow , which is a shame as previous visits have been enjoyed , and it’s normally our go to place in Leeds , will try others now when we go to the city centre

Good vibes great atmosphere cool Games would definitely be back

This is a great place to have lunch with friends or family. It has a relaxing atmosphere and serves some pretty good food. Service was also faultless. Unfortunately, I didn't try the cocktails... next time.

Always pop in when shopping in Leeds, good place to shop, and always look forward to a drink and food at the botanist, lovely restaurant and excellent staff.

Never tried the Sunday Roast before and it was great! Melt in the mouth beef with roasties and veg and the side of cauliflower cheese was delicious. Wonderful service as ever, a lovely way to spend a Sunday!

We called last night for a drink I’d forgot how expensive it was I’m not skint but wow a beer and a double gin and tonic £19 also we asked what’s best with the citron gin tonic he said so we went with that clearly it wasn’t. Also very quiet for a Friday night , I see to live in Leeds and after paying last night remembered that I stopped coming in here because of the pricing ( lesson learnt )

Food is always good here and reasonably priced too.

Normally good at Botanist excellent . Had Sunday roasts there before are are cooked beautiful . This time it was fire, honey roast carrots wizzened black overcooked so much they were flat. Vegetables returned as were cold returned again still cold, sent whole meals back as meat ,gravy and potatoes also like warm and cold . Did keep returning with the same thing . Didn't e joy the meal though eIter was lovely and could see our dilemma . The roast was taken off the bill otherwise would have scored a 1 . Not over busy still many tables spare . Toast beef thin, very fatty and cold . Friends chicken was lovely however .

we decided to visit the botanist for a family meal it was our first time eating here.Great location nice decor although the lighting was a litle low to see the menu properly.we got seated quickly and our server took our orders.when the food came it was presented well and decent portions i had the crispy chicken burger it was tasty i found the fries a little bland but the food was ok.My main issue was the growing trend of pre adding of a 10% service charge to the bill i would prefer the option of having a choice to give a tip and not been told what i have to pay.Places that do this im sorry dont get ny repeat buisness

Beautiful birthday meal, shared with my cousin for our joint birthday! Thank you for accommodating our large group and making everything so perfect! I was probably a very annoying customer, communicating back and forth with the group bookings team, changing our minds and dates and times and numbers... They were always so helpful and attentive, can't thank them enough! On the night the food was great and the drinks flowed! :) the decor is beautiful... Highly recommend!!!

Cocktails very small for the price. Service was bad. Waited ages sat at bar before even acknowledged

I had the best meal at botanist yesterday with my wife. The staff went above and beyond and the food and cocktails exceeded my expectations. We were made to feel very special and look forward to our next visit!

Walked in, stood at the bar to be told by the barman to take a seat and our drink order would be taken. The place wasn't overly busy so we sat down, waited around 10mins then walked out due to no service or even any acknowledgement that we were there.

Perfectly nice bar for a lunchtime 18th Dec. Seems better for cocktails and wine as the pumps are not to my taste but I enjoyed the atmosphere and would visit again.

Delicious food, especially the pork crackling, in a warm and cosy underground venue.

Great little place the calamari is to die for. Fair prices great quality and vibe.

My daughter in law was visiting had been experiencing problems with bloating left table needed to be sick but vomited outside kitchen member of staff came said she was drunk had vomited in the kitchen asked us to leave I am angry I know this was far from an ideal situation my daughter in Law was visiting Leeds for the first time and was distressed by how she was spoken to she was not drunk and as a nurse I know people unfortunately vomit for all sorts of reasons she had been drinking water and had not touched her cocktail my son drunk some of it I am appauled at such an insult she could have said your girlfriend is unwell but to say she’s drunk is wrong I was happy to leave and will certainly never be returning interestingly the pissed up scousers being loud on the adjacent table were not challenged for their shouting and foul language

First time here tonight, and got t say we was not disappointed, the food was incredible the service was on point, quick aswell t say how busy they were, the cocktail was lush, the hanging kebab is so tasty just wow wow wow definitely will come again

Vegan pie way too spicy peppery hot. Left my tongue numb so I could not taste anything after a few bites. Disappointing, expected better at those prices

