Viva Cuba — Restaurant in Leeds

One of the best restaurants I've been too. The tapas dishes are perfect to share. Only downside is that it's hard to pick only a few and then you end up like us with 6 or 7 dishes between 2 of us haha! The chicken rice dish is lovely. The ribs fall off the bone, and the meat practically melts in your mouth. Chorizo is a must!! We order it every time and it's always great. We've experienced the same great service every time we go. We usually have one of the specials when we go and they're great too. A favourite of ours was the chorizo croquettes. We expected it to be mostly potato with a bit of chorizo but no! It looked like there was chorizo meat blended with the potato and oh my goodness it was amazing. Areapas are always great. If you see it, get it. Trust me.

They have their own sauce now which we use alot of. They place looks so intimate, perfect for couples but families are welcome. We take ours and they love it. Our children are 5 and 7. There is food there that wont be overpowering for them with spices. Rice dishes are great for them, theres potatoes with tomato sauce and with aioli (garlic mayo type dip for those who might not know) and others bits and bats. Theres a beautiful bar upstairs where you can have a drink while you wait for your table. It truly feels like you're in Cuba.

Honestly, I couldn't recommend this place anymore than I already have. We've been so many times over the years and the standards have never fallen. I remember seeing 2 reviews from Yorkshire Evening Post, one when it first opened and one a few years later and he said the food hadn't changed and it didnt need to. Look at the menu online and give it a try. Dishes are usually £4-5 each and you probably dont need...

I am a simple person who uses a standard baseline to gauge the quality of the restaurant, so a mid week visit to a restaurant is always a good test. Firstly the staff were amazing and even served the food wearing black fabric gloves, but a restaurant is more than just the staff. It is also about the food and the space.

First the space, it did not wow me. It was a converted ex-bank so it wasn't the biggest space, but we had the luxury of eating in the old vault area which was nice however as a whole the place has gone for a rustic cuban look. Honestly it looks tired and thrown together. That might have been the aim, but did not work for me. Tables are too small when you have loads of tapas bowls/plates, there's hardly enough room for your plate and drink.

Now for the food. As I said I have a simple baseline for anywhere that says they serve 'de la mar' food...can they cook calamari without making it rubbery. They failed. It was like eating rubber bands. I know it might be slightly harsh, but it's my personal opinion. Also whilst I am on it, should chorizo be squishy? It was squishy, soft and fell to pieces in your mouth, I cannot explain how they made a solid sausage into a semi liquid? How?

Look, for all the critiques it was not too bad. The party as a whole had a great time. No one left hungry and to be honest we might have ordered too much... Oops 😬.

If you're in the area it is worth...

We ate here over the weekend and as always it did not disappoint. The interior of the restaurant seems to promote what eating in Cuba would be like; cosy and intimate. It is perhaps more suitable for couples or groups of adults however there were a couple of families with older children in too.

The service was extremely good. From the time we arrived to when we left, everyone was very attentive. I even managed to speak to the waiter in Spanish when ordering which was a nice touch. The food arrived very quickly and all at the same time too.

The menu choice is large though not too overwhelming which is great. It is worth noting that the portion size for their tapas is a little larger than others so when ordering, you may find you order more than you need. The quality of the food was extremely good and it was packed with plenty of flavours.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant. It is somewhere we love to visit when we are...