The tiny bistro named best in Britain praised as 'perfect local restaurant'

A Yorkshire-based restaurant, Bavette in Horsforth, Leeds, has been crowned as Britain's best local eatery in The Good Food Guide's annual 100 Best Local Restaurants list for 2024.

The awards, which celebrate the creme de la creme of British dining, saw an overwhelming number of nominations from food enthusiasts nationwide, all eager to endorse their preferred dining spots.

An impressive tally of 60,000 votes were cast, leaving the guide's team of expert inspectors with the delicious duty of anonymously sampling a plethora of restaurants across the country.

Closer to Teesside, Origin Social in Northallerton also made it into the top 100.

Bavette, owned by seasoned husband and husband duo, Sandy Jarvis and Clement Cousin, quickly became a favourite amongst Horsforth locals and diners from across Leeds since its opening in February 2024, reports Teesside Live.

Both patrons and The Good Food Guide's anonymous inspectors were "impressed with the natural ease and warmth of hospitality at the lively French bistro, backed up by Jarvis' menu of authentic, beautifully executed French classics.

The consensus is that it has raised the game in this corner of Leeds and beyond, presenting the model of the perfect local restaurant. An impressive win and one that is richly deserved."

Chloe Hamilton, co-editor of The Good Food Guide, lauded Sandy and Clement's venture, saying: "With Sandy and Clement's backgrounds in some of London's top establishments (Terroirs, where they met, is a strong influence), opening a restaurant together in an outer suburb of Leeds looked great on paper."

She added: "But the way they've brought it to life excellent bistro cooking, an adventurous, engaging wine list (including bottles from Clement's family of organic winemakers in the Loire), and the energy and warmth of the team make it irresistible. They've had 1st birthday parties and 90th birthday parties here. It has lit up the community."

Sandy and Clement expressed their awe at the award, stating: "We are completely gobsmacked about winning the Best Local Restaurant Award.

"To be included in the top 100 in our first few months would have been a great achievement but to be the overall winners is such a huge honour and testament to all the hard work of the team since day one, so this is for them."

They went on to give thanks by saying: "Our sign above the door says "a neighbourhood bistro" and being a great local restaurant is everything we wanted Bavette to be. Thank you to everyone who has come through our doors over the past five months, you've made Bavette what it is."

Britain's Best Local Restaurants 2024

Regional winners

• Central & East of England Greyhound Inn - Pettistree
• London Mambow – Clapton
• North East England Bavette - Leeds [overall winner]
• North West England Cibus – Levenshulme
• Scotland Fin & Grape – Edinburgh
• South East England Med – Brighton
• South West England North Street Kitchen – Fowey
• Wales Inn at the Sticks - Llansteffan

Central & East of England

• Greyhound Inn Pettistree [regional winner]
• L’Hexagone Bistro Français Norwich
• Darley's Restaurant Darley Abbey
• Fancett's Bistro Cambridge
• The Gin Trap Inn Ringstead
• The Kilpeck Inn Kilpeck
• Hitchen's Barn Oakham
• The Trooper Aldbury
• The Plough Bolnhurst
• Chapter Birmingham
• Benoli Norwich
• Tropea Birmingham
• Lark Bury St Edmunds
• Food Leigh on Sea Leigh-on-Sea

London

• Mambow Clapton [regional winner]
• Sam's Waterside Brentford
• Les 2 Garçons Crouch End
• The Parakeet Kentish Town
• Home SW15 Putney
• Josephine Chelsea
• Paulette Maida Vale
• Giulia Shepherd's Bush
• Rubedo Stoke Newington

North East England

• Bavette Leeds [overall winner]
• Homestead Kitchen Goathland
• The Small Canteen Newcastle upon Tyne
• The Empire Cafe Leeds
• The Orange Bird Sheffield
• Origin Social Northallerton
• The Hispanist Hull
• Long Friday Newcastle upon Tyne
• Brook’s Brighouse
• Ophelia South Gosforth
• Hearth Hull
• Coin Hebden Bridge
• Hern Leeds

North West England

• Cibus Levenshulme [regional winner]
• Lily's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine Ashton-under-Lyne
• Bombay to Mumbai Stockport
• Edinburgh Castle Manchester
• Higher Ground Manchester
• Another Hand Manchester
• The Spärrows Manchester
• The Rum Fox Grindleton
• A Se Anar Blackpool
• The Pearl Prestwich
• The Yan Grasmere
• Belzan Liverpool
• Covino Chester

Scotland

• Fin & Grape Edinburgh [regional winner]
• The Kinneuchar Inn Kilconquhar
• L’Escargot Bleu Edinburgh
• The Gordon Arms Selkirk
• The Dory Bistro Pittenweem
• The Palmerston Edinburgh
• The Whitehouse Lochaline
• Provender Melrose
• Gloriosa Glasgow
• Leftfield Edinburgh

South East England

• Med Brighton [regional winner]
• The Folkestone Wine Company Folkestone
• The Bottle & Glass Inn Binfield Heath
• Harbour Street Tapas Whitstable
• Fourth and Church Hove
• The Blue Pelican Deal
• The Woodspeen Woodspeen
• The Pilgrim North Marston
• Seasonality Maidenhead
• Mori Mori Margate
• Pompette Oxford
• Palmito Hove
• Tallow Southborough

South West England

• North Street Kitchen Fowey [regional winner]
• The Farm Table at Darts Farm Topsham
• Upstairs at Landrace Bath
• The Barrington Boar Barrington
• The Scallop Shell Bath
• The Farmers Arms Bideford
• The Lost Kitchen Chettiscombe
• Wild Artichokes Kingsbridge
• Caper and Cure Bristol
• Tare Bistro Bristol
• Root Wells Wells
• Sam & Jak Cirencester
• Brassica Beaminster
• Noah’s Bristol
• Edie’s St Austell
• The Farmers Arms Woolsery

Wales

• Inn at the Sticks Llansteffan [regional winner]
• The Shed Restaurant Swansea
• Yr Hen Printworks Cardigan
• Paternoster Farm Pembroke
• Freckled Angel Menai Bridge
• Hare & Hounds Aberthin
• Sage Kitchen Menai Bridge
• The Warren Camarthen
• Catch 22 Valley
• Y Polyn Nantgaredig
• Mesen Cardiff
• The Dining Room Abersoch