Azucar

Bad. Really bad. You call that guacamole? Had to send back the seafood paella because it was so bad– tasteless, over cooked, no seafood to be found. They were nice enough to comp it and give us some semi edible calamari on the house, which is why I gave two stars instead of one.

Great set menu for £15, great for a group of friends to share. Try it with friends

It’s been a while since I visited Azucar — too long, now I think about it — but the first time I went there (with work, to celebrate my birthday) I enjoyed it so much that I went back the following night to. celebrate my birthday again.
I hope that, considering the circumstances, I can be forgiven for mostly forgetting what I ordered. What I do remember is that the atmosphere was great, our food came out hot, fresh and really quickly, and the service was fantastic.
Even when someone returned two dishes, including his rubbery calamari rings TWICE, our servers were lovely, apologetic and friendly, even knocking it off our bill once the third serving was begrudgingly consumed. Frankly, I thought they were lovely, which makes the staff’s happy acceptance of blame even more surprising and charming. I actually ordered them again the following night.
So far, the only complaints I’ve heard personally are from the serial-​complainer, and guy so tight-​fisted that he only ordered a single plate and then moaned he was still hungry. I know that next time I go back — without them — I’ll enjoy it even more!

You see I’m more than a little spoiled here. Visiting a tapas restaurant in Leeds when I used to live in rural Almeria… thus I often feel when I visit such places it would be fairer for me to wrap myself in the Spanish flag, open my big mouth, point at it and get a friend to hold a bull’s blood sign over my head exclaiming «Give it your best shot!!»
If, in total fairness, said tapas restaurant then simply handed me some mints by way of apology and asked me politely to leave I would be happier than having to weep my way through the many and varied plates of misinterpreted horror they would otherwise attempt to convince me was just how the Castillians do things. Oh Brother, that aint how they do things…
So, armed with a healthy degree of scepticism having been led down this path before, I approached Azucar with not a little caution. Still, I wasn’t paying… so bring it on!
At first glance I suspected disappointment would once again loom droopingly over my tapas dreams. Hey I’m all for Howard Marks and his crazy clinging to the dehydrated shenanigans of his (very distant) youth but what in the name of Satan’s salty butthole would he know about the fine art of tasty tapas? I can only imagine his contribution lay more in being an über cool physical presence than taking an active part in seasoning the pinchos… but maybe I’m wrong and he spends every night blind testing manchego whilst blonde lovelies lay spreadeagled in boredom on his tiger print bed sheets thinking it was going to be a far more exciting evening than this. In fact I can see it now, Howard suddenly rising from his great leather and bone armchair and flinging his arms wide to invite Sandie and Tatyana to come sample his meat, only to flop a particularly soft Morcilla on a plate and wave a tasting card and pen at them in a not unmenacing manner.
I digress.
I’m delighted to report that, although it’s really really still not the way the Castillians do it, this tapas bar has– for England– got it fairly close. All the classics are there, flung rather inelegantly alongside the banal Latin American taste toilet that is Nachos, Burritos and Fajitas. Quite what Turkish kebabs were doing slipping under the duvet to join the party I have no idea.
I digress again. I tend to do that.
So, to recommend, if you want to sit in a cool place drinking cool drinks and telling tall tales to out-​Howard Howard Marks then tapas at Azucar is a really pretty fair choice. The albodingas and chorizo were perfectly satisfactory, the gambas were not especially authentic but tasted good, the calamari was as always TINY compared to the real thing but cooked well and the mushrooms were a bit overdone but well flavoured. It was all more than okay, if rather predictable.
I’m biased I admit it. It’s probably worth 4 stars. It’s just that seeing a tapas bar serve the more boring examples of Latin American cuisine next to classic Spanish dishes irritates me. Can you see me scratching at the mere thought? There so much more out there, I’d have loved to see some feijoada, mixed asado or picadillos instead of the usual uninspiring choices… maybe I’m being over picky.

whoever invented tapas must have had a dishwasher.
Not a bad place at all. reasonably priced food for what you get — and if you go down on tuesday it’s half price (great for impressing the girls «what? it’s half price today? what an amazing stroke of luck! i had no idea, and to think i was so willing to pay full price because i’m that kind of guy — get yourself another half of diet coke to celebrate»)
we had the set menu which was great as long as you’re not a vegetarian — if you are take some tictacs or you’ll go hungry.
also it’s an idea also to order a salad as the food is quite oily — not a fault of the restaurant just how tapas is.
the atmosphere is good — although it almost took an hour for our food to arrive (must have been a problem with the second microwave) but we got complimentary shots — so they can have another star.
in conclusion. good food. vegetarians will go hungry. nice atmosphere. can be very cheap and if you complain you get free stuff.

One or two years on from the other reviews and this place is still as good as ever. What is more, go down one a Saturday night and the place starts playing some amazing tunes.
The Sunday of a bank holiday weekend is the best; Brazilian nights until 4am or later. A great atmosphere.

