Veeno Leeds: This fantastic Italian wine bar is the perfect city centre spot for an after-work tipple

I must have walked past Veeno countless times; always peering in to see tables heaving and hear the heady hubbub of people chatting away. Whether it was a Tuesday night or a Friday night, the bar always seemed to be bursting at the seams.

This week, me and my partner finally decided to give the place a try. We showed up shortly after 6.30pm on a Wednesday, and already there were barely any tables left for us to take. A good sign, we thought.

After grabbing a menu from the bar, we were overcome with choice. As a red wine lover, there is a huge amount to choose from here. Eventually, after a good ten minutes of deliberation, I went for a Barbera: a wine with notes of blueberries, raspberries and cherries. My partner chose a glass of Negroamara, a slightly more earthy wine, dominated by dark fruits.

We sat and sipped, my wine sweet and light. Soon, our server came over to ask if we would like a charcuterie board – of course, it would have been rude not to. We were told the ‘Grande’ board was their specialty, so we ordered a range of cheeses, meats and breads to get the best taste of what Veeno had to offer.

As we waited, we ordered another glass of wine to accompany our charcuterie. The highlight of our night was the glass of Cutaja Nero d’Avola. A meal in itself, this wine is labelled Veeno’s ‘richest’ on the menu, and true to their word, a single glass of Cutaja could sustain you all night long.

After about half an hour, we were presented with a charcuterie board that looked far too big for two people. We were warned by our server, but in true ‘eyes bigger than belly’ fashion, we chose to ignore his advice. Alas, we tucked in and began to marvel at the mouth watering array of meats, cheeses, breads and spreads laid out in front of us.

If there is one thing you must try on a visit to Veeno, it’s the following mouthful: a slice of focaccia, a sweeping of olive pâté , topped with a generous pile of Prosciutto. A match made in heaven.

Factfile

Address: 5 Wellington Pl, Leeds LS1 4AP

Telephone: 0113 247 0698

Opening hours: Sun-Mon: Closed, Tues-Thurs: 12pm-10pm, Fri-Sat: 12pm-11pm

Website: veenobars.com/leeds

Scores

Drinks: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Service: 9/10