Really nice place, great drinks selection. Food menu not too large to make it difficult to choose but has something for everyone. The hot sharing platter was excellent. Decoration is nice but why call a place the botanist and then decorate it with plastic plants. I mean come on 😖

Great food, Great drinks and even better service

Second trip here and thoroughly enjoyed our lunchtime cocktails and savoury snacks. The festive Spiced Apple Sling is reminiscent of a similar cocktail from Raffles. Their Thai Chilli Crush has a cheeky spicy kick to it while the Black Forest Martini is deliciously rich & fruity. Foodwise, the pork crackling is seriously moorish and you won’t be disappointed with the salt & pepper onion petals. Faultless service too!

The marketing states “here at The Botanist, all can enjoy a wondrous occasion.” It’s certainly wondrous how they can charge £6.75 for a pint of Guinness - it’s Leeds not central London or Dublin. Research carried out earlier this year revealed the average cost of a pint of Guinness in the UK was £4.14 but Botanist think they are special. Was it special? Place was a bit cramped and didn’t feel very Christmassy. The hanging Xmas meat schlong was more of a gimmick that didn’t work on any level but thankfully I avoided that option. If it is meant to be a festive kebab of sorts a slice of pitta bread would be nice. Pate starter was nice and the cranberry took it to another level but ratio of pate was way off - two tiny bits of war ration-like bread. Steak main was tasty but lacked any wow factor. A bit of blue cheese and pickled onion would have been nice and dispelled any thoughts that chef hated Christmas. Pudding was nice but was no better than Tescos microwave dessert. All in all it was ok but wouldn’t come back or recommend as they failed to impress. It does looks the part - like a well decorated Christmas tree but one with no presents underneath and no hope of Santa ever arriving.

The place is small and cosy. Cos of the Christmas crowd we did not get to savour the decor much. But the food was just delicious. Every single item we ordered from starters to main course was just superb. The hummous and pita bread was pure divinify. And so were the hanging kebabs. The portions were generous too. We are definitely coming back again.

Food was decent but quite expensive, £6.75 for a Guinness !! A pint of Guinness and a glass of water took 25 minutes to arrive after prompting staff. After they finally arrived, we were promptly asked the leave by the shift manager (Monday 11th dec 7pm) as they needed the table. Normally we are pretty chill but we said that the Guinness had just arrived after waiting over the 20minutes. We got a super rude response asking us basically, can you just leave !? Really ruined an overall nice meal and the actual waiters were really good, minus the wait but think that was the bars fault. Also the brussel sprouts were rank.

Nice venue, unusual setting. However once the bill arrived (and we'd paid a 10% service charge) and immediately after our drinks arrived after a 20 minute wait, we were rudely asked to leave the table by the duty manager, ruined a nice little catch-up with my daughter and her partner. Food was ok, but certainly not outstanding, on tonight's experience won't be returning.

Well the staff were really nice. We went in on a Sunday arvo but the table we got was in the corner, which was a bit of a let down. We ordered starters, mains and drinks. The servers were brilliant. Starters were really really good, however the mains were really disappointing for the price they are offered. Our Sunday roasts were dry and I felt it was too bland to be honest. Atmosphere, if you get good tables its fab. It was a neutral experience for me and I feel it should have been a little better.

Excellent food, great atmosphere but made amazing by the staff. Top eatery in the centre of Leeds.

Visited on a Sunday for pre drinks before our meal at Crafthouse. I had a cocktail which was well made and tasty. Didn't appear to have table service which was a shame. Live singer came on just as we were leaving. Staff all seemed friendly.

Very busy people pushing and shoving and they charged 6.75 for a pint of Guinness which way too quickly. Prices do not reflect the customer experience.

First visit here and it's a beautiful, cosy and friendly place to go for a family birthday or any other occasion. A bit pricey but worth every penny for that occasion. Enjoyed it! Thanks for making us welcome and for looking after us on our daughter's birthday.

We were a group of 8 with 4 over 60’s. We were sat on a table with benches, these were not comfortable and gave a number is back ache. Not great.

Really nice food with excellent service from Kieran.