After putting a tweet out asking where was good to eat in Leeds near the arena on my recent trip there, I ended up dining at the wonderful and recommended bar meets diner, LAB.
LAB is quite literally a 2 minute walk from Leeds Arena, a prime place for pre-show food, drinks or both. Walking in we were greeted with a packed out bar before walking upstairs to the restaurant which was much quieter creating a lovely atmosphere to eat in regardless of the noise and crowds downstairs. We were seated straight away and handed a menu which though sparser than many other I have seen had plenty to suit all palettes. Focussing on burgers and chicken, this is the place to go if you are a burger fiend like me or a chicken lover looking for a different variety of takes on how to serve the meat.
Me and mum both went for burgers, I had the veggie one and mum had the Bacon and Cheese and we ordered garlic dough balls to share as well. The food arrived swiftly and before we knew it we were tucking into the very decent sized portions. Really we could have gone without adding on a sharer as the burgers were big enough but those dough balls were utterly delicious and I would definitely recommend them as a starter or sharer to anything you order there. The veggie burger for me was very nice, tasty and with plenty of flavour it was served on a soft breadcake with salad, a simple yet perfectly hitting the spot burger. An onion ring was placed on top of the burger which was nice and big and not too fatty like you find with many onion rings. The chips though were the highlight for me, cracked pepper chips that were perfectly cooked to crispy perfection. I could have eaten more than one portion of those for sure. Also, served with a lovely refreshing and creamy coleslaw, which made my £8 go very far to satisfying my stomach.
The bar and restaurant where both tastefully decorated with a great atmosphere running throughout ease making you feel comfortable and relaxed while eating and giving a more chilled bar vibe downstairs. The separation of the two reminded me of Anchorage in Sheffield, one of my favourite places in the city despite only having eaten there once. The only downside I could find to this place was that the toilets were unisex, they were well cleaned and well maintained but personally I’m not a fan of unisex toilets but that is all personal preference.
Apart from that everything about this places was great, lovely food, friendly staff, affordable prices and a great atmosphere. Next time I am in Leeds I am sure to be hitting up LAB again for another wonderful meal.
LAB is situated in the Arena Quarter on Merrion Way, Leeds, LS2 8BT. Find out more about LAB by visiting their website or you can follow them on Twitter – @LABLeeds
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