The Reliance

A great restaurant with a laid back feel about it. We arrived feeling somewhat over dressed as the exterior is really not selling itself & the bar has a very northern quarter/​boho feel about it, but we were soon taken to the restaurant in the room behind, which has a large & lofty feel and slightly more upmarket.
The menu has a really good selection to chose from and we were happy to see it was not just bog standard pub food which we’d kind of expected. We went for the charcuterie sharing board for the starter (absolutely delicious) and then I had rabbit ragu with linguini & basil for my main. A bit of a bold move for me (I was going to play it safe with good old Yorkshire bangers & mash) but certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Great flavours & brilliant value for money. Definitely worth the extra 5 minute walk from the main hustle & bustle of the city.

I have been in here quite a lot as it’s right near where I live. I have never been a huge fan but I was on the hunt for a fry up one Sunday morning and was convinced into giving it a whirl.
We decided to share a breakfast as we were told it would be enough to share and it was also pretty expensive. The full English Breakfast was £7.95 and that did not include toast or tea/​coffee. We ordered a side of toast to have with our breakfast aswell as a coffee each. Our coffees arrived and then our toast was brought out about 10 minutes before our breakfast by which time it was cold. We ordered the toast as a side to our breakfast yet this was totally ignored.
When the breakfast arrived I wanted to laugh, I thought somebody had stolen half of it! The plate consisted of a small piece of bacon, a small sausage, an egg a teaspoon of beans and a large mushroom that took up most of the room on the plate. I felt like I had been robbed!
After some deep breaths into a brown paper bag I was able to move on from it and try the food.
Ever wondered what pretentious food tastes like?
Exactly the same as regular food but double the price and served to you with a smirk that says you don’t belong here.
How this place can justify the price of their breakfast is beyond me. Greedy Pig café only a few doors down offers breakfasts that are of by far superior quality that cost just £4.95 and that includes toast and tea/​coffee.
The staff were not particularly friendly nor really bothered that you were even there. A sense of arrogance fills the whole place and puts me right off.
How could I sum this place up?
Pretentiously overpriced & horrendously overrated.

A very cool little spot, tucked away about 10mins walk from The Victoria Quarter. Looks like a tiny little rough-​hewn coffee shop from the front, but hides a jewel of a kitchen turning out extremely good food in the restaurant hidden away up the stairs at the back. The room isn’t much, all planed rough floorboards, mismatched wooden kitchen-​style tables and a eclectic mix of wooden chairs. Busy jazz music makes an effort in one corner, but its quiet enough to talk.
There is an extensive list if bottled and draught beers and lagers, with a wide selection of wines.
Food is really tasty, with decent sized portions being churned out quickly by the efficient kitchen. I had roast topside of longhorn beef which came with 3 large fluffy roast potatoes, cabbage, carrot and a huge soft and fluffy Yorkshire pudding. Gravy was minimal, but everything was cooked perfectly and really tasty.
For desert I had the highly recommended Banoffee pie, which is excellent, and very deserving of its reputation.

Went here for dinner after work with a friend. What a hidden treasure! The service was some of the best I have experienced in Leeds. Our waitress was attentive, funny and most importantly knowledgable and passionate about the food/​drink that she was serving.
The menu was limited but had the feeling of being well curated rather than lacking choice.
The food was well cooked, fairly well presented and clearly fresh. My mouth still smiles when I think of the ale battered fish I had. The Eaton Mess was a disappointment showing a lack of skill and innovation in its preparation — but this was a minor upset in an otherwise happily surprising meal.
This place easily gives some of the best restaurants in Leeds a run for their money.

