Ox Club in Leeds: what to order and when to go
A live-fire grill in a former mill off The Headrow, with a Sunday roast people travel for and a beer hall downstairs for afterwards.
By Only Leeds Editorial
Ox Club is a solid-fuel grill restaurant on the ground floor of Headrow House, in Bramleys Yard, off The Headrow (19a The Headrow, LS1 6PU). It serves contemporary British food built on Yorkshire produce, cooked over live fire. Michelin calls it unpretentious, and the Good Food Guide says the smell of smoke greets you at the door.
The room and the history
Headrow House is a multi-use venue in a former textile mill. According to Them Apples, the building stood derelict for about a decade before the team behind Belgrave Music Hall reopened it. Creative Tourist describes it as tucked back in one of Leeds' historic yards, and it does not feel like it sits on the busy main stretch.
Ox Club began as a street-food concept. Chef Ben Davy opened the permanent restaurant at Headrow House as a 32-seat room focused on Yorkshire produce and inspired by his travels across the US, as The Caterer reported. Insider Media covered the opening in December 2015, with reviews following in 2016. Michelin notes the grill is imported from the US.
Inside, the Good Food Guide describes mid-century furniture and houseplants softening the brick and concrete. Michelin says it draws a young, lively crowd, and it is listed in the 2026 Michelin Guide UK.
What to order
Go for the fire. The Good Food Guide reviewer praised the porchetta, beef cooked perfectly, crisp-yet-buttery pommes anna and the cauliflower cheese. The Yorkshire Evening Post's piece on Leeds Michelin restaurants picked out the nduja with oysters as an example of bold flavours. Yorkshire Food Guide suggests finishing with the Basque cheesecake.
The Sunday roast is the big draw, and Creative Tourist says it is widely considered one of the best in Leeds. Past menus have included roast rump cap of beef with bone marrow and shallot gravy (£19.50), fennel and apple porchetta (£19.50) and a vegan grilled squash with truffle grains and wild mushrooms (£17.95). Roasts came with Yorkshire pudding, pomme anna and seasonal vegetables. Dishes change, so check the current menu on oxclub.co.uk before you set your heart on one. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available.
What it costs
- Sunday roast: roughly £18 to £23.
- Starters: past Sunday starters ran £10 to £12. Snacks such as olives (£4.50) and padron peppers (£5.00) have been listed on OpenTable.
- Evening meal: Michelin puts it in the £££ band. Hardens gives a sample of a £10.50 starter, £31.50 main and £7.50 pudding, with a 10% service charge. Add drinks and a realistic bill is somewhere between £40 and £75 a head.
Ox Club has also advertised a £15.95 set lunch on its X feed, but that post is from 2025, so confirm it still runs before you plan around it.
When to go
Visit Leeds lists Ox Club as closed Monday and Tuesday, open Wednesday to Friday from 5pm to 10pm, Saturday from noon to 10pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm. Other listings show a later Sunday finish, so treat Sunday as afternoon into early evening and check the website for the finish time.
Two regular nights are worth knowing. A monthly Chop Night has been mentioned on the restaurant's X feed, and Yorkshire Food Guide suggests chop night or Sunday lunch as the times to go. OpenTable also lists Ox & Friends collaboration evenings on the last Wednesday of the month. A past seafood night with Hodgson's Fish was five courses at £75 a head.
Booking and access
Book through OpenTable or oxclub.co.uk. It is a busy room, so book ahead for Saturdays and Sundays. The dress code is smart casual. Visit Leeds lists wheelchair access and an accessible toilet.
Somewhere for after
You do not have to go far. Headrow House, in the same building at Bramleys Yard, has a beer hall, cocktail bars, a roof terrace and live music. The Yorkshire Evening Post's 2016 review noted more than 60 beers and a Pilsner Urquell tank in the beer hall. Visit Leeds lists late opening midweek, running to midnight on Wednesday and 12.30am on Thursday, and an older Creative Tourist listing has Friday and Saturday open until 2am. Check the website for the current week.
