La Casita Granary Wharf, Leeds.

Last week I headed into town with a friend, Rachel, (I have friends).

We descended a dodgy spiral staircase, made our way under the railway bridge, took a right through the dark arches and entered Granary Wharf.

This area has been redeveloped since I had Aoife so I rarely get to come down here but when I do I LOVE it.

Although in the heart of the city, it feels like a whole new world sitting on the riverside with an abundance of places to eat and drink.  The newest addition being La Casita.

Nestled snuggly inside one of the arches, La Casita, the little house of tapas, is a perfect fit and we were invited to the preview evening to see what was on offer.

We arrived a La Casita, it’s not a huge venue, seating maybe 50 people.
We were handed a glass of prosecco and made our way to a table to take a look at what was on offer.

The signature bar is the focal point, as it should be, offering a vast array of local gins as well as sherries, wines, beers and five, yes FIVE espresso martinis. Obviously, there was also a great joint of serrano ham sat at the end of the bar, waiting to be carved.

During our visit we enjoyed a couple of gins, the Sikkim Fraise with tonic, strawberry and raspberry; gin with apple and rosemary and my personal favourite was the Opihr – gin with tonic, fresh ginger and fresh orange.
We also enjoyed a glass of Dead Man’s Dice, Malbec because, well, wine.

A variety of tapas were offered too; Goat cheese with red onion marmalade; glazed pig cheek with truffle celeriac; Cod fritters with caramelised onion puree; Blue cheese with roast walnuts and poached pears and, of course, the serrano ham.

I must confess to wimping out and not trying the octopus, I just can’t get away with the idea of the sucker bits.

All of the food was amazing, as were the drinks, but the absolute highlight of the tapas, in my humble opinion, was the Palomitas de chorizo – popcorn chorizo with garlic aioli. This is literally the nicest thing I have ever put in my mouth, and I have put many things in there.

If La Casita did this in a bucket with a beer on the side, I would never leave.

The venue lends itself to both casual dining and something a little more formal.
It’d be a great place to unwind after a day shopping or enjoy a meal with friends of an evening.

The drinks prices are reasonable, a glass of wine from little over £5, beers from under £3 and cocktails around the £7.50 mark.
The afternoon early bird offers 2 tapas for £9 and the evening 3 tapas for £13.

Rachel and I are kindred spirits when it comes to our requirements for a night out; No children, good food, good drink, decent prices, nice ambience and no children (I know I put that twice, but it really is a deal breaker).

La Casita ticks all the boxes and we are already planning when we will return.

You can book a table at La Casita via their website here, I would certainly recommend you do!

I was invited to the preview of La Casita, this in no way influences my opinion. Where food and wine is involved, very little influences my opinion.