I think I made the decision to do so about halfway through my first bite into that deep-fried goat’s cheese. The spicy crab fritters (£7.50) miss the mark too, a confused muddle of flavours that taste much better if the mango sauce is disregarded all together. Pig's cheek empanadas (£2.50 each) are far more like pasties than empanadas (I later search the internet for mention of Simon Shaw’s 'cheeky Yorkshire twists', but find none).
Oops.
I’ve never had a bad Monastrell, so we make a beeline for the excellent Viña Elena (£36) – these wines are always about the fruity aromas, and this one is all strawberry with a long, plummy aftertaste. El Gato Negro Leeds occupies a stunning stone-clad corner site on Park Row.
It should come as no surprise, then, that when we turn up for our 8pm booking on a Saturday night, it’s absolutely heaving. We thought the best dish was the onion and artichoke rice but it was ok tasty! Pan Catalan 9, Monte Enebro 9, empanadas 6, salt cod croquettes 6, crab fritters 5, ham croquettes 8, Scotch eggs 7, serrano ham 8, ox cheek 8, chocolate tart 6Too loud to hear yourself think – perhaps better on weekdays? ‘More home runs than strikes’ – El Gato Negro, Park Row, reviewed Simon Richardson 25 November 2019 Simon Richardson crosses the path of a black cat with Leeds’ most hotly anticipated tapas joint EL Gato Negro has whipped up a frenzied, hungry storm from Ripponden to Manchester, Liverpool and then on to Leeds – what a journey.
If this is your bag (and it’d be mine if I was with a big group of mates, to be fair), add 2 points to the 'atmosphere' score at the bottom of this review.
Pleasant, easy going atmosphere, located in the handsome building previously occupied by Jamie’s Italian.After my third attempt, and wanting it to be as good a MANCHESTER, I give up! I approached the owner to explain our frustrations but he didn’t appeared at all bothered. We’re attended to quickly and politely, and I get my laughing gear around a Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin and tonic (£11) – bloody lovely it is, too.
I wouldn’t dream of going back on a Saturday night, though. I’m told it isn’t chocolatey enough. The starters – if such things really exist with tapas – turn up pretty rapidly and make bold first impressions. I respect that. The best tapas Ive eaten for a long time.
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EL GATO NEGRO, Prince chat couronné de plumes, revient faire ses griffes en France en 2019. Not quite at the bar, not at a table, half the space of either. This is no exception: it’s dreamy.
Enjoyed our visit & the selection we chose, particularly the chicken skewers.
Simon opened a second restaurant, Canto, a neighbourhood restaurant specialising in modern casual Portuguese tapas and drinks, in Ancoats, Manchester, in September 2018. We really enjoyed our meal. Les chansons de Calle 13 au cœur. It’s the start of a consistently excellent display of service.
Visit us for tapas and drinks in our restaurant and bar in this iconic building. Would definitely recommend it & hope to go back soon. Zoom in to see updated info.Poor service and nothing special - massively overrated. Will be back to try out some more dishes!
Looks like you might have an AdBlocker on. Roll me home, then. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of “Poor service and nothing special - massively overrated.” Croquettes are the centrepiece of a Spanish evening for me – I react to cheese croquettes in the same gooey way that some people react to newborn babies.
I’d order it again, but my t-shirt has already ripped open, revealing an enormous comedic potbelly, so it’s probably best we move on to dessert.
Granted, it’s hit and miss, but there are more home runs than strikes.
Oh no. The service is shocking, we waited an hour and we still didn’t get a starter, so we cancelled and left.
- See 99 traveler reviews, 27 candid photos, and great deals for Leeds, UK, at Tripadvisor. The staff even admitted the service was woeful that evening so said it’s all on the house and you’re free to leave without paying. Shame about the button mushrooms – give me ceps any day.
Would I go back? Ox cheek is a winner for pretty much everyone if it’s cooked for ages and it just falls apart. I react to cheese croquettes in the same gooey way that some people react to newborn babiesMy senses are numbed by the cackles of drunk, middle-aged women and the bare chests of self-obsessed Mediterranean waiter wannabes. Portions were as expected for tapas. Pan Catalan (£4) is just as it should be, covered in generous amounts of well-seasoned, garlicy tomato, while the deep-fried goat’s cheese balls (Monte Enebro, £5) have been dipped in honey and cause me to declare that I could just order them another four or five times over and be happy… and sick.
To salt cod croquettes. I will not be going back, very disappointing.My sister booked us a table today for lunch & everything was amazing.
Il a parcouru l’Amérique du sud toute entière depuis quinze ans.
Leeds will be Shaw’s third El Gato Negro venue, after Manchester and the soon-to-open Liverpool restaurant in Exchange Flags.
From then on, the food arrives at random intervals, such that we’ve generally forgotten what we’ve ordered until it arrives – ideal tapas service. The place is trendy and nice inside, service was nice and friendly. The centrepiece of the meal, though, is the ox cheek (£7.50), served with an impossibly rich sauce and a melty potato purée.
This is also the moment the wine arrives. The staff were friendly & helpful & the food was outstanding. Waited 2 hours for the final few dishes to arrive so we got bored and asked for the bill. Own or manage this property? There’s little hint of an apple flavour though – perhaps the celeriac that slightly overpowered the Serrano ham (£6) would have been a better choice? Confidentials Leeds Please whitelist confidentials.com to continue to our site and enjoy an Ad-Light experience.EL Gato Negro has whipped up a frenzied, hungry storm from Ripponden to Manchester, Liverpool and then on to Leeds – what a journey. I hosted a table of 12 clients the day before and after 2.5 hours we left without desert, the service just doesn’t cut it.
It’s died down considerably as we look around, and the general atmosphere is all the better for it.