Sous Le Nez

The kitchen runs three distinct menus. The à la carte covers the full range of French bistro cooking, from fish and shellfish starters through to dry-aged steaks and rich desserts. A daily specials board adds seasonal variety.

Among the starters, the fish soup with red pepper rouille, aioli, Gruyère and croutons stands out as a signature dish, alongside tempura king prawns served with tomato chilli jam and classic moules marinière available as a starter or sharing portion. The warm confit duck leg ballantine arrives with blackberry jus, walnuts, pickled beetroot and watercress, while the chicken liver and brandy parfait comes with fig and pear chutney and brioche.

Main courses lean into hearty French and Yorkshire ingredients. The French duck breast sits on duck fat celeriac fondant with parsnip purée, baby carrots, and a blackberry and beetroot jus. Pan-seared calves liver — a clear favourite among regulars — comes with brown butter mashed potato, crispy Roscoff onions, and sherry jus. Steaks are minimum 28-day dry-aged, running from rump through rib eye and fillet to a gateau of fillet stuffed with shallots, mushrooms and garlic, all served with peppercorn sauce. For a vegetarian main, the crapaudine beetroot, feta cheese and sweet potato Wellington with piquillo pepper pesto offers a standout option.

The Menu du Soir is a three-course set menu available Tuesday to Saturday in the early evening, and includes a half bottle of house wine. Exclusive dishes on this menu include confit pork belly with bubble and squeak, pan-fried sea bream with brown crab and spring onion risotto, and a ratatouille risotto topped with grilled goats cheese crottin.

For something lighter, the bar meals menu serves open sandwiches — roast beef, smoked salmon, fish finger butty — with homemade crisps, plus classics like fish and chips with mushy peas and moules-frites.

Desserts include crème brûlée, an individual dark chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, and a blood orange panna cotta with poached Yorkshire rhubarb and ginger crumb.

Vegetarian dishes are available across all menus. Vegan and gluten-free options can be accommodated on request.

The wine list is the centrepiece of the drinks offering — a 70-page collection that earned a finalist spot in the Oliver Awards’ Best in Glass category in February 2026. You can order by the glass at the bar or explore the full list in the dining room. The Menu du Soir includes a half bottle of house wine with every set meal, offering a choice of Jean Didier Grande Reserve red, Les Roulants white, or Jean Didier rosé.

Beyond wine, the bar stocks a full range of draft and bottled beers, a large selection of gins, and single malt whiskies — you can settle into the bar area for a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap without needing a table in the dining room. The full drinks menu is available at the bar alongside the bar meals menu, making it easy to drop in for a casual glass and a lighter bite.

Standard soft drinks are also available for those looking for non-alcoholic options.

Descending into Sous Le Nez, you leave the city behind. The basement dining room opens up into a cavernous space divided into a series of nooks, alcoves, and secluded corners — each with its own character. Dark mahogany wainscoting runs to dado height along the walls, with deep crimson paintwork above. Large-format terracotta tiles cover the floor, and dark wood tables — a mix of round and rectangular — are pre-set with stemmed wine glasses and folded white napkins.

Seating ranges from ladder-back chairs with burgundy padded cushions to dark banquette benches tucked against the walls, creating intimate dining alcoves throughout the space. Wall-mounted picture lights angle onto framed paintings, casting a warm golden glow that becomes particularly atmospheric in the evening. During lunch, street-level windows set high in the wall let in natural light — a subtle reminder that you are dining underground.

The bar area has a different energy: floor-to-ceiling oak shelving packed with hundreds of wine bottles and spirits, a dark wood counter, and hanging stemware above the bar. The lighting is warmer and dimmer here — the kind of place to linger over a glass before or after dinner.

There is no outdoor seating.

Sous Le Nez sits on Quebec Street in Leeds city centre, just a short walk from Leeds railway station and the financial district. The basement entrance is at street level beneath Quebec House — easy to reach on foot from the station or the surrounding shopping streets.

The closest major car park is Q-Park Sovereign Square (LS1 4AG), with 500 spaces and 24/7 access. Q-Park Albion Street offers a further 343 spaces. Limited on-street pay-and-display parking is available on surrounding streets via PayByPhone.

The venue does not have step-free access. The basement setting means there is no wheelchair-accessible entrance or accessible car park nearby.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Wednesday: 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Thursday: 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Saturday: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:45 PM
Sunday: Closed