Corner Cafe

So, I've finally had the pleasure. After many a moon of folks telling me this off-the-beaten-track gem is worth seeking out, opportunity knocked this Tuesday when a friend chose to have her birthday meal here. I have to admit, as soon as I saw the location I was delighted. It's no more than a 15 minute walk or so from Hyde Park, so easily navigate-able, and stands proudly on the corner.

Once you get inside the warmth of the place (literally) and the staff greet you immediately. We were something like 20 strong, and had to wait for a table to finish before we could sit, so stood a bit awkwardly in the entrance - not that it was CC's fault, but as a group there's not quite room in the waiting area. I've heard that in times gone by they'd send folks over to the pub across the road in that kind of scenario, but that has been turned into a Tesco Metro. Sad times.

We didn't wait long though, and soon enough piled into our seats. The waitresses kept us well watered with water and drinks orders throughout the night, which was a great touch. I wasn't boozing so particularly appreciated fresh water being replenished without having to ask. As we were a big group, the put on a set meal for that, and so first came a selection of dips and poppadoms. I wasn't a huge fan of the yoghurt dips, as they were a bit tart, but that's just me - everyone else adored them. As well as regular poppadoms we also had cumin seed ones.

Next up came starters, which consisted of various battered delicious bites, and some minced lamb kebab type bits of meat, and tikka chicken pieces. All of those were excellent. In particular I liked the battered potato and tikka chicken - it was cooked to perfection and not in the least bit dry.

Lastly came the mains. We had a selection of about 10 different dishes, maybe more, and all dived in. You guys, these were the kiddy. This was the one. So, in the end I only tried a few dishes before feeling utterly stuffed, but I had a lamb and mushroom dish, medium spiced, in a red (tomato?) sauce. A chicken and mushroom, which wasn't quite a korma, but had a delicious flavour and cream based sauce. Those two were the stand out for me, but we had all kinds of veggie, spicy, and other going on. Not a bite was disappointing. All freshly made.

And the naan?! Sugary! I can't tell you how much this made sense once you mixed it with the curry. Just trust me and go with it.

Basically, I've found a new favourite in this family restaurant. Why not five stars? Well, I've only been once, so ought to go again just to be sure. But every bit of this is fantastic. It's not fancy, but it's cosy, the staff are amongst the friendliest I've experienced in Leeds, and the food is exquisite. Oh - and the price? £15/head for that banquet!

Well.....
I flew over from Detroit to see friends I only get to see once a year and see a few gigs one of which was at the Brudenell. So five of us decided to meet up for a curry at The Corner Café. We were told it was excellent. It was not.
First things first, while at the bar we noticed a family of four who are clearly regulars greeted very warmly. No big deal.
While catching up with my friends the man sitting behind us barked that "we were being very loud". I disagree with this 100%. I got to enough restaurants and bars to know what "loud" is. We were not obnoxiously loud. Low cement ceiling and full capacity it gets loud. It is simple acoustics.
Then another person from the table came over after a few comments were exchanged mentioning she had a hearing problem and all we asked why they didn't mention that?
The coup de gras was when someone walked upstairs and asked if everyone would sing Happy Birthday to offending patron. He was the person who barked at us initially. A rousing version of Happy Birthday was sung minus our table. A bit ironic.
Also we were more than miffed when one of our party went to the front of the house to explain happened and the reply was they were not the only table that complained. If this is true booking a table at this place should come with a disclaimer that "this is a quiet restaurant".
To make matters worse the food was maybe average at best.
Too add even more irony to an ironic situation was while sitting at the bar for a sold out Steve Mason gig at the Brudenell who walks in but complaining guy and his wife. Into a loud bar at a loud venue.
WTF?

Just a 10/15 min walk out of the city centre is the most lovely Corner Cafe, serving some amazing modern Indian food.

We went along for a banquet option, and although I could almost say we started off with the usual poppadoms & pickles this wouldn't actually be true! The poppadoms were made with lentil flour so were totally Gluten Free and tasted delicious!

Following this we were served with a very generous mixed starter including onion bhaji, mushroom and potato pakoras, shami kebab & chicken tikka - all tasting amazing!

Then onto the mains, as much of a squeeze as it was to find room for them, we had a wide selection of different curry dishes (with my personal favourite of chicken & mushroom) and the lamb dish was cooked to perfection.

Not only was the food impressive, but the personal attention from Kate when we arrived and the friendly waiting staff all made the meal really enjoyable.. and finally rounded off by a visit from the chef & co owner Karim dropped by the tables for a chat.

I'll be back here as often as I can!

Wow. I wish I had six stars to award to Corner Café. Having heard about it for literally years, I finally went last night for the first time. The food was wonderful, you won't be disappointed, especially with the extensive vegetarian menu (and being a vegan, this was hugely impressive). But it's the absolute friendliness of the staff, at all times and in all circumstances, that stands out about Corner Café. It is obviously a local institution and a labour of love for all involved.

The menu uses a lot of traditional terms for foods, but there is a "cheat sheet" which they give you with the menu. I had a wonderful mixed vegetable shola and my companion had an okra shimla. Both superb, the okra was the best I've had. And we shared a samosa starter which was, frankly, huge! It was puffy like a puri might be, and beautiful. They also have a nice beer list, some bottled ales, and they even ask whether you'd like it chilled or room temperature!

I'll definitely be going back soon, and probably many times. Here's to hoping great local establishments like Corner Café are with us for a long time to come.

