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    Viva Cuba

    4.1 (28 reviews)
    Closed 5:30 pm - 11:00 PM

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    Melissa R.

    I've been to this place a couple of times and to be fair this is allot to do with location - its conveniently located near my house so I don't have the hassle of taxi's and the temptation of bar hopping! I'm torn with this place massively. Firstly I have to talk about the setting - A welcoming, warm atmosphere as soon as you walk in the door. With couples and the like intimately in discussion around candle lit tables and dim lighting it is a perfect atmosphere for couples and small groups of friends. It boats some groovy jazz in the background which doesn't make you feel that you will be overheard but you can still have a conversation without having to scream across the table. The rich rustic colours of the room and the dark wooden tables definitely enhance the Spanish feel and I like the fact that the majority if not all of the staff are Spanish too. You definitely don't feel as though you're on dusty Kirskstall road. I went with the wifey and we generally don't book - we were seated upstairs near the bar until a table was available. This gave us the chance to discuss our foodie options on the comfy sofa. There are allot of options on this menu and cater both for the veggies and the meat eaters. I'm not sure if anyone else does this in tapas places but we generally spent some time looking around the other tables in order to establish what an acceptable number of tapas to order was. I say this because I obviously don't want to have so many plates on my table that folk would be like "wow check out those horse eaters" or that I will be left with a half empty stomach! We opted for 5 to share which seemed a reasonable number. Moving onto the food - here I'm sorry is where it has gone down hill over the years. We ordered Lamb in a tomato sauce, the lamb was tender and well cooked and it melted in the mouth. However, the sauce was really watery, feeble and lacked in substance. Similarly with a chicken dish we ordered which was supposed to have a Caribbean taste. The sauce again generally lacked and tasted as though it had come from a jar. We ended up having to order bread as both dishes were watery and lacked taste and trying to spoon the sauce into my mouth across the table caused no amount of dribbling sauce down my face. Moving onto the muscles which are always a favourite of the missus, man these really were the pits! They came really well presented in a little pot but they were clearly over cooked and dishevelled, chewy and flavourless. They were supposed to come in a white wine sauce which was appalling. I can describe it as hot water with a slightly bitter taste and splodges of oil which was really off putting. I'm not sure who else is a muscle lover but there's nothing better than getting a spoon and almost soup-like eating the broth in its loveliness. This was not something I could do on this occasion... We also had pork which was from the specials board - now this was amazing, the meat was delectable and the rich, thick sauce was extremely moreish and sticky and the stuffed peppers were passable. The reason I'm totally torn with this place is I love the atmosphere, the location is convenient and it's reasonably priced. For 5 tapas, bread and a bottle of wine it came to £40 which is not too bad coupled with the fact that I generally have a really nice time here. However if you want really good food it's not a winner in my book. I'm still on a mission to find a decent tapas in Leeds!!!!

    Qype User (pinkys…)

    The food here is always spot on, although the service is sometimes a little slow. I prefer the atmosphere of the Kirkstall Road one with the mezzanine bar. A great place to come with friends.

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    13 years ago

    defo a top night out when you come here, i've taken a few dates out and they always leave with a big smile, or maybe thats me? :-p

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    Review Highlights - Viva Cuba

    A fabulous tapas bar on Kirkstall Road, close to the Warner Village complex.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Pintura

