The Botanist in Leeds

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Awesome staff always helpful always presented immaculate just can’t do enough for you and the best cocktails I’ve ever had made by a lady called Brooke and service by a guy called Sam awesome to say the least will be going back plenty more times. A credit to leeds day and nightlife.

Really nice food with excellent service from Kieran.

Over priced for what you got. Chicken burger + the burger was burnt,chips “seasoned but flavourless

First time visit went for my daughter 30th food was just amazing the service was excellent they cater to your every needs nothing to much trouble the atmosphere was very good never felt uncomfortable once did not feel like we had to rush our food so to leave the table free for the next customers we ate at our own leisure such a pleasant place to go to eat

Yummy food. I recommend the halloumi kebab. and the cookie dough. The service was speedy and polite... Only thing I would change would be the volume of the music, it was quite loud so I struggled to hear what people were saying. Other than that, I highly recommend!

This place was a BUMMER. We made a reservation specifically for Sunday Roast and when we arrived we asked if we could add one person to the reservation. They actually were quite accommodating despite being "booked up" and they asked us to go wait in the bar. We ordered drinks including an Irish coffee. They were out of cream which is unfortunately where our trouble began. We went to sit down and our server basically ignored us for almost 20 minutes, the Irish coffee arrived somewhere in that time after they went to the store and I'm guessing he must have poured the coffee sometime before the cream arrived because it was luke warm/ almost cold actually. When our waiter finally came over, he told us that they had been sold out of Sunday Roast for over an hour... which means, that despite having a reservation for that exact thing, no one mentioned it to us when we arrived. Like what? The rest of the menu was incredibly lack luster. We had a vegan with us and her food was completely inedible (un cooked rice etc). In another dish one piece of chicken in the chicken salad was drastically under cooked, the restaurant manager came over and helped with that and discounted that particular item but it seemed like such a cacophony of failures that itemizing all these things for her would have just been a waist of our time. I would absolutely avoid this place at all costs despite the cute decor and the seemingly elevated Sunday Roast.

Called in before going Christmas shopping and I can't see any shopping happening! Beautiful food and the best Negroni I've had. Sam is an amazing member of staff, constantly going around making sure everyone is having a good experience. Sam is a credit to this place and i will be back for the Christmas menu.... And Negroni ofcourse.

For me, Botanist is the best place to eat in Leeds. The food is STUNNING, the service is 5 star. I come often and always love the food! Especially the sweet chilli fries. I need to mention that Sam is an absolute asset to the team, he was whizzing around , serving multiple tables and smiling constantly, he is a fantastic server, in fact the best service I have had is from Sam. What an awesome individual. Thanks Sam, will return again because of your 5 star service and gorgeous personality. Xxxxxx

Called in before going Christmas shopping and I can't see any shopping happening! Beautiful food and the best Negroni I've had. Sam is an amazing member of staff, constantly going around making sure everyone is having a good experience. Sam is a credit to this place and i will be back for the Christmas menu.... And Negroni ofcourse.

For me, Botanist is the best place to eat in Leeds. The food is STUNNING, the service is 5 star. I come often and always love the food! Especially the sweet chilli fries. I need to mention that Sam is an absolute asset to the team, he was whizzing around , serving multiple tables and smiling constantly, he is a fantastic server, in fact the best service I have had is from Sam. What an awesome individual. Thanks Sam, will return again because of your 5 star service and gorgeous personality. Xxxxxx

Went for a team meal, the food was really good, and the waiters really looked after us.

Fantastic food in beautiful surroundings

We wanted somewhere a bit different to celebrate a special birthday. The Botanist was the perfect place. Great food and the birthday planter on the table gave a very special feel to the place as we arrived.

Really only came for one drink, but this is one of those bars that just somehow persuades you to stay a while and have another drink, then maybe some food and some more drink. , and before you know it the afternoon has gone and the birthday present you came into the city to buy remains unbought. The local IPA (can't remember it's name) is amazing. And highly recommended. .

