The Agora

I really rate The Agora, it is our go to restaurant in Headingley and we probably eat there twice a month. The main options around studentville are the plethora of Thai restaurants, any three of the generic arc inspirations bars or cheap chain pubs. Agora offers you a bit more love! They are equally happy for you to nip in for a few starters and a drink or cater for a table of 20.
The Husband and Wife combo that run the place really look after you. Mr does the cooking and everything is freshly made including their delicious bread and Mrs runs front of house keeping you in drinks and chatting like you have known her since childhood!
While the menu doesn’t set the world alight, I would challenge you to find something you won’t enjoy and they don’t scrimp on the portions! My personal favourites are Haloumi, Calamari or Sueck (Turkish spicy sausage) followed by the Adana Kebab or Mixed Souvlaki. The significant other usually goes for mixed dips– hold the Taramasalata, Prawns or Keftedes potato and either Mediterranean Chicken or the Salmon. All mains are served with rice and plenty of salad and you will struggle to clean your plate! They also do some authentic drinks, Efes and Mythos beers, a solid wine list– you can even get Retsina if pine sap and wine mixed is your thing, Raki, Ouzo and Turkish coffee. They also do the best apple tea this side of Istanbul, although it’s hotter than the sun when bought to you so let it cool for about ten minutes before diving in!
The décor is a bit rough and ready, there can be a bit of a wait and sometimes things run out but you always get a decent meal at a fair price and all served by a couple whose restaurant is their life. They don’t take cards but there is a Halifax literally next door with a cash point so you can’t really complain. We often take friends there and I am yet to hear a bad word. If only grotty Otley road with its traffic jams and students was replaced with a golden sandy beach and the bright blue Aegean it would be perfect!

Oh I’m sad :(I really, really wanted to like this place. So many friends have recommended it, and I want to support independent restaurants. The owners are really friendly, and it is cosy, but despite that, dinner was a disappointing experience.
We decided to take advantage of their 3 courses for £14.95 offer, and — credit to the owner lady for her honesty — she dissuaded us from ordering extra houmous, saying we wouldn’t need it. She was right — the portions are extremely generous! We started with halloumi which was really really good. Then we had platters for our mains (£3 extra on the deal, they told us upfront, and it’s fair because they are HUGE). Boyfriend’s meat platter was apparently quite tasty. My veggie platter had some nice moussaka and rice on it, but everything else wasn’t so good sadly. The keftedes and falafel had been deep-​fried for so long that they were really crunchy and just tasted of salty fried-​ness rather than what was inside. The feta roll was also so oily I couldn’t eat it. The briam was quite nice but nothing special honestly.
We were feeling really full by this point so we got the bill rather than having dessert. Unfortunately because we hadn’t had three courses we were charged full price for the dishes, and they are quite pricey! There was a sign on the wall saying two courses are £12.95, but this didn’t seem to apply. To be fair, perhaps we should have enquired about this, but we’d already made a fuss over getting our drinks, so we wussed out. Service was quite slow, and we had to ask twice before our drinks came out — well after the starter had been served. Rowena’s right though, the home-​made lemonade is really gooooooood.
Unfortunately we both felt pretty ill that night — not in a food poisoning way, but I think just massive indigestion from greasy food. I didn’t finish my veggie platter, but I found myself wishing I’d skipped the keftedes and falafel entirely.
Gah, I feel horrible giving just two stars, because they are really friendly. However I have to be honest and say I don’t really want to eat there again — especially given all the other great places there are to choose from in Headingley. I’ve heard the desserts are amazing, so perhaps one quiet lunchtime I should pop in for some cake and a lovely lemonade and give these guys another chance.

If there’s one new restaurant you’ve got to try before the new year is out it’s The Agora. Whilst it isn’t fine dining in the strictest of senses, compared to say, Kendell’s Bistro or Brasserie Forty 4, it is a fantastic place to eat. There’s a few reasons, which I’ll go into, but let me explain –the five star rating spans the whole experience.
So, the staff. Every time I’ve visited this delightful restaurant the greeting has been most warm and the staff have been attentive. If there’s something not on the menu at that time they’ve suggested alternatives and you’re always greeted with a smile. The décor and ambience is lovely; it’s spacious and classy without making one feel as though you’ve to be overly dressed up.
Then there comes the food. Everything I’ve eaten here has been delicious. Their grilled houmous is some of the best I’ve tasted and the boreks are to die for. The lamb dishes are delicious and they make a mean moussaka, if that floats your boat. Basically, it’s all fresh, mouth watering cuisine, cooked beautifully and above all they feed you like a king. On top of that the food seems to be really healthy, so you can eat until you burst on their fantastic lunch time deal, without feeling as though you’ve a small loan to take out. You can eat on a budget without having to accept sub-​standard food, which feels like a rarity these days.
Add to that the home made desserts, which are fabulous, and you’re on to a great meal out right there. As for drinks, you can always partake of some of the usual wines and beers, but my choice has to be that home made lemonade. Simply delicious and I’ll be sending spies for the recipe.