This is a very good place. They asked if I had reservations both times I went (a Sunday and a Wednesday) but were able to seat us (party of two) immediately. The food is tasty and for beer I recommend the Dissolution Extra IPA, one of the two beers I found in Britain that didn't leave me wishing for a West Coast IPA. Staff was nice and helpful. And the kulfis! They have a great selection of interesting and tasty house-made ones, highly recommended.

I was treated to a meal at Corner Cafe for my anniversary and what a lovely meal it was! The curries are gorgeous and you can choose how spicy you want each of them (for all you chilli-wusses out there). The peshwari nan has already been mentioned in other reviews and I would definitely recommend trying one of these - they have honey on them so you get that edge of sweetness rather than feeling like you might develop diabetes from your nan bread! I was quite disappointed we didn't have room for pudding but judging by the rest of the food I expect they will also be delicious and will certainly try and pace myself next time we go so I can try one.

All of the staff were extremely friendly and could not have done more to make sure we had a great experience there. The curries are a little more than you might pay at some of the more standard curry houses but not by that much and it is totally worth paying the extra couple of quid. Great atmosphere, great food, great service... what more can you ask for?

You probably have a foodie friend as well. One of those guys/girls who can't help but compare the food their having to other food they had somewhere else. The perpetual impossible to please.

If you do though (and they're not totally without hope), you'll know the pleasure of finding a place that knocks their socks off and forces them to admit, "this is good."

Corner Cafe, i am happy to report, is one of those places. My friendly curry expert was totally blown away by the food (as was i).

My first piece of practical advice. Book ahead. I called at 9am on the day and couldn't find a seat for 2 earlier than 8pm. Corner Cafe is only a little venue, its intimacy and warmth is part of the charm, but it does mean space is at a premium.

Once there you'll find (as i did), friendly staff willing to walk you through a fairly dizzying array of menu items. I had pretty much an entirely new experience, ordering foods i'd never heard of, and all of it turned out well. The portions are perfectly balanced (though if you intend to order naan bring an appetite, the thing was a mammoth!). The food is well made and frankly delicious.

The price was also right we felt. Oh and get a jug of lassi its ace!!

I really can't speak highly enough of it and neither could my friend. I can see it becoming my ace in the hole whenever i have friends over. Especially given its proximity to town.

That leads me a little to my last piece of practical advice: perhaps take the bus. Parking is sparse along burley road but the bus stop is a minute walk from the cafe (you can see it when you get off). The no.49 (and any other bus that runs that route) will take you right to the town hall and more bars (or the cinema or really anywhere you want to go and continue a, by now, brilliant night).

To sum: Go, its worth it, the hype was right, you'll love every minute. But its not a best kept secret any more so be sure to book ahead :-)

I have to say, this place was a really lovely surprise. Certainly an above-average curry house - the sort where you'd never guess you'd get something so nice! They have quite a big menu, one page front and back but filled with interesting and unusual choices. Loads of vegetarian options as well. We started with poppadoms and a mixed pickle (fun to have something besides the usual chutney/yogurt duo) and they were lovely. I ordered the Kidney Bean, Kablichana (chickpeas), and Mixed Vegetables. We also got a pulao rice and at our friends' urging, a spinach paratha instead of our usual garlic naan. So glad we did!

The paratha was basically a stuffed flatbread (an Indian quesadilla, if you will!) filled with lovely fresh spinach. It tasted quite healthy and light, which you don't always get at Indian restaurants. Not greasy at all, and so delicious. I had intended to try to make my boyfriend share his lamb dish with me and go 50-50, but once I tasted my vegetarian main course I felt unwilling to share (which suited him well as he loved his meal). So much better than I expected! Wonderful complex flavors, loads of healthy veggies in big chunks and lots of beans, in a wonderful sauce. I finished mine, quite a good sized portion, but I really didn't want to waste a bite.

Clearly this is one of our friends' favorite restaurants for good reason. They have a lovely, casual atmosphere with friendly service. Some wine and beer to choose from as well, including some unusual finds. You never know what you'll get when you go out for a curry, but I think you could order anything on the menu here and be more than satisfied!

The Corner Cafe has a bit of a history in Leeds. Once upon a time the premises housed a bank, before being re-purposed as a family-run Indian restaurant. After having its place taken by the (strangely-named) India The Restaurant for a while it re-opened a few years ago under the guidance of the original owners' son. The history, while perhaps not directly relevant to your culinary experience, shows that there's a lot of love that goes into the running of The Corner Cafe.

The restaurant might be a little more expensive than the likes of Nafee's and 7 Spices, and it's menu isn't quite so extensive, but this is more than made up for by the obvious care that goes into each dish. I can particularly recommend the less-traditional Kofta and Egg, but everything down to the staple curry dishes has something rich and tasty to offer your taste buds.

The venue's design strays from the usual Indian décor of curry houses such as The Sheesh Mahal, featuring a warm, modern look complete with just enough of a traditional touch to let you know that something spicy's on the menu.

The service is always friendly and by your third or fourth visit the husband and wife proprietors will probably start to recognise you. They don't have a license for alcohol, but you're more than welcome to bring your own drinks or order from the Queen Hotel just across the road.

Famous for bhunas and shimlas and, for me personally the peshwari naan, this is an excellent place to dine on Indian cuisine. Slightly more expensive than places such as '7 spices'yet utterly justified in this. You can really taste the difference between dishes with many flavours coming through so you don't feel like you have the same gravy with more or less chilly in it no matter what you order. The added special touch comes from the husband and wife owners who greet you with a warm welcome.