A French bistro in Leeds that has ‘lit up the community’ has been named Britain’s best local restaurant by review bible The Good Food Guide.
Bavette in Horsforth, Leeds, beat off competition from across the country to take the prestigious title for 2024, with judges describing it as ‘the model of a perfect local restaurant’.
Owned by Sandy Jarvis and Clement Cousin, Bavette has only been open since February this year, but impressed the guide’s anonymous inspectors with its ‘natural ease and warmth of hospitality’ and its menu of ‘authentic, beautifully executed French classics’.
Judges said: ‘The consensus is that it has raised the game in this corner of Leeds and beyond, presenting the model of the perfect local restaurant. An impressive win and one that is richly deserved.’
Chloe Hamilton, co-editor of The Good Food Guide, said: ‘With Sandy and Clement’s backgrounds in some of London’s top establishments – Terroirs, where they met, is a strong influence – opening a restaurant together in an outer suburb of Leeds looked great on paper.
Bavette in Horsforth, Leeds, beat off competition from across the country to take the prestigious title for 2024
The French bistro beat London eateries to win the top spot, with judges praising it as ‘the model of a perfect local restaurant’.
‘But the way they’ve brought it to life – excellent bistro cooking, an adventurous, engaging wine list (including bottles from Clement’s family of organic winemakers in the Loire), and the energy and warmth of the team – make it irresistible.
‘They’ve had first birthday parties and 90th birthday parties here. It has lit up the community.’
Mr Jarvis and Mr Cousin said: ‘We are completely gobsmacked about winning the Best Local Restaurant Award.
‘To be included in the top 100 in our first few months would have been a great achievement, but to be the overall winners is such a huge honour and testament to all the hard work of the team since day one, so this is for them.
Owned by Sandy Jarvis (left) and Clement Cousin (right), Bavette has only been open since February this year, but impressed inspectors with its ‘natural ease and warmth of hospitality’
‘Our sign above the door says ‘a neighbourhood bistro’ and being a great local restaurant is everything we wanted Bavette to be. Thank you to everyone who has come through our doors over the past five months, you’ve made Bavette what it is.’
Overall, the guide said French food was ‘still fabulous’ and ‘Britain’s real appetite is for simple dining’.
Other restaurants with a French flavour which made it to the awards shortlist included L’Hexagon in Norwich, and Paulette, Josephine and Les 2 Garcons, all in London.
The regional winners of The Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurants 2024 are:
London: Mambow, Clapton
Malaysian eatery Mambow, the brainchild of chef Abby Lee, was named winner in the capital.
Having started in Spitalfields and relocating to Peckham, the restaurant opened in Clapton last year.
Punters need to reserve early to bag one of the few tables, but there are stools at the window at the front.
Favourites from the small menu of just a dozen small plates include palourde clams in broth and frizzled beancurd stuffed with five-spice pork and prawns.
Malaysian restaurant Mambow got the top spot in the capital
North West England: Cibus, Levenshulme
An Italian restaurant in a suburb of Manchester, Cibus started as a stall at Levy Market.
Pizza is the main offering at the restaurant in Levenshulme, from the classic Margherita to a white based Tartufata with mushrooms and Taleggio cheese.
Other options include homemade pasta including Pappardelle with duck ragu, and menu changes seasonally with new specials each week.
But in a break from the flavours of Italy, the restaurant serves a roast dinner on Sundays with yorkshire pudding.
In the Manchester suburb of Levenshulme, Cibus was named as the North West’s best local spot
Scotland: Fin and Grape, Edinburgh
In the increasingly fashionable Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, Fin and Grape specialises, as the name suggests, in combining Scottish fish with a selection of wines.
A self described ‘neighbourhood restaurant’, Fin and Grape boasts 60 covers on the ground floor, named ‘fin’, with whole fish served for the whole table.
Downstairs, named ‘grape’ is an evening only lighter concept with the focus on wine sourced from ‘interesting’ producers.
Named as Scotland’s best local restaurant was Fin and Grape in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh
South East England: Med, Brighton
Med was founded by Will Dennard and Jack Southan, known on the Brighton scene for their street food brand Wolfsmouth and kitchen concept Paradiso Social.
Situated minutes from the seafront, Med offers modern European dishes with a playful twist, paired with music.
The seasonal menu is joined by an extensive wine list. Inspectors at Good Food Guide described the eatery as ‘freewheeling modern grazing… with a kitchen following the seasons and displaying good instincts and creativity.’
Med was ranked 11th in Brighton’s Best Restaurants 2024.
Med in Brighton was set up by Will Dennard and Jack Southan, who have several establishments in the city
South West England: North Street Kitchen, Fowey
Coming up top in south west England was pop-up seafood joint North Street Kitchen in the village of Fowey.
Queues are common at this trendy boat house conversion, but punters say it’s worth the wait.
Fresh fish from the estuary is listed on a blackboard, alongside cured fish, crab rolls and Fowey oysters.
Queues are common at pop-up North Street Kitchen, Fowey, which was chosen as best local restaurant in south west England
Wales: Inn at the Sticks, Llansteffan
Nestled in the heart of Carmarthenshire, Inn at the Sticks in Llansteffan was chosen by reviewers as the best local restaurant in Wales.
Dating to 1809, the Inn has been a hotel since 1881 and was made a Grade II Listed building.
Its current owners, Treej and Jenks, took it over a year ago in June 2023.
The menu, while including local produce including Welsh beef and Bara Brith, also has a Spanish focus with dishes such as mackerel escabeche.
Inn at the Sticks in Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire was rated as Wales’ best local restaurant
Central and East of England: Greyhound Inn, Pettistree
Classic country pub Greyhound Inn in Pettistree, Suffolk was rated by inspectors as the best local spot in central and east of England.
The Grade II Listed village inn was transformed by four London friends in 2022.
Head chef Adam Spicer serves up a seasonal weekly menu with dishes including veal sweetbreads and osso bucco.
In keeping with the building’s heritage as a pub, three cask beers pour from Suffolk brewers.
The Greyhound Inn in Pettistree was named best local restaurant in central and east of England