With a couple of friends visiting from down south we decided on The Reliance for Sunday lunch. Most the people I was with were specifically after a good old Sunday roast, but were disappointed on being informed they had first of all only 3 roasts left, and then none after the remaining ones were ordered downstairs. Still, I’m not big on a roast, and they were very apologetic so nobody minded. But just to say sorry again, they did give us a plate of yorkshire puds, which was a very nice touch!
I went with the fish and chips, and despite dealing with a very dodgy stomach at the time (very annoying!), everything on the plate was lovely. I’m a fan of mushy peas in general, but the little pot that came on the plate definitely had a little of something in to add some extra flavour and worked wonderfully, although I’ve no idea what it was!
I even went for a desert, which is something I usually never do, but I was very glad I did. Banoffee pie is a bit of a rare guilty pleasure for me, and it was a really good one so I was left with a big smile on my face!
So the food was excellent and the service was swift and polite, with the odd bit of very welcome banter. The drinks selection was extensive too, although I wasn’t really feeling up to having a few drinks, so that could well be the thing that grabs that extra star when I make it here again in the future.

just brilliant. the best bar and best restaurant in leeds. food is awesome, great selection of drinks and the staff are lovely.

The Reliance is one of my favourite pubs in Leeds — a modern, forward thinking British boozer aimed at the more discerning post teenage punter.
I popped in most recently on a Friday night and the place was packed with a lively cosmopolitan crowd. We were hoping to get some food but the upstairs, more formal but still very laid back, dining area was full. There are no advance table bookings, apart from one large table seating about 10 folk, so be warned that at busy times getting fed can be a bit hit and miss. After deciding that a 45 minute wait for table would be well worth it we got ourselves a couple of pints and found ourselves a perch in one of the two downstairs rooms.
The beer selection at The Reliance is excellent with a top notch range of ale available from the cask, keg and the bottle — all at very decent prices; at least compared to London. There is also plenty of interest for the wine drinker.
By the time we had finished our pints of «rapture» our table was ready and we trooped upstairs to the light and airy room. The supper menu is a mix of pub grub classics and more modern gastro fodder. I was disappointed that the crispy mutton breast had sold out but I quickly put that to one side by tucking into a very tasty plate of whitebait. My main course burger was cooked medium rare as ordered and was good but not exceptional — I think I may have been spoiled by the likes of Honest Burgers etc at home.
Well fed and watered we paid a very reasonable bill and wandered back down to town after a pit-​stop at the North Bar for a cheeky one.

Two weeks ago I came here as part of the Unilocal Sunday club.
I had to come back and make sure it wasn’t a one off.
I am pleased to say it is still as good as I thought it was.
What a lovely, laid back, lively place. (Can you have lively & laid back in the same descriptive sentence?)
I was asked straight away if I would be eating but it was just me and a friend having a drink and a catch up.
The bar staff were attentive and the Reliance Best Bitter was still right on the button!
I think I will steal away here next Sunday with a good read and have a proper relaxing Sunday afternoon.
What a gem of a place this is.

I really enjoyed it in here! It is like a grown up version of Nation of Shopkeepers! I’m surprised I didn’t know about this place before, but it is located way out away from the fuss of the town center making it perfect for a civilized pint. You don’t even notice the other parts of this place until you go in or someone tells you too! What was even better was that the staff didn’t mind us playing Lifeboat for a good 2 hours! Loved meeting all you Unilocalers in here by the way!
The Sunday roast was great. The dishes looked small, but Jesus, there was more cow on that plate than on a commercial dairy farm! More dead cattle on my plate than a farm that was hit by the mad cow disease. Well worth £10! I’d come again

Great pub, perfect for grabbing a spot on the Chesterfield, a nice ale and some grub and putting the world to rights… It’s like a grown up version of Nation of Shopkeepers or a shabby café Cross Keys and the sort of modern ale pub you get a lot of in somewhere like London. The food is good solid British pub food well done, and the choice of wine, beer and the rest good if not quite FoH/​North standards, there’s always a good quality pint on.

