Leeds: A First-Timer's Guide to England's Underrated Northern City

Three picks across the spectrum of how Leodensians actually eat in the iconic Yorkshire creative-and-financial capital.

For the iconic Michelin-starred pick: The Man Behind the Curtain, at 68-78 Vicar Lane, Leeds LS1 7JH.

Chef Michael O'Hare's one-Michelin-star restaurant — properly serious modern tasting menus with the iconic theatrical presentation that earned international recognition (and a James Beard Award shortlisting in 2017). Among Yorkshire's most consistently top-rated restaurants for the past decade.

For the iconic Yorkshire institution: Whitelock's Ale House, at Turk's Head Yard, Briggate, Leeds LS1 6HB. Leeds's oldest pub — operating since 1715 in the iconic Turk's Head Yard alley off Briggate.

John Betjeman (the iconic 20th-century British poet laureate) famously called Whitelock's "the very heart of Leeds." Properly serious traditional Yorkshire pub food (the iconic Yorkshire pudding wrapped around roast beef, fish and chips, the famous Leeds parmo — a chicken cutlet covered in béchamel sauce and cheese, the iconic North East England regional dish).

Walk-in friendly.

For the affordable, locals' standard: Kirkgate Market, at 34 George Street, Leeds LS2 7HY. Europe's largest covered indoor market — the 1857-opened Victorian market with the iconic 1904 Art Nouveau facade additions.

Proper Yorkshire counter food (the iconic Yorkshire pork pies, fish and chips, the famous Yorkshire curd tart, plus the iconic Leeds-specific Korean-Yorkshire fusion at the contemporary food court). Walk-in friendly. The iconic Marks & Spencer launched its original Penny Bazaar concept here in 1884.

Yorkshire produces serious traditional-method sparkling wines from emerging vineyards in the Yorkshire Wolds (Yorkshire Heart and Lopen Hill produce the iconic Yorkshire sparklers).

For Leeds seafood with serious Champagne and English sparkling, the destination is The Headingley, at Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2AA.

A contemporary Headingley restaurant — properly serious modern British cuisine with daily-fresh North Sea catch (the iconic Yorkshire scallops, North Sea cod, smoked salmon) and a serious wine list strong on Champagne, English sparkling, and Yorkshire vineyard wines.

For a more iconic city-centre alternative, The Box at 32 Brewery Place, Leeds LS10 1NE in the iconic Brewery Wharf development offers contemporary British seafood with serious Champagne service.

For something more casual and properly Yorkshire, the iconic The Reliance on North Street (a long-running gastro-pub favourite of Leeds's hospitality industry) serves daily fresh fish with proper English sparkling on the wine list.

For a contemporary boutique stay in Leeds, the reference is Dakota Hotel Leeds, at Russell Street, Leeds LS1 5RN.

A contemporary luxury boutique that opened in 2017 — among Leeds's most consistently top-rated international-style boutique hotels. 84 rooms in proper contemporary Yorkshire aesthetic. The iconic Dakota Grill restaurant and the cocktail bar.

For a more iconic heritage alternative, The Queens Hotel at City Square, Leeds LS1 1PJ (the iconic 1937-opened Art Deco grand hotel directly opposite Leeds Railway Station — Leeds's most architecturally significant Art Deco building, with original 1930s Art Deco interiors preserved) is the heritage Art Deco choice.

For a contemporary luxury alternative, The Grand Hotel at 4 Whitehall, Leeds LS1 4HR (the iconic Victorian railway hotel) is the heritage railway choice.

For a smaller boutique alternative outside the city centre, Quebecs Luxury Apartments in a heritage 1891 Liberal Party headquarters building on Quebec Street is the smaller heritage option.

The United Kingdom legalised same-sex marriage in 2014 (in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland followed slightly later).

Leeds has the largest LGBTQ+ scene in Yorkshire and one of the most established outside London. Leeds Pride in early August draws around 50,000-60,000 attendees — the largest LGBTQ+ event in Yorkshire.

The neighborhood: Call Lane (the iconic Leeds cocktail-bar street in the centre) and the area around the Lower Briggate end of the city have the highest concentration of LGBTQ+-friendly venues. The historic gay quarter is concentrated on Lower Briggate and the surrounding streets.

The bars and clubs: Fibre at 168 Lower Briggate, Leeds LS1 6LY is the iconic central Leeds gay nightclub — long-running, multiple floors, multiple themed nights. The New Penny at 57-59 Call Lane, Leeds LS1 7BT is Leeds's oldest gay bar (operating since 1953 — the UK's longest continuously-operating gay venue, predating the 1967 partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England). Mission at 8-13 Heaton's Court is the iconic contemporary gay nightclub.

Saunas: The Basement at Heaton's Court in the central area is Leeds's main men's sauna.

The famous-person small museum: Royal Armouries Museum, at Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT.

The world's most comprehensive arms-and-armour museum — housing the iconic Royal Armouries collection (founded at the Tower of London in the 14th century, expanded to Leeds in 1996 as the iconic national collection).

Among the UK's most architecturally significant 1990s museum buildings (designed by Derek Walker Associates with the iconic Hall of Steel containing 2,500+ pieces of arms and armour in an iconic central display). Free admission. Closed Mondays.

The recent landmark: The Tetley at Hunslet Road, Leeds LS10 1JQ — the iconic 1931 Art Deco former headquarters of the Tetley Brewery (the iconic Leeds-founded brewing company), restored and reopened in 2013 as a contemporary art centre and restaurant.

Among the UK's most architecturally significant Art Deco building restorations. The contemporary art programming is widely respected.

Pair with the iconic Leeds Art Gallery at The Headrow (the Victorian municipal gallery housing the iconic Henry Moore collection — the iconic Yorkshire-born sculptor whose foundation is based in nearby Wakefield).

1-3 day itinerary: Day 1 — Leeds city centre (Town Hall and Victoria Quarter shopping arcades — the iconic 1900 Frank Matcham-designed retail arcades among the world's most architecturally significant Victorian retail buildings, Kirkgate Market lunch, Leeds Art Gallery afternoon, dinner at Whitelock's Ale House).

Day 2 — Royal Armouries Museum and the Tetley, evening Call Lane bar crawl.

Day 3 — Day trip to York (30 minutes east by train — the iconic medieval walled city with York Minster cathedral, the Shambles medieval street, the National Railway Museum) or to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield (40 minutes south — the iconic 500-acre open-air sculpture park with major Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth installations).