The Box, Leeds

Perhaps they were thinking outside of the box when they thought of the inspiration for this new sports bar that has recently opened in Leeds city centre.

It certainly is different from other bars come restaurants that I have visited in the city centre, though they do have another branch in Headingley.

We visited on a Monday night and trade was just steady - it's quite a big place with the large windows letting in plenty of light. Depending on where you sit you can have a good view of the town hall. Decor is kept to a minimum and it's all the modern idea of concrete roof with a wooden floor.

With sport being the theme, naturally there are plenty of large screen televisions showing sports matches and the like; though the sound is muted the soundtrack of the evening appeared to be aimed at fans of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and The Wombats.

A live band plays from 6pm on certain nights.

They have a shuffleboard where you can play the game for £15.00 an hour, though it is half price Sunday and Monday.

Most people seemed to be just calling in for a drink though as the night went on there did seem to be more people dining. I got the impression that food was secondary to the drinking.

You have to order your food from the bar, then it is served at your table. The meals arrived within 10 minutes of ordering but as I said it was very quiet with food orders.

I sampled the Boxster Burger which seemed a tempting offer with its double beef burger, spicy crispy coated chicken, smoked pancetta, slow cooked brisket, cheddar cheese, burger sauce, pickled pink onions, French mustard and shredded iceberg.

Everything complimented each other though the burgers themselves tasted just run of the mill burgers. At £12.50 a time it came with excellent rock salt chips. Apparently the beef is from Lishmans of Ilkley and is sourced from locally reared beef.

My sister tried one of their pizzas - there are 9 to choose from. The Portobello and Broccoli one seemed ideal if you are vegetarian as you can ask for vegan cheese to be used instead to replace the fior di latte. Priced at £7.95 it seemed reasonable.

Most of the ingredients seemed to be in the centre of the pizza and although the base was very doughy it was said to be full of flavour and better than you get at some of the pizza restaurant chains.

The dessert menu is limited to Bubble Waffles that come wrapped over cone style. They were the best part of the meal, very sweet yet a pure delight. My Brownie Choc priced at £5.50 was reason enough to return again.

If they get the footfall on match days the place will thrive. It ticks all the boxes too with an excellent drinks selection, good food and friendly staff.

The Box, Infirmary Street, Leeds LS1 2JD
https://arcinspirations.com/box-leeds