Another great addition to Leeds, I’ve only ever had a couple of Ales in this place. I liked the mix of people, solicitors, some art dealer, a crane driver and me. Guess which one tried to befriend me? That’s right Mike the Crane driver from Stanley a giant fella with no mates. Thankfully before Mike the crane driver kidnapped me, my actually long term friends showed up Hooray for Angela and Ryan. Anyways…
The Reliance is a fantastic place to start the night or just nip out for a couple after work.

Simply my favourite dining spot in Leeds. Unique veggie options, which is a huge bonus for me, and my boyfriend is always spoilt for choice– a favourite of his is the sausage and mash of the day. If you have room, the desserts are a delight, the banoffee pie and bakewell tart scoring top points.
Reli offers a great range of beers and wines, and the carafe’s of Reliance rough red are actually very drinkable and make a nice accompaniment to dinner or a cheese board.
The staff are great and are happy to talk to you about the food and drinks on offer, or just have a chat whilst you peruse the menu. Although you cannot book for parties of less than eight, you won’t have to wait long, and it is easy to while away some time in the bar amongst the friendly clientele.
They have recently expanded the dining area but the atmosphere remains cosy and intimate. A hidden gem in Leeds I would recommend to anyone wanting a cosy meal or drink with friends, family or a partner.

Basically, I’ve not been back in fliippin’ eons, so this Sunday just gone I decided it was high time for a revisit. My cohorts and I had planned for a lashing of carbs, even before the Zombie Apocalypse (2.8hourslater, if you’ve not a clue what I’m on about), as we knew we’d be ravenous — infected or not. 3 hours of running and panic will do that to a person.
So, there were a few options on the table, so to speak but The Reliance was our solid choice. We arrived sometime around 3pm, which was perfect –there was the big country kitchen style table available, and but two beef roasts left for the taking. I was feeling selfish, and baggsied one of those badboys right away. (I needed my red meats, pronto.) You might say I was in somewhat of a giddy mood, since I ordered coffee and ginger beer and cola. Or perhaps I was merely thirsty…
The waitress was fab, and not that it in anyway enhanced her services, but her hair is fantastic –the boldest orange known to man, so much so I’d caution she might contribute to Yorkshire’s night time light pollution. (I don’t mean to be rude, far from it, it’s an excellent shade of hair colour!) Anyway, she was lovely, and full of banter. If you’re not in the business of a proper Sunday Lunch, you can rely on this place to tantilise your tastebuds with an array of other delicious offerings, such as stews, pie for two and more! There’s plenty of choice when it comes to tipples too, including many an ale, and some decent spirits whilst they’re at it.
The relaxed vibe is always a welcome one, paired perfectly by cool bar staff, and I’ve heard the quiz night is pretty solid. Still tempted to please our mouths, post roast (which was massacred in minutes, realistically), we opted for desserts and — remember I said I was giddy?-well, I ordered two. Yep, call me a total piglet, but that’s the way I played it. The waitress even commented, delcaring that she’d «love to see this.» I was even offered a box to take home my potential left overs!
I just couldn’t choose between the Banoffee Pie and the Lemon Curd Tart. Turns out that both are excellent, but I was defeated by half a Curd Tart. The Banoffee was my winner, of the two, and offers more creamy goodness than Ambrosia could conjur in a year. Sickly sweet, but in all the right places. Yum. And, a *buttery biscuit base. (*Look that up on Youtube if you fancy a Masterchef giggle.)
To end the story, it was just fab, and I’ll definitely be back. Roasts, real ale, and a ridiculously tempting menu. Do it!

This was apparently the 2^nd time I’ve been to The Reliance but, as I can’t remember the first time no matter how hard I try, I’ll have to review it from my most recent experience :)
The building itself is charming, a good open space with huge windows that I imagine can lend themselves very easily to an afternoon of people watching. The seating and tables are a nice mishmash of styles that give the place homely, arty feel but not one that is bordering on try hard– although a handful of the clientele DID look like they were trying very very hard to be as cool as possible. I especially enjoyed catching glimpses of the hip young Turk who was sat opposite me under the newspaper stand, who simply scowled over his coffee and looked for all the world as if he’d just had a personality exorcism and was trying to work out his place in the Zeitgeist. Go hipster! Go hipster!
Anyway, enough of the angry little wallflowers, let’s get to an actual useful review shall we?
Drinkswise there seemed to be an enticing list of wines, beer and cider that immediately titillated the boyfriend and made him stroke his beard with glee. So far so good. Unfortunately I was still smarting from his Gin seduction techniques the night before so could only face a Diet Coke. Must try harder next time.
We ordered lunch and I plumbed excitedly for the Fish Platter– with the promise of a hunk of mackerel, prawn cocktail, granary bread and (joy!) potted salmon. Adrian decided he wanted to rip apart a pig so leaped at the gammon and how I wish I had done the same.
Ade’s gammon was a succulent pink slab of juicy, fresh pork, topped with a perfectly cooked fried egg and absolutely fabulous double fried chips. It looked, smelled and tasted fantastic. But why was I eating it? Well, my ‘Fish Platter’ arrived and it was (for £7) the most disappointing portion of food I think I have ever had. Sad face all round.
For my £7 I got a 2 cm x 1 cm nugget of mackerel. Simple. Smoked. One mouthful. It was ‘okay’ and had it been a 2 cm x 1 cm nugget of white truffle I might have felt I’d got my money’s worth. But it was mackerel. The cheapest fish in the world.
Next on my tiny platter for mice was a mini jam jar of ‘potted salmon’. Potted fish should a) be cold and b) contain fish. What I got was five or so 0.5cm ‘cubes’ of cooked salmon swimming in a jar of melted butter. The jar was hot so either this was the salmon that SHOULD have been going into the fridge to create ‘Potted Butter with a Flake of Salmon’ OR it was yesterday’s potted butter that had been put in the microwave. I fished out 2 or 3 minuscule lumps but the effort of trying to fork tiny cubes of hot salmon in a jar of hot butter is really not worth it.
At this point, having eaten the mackerel in one bite, I decided to focus on the tablespoon of prawn cocktail. It was okay. Fresh and nice sized prawns– the 4 or 5 that were in there. I chose to eke out the portion by spreading it on my ‘granary bread’ except my ‘granary bread’ was actually a stingy single slice of plain old shop bought brown bread. One slice. Quartered.
So, in conclusion… if this had been lobster cocktail, white truffle and a small jam jar of caviar I might have felt the portion size to be more than adequate for seven English pounds. As it was I was presented with nanograms of three of the cheapest fish dishes a restaurant can produce, the portion sizes only serving as a slap in the face given the price I had been asked to pay for it.
So, I wasn’t happy. The three tiny things tasted fine, just plain old fine as plain old food is apt to do. I then proceeded to plough into the boyfriend’s chips and anything else I could lay my hands on. I did consider saying something about the portion size when the (charming) waitress came to clear my plate but it seemed rather moot at that point. The food was fine, it was the portion that was insulting. So instead I decided to review it on here and make this suggestion…
Do indeed order the Fish Platter but when you order say «My friend Angelina said this was quite tasty but she said I should ask for a decent portion please.» You may also want to slip in that potted fish and meat are cold. Otherwise it’s just potted hot butter and not half as tasty.
So why the 4 stars? Well, as I wandered to the ladies I made a point of looking at the food on everyone else’s plate and it looked FABULOUS. Clearly I picked the bum dish. Other diners were gorging themselves on pastas, meats and sandwiches that looked absolutely delicious, big hearty portions, glistening with all the appropriate juices, sauces and cheesy toppings. The fish made me sad, I strongly suspect any other main course would have given me a raging lady hard-​on.
And the clincher for the 4 stars? The pud. Banoffee Pie. Oh sweet Mary, Joseph and All the Saints we have SALVATION. A veritable SLAB of perfect cake, inch deep cream, luxurious toffee, fresh banana. You saved yourself this time Reliance!

