Just outside of Leeds City centre you’ll find the small town of Guiseley. A place that has just about everything you need to not have to venture in to the city to get your essentials. Good food is no exception.

Amongst the variation of different bars and restaurants in Guiseley you’ll find a very small Indian restaurant along the high street – A beautiful hidden gem!

I discovered Janota earlier this year after a recommendation from a friend. I’d walked by every day without ever looking at it twice. The appearance from the outside is very deceiving as it looks very small and not as stylishly decorated as most Indian restaurants. It doesn’t capture your eye or make you want to enter really.

But don’t judge a book by it’s cover as this place ticks all the boxes and really fights it’s corner in the competition against other restaurants in the area.

The restaurant is very small but they’ve expanded it to include the room upstairs which is a nice little addition. I was surprised to see this existed when I first visited. Today I visited for the third time and we sat downstairs in the main room. The place is nicely decorated, snug and very busy when visiting on a Wednesday due to the special offer.

One added bonus – You can bring your own alcohol! This is due to them having no licence so obviously this is a popular option for those wanting to save some pennies.

If you visit on a Wednesday or Sunday you can take advantage of the special offer they do. Poppadom, starter, any main and a side for £8.95 and it’s a total bargain!

I took a bottle of wine with me and tucked straight in to the poppadoms. I was celebrating my birthday prematurely since I’ll be in Slovakia on my actual birthday this year. Indian food is my favourite so I thought I’d squeeze a visit in with my family beforehand.

This time I ordered fish pakora for a starter. A tasty dish oozing with flavour. This is a new one for me as I only tried it here at this restaurant a few months ago for the first time. I fell in love with it straight away. Since then I always choose this but I’ve not yet found an Indian restaurant that does it better. Luckily for me Guiseley is where I live so I don’t have to stretch far to get my fish fix!

For the main I went for Chicken Pathia. Its described as a spice somewhere between Madras and Vindaloo so definitely a dish with a kick. I love this dish as I’m a big fan of spicy food so I highly recommend it if you think you can handle it!

The portion sizes at Janota are huge! About halfway in to the curry I knew I’d be taking the rest home for lunch the next day.

The deal is very good value but even without this, the dishes are very generous portions for the price.

We were all highly satisfied with our dishes and the quality of the food and service overall. Will definitely be visiting again!

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