Bibis Leeds review: Here's what I thought of the restaurant that's been serving Italian food since 1974

Bibis has been serving traditional Italian food to the people of Leeds for almost 50 years and promises an authentic taste of the Mediterranean.

We had arrived at the Sovereign Street restaurant a little early but we were warmly greeted by smartly-dressed staff and taken straight to our table. The restaurant has striking art deco features and almost feels like a 1920s film set - wooden panelling, gold features and a centrepiece bar - and there was a lively atmosphere. Almost every table was full.

There’s a fantastic range of cocktails and an extensive wine list. We ordered a Clover Club cocktail and a Malfy Lemon Gin with Mediterranean tonic, which took a long while to arrive but we did receive an apology. At £11 for the cocktail and £12.50 for the double gin, it certainly wasn’t cheap, but our drinks were beautifully presented in crystal glasses.

We decided to skip starters and go straight for mains - most pizza, pasta and salad dishes will set you back £15.50-£18, while burgers and mains from the grill are priced between £17-£36. There is a brilliant ‘Bibis bambini’ kids menu which makes it a popular choice to bring all the family.

I opted for the tagliatelle al tartufo with cream of wild mushrooms, truffle and parmesan shavings. It was creamy, beautifully seasoned and steaming hot, the pasta was perfectly al dente and there were very generous shavings of parmesan on top.

My friend went for the ravioli villa rosa - salmon-filled ravioli sauteed in langoustine sauce and cherry tomato. She said her pasta was perfectly cooked, with a butter-soft salmon filling, and the sauce was bursting with flavour.

We had an amusing moment after being handed our bill, as I read out a list of dishes we hadn’t ordered - only for the couple sitting next to us to point out we’d been handed their bill instead. It took a while for us to flag anyone down, but we did receive an apology and our correct bill came to just over £60.

While a few extra staff on a busy Saturday evening wouldn’t have gone amiss, if you’re after top-notch Italian food and a lively atmosphere for all the family, then Bibis is well worth a visit.

Factfile

Address: Bibis Italianissimo, Sovereign Street, Leeds, LS1 4AG

Telephone: 0113 243 0905

Opening hours: Mon-Tue, closed; Weds-Thur, 4pm-10.30pm; Fri, noon-10.30pm; Sat, noon-11.30pm; Sun, noon-10pm.

Website: https://www.bibisrestaurant.com/

Scores

Food: 9/10

Value: 6/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 6/10