Take an average kebab shop, add some vinyl seating and some instant coffee and do you really have a…read morerestaurant? stuck at the side of a supermarket this place has none of the charm of your average supermarket cafe, the service was a little slow and the food was not outstanding. The chap serving was pleasant and helpful but this is not a place I'd choose to come back to.

Venus is basically a Turkish Supermarket, selling most of the things you would expect from a…read moresupermarket, plus lots of Turkish specialities such as baklava, which were delicious. It's bakery provides the pide for the cafe. The main attraction for my family though is the attached cafe, It is definitely a cafe rather than a restaurant, wherein lies Tim M's disappointment. It does say restaurant above the door, it has similar seating to Akbar's but the giveaways are the high steel counter and the illuminated takeaway style menu hanging from the ceiling. The kebabs are the most expensive thing on the menu at £5.50 each; for that you get a surprising quantity of lean, spicy meat in a Turkish pide, which is much more substantial than the bog standard pittas, three sorts of fresh salad and fries. I have to admit that they are fries not chips and obviously the American cut frozen style but this is a takeaway so that's hardly unusual. We always have the kebabs, lamb for the beloved and I, chicken for the youth. At some point I will have a pide, which seems to be a sort of Turkish pizza, with meat or cheese on pide dough. The coffee is from a bean to cup filter machine; I haven't checked if they do espresso ..... yet. There are a variety of cold drinks in a fridge; I tried a mint yogurt drink but didn't spot straight away that it was carbonated. Let's say it was interesting; sharp and mildly minty but I'd have been happier without the bubbles. The seating and tables are a cut above your average cafe, high backed, padded chairs and substantial black tables. The glass lights are very pretty too, I like it when people make an effort. The service isn't fast but very pleasant. Bear in mind that they are cooking the food as needed rather than serving precooked food or boil in the bag (like Bibis) and I like a leisurely lunch. oh and it is halal.

Being of Polish descent, with a father who lives out in Warsaw, I have been to many Polish shops,…read morein this country and in Poland in search of ingredents for various traditional meals. I stumbled across the Russian and Polish Delicatessan in the market, and decided to have a peak. Walking in, I truely felt as though I had been transported overseas to do some shoppng. Every jar, tim, packet and sausage had been imported from either Poland or Russia. In such a small space they manage to cram in so much, clearly making i a favourite to the Polish and Russian communities. The staff speak in Polish and Russian and are undoubtedly from either Poland or Russia, making it a truely authentic experience. The only drawback was the display of sausages in the fridge section. It was confusing and messy, looking as though people had rummaged through. If that display had been as good as the others, I could have marked them higher.

One of the larger shops in the market, Polskie Delikatesy has a wide range of Polish groceries on…read moredisplay. When I visited I was struck by the brightness and spaciousness, with traditional wooden surfaces and attractive displays. A young punky-looking Polish woman was chatting away in Polish with the woman behind the counter and got the sense that this shop might provide a good meeting place for the local Polish community and a place where they can experience a comforting reminder of home. Being quarter Polish myself and having spent many a summer holiday in my childhood running wild through the pine forest surrounding my Polish family home, eating beetroot soup and Golabki on the wooden veranda and waking at the crack of dawn to go grocery shopping at a nearby market, I have a real nostalgia for Polish food. Polskie Delikatesy definitely satisfies my nostalgia, selling jars of pickled gherkins, Wedel chocolate (yum!) and scrumptious looking Polish bread among many other food items. If you're Polish (even by a fraction!), like Polish food, or just want to try grocery shopping with a difference I'd definitely recommend Polskie Delikatesy!

This Polish Delicatessen in Kirkgate Market is one of the larger ones. From the outside you can see…read morestraight in, and the shop space is much larger than others. They have lots and lots of Polish goods, and by the looks of things is a popular place for the Polish Community to come and stock up with home comforts. If you've been on the prowl for a fine bit of kielbasa, or just some instant barszcz (or borscht depending on where you're from), this is a great shop, easy to navigate round with helpful staff.

'Continental Foods Cooked Meats' (as it is known from its sign) is a fantastic shop/ stall in…read moreKirkgate Market. Run by some very sweet ladies, they sell all sorts of cured meats under their counter chillers, from hams to sausages of several different persuassions, from italian, to Polish and German. They specialise in what they serve, and I have found it the only place in the proximity to sell my favourite Polish sausage, which was fantastic. They have a phone number, and I am sure, down to their good customer service that if you had any spacial requests, they would happily help where they can! A great cooked meats stall, with excellent people running it!