Perhaps I’m more easily bowled over than most, but I dined here on Sunday for the first time and I was enthralled by everything that occurred herein. Part of me wonders if my companions and I had chanced upon an especially good day from the chefs, given that others haven’t committed to that final star, but in all honesty I don’t think that is the case. I was totally delighted with everything about Azucar on my virgin visit.
For starters, the service was impeccable. From the get-​go every member of staff who attended to us maintained a friendly, polite and banterous demenanour (and yes, I just coined «banterous»!) which gave off an instantly endearing vibe — it felt like they enjoyed their work and they were real human beings as opposed to servicing-​robots. Loved it. As customers, my friends and I are not into high-​dining and love having a bit of a back-​and-​forth with people!
Secondly, the décor. Rustic, down-​to-​earth and relaxing. Of course there are pictures of Mr Marks here and there, which only gives it a more laid-​back vibe, but this restaurant is so classy it doesn’t have to be classy. If you get me. The array of outdoor seating makes it the perfect place to enjoy a beer outside in the waning summer, and the setting is peaceful, upmarket and really rather pleasant. I especially enjoyed gazing at the sculpture in the centre of the brewery wharf courtyard — it’s cleverly designed to look as if some force from the sky is pulling it ever upward, taught toward the stars.
Finally. The frackin’ food. What a delight! I love a sharing meal and this place is perfect for that, in fact, I can’t think of a better place in Leeds to go along and have a bit of everything amongst friends. Every dish is in the region of a fiver, so it’s easy to pick a few and not spend a fortune. Especially if you visit on a Sunday where there’s a three for two deal! We chose nine courses, which saved us £15, and pigged to our hearts’ content.
Particular favourites include the chorizo — melt in your mouth and flavour packed, the kebab — that flippin’ thing was out of this world and came with the best mint sauce I’ve ever had, and the garlic mushrooms — so delicious and an overly generous portion to boot! There are a few items which are a bit trickier to share out, the kebab being one of them, but where there’s a will there’s a bloody way and we share everything. There was né’er a scrap left once we’d had done with it; demolished.
As for the drinks, they’ve a delightfully interesting selection of beers, including Pale Moon; a delicious beer with a hint of orange and cardamon I believe!
You really deserve a treat, so pop along here for an alternative to microwaved Sunday roasts.

I’m a sucker for tapas as it happens. If you can’t decide what to order when you’re out for a meal, you can just order more dishes! But despite the variety of tapas, it can get a bit samey. Wherever you eat, there’s chorizo in wine… albondigas… gambas pil pil… patatas bravas and ultimately, no more variety than any other food.
Praise be then for Azucar, which moves away from the standard Spanish style tapas to take in flavours from Latin America. Mini tacos and fajitas sit alongside chilli, jerk chicken and lime mayonnaises make the menu pretty distinctive in a cuisine that has become something of a stereotype.
The service is friendly, discreet and attentive, the food aces and the setting pretty good — with deep red décor that might be too heavy on the communist iconography for the faint of heart. If you’re looking for something that’s pretty familiar but with a bit of a twist you can probably do a lot worse.

Although it is my favourite style of eating, tapas can often turnout to be a costly affair. Sheer greed and the need for variety can make quite a dent in the wallet, and during times where a strict dining out budget is in place, my radar frequently misses the target of tapas.
The legendary Howard Marks takes an active part in the running of this bar, and can often be found writing, drinking or chatting within its walls. He has led an extraordinary life, and is always keen to talk.
On a whim and following the delights of pay day, a friend and I decided to treat ourselves to a meal at Azucar. Monochrome flooring lies beneath a mismatch of wooden chairs, old church pews and cosy sofas. The Mediterranean red walls are covered with memorabilia Marks has gathered from his extensive travels — it is worth visiting the bar merely to discover this.
Our selection of dishes arrived promptly and steadily, I much prefer the Spanish approach of serving individual dishes when they are ready, until you have amassed them all. The drunken chicken with apple sauce and the spicy onion fritters with yoghurt dip were my particular favourites, but all of the dishes were lip-​smackingly satisfying.
We were pleasantly surprised when the bill arrived at the table. Examining it through satisfied eyes, £15 per head for food was unarguably reasonable for the variety of dishes we had sampled.
This eclectic bar has not managed to develop a presence on the bar radar of many people, but somehow that only adds to its charm and appeal. It is more than worthy of a sojourn south of the canal.

Owned by the legendary Howard Marks this tapas bar offers an excellent mood, good food and nice drinks. There is a selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes on offer that you can mix and match to make your own feast for a very modest price!
The lighting is low with candles on the table and often they have nice music playing (sometimes acoustic-​y, sometimes funky). The bathroom walls are covered in pictures of Mr Marks taken throughout his life and he sometimes holds talks here that accompany his books (though I must admit I’ve never attended one).
Overall a really nice restaurant and a welcome change to the usual city centre offerings.

Down on the wharf this is a new bar which sells lots of gorgeous tapas and cocktails — it is absolutely yummy and has a brilliant atmosphere. With it being on the wharf the location is lovely and when sitting ouside on the terrace the views are stunning which makes the evening even more magical.
The food is yummy but a bit on the dear side and you dont get that much of it so leave feeling a bit hungry still — they do a vast vegatarian menu which seemed better than the normal menu to me.
There is so much choice you are spoilt — the food is served until 9pm and considering the bar doesnt open till from 5pm there isnt much time to eat and it does get very busy so booking is advised to ensure you get a table. The novelty may wear off but as they are doing a special offer with just opening im sure that wont be any time soon.
The bar also does some theme nights like spanish dancing nights and drink tasting nights — i havent been to one yet but im sure they will catch on and be a huge hit. They do all sorts of around the world beers/​wines/​spirits and coffees.
The interior is all olde worlde with rich colours and dark wood and they are using old church pews as seats which give it an odd but quaint look.
There is going to be special offers going like the one now is 25% off all tapas in january or all you can eat paella with a margharita for £10.
A good night which should only get better.