Wonderful place to have a gathering, or just a few drinks. The food was super nice ,starter, chicken wings, followed by chicken kebab with chips and garlic marinade, followed by sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. All came out on time and nice and hot. Staff are brilliant. The live band was incredible, too. Excellent time. Would definitely recommend highly. 😉👍

Didn't eat in here so can't comment on the food. Nipped in for afternoon drinks and walked into a very nicely decorated bar . My only complaint was the prices for lager which are a tad on the pricey side

Great place to have a drink. Excellent cocktails

Amazing food, cocktails and Emma was the best waitress I have ever come across. Warm, friendly and exceptional knowledge on the drinks and menu. Botanist, pay attention to this one - clearly deserves a raise or promotion as a full ambassador of the Botanist Leeds!! Here in Leeds on the 14 Oct @1650hrs :)

Service was good 👍 Food pretty average for price - even with 20% off voucher Hot platter too much chicken Hanging kebabs could do with some bread and salad 🥗 Drinks nice got from bar before as table not quite ready Atmosphere Very Loud and Hot and Dark inside wouldn’t have wanted to stay all night

The hanging kabobs are the best! The only issue we had was my husband received an alcoholic beverage when he doesn't drink. They were very apologetic.

A great place to meet up with friends. Had lunch yesterday. Food and cocktails were lovely and the staff were so friendly. We had issue with trains and buses but they were really accommodating. Rea was our server and again so helpful and friendly 🍹😊

This was our first visit & we throughly enjoyed ourselves. The service and food were excellent. It was very busy but the waiting staff seemed to take this in their stride & it all seemed well organised. There was a wide age group from little ones to us oldies. Everyone received a warm friendly welcome. We had the Prawn Starter followed by the chicken Hanging Kebabs.. yummy! The drinks list is extensive with lots of choice. Only very slight criticism was the music was a touch too loud. We can’t wait to return.

VILE STAFF!! We went for a birthday meal and as we walked into the frankly disappointing venue we were greeted with glares and stares from staff members. When seated we ordered and some girls went out for a smoke. immediately after they left a member of staff stormed over and accused them of drinking alcohol outside ( this is completely false ) her tone was disgusting and she told us to leave. after being made to feel uncomfortable and judged we decided to pay for our drinks and leave. We asked for the cctv and they laughed in our faces and told us no. 10 minutes of excuses and stuttering left us with them admitting their accusation was based on nothing and zero apology. WARNING please do not go here unless you want the worst service of ur life.

HORRIBLE! went for a birthday meal and immediately got a volatile atmosphere from the staff... staring at us and whispering. Birthday girl has anxiety and was so nervous due to the treatment. 4 of us went out for a smoke and whilst we were outside a member of staff accused us of drinking our own drinks outside(NOT TRUE). the girls were so upset and when we returned we decided we no longer felt comfortable with staying. when speaking to the manager we asked for the supposed cctv to which they refused to show. the manager went on to admit they hadn't actually seen us doing anything wrong but by that point the combination of vile service and false accusations had ruined our night. We got no apology and left whilst staffed laughed and gossiped about the birthday girl herself! DO NOT go here unless you want to be made fun off and ridiculed with your night ruined.

Great venue. Music fabulous as always. Really happy fun atmosphere!

Utterly deafening. Have been here a few times and every time it has been loud and cramped. Have given it my last shot as it never changes.

Great cocktails. Service was also spot on

Terrible service from servers. It felt very difficult to get anyone’s attention to get a drink. Once I made a point of asking 4 people working there that I’m struggling to get someone’s attention, I then had rude staff serving our table. Lots of attitude from young staff inexperienced staff. I spent over £300+ on dinner & drinks But I won’t come back and won’t recommend to others. Disappointed as the food was yummy!

The food was ok not good not bad !! Nice atmosphere But the stand out for us was the service Well done Guys very Welcoming friendly. & professional Fantastic location

Nice inside. Live entertainment when we visited.

