Tharavadu Mill Hill: South Indian restaurant reflects on 10 successful years in Leeds

Tharavadu, in Mill Hill, is not only a Leeds-favourite South Indian restaurant but it has become a must-try hotspot for anyone visiting the city. 

In the last decade, the award-winning restaurant has led the curry scene in the city since it opened in 2014. 

The restaurant’s co-founder Siby Jose said the success of the restaurant has been overwhelming - but it’s not something the five friends who founded the restaurant could have ever imagined. 

Siby told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We never expected that it was going to be successful when we opened the restaurant.

“We opened the restaurant with the expertise we had and we thought we would do okay. We thought, ‘it will do and be like any other restaurant and we will make our living’. We never thought it's going to be a grand success.” 

Siby recalls how the restaurant was fully booked within the first few days of opening its doors. It was then he realised Tharavadu would be “something different”. 

Get more stories like this, as well as a headline round-up and all of the breaking news updates, when you sign up to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s free emails The co-founder said: “When we opened Tharavadu, there were around 30 different Indian restaurants in Leeds - big names like Akbars and Aagrah. At that time when we looked at them, we thought, ‘they are such big players, how are we going to [compete]?’ 

“But among them, we won the Best Indian Restaurant at the Oliver Awards in the first year itself and we got into the Michelin Guide in the first year, even before our first anniversary. “

These were huge milestones to reach for the new business. And the restaurant has continued its winning streak, scooping up more notable awards and top accolades. Head chef Ajith Kumar proudly won Chef of the Year at the 2024 Oliver Awards. 

Its prestige has led customers to make long trips from cities across the country to visit and try some of its incredible dishes and its quality offering has kept foodies coming back for more. 

Siby said: “We have got some very loyal customers. 

“There are customers who have come here once a week for the last 10 years, so it's like we made a relationship with them. 

“Most of them have become friends now. It’s not a customer-restaurant relationship. As soon as they come in, we know their order. They don't have to look at the menu. 

“Sometimes they don't come here for the food, they come here to have a chat with us. And it's not tens or hundreds of customers like that, it’s thousands.”

Tharavadu has also quickly developed an international reputation for being the best South Indian restaurant in Leeds. In fact, Indian cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli and wife Bollywood actress Anuskha Sharma have named it their favourite restaurant in the city. 

The couple even returned with the entire Indian cricket team and their families during the special Indian harvest festival Onam. This was a monumental moment for the team, Siby said, as they are all “cricket enthusiasts”.

He added: “We are very much into cricket like you guys are into football - it's like a religion. Meeting all the stars in a single room is like you won the world. 

“Speaking to each other like friends and serving them food like friends, that's something really amazing.” 

The success of Tharavadu is largely because of its foundations, Siby said.

He explained: “We were five friends who started the restaurant. And many people were so sceptical about our friendship and our partnership. 

“This is a strong friendship that has lasted more than 10 years. We have known each other for almost 15 to 20 years now. 

“The friendship has worked out very well and that’s a reason why we are going strong.”

A highly successful first decade in Leeds, Siby said Tharavadu is now in a position to open new restaurants in Leeds and in neighbouring cities without compromising on quality of food or service. It also hopes to mark many new milestones over the next ten years.