The Reliance is an awesome place. very relaxed with a mishmash of furniture and cool artwork on the walls. I have always thought that the old massive shop front windows would actually make you feel like you’re in a goldfish bowl, but once inside they let so much light in and are a wonderful view out into the world!
I haven’t been here as much as I would have liked, to be truthful. for instance, I have never eaten here, but have tried various libations. So my experiences:
A first date with the lover where we drank a lot of tea and coffee, much to the bar staff’s amusement. A couple of random drinks (good cellars) and a few sunday night pub quizzes (very unique and interesting quiz, but a lot of clever bods).
And it is the latter that has drawn my attention to another wonderfulness of this place… they allow dogs in! Albeit «small and well behaved». However, a little twisting of the truth that my English Setter is «medium-​sized» got him in! So a lovely evening with friends, Kyra the «small and well behaved» dog and Merlot the «medium and well behaved, but quite likes sleeping in the middle of well used foot paths» dog!
Hoorah!

I had driven past this place a few times and always wondered what it was like — slightly set back from the city centre it’s a bit oddly located, but always seemed to be busy and bustling despite this. One weekend I managed to give it a try, with parents and boyfriend in tow. I’m so glad we did — we go back probably once a month now, as it’s a seriously good bet for a weekend lunch.
The Sunday lunches are awesome — tons of beautiful, beautiful meat (so I’m told). Their fish and chips is also spectacular, albeit slightly mean on the mushy pea front. Excellent rotating selection of ales, and really really friendly staff. Get in early (or late!) to make sure you can get a table, but if you are going late be prepared to miss out on one or two of their more popular dishes that day.
Pros:
Awesome food
Great ale selection
Handy parking just round the corner
Smug feeling of finding a gem after departing from the beaten path
Cons:
Bit of a trek if walking from the shopping area
Upper end of the price scale for a non-​special occasion
Good for:
Nice lunches, lazy Sunday hangover cures

Thwarted by the Greedy Pig in the high chair stakes we ended up here, and what a relief we didn’t have to walk far to find somewhere for a great lunch on a wintry December day.
The chips were great, my club sandwich was delicious and the staff were kind enough to find something baby friendly in the fridge that didn’t cost too much considering the youngest member of our party was probably only going to eat a few mouthfuls of food.
They did forget about taking our order for a bit but no biggie. Their smiles and friendliness made up for it. Giving me full sugar coke instead of diet was my only gripe.

The Relaince is another great place owned by the folks who brought us North Bar, Further North and The Cross Keys on Water Lane.
As with all of their bars, The Relaince sports the same feel of eccecticism, with miss matched furniture, a little rough around the edges, but in a brilliant way, making it an inviting place to come, and packed with charm.
Whether you fancy a drink, or a full blown meal, they can accomidate you. With mighty friendly staff, and tallented chefs, you will always feel at ease. The food is brilliant and whilst it will set you back more than your standard pub meal, it is worth it on occasion!

As a bar The Reliance has a great atmosphere with an interesting mix of customers. When approaching The Reliance the large windows glow with warmth and draw you inside. It has a very welcoming feel and the bar staff are chatty and friendly. The alcohol is reasonably priced with a wide range of choice and some interesting ales.
The relaxed and informal atmosophere of The Reliance gives it a real cosmopolitan feel and a sense of understated cool not found in many bars in Leeds. It’s easy to miss this Leeds gem as it is slightly tucked away just on the outskirts of the centre but a very short walk brings big rewards!

One of a few long standing members of the restaurant scene in Leeds city centre and why is this? Well simply because the food is good quality, the menu small and simple but not scrimping on the quality of what it serves.
Staff are lovely, the décor no-​frills with a rustic charm. A lovely place to settle down to a tasty, affordable nosh-​up of the British variety.