The Leeds branch is awesome, I have eaten here in the past and it was great, but I’ve been coming regularly for the music & I must say the staff are all great, work hard and do a great job, big thank you to Amber & Elliot & the team tonight who are all friendly and helpful. Great atmosphere all round. Thanks Eli

Fab place, drinks amazing eg. Old fashioned was best I've had this decade. Food was sooo good!!!

Great food and service as always!

Shocking service walked back out after been ignored while trying to order a drink

Beautiful food and service. Nice atmosphere. Cosy surroundings.

Phenomenal evening! Sad to have not gotten our servers name for this review but we left him a £20 tip! It was suppose to be a quiet evening with a few family members visiting from Lancashire. We ended up knees deep in cocktails and shot paddels and a £280 bar bill ( with food also there was 6 of us). It was worth every penny and we cannot wait to return! The pianist made the atmosphere electric!

My sister and I enjoyed Sunday lunch today. Roast beef and roast lamb with beautifully cooked vegetables and roast potatoes Excellent service, food, atmosphere and Staff. Would definitely recommend if you are in Leeds

Great atmosphere and delicious food! Would definitely go again

The best espresso martini I have ever had. A lovely collection of cocktails and a nice little venue, with covered outside seating. The live band that played on the Friday I was there played a nice varied acoustic set

We had a lovely roast with great service. The food was delicious and then we were moved and sat in a gorgeous outside area for some more drinks. Would definitely recommend especially as a group we were very well looked after

Ate here as a group of 4 for my birthday meal. Having been to Leeds many times before, we hadn’t dined at the Botanist before - although we have eaten at other Botanist restaurants. The entrance is fairly understated down the side of Holy Trinity...

Food was amazing, we had the thai king prawn handing kebabs with sweet chilli fries with here to die for. It was Saturday evening it was quite busy, we had 4 cocktails but after we finished and was ready to pay the staff did see us that we are sat there waiting but nobody bothered to come over even walk past us/ serving tables next to us nobody came, so we had to get up and go get someone to get the bill paid.

Had pea soup, you didn't need a spoon as the consistency was more like a dip or spread, and it was cold. Never mind at least the tea was hot.

Did my birthday dinner in this restaurant. Has a very nice vibe and atmosphere. The cramambert cheese was the best i ever tryed. It is also very nicely decorated

Food is incredible, venue is small but nicely done. Lots of drink choices, including mocktails and non alco choices. Staff really cannot be bothered though.

Visiting Leeds for the day from Vancouver and found this amazing restaurant, best food we've had on our Euro trip... the kebabs are phenomenal, the kids meals are top, the lagers are crispy... and the service was ace... I can't wait to visit with my family again one day..

We enjoyed our Mains but surprised there was no salad included with the kebabs. The service was poor - the server disinterested. The desserts we chose were sundaes- one banana which I hadn't realised was vegan and was tasteless. The other was knicker bocker glory for my husband. It was missing the cream..we asked the server and he confirmed it was meant to have cream but mine wasn't (as it was vegan). Of course there are vegan cream substitutes but hey, ho. He reluctantly asked my husband if he wanted cream, instead of apologising and correcting it. My husband didn't want a fuss and it seemed the server wasn't interested, so he said no. We were charged full price. The plus for the evening was the live music which meant we enjoyed ourselves despite the issues but probably won't return.

Called in for a drink amd ended up having food. My partner had chicken kebab with sweet chilli fries and it was absolutely bang on, so tasty and good portion. I had the club sandwich with fries..ate the lot. We rate this place. Izzy gave...

Visited on a Saturday Afternoon - the place was busy but with a great atmosphere! I had pre-booked a table for 7 people and we arrived a little early but the table was ready for us. I would recommend booking if your going on a...

I had the pleasure of visiting The Botanist restaurant, and I was absolutely thrilled with my gastronomic experience. The food at this place is simply divine. Each dish is meticulously prepared with wonderful seasoning, and the presentation is truly incredible. I was particularly impressed with...

I love the food here. The onion petals are amazing. and we had sharing hanging kebabs. Very tasty great accompaniments too.

Great starting point for a day in Leeds

Another great place for cocktails in Leeds