The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Leicester, Leicestershire*

Leicester, Leicestershire Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• Queens chinese take-away in Clarendon Park has good food and service. I use it regularly.
• McDonalds!
• I can't believe that in a guide to Leicester no-one has included JBS on Narborough Road. They make the most fantastic kebabs in the whole world. Enormous pile of salad and meat, covered in your choice of sauces and wrapped up in a huge, delicious piece of Naan bread. You will never find a better kebab!
• For the best snacks go to Yo Yo's on the High Street
• mcdonalds in thurmaston has a nice loading bay that you can pop off but watch out for the bold bloke who turfs you off the premises
• Marios
• OK, if you want somewhere to eat and drink where the food will be acceptable (in price and quality) and the clientel won't be dross, I recommend the following places.. They are (a) 'Bar Bruxelles' (High St) - a Belgian-style coffee/eating house which does the *best* ciabatta menu, moules, etc etc - tres continental. I recommed going during the day. (b) 'The Fat Cat' (Belvoir St) - coffee/eating house, and very nice too, but not as nice as (a), and their salad has absolutely no dressing on it at all. Day or night is cool here. (c) 'The Lizard Lounge' (Wellington St) - an ultra-trendy new place but extremely nice food and a lady who works there with the most fantastic tits I've ever seen. Restaurant closes at night and it becomes a 3-floor nightclub extravaganza. (d) 'Stones' - (Mill Lane) to my mind the best restaurant I've ever been to. I heard it was recently voted the best restaurant in Leicestershire or something. Everything in Stones is great, but expect to pay about sixty quid for a decent meal for two (including a very nice 'house' red). I've only even been in the evening, but its open for lunches. (e) 'Barceloneta' - (Queen's Road, Clarendon Park) - OK spanish tapas is never exquisite, but this is a great place to get drunk (but remain civilised) and scoff deliciously greasy and garlic-laden Spanish food. Evening (7pm+) only.
• Lloyds no1 is good for food during the day, reasonable prices and lots of room. The menu is varied and the specials change all the time.
• Sharmilee - Belgrave Rd - amazing vegetarian indian food (Gujerati think). Also good are Sayonara, Bobbies. They + many more are a stone's throw apart from each other. New veggie Indian 'cafe' at town end of Narborough Road (near Braunstone Gate). Really really cheap. Incredible Food. Can't get over how cheap it is. Go there. I forget the name.
• Bill: I was up seeing my girl in Leicester and for a meal she said we should try "Joe Rigatoni's". The food was well nice! (but beware the garlic bread starter... It's massive). The only thing that put me off was the moody, even rude, (eying up my girl), Italian guys serving us!!!
• Marios Chippery French Impressions Restaurant Fat Cats, Belvoir St, for that all important 'Morning after' Big Breakfast. The best anywhere...ever
• Just for the record there's an excellent Thai restaurant on London Road called A Taste of Thailand. Unfortunately, it was burnt down a few weeks ago, but is due to be reopened in the near future. Well worth a visit - good food, cheap prices.
• Joe Rigatonis in St Martins Square. I hadn't actually taken much notice of this place until I was recommended to go there by a friend. If anyone was stuck for a place for an Italian Lunch, then I'd have to recommend Rigatonis. The food is gorgeous
• McIndians on Belgrave Gate, or Brucciani's (various sites)? Cafe Bruxelles might be worth a try too. The Akash on London Rd has a reputation for very generous, cheap Indian food, and Chilli Night on Highcross Street was excellent when I went there last Friday.
• How can anybody forget TJ's? The best burger in Leicester, and for that post-BSE taste the Chicken burgers are also tops. The TJ's Special will cure any case of the munchies.
• Dominos Pizza, Canton House on Welford Road and The Curry House on London Road.
• If you're looking for food, try Po-boys, it's off in a little alley by the Midlands bank. The prices are competitive and it's one of the few places in the Midlands to buy a good Chicken fajita.
• Fancy That tea rooms, Yoyos for jumbo sandwiches, Sayonara for thali food

Pubs

• Another missed pub in the guide.... Try O'neills on Loseby Lane. It has a good crowd of people most days. and the food is good if a little on the expensive side.
• The Orange Tree - High Street ( nice garden - heated at night ) say hello to Simpson at the bar! Vodka Revolution - New Walk ( sound dress attitude during the week - turn thick as f**k at the weekends e.g. quote "NO sports trainers"
• Lunablu, braunstone gate. Minimalistic decor, kinda cool. Great toilets, fridge magnets supplied to play with whilst waiting for your mates! Good crowd, a bit of a mix, quite studenty, no dress codes. New place but massive popularity potential.
• The ultimate pubs in Leicester are Tabasco Jazz (off Belvoir st), The Court House, and Revolution (New Walk) The orange Tree (High St), and The Turky Cafe which has the coolest shot glasses in the world (Granby St)
• Everyone's missed out Weavers. Recently reopened. Opens Thurs/Fri/Sat only, but has a late license. Great place to sit and chill in comfort. Also, Revolution on New Walk - many flavoured vodkas to get you ratted.
• The Square
• There are loads of good bars now, now a few clubs are needed, Varsity, Bar baristo, Edwards and someplace else are all good, and Lloyds is very good although quite expensive.
• The 39 steps is not clickey as everyonje seems to make out (normally people who've never set foot there). Average prices and some nice music. Bar risa /jongleus is quite pricey in the bar but it's fun, colourful and is quite sizey(but it still gets packed on weekends). Upstairs is the comedy club jongleus, a great night out for about £10 you get three or four comedy acts which are excellent. After 11.30 the tables and chairs are cleared away and a dance floor emerges, cheesey, poppy music, a good laugh when the comedians have put you in the right mood. Lizard lounge - a cool multi storey bar with chilled music throughout attractive decor expensive menu, averagley priced drinks. Comfortable big chairs, not much space even though there are three or four storeys, the actual rooms are quite small but still worth a visit.
• Loaded Dog - London Road. Student place with a bizarre pool table and loud TVs giant jenga, connect-4, table air-hokey. You know the kind of thing. Pump and Tap. Braunstone gate. VV laid back - spit and sawdust. Bands out back occasionally.
• Q bar is a gay bar on Wellington Street opposite the music library. As well as a bar it's also a meeting place for various lesbian/gay groups. They do reasonable food during the day and in the evening - Friday evening is women only. There's a nice atmos - a good place to relax and read the papers over a coffe or a beer.
• Cafe Bruxelles (High Street?)-Continental beer & good food.
• The Barley Mow on Granby Street is an excellent spot - meals upstairs and what have you. The Wyvern has great beer, but the play hell if you take kids in.
• The Soar Point-near DeMontfort uni
• Crown in Tur Langton pretty good Three Handbags in Kibworth Varsity
• Churchgate Tavern, on Churchgate by the clock tower, nice atmosphere, decent food, cheap, