'We never planned a second restaurant': Meet the couple bringing authentic Sardinian food to Leeds

When Sarah Elliot-Busceddu and her husband, Sardinia-born chef Raffaele "Rafa" Busceddu, opened Domo in Sheffield in 2019, they had never owned a restaurant before and had just taken what she calls "a massive leap of faith".

Seven years, a pandemic and a Good Food Guide listing later, the pair have opened their second site – this time in Leeds.

"We never actually had any plans for a second restaurant," Sarah told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"We did Sheffield because we lived there. But we've spent a lot of time in Leeds, we love the city, we've worked here, and before the kids we used to come out here all the time. It's got that indie vibe similar to Sheffield – people really concentrate on the independents."

The new restaurant sits in Tower Works in Holbeck, the fast-growing neighbourhood near Leeds railway station. Once considered "a bit out of town", it's now home to bars, restaurants and hundreds of new residents. But the site itself came about almost by accident.

"Rafa comes to Leeds every Monday to play football," Sarah explained. "He was having a wander around and literally took photos of this site and sent them to me, saying, 'What do you think?'

"We came down, saw it, and it reminded us so much of where we are in Sheffield – a little bit off the beaten track, by the water, with a nice outdoor area. We just thought, 'Yeah, let's go for it.'"

Domo Sheffield opened just eight months before the first lockdown – a trial by fire that Sarah says shaped everything about how they now run the business.

"We'd left our full-time jobs, put all our savings into it, and I was heavily pregnant. It was all or nothing," she said. "Then lockdown hit. We had to make ourselves a location people wanted to come to."

That mindset carries into Leeds.

"Even though there's more footfall here, our plan is to work really hard and become a destination," Sarah explained. "We will never sit back and relax – we know we've got to stay on the ball."

For diners new to Sardinian food, Sarah's advice is simple: "Go for the things you've never heard of before."

The menu is written in Sardinian dialect and packed with dishes named after Rafa's family members. Many recipes come directly from his hometown of Castelsardo – a tiny hilltop village overlooking the sea.

"Castelsardo is the whole inspiration behind Domo," Sarah said. "Rafa moved here years ago and really misses his hometown. We wanted to bring a slice of it to Sheffield – a Sardinian haven. Domo means home."

Among the staples she recommends are culurgiones, "a handmade Sardinian dumpling filled with potato and mint in a Pecorino fondue", and fregola with seafood, a dish found "in loads of restaurants over in Sardinia". The menu is also heavy on octopus.

"Our waiters try everything," she added. "They know exactly what to recommend."

One of the biggest differences from Sheffield is the dedicated bar area and a new bar snack menu.

"In Sheffield, Covid meant the bar just became an extension of the restaurant," Sarah said. "Here, we wanted a proper bar again – somewhere people can come for a drink and a quick snack without booking a full meal. Aperitivo culture is massive in Sardinia."

The interiors blend Sardinian craftsmanship with work by local makers. Rafa and the team even drove a van to Sardinia to bring back chairs and decorations.

"We just want quality," Sarah said. "Everything contributes to the feeling of the place. In Sardinia, eating is always an occasion – it's about spending time with family. We want everything, from the interiors to the dishes, to show that."

For all the growth, Sarah's definition of success remains simple.

"If the place is full, then we know we're doing something right," she said. "Feedback is everything to us. We've had such a nice welcome already. We just want it to be a place people come for a good time."