The story
Ox Club, a live-fire kitchen in Leeds, has been a fixture at Headrow House since December 2016. The restaurant describes itself as an award-winning contemporary British solid-fuel grill restaurant, and its focus on Yorkshire produce is evident from the moment you read the menu.
The kitchen champions local and regional producers. Meat comes from small family-run farms in North Yorkshire, including Swaledale Foods and R&J Butchers. Fish is sourced from the North Sea by Hodgson’s of Hartlepool, and fresh fruit and vegetables arrive from Wellocks. The menu changes daily, driven by what these suppliers have at their seasonal peak — whether that is langoustines from the North Sea or lamb rump from the fields of Swaledale.
The cooking is built around a live fire, producing simple but imaginative dishes that let the ingredients speak. The restaurant’s commitment to this approach has earned it a place in the Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide for multiple years, a recognition the team wears with pride.
Housed within a former 20th-century textile mill, the space is part of Headrow House, a multi-use venue in the city centre. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, with counter dining and table service available. The restaurant also offers private hire, catering, and outdoor seating when the weather allows.
Ox Club is open for dinner Tuesday to Friday, and for lunch and dinner on Saturday, with a Sunday lunch service. It is fully accessible, with a lift to all floors and gender-free wheelchair-accessible toilets.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
As soon as you walk through the Ox Club's door, the smell of smoke preps you for the unplugged open-fire cooking that lies ahead. Mid-century furniture and houseplants soften the industrial feel of the brick and concrete room, while some clever landscaping partitions it out to give the whole place a cosy ambience. Heading the kitchen is Tom Hunter, a former sous-chef at the sadly departed Reliance – an influence that can be seen in dishes such as blister-skinned grilled sardines with a refreshing tangle of fennel, black olive and blood orange. There’s a subtle char and smokiness to everything here: watermelon is grilled slowly until even the rind is tenderised, while beef tartare (served with gherkin ketchup and a veil of shoestring potatoes) also gets a whiff of smoke. The steak offering is focused – a 400g sirloin or 1kg côte de boeuf sharer are mainstays – but regular ‘chop nights’ cater to more specific tastes, with specialist cuts from regular Yorkshire suppliers R&J Butchers. Rare-breed pork is grilled to give an almost impossible crackling and, like a hulked-up carnitas taco, is served with tajin, chipotle and pineapple ketchup, while a sour cherry-glazed kofta is made with lamb reared at local Harewood Food & Drink Project – headed up by former Ox Club sous-chef Will Campbell. Sunday roasts are praised and the whole show is enhanced by laid-back but well-informed service. As for drinks, there's a fair selection of around 20 (mostly organic) wines from £28 a bottle, with plenty available by the glass from £8.
Location
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