Kostas Olive Bar do sell the delicious fruits in abundance. Marinated in different oils, and…read morestuffed with garlic, almonds, pimento and anchovies, they are all sublime. After seeing the owner of the stall being interviewed on local news earlier last year, I complimented him on his performance and received some olives for my flattery! He is a really friendly guy, who loves all things Greek. The stall offers a wide range of cheeses from manchego to feta, parmesan to mozzarella, cut to your specified weight. The houmous, tzatiki and taramasalata all make delicious dips, sold in pots alongside juicy sun blushed tomatoes and ready prepared Greek salad. One of my favourite lunches is from Kostas Olive Bar, and comes in the form of spinach and feta pie. Beautifully delicate filo pastry wrapped around the moist spinach and feta filling is just exquisite. And, if I'm feeling naughty, I trouble them for some of their finest baklava for dessert. Yum.

This Greek/Mediterranean style olive bar does exactly what you would expect - sell olives. But not…read morejust any olives rather many different kinds and really good ones. The proprietor is a friendly Greek man willing to have a bit of a chat whilst he dishes up olives. He also sells wonderful sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, usually a luxury item not frequently purchased in the regular weekly shop. I have, on occasion, walked by and been slightly put off by the metal music blaring out from behind the counter. I was also slightly amused to see recently a large sign about the barber having moved stalls. Did the barber used to work amongst the olives I wonder, or was he the previous owner?

A. J Afro Caribbean (Foods and Veg) in the market is an absolutely delightful place. It epitimises…read moreexactly what is so fantastic about markets such as these. Selling a full array of Caribbean foodstuffs, including seasoning, scotch bonnet peppers, plantain for cheaper than you'd find it anywhere else, and dried fish for £6. As somebody who absolutely loves the firey sweet and sour flavours of the Caribbean, this place is a jewel not to be missed.

After a holiday in Frankfurt last year, I was aware that the presence of Ditsch in the German city…read moreis as frequent as Greggs on our fair shores. But with more appetising fare. I adore the concept of street food, there is something delightfully carefree about enjoying a snack in the sun. Although the food available is perhaps not the healthiest option on the high street, the delicious aromas that emanate from the stall never fail to tempt my taste buds. The same tempted taste buds soon become tickled when indulging in a treat. Established over 90 years ago, the products at Ditsch are cooked on the premises, in ovens visible to the customer. I suspect the items arrive at the stall ready to be baked, as they do taste slightly synthetic. When you can purchase a freshly cooked salami pizza or barbeque chicken bake for a nominal couple of pounds, Ditsch offers a comforting option whilst on the move. Followed up with a cinnamon pretzel, expect to feel refuelled and ready to continue with your day.

This place is so kitsch and is just what Leeds needed. There really is no other place that I know…read moreof, in Leeds. When the German Market is here during Christmas time I get so excited about the pretzel stand, well my savior that is Ditsch means that I can have these delicious Germans treats all year through. Ditsch can be easy to miss, as it's literally just a whole in a wall, there's no shop to walk into, or place to sit. The entirety of their shop is where the baking and magic happens. There is a massive counter displaying pizza breads and pretzels, yum. Walking down the street you can smell it a mile off and trust me it tastes as good as it smells! I highly recommend stopping here for a shopping break as it's certainly worth trying. Their pizza breads are delicious; I always have the barbeque chicken pizza. Its something different, something fun and really tasty too, how bad can that be?

Another valuable addition to the vibrant mix of cultures in Leeds Kirkgate Market. As previous…read moreposters have noted, it's not quite what you'd really call a supermarket, but it is definitely a good size for a shop in the market and is well-stocked. They sell a wide range of foodstuffs including tinned foods, condiments, a large range of teas, dried fruit, and many a weird and wonderful desert. For Chinese shoppers in the market, I imagine this would be a regular stop-off but for anyone else who enjoys trying foods from other cultures and would like to search out a new mysterious ingredient or unusual tasty treat, you will definitely be able to find something at Tian Tian.

A much smaller, grubbier version of the big Chinese superstore up the road this shop which is…read moretacked onto the side of Kirkgate market bustles with the activity of Chinese speakers rummaging for native grub. Not so many green groceries are available though you can pick up some lemon grass and other small bits. There is a large range of noodles, spices, sweets, savory good frozen, chilled of freeze dried, lots of teas and some meats and generally all you'd need to knock together a meal of different kind. The range is obviously limited to size of the shop but the prices are very reasonable.

A little bit dingy and dodgy looking, indeed when I entered there was a guy with a smushed up face…read moreinside, however if you are after Polish fare then this is an excellent place to come. Literally piles of polish grub piled on top of each other. From fresh sweet breads to all kinds of savory breads, meats, cheeses, snacks, teas and so on and so forth they even have the layer cakes I tasted on my travels through eastern Europe, I would highly recommended avoiding these as they taste artificial that is the best way I can describe it, sort of like you are sucking on an empty squirty cream bottle. Anyhow, if you have a Polish friend you wish to impress this could be a good place to start.