For me, the hardest part about moving to a new city is having to find new places to have dinner or drinks or a good pint. However, I think I've struck gold with Cielo Blanco. I first went with some work friends (we work in the centre of Leeds so it's about five minutes away) on the recommendation of another co-worker. I was a bit apprehensive as I absolutely HATE disappointing food. I needn't have worried though, as I have now been five or six times, with different groups of people and they have all LOVED it.
Cielo Blanco is a street-food style Mexican restaurant in the heart of Leed's new Trinity Centre. Trinity has been in Leeds just about as long as I have but I wasn't exactly overwhelmed by it when it first opened but now I love it and it's so convenient for working in the heart of Leeds.
We've always been seated pretty quickly, I mean we went on the Saturday of the Tour de France at 1pm and had to wait half an hour, which turned out to be 20 minutes. I don't think that is bad at all and the staff have always been nice, polite and helpful. When you get given a seat (and you can choose between the terrace, balcony or inside) you are given a slightly overwhelming menu with Street Food, Sharing Boards and plenty, plenty of drinks.
I've always had food from the Street Food experience, though me and the SO have talked about getting a Sharing Board next time we go, just to try something different and we like the same sort of stuff (in food anyway).
We've always been seated pretty quickly, I mean we went on the Saturday of the Tour de France at 1pm and had to wait half an hour, which turned out to be 20 minutes. I don't think that is bad at all and the staff have always been nice, polite and helpful. When you get given a seat (and you can choose between the terrace, balcony or inside) you are given a slightly overwhelming menu with Street Food, Sharing Boards and plenty, plenty of drinks.
I've always had food from the Street Food experience, though me and the SO have talked about getting a Sharing Board next time we go, just to try something different and we like the same sort of stuff (in food anyway).
We both opted for Mocktails as we're still trying to be healthy, and Mexican food isn't the healthiest option for two people watching their weight. However, I had the MMMM...Bongo, which is an alcohol-free version of my favourite Rum Bongo and the SO had the Strawberry and Kiwi Margarita. I obviously tried his and both were delicious and looked awesome.
The Street Food experience means that you pick three dishes each from the menu and pay under £12 each, which for the amount of food you get is brilliant. Between us we picked, the stuffed jalapeños, North Yorkshire rump steak quesadillas, spicy pork tacos, chorizo meatballs, Oaxacan style sausage quesadillas and Chorizo, potato & ranchera salsa tostados (but as tacos). I'm not a fan of how crispy the tostadas are but they were more than happy to put the same fillings inside a taco for me.
The Street Food experience means that you pick three dishes each from the menu and pay under £12 each, which for the amount of food you get is brilliant. Between us we picked, the stuffed jalapeños, North Yorkshire rump steak quesadillas, spicy pork tacos, chorizo meatballs, Oaxacan style sausage quesadillas and Chorizo, potato & ranchera salsa tostados (but as tacos). I'm not a fan of how crispy the tostadas are but they were more than happy to put the same fillings inside a taco for me.
As you can see - we got a lot of food. Everything was absolutely delicious and with just enough heat to give things a kick but as to not overwhelm the flavour of what you're eating. Nearly everything got demolished but I wasn't THAT big a fan of the Oaxacan style sausage quesadillas, I mean they were fine and beautifully cooked but kind of aromatic and that's something I'm not a fan of in food.
Like I say, everything was delicious and I would highly recommend heading there if you are in or around Leeds for a day. I have never been disappointed with the quality of food, price or the staff that serve you. It is definitely a must if you love Mexican food, though if you aren't a fan of spice you should maybe steer clear or ask the waiter/waitress about the heat of the food as a lot of it is spicy (well what we order anyway!).