    Pintura

    3.8(4 reviews)
    1.7 miCity Centre, Shopping Quarter
    £££

    I know folks were down on Trinity when it opened, "oh it's a massive wind tunnel!" they bemoaned…read more Well, the more I get to know this shopping mall, the more I think those luddites got it so wrong. There are two sides to every coin; Trinity's opening meant that Briggate (and others) took a hit, but with it came a flourish of new life and new business, and although the truly small indies struggle to get a look in, smart, chic, delicious places like Pintura can spring forth. Enough of the politics: this might be my new favourite, and I've only been once. It's a basque tapas house and gin bar. Goodness knows, I love a gin bar. (Did you see my review for the Gin Garden?) It's obviously the new thing, but I'm at peace with my hipsterdom. (The fact I was wearing a trilby long before it was cool means I'm a hipster, I'm told. Especially the fact that I say that.) I'm not a massive fan of being called darling, but if the bartender wants to do so whilst making me an exquisite cocktail, I'm hardly going to complain. Oh, yes -- they do cocktails. And a vodka lemonade that was insanely lovely. Monkey 47? YAH. Ambience is on trend. On point. All those sorts of phrases. Those filament lightbulbs dangle low on long electrical wires above the bar. The woodwork is dark and sturdy. The stairs give you an entrance -- if you care for it, it's an opportunity for those shoes/that skirt/those trousers. Intimate couples tables, or hang fly at the bar. Something like that. The music is not intrusive. Upstairs the open kitchen gives diners a chance to get excited about their light bites before they arrive. It's standard tapas style, in that the dishes you order come as they're made, so it's a staggered affair. It's your usual British version of tapas -- tapas-made-restaurant -- but I like eating to be an event so that's great. (As opposed to ordering a beer at the bar and being given a free tapas.) The waitress was actually unbelievable -- so passionate, knowledgeable, and gave us a stellar wine recommendation. Do not miss: the calamares, risotto, and orange salad. The croquetas are lovely, but aren't they always? The calamares was among the best I've ever tasted -- deliciously salty, perfectly crispy, and not in the least bit rubbery! The risotto was utterly more-ish and the orange salad was the freshest, most delicious choice to accompany everything. Fine, but not for me: Mackeral special, gambas, salt cod and squid ink paella. I know mackeral is fishy, and usually I love it, but this was too fishy for me. The gambas were a little overdone for my liking, but tasty. The salt cod was just not to my taste -- I think the squid ink paella overwhelmed the fish. However, my companion devoured all of the above with relish, so that's just personal, like. I'm actually going back this evening for more, so updates are to be expected -- I've got all the cold meat and cheese to try, yet! Absolutely worth your while -- check these guys out. They're fab.

    I've just moved from London to Leeds, and happened to visit Pintura for a Saturday brunch. Let me…read moretell you, I could have been sitting in any cool eatery in any of the trendiest areas of London. The decor inside was dark and moody, yet open and inviting. The food was top notch - no complaints there. The coffee, when it arrived, was of amazing quality. But on that note, the service was terrible. Slow, unsure, abrupt and - at times - just downright incompetent. Given the atmosphere and quality of the food and drink, though, I'd give Pintura the benefit of the doubt and hope that on return visits the service wouldn't be quite so abysmal.

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    Pintura
    Pintura
    Pintura

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    Bilbao Pintxos&Tapas Bar

    Bilbao Pintxos&Tapas Bar

    4.5(2 reviews)
    1.6 miHolbeck Urban Village, City Centre
    ££

    It's pretty new, it's pretty pleasant, it's pretty pretty…read more Bilbao's reputation definitely preceded them, so after having heard a few wax the ol' lyrics about this place, I decided to give them a whirl. I'm all about the tapas eats in general, being the type who likes to choose as much variety of a meal out as possible, so Bilbao was always going to make me happy. I feel as though I'll have to come back to experience the heady heights others had told me about, since my visit was fine (certainly not disappointing -- so I've gone for four instead of three stars) but it didn't wow as much as I expected. Perhaps it's the classic pitfall of having high expectations after hearing such good press?! We went in on Saturday sans booking and managed to grab a seat straight away. (It was the last one, so we were pretty lucky.) One of the waitresses did her best to serve us promptly, although she was pretty rushed off her feet. The only downside to the service was that we spotted another waitress who could have seen to us sooner (and even smiled at us) but chose to natter at the bar -- it was quite some time before we got to order a drink. Every other person who served us was absolutely fantastic, though, which ought to be noted. We picked one dish each for ourselves and then three to share and --with a dessert-- this was plenty of food. We shared the olives (super garlicky, which I liked), the garlic prawns (shelled for us and marinated in ultra delish garlicky butter), and a pork dish. The pork pieces were cooked beautifully and came with these incredible oyster mushrooms. I had the steak, which was tasty and cooked well (how I'd asked) but didn't blow me away -- I think this was simply because I'd had the most amazing steak elsewhere very recently! We also shared a bottle of rioja, which was totally lovely. The desserts were great too: warm gooey brownie and a traditional Spanish dessert with sponge, cream, and torched sugar on top. (Forgive me for forgetting the name!) The overall ambiance is fine, although I'd say next time I'd like to sit at a lower table as the high chairs weren't optimal to sit and eat in. The music was also curious -- it sort of seemed to be so purposefully background it stood out to us, if that makes any sense. Gentle, romantic lighting and a pleasant space make up for that, though -- especially if in a group. I imagine the experience is even better with more friends to share with! Overall, this one merits a second visit. Five dishes and one bottle of wine: £60 odd. On a Monday it's half price, so you'll get a lot more bang for your bunse. Check them out!

    Came here on a recommendation and wow did it deliver!! Food was amazing! Service was great and had…read morea lovely chat with the owner and you can tell the passion they put into the food and overall experience! I will be coming back and shouting from the roof tops to anybody who will listen how good this place is !

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    Bilbao Pintxos&Tapas Bar
    Bilbao Pintxos&Tapas Bar
    Bilbao Pintxos&Tapas Bar - Patatas

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    Patatas

    Sandinista - From website

    Sandinista

    4.3(30 reviews)
    1.7 miShopping Quarter, City Centre
    ££

    Well now. I've been back to Sandinistas plenty since my last penning, and I have to admit, in all…read morethat time I'd only back for drinkies. Excellent, raucous, rambunctious, drinkies. The kind where you probably tried to dance on a table, the kind where you definitely felt as though your neck was broken the next day from head banging, the kind where you almost certainly meet a squadron on new best friends because you're having that good a time. (And it's as much to do with the awesome clientele, as the drunkenness, I can tell you.) So, yes. Go to Sandinista for drinks. I know, it's always busy on a weekend. But once you get in there you'll have an amazing time, I'm certain of it. The music policy includes all the classics, something to suit most tastes, without venturing down the processed pop route in any shape or form. They also have regular live music, I believe, which is also commendable. However, you mightn't have noticed, they also serve food. What's that? Yes. Where have you been?! (That question is mostly directed at my own foolish self.) They serve the most excellent tapas. Of course, you can go down the route of fajitas, and such like, but on this occasion I wanted a range of foods to stuff. Oh my word. So, firstly, a special mention must be made of the mushrooms in peppercorn sauce. They were absolutely flipping divine - perfectly cooked, soaked in flavour, and the sauce was out of this world. The meatballs were also fabulous, with a delicious tomato sauce, and the garlic bread was beautiful. The crispy pork belly was wonderful, and came with an amazing apricot (?) compote (?!). The patatas were also addictively tasty, especially with melted cheese and spring onion. Of course, the service was fantastic, as ever, but the discovery that there's yet another place to eat fantastically made, freshly cooked, delicious bites is the thing I'll be shouting about for the moment. Dishes come in around £4, which makes it incredibly affordable to try a few different things, and perhaps even splash out on one of their yummy cocktails. Of course, there's the danger that you'd go for tea and not quite make it out until 4am, but hey -it wouldn't be such a bad thing would it? In fact, top idea Batman, Sherlock and Brian Cox, you geniuses. Even the door signage says, "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave." Of course, I'm thinking The Eagles must have been to Leeds. And, given half the chance, I'd say this to be true. I checked-in, but my mind clearly hasn't left them yet. Nom.

    I don't think you could say anything bad about sandis. It's one of, if not the best bar in Leeds…read more They serve a wide variety of drinks including cocktails and spirits from around the world. They also have an awesome menu so you could pop in for your dinner! In fact you should do that, yes you! Sandis weekend nights have music for everyone but none of it is cheesy ,this always seems to make for a lovely crowd of people. Weekdays are nice and chilled. They normally have a few bands on a Wednesday night and they're always good. Sandis seem to have a good vetting system! Sandinista is awesome i recommend going there everyday

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    Sandinista
    Sandinista - From website

    From website

    Sandinista

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    Viva Cuba - latin - Updated May 2026

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