16 Restaurants in Leicester

If you talk to people outside Leicestershire about the city's gourmet dining options, there's one thing they will almost always come up with: the ‘Golden Mile’ in Belgrave. This part of northern Leicester has restaurants to match any food district in the UK, and almost all of them hail from the Indian subcontinent. Half East Midlands neighbourhood and half Indian bazaar, Belgrave offers a massive range of cuisines from Chettinad southern dishes to biryanis from Bengal and some of the most subtly spiced jalfrezis you will ever taste. It's a wonderland for curry lovers, and somewhere every local food fan should visit.

But it's not all about Indian cooking, far from it, actually. Leicester's restaurants also include classy places that make the most of Leicestershire's famous produce. You'll find souffles using red Leicester or Stilton cheese, Ploughman's sandwiches that will wow, as well as all kinds of fruits and vegetables from the Vale of Belvoir. And, of course, you can't go wrong with Leicestershire's meat dishes. If meat is your thing then check out the Melton Mowbray pork pies on offer at Leicester restaurants – they will redefine the way you think about an English lunch classic. And after that, why not wash down a locally-sourced feast with some regional ales? With Oakham in the vicinity and Burton not far away, Leicester's restaurants are in prime brewing territory, so make the most of it.

Recently, Leicester's restaurants have started to include some truly upmarket options, with celebrity chefs like Marco Pierre White visiting to start up eateries in the city centre and a raft of fantastic European dining spots opening around town. Check out the French options in areas like Millstone Lane, where you'll find prix fixe menus featuring Gallic favourites (and be very close to local attractions like the burial place of Richard III). Or, explore other types of European restaurants in Leicester such as popular tapas joints that serve the finest Catalan and Galician dishes as well as plenty of creative vegetarian options, too.

If you need somewhere to dine before watching the Foxes in action, or you are heading to watch a blockbuster movie with friends, there's no lack of Leicester restaurants to consider. For instance, there are American diners that meticulously recreate the ambience of 1950s America, with baseball memorabilia and jukeboxes and even chrome steel structures flown in from the USA. Or there are places in the city centre that serve superb BBQ ribs, nachos, burgers and burritos that are exactly what casual diners and families are looking for.