Aarti Indian Restaurant

The menu opens with a dedicated chaat section of South Indian street food that signals the kitchen’s range from the first course. Paani puri arrives as a hands-on affair — crispy puris filled with spiced potato, dipped into minty spiced water at the table. Bhel brings a sharp, crunchy contrast with puffed rice, sev, chopped onion, tomato, tamarind and green chutney, while samosa chaat layers crushed samosas with curried peas and sweet yogurt.

From the tandoor and grill, the mixed grill platter brings together chicken tikka, seekh kabab and lamb chops — a sharing starter that draws consistent praise. Paneer tikka, marinated in spiced yogurt and charred in the clay oven, leads a strong vegetarian starter line-up alongside onion bhaji and veg Manchurian, battered vegetable balls tossed in a tangy Indo-Chinese sauce.

Two dishes anchor the main course. Maratha chicken is the kitchen’s most popular order — a fiery curry built on mint, coriander and green chillies, rooted in the cooking traditions of Maharashtra. Chicken Hariyali is an Aarti exclusive: boneless chicken in a vibrant coriander and mint curry base. On the lamb side, rara gosht Punjabi is a chef’s special tomato-based curry with strong following among regulars.

Vegetarian mains hold equal weight. Karahi paneer, stir-fried with fresh onions, is the most ordered dish on the veg side, while slow-cooked dal makhani and chana masala provide hearty options alongside palak paneer and baingan masala. Thalis offer a complete single-plate meal — dal, chickpeas, rice, poori, salad, pickle and a sweet — in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions. Saffron-flavoured biryanis, cooked on a slow flame, round out the menu.

The kitchen is halal, and the menu clearly marks vegetarian and non-vegetarian items throughout. Spice levels can be adjusted on request.

Aarti trades as Aarti Bar & Restaurant, and the drinks programme earns that billing. A fully stocked bar carries spirits, a curated wine selection and at least three lagers on draught — Camden Pale Ale among them. Cocktails feature alongside the food, with serves designed to complement the kitchen’s spice-forward cooking.

On the non-alcoholic side, mango lassi is the signature order — thick, sweet and a natural match for the hotter curries. Chai is also on the menu for those who prefer something warm and traditional alongside the meal. Standard soft drinks round out the offering, and a full drinks list is available in the restaurant.

The interior makes an impression from the entrance, where a floor-to-ceiling mandala mural in deep red, teal and cream wraps the full wall behind a glowing neon “Aarti” sign. Two wooden benches with black metal legs sit beneath the mural on light wood-effect flooring.

The bar area shifts to dark charcoal walls decorated with intricate white henna-style mandala artwork. Teal multi-tiered shelving, backlit with LED strips, displays the spirits collection, while amber cocktail glassware adds warmth against the darker colour scheme.

In the main dining room, warm amber globe pendant lights hang over dark wooden tables. Green upholstered booth seating lines the walls, with natural wood ladder-back chairs at the central tables. Gold diamond-lattice decorative panels serve as room dividers and window features — catching the light from the street, they give the restaurant an unmistakable warm glow against the Victorian stone facade after dark.

Swinegate sits in the heart of Leeds city centre, a short street connecting the Corn Exchange to the Trinity Leeds shopping quarter. At night, the illuminated round logo sign and glowing gold lattice windows make Aarti easy to spot from the street. Leeds railway station is roughly a twelve-minute walk, and city centre bus routes pass through the surrounding streets.

Trinity Leeds Car Park is the closest option, located on Swinegate itself and open 24 hours. Q-Park Sovereign Square, also on Swinegate, and Victoria Leeds Multi Storey Car Park on Victoria Gate offer further spaces nearby.

Aarti has step-free entry, wheelchair-accessible seating and a wheelchair-accessible toilet. The restaurant is on the ground floor.

Mon–Sat 12pm–10:30pm, Sun 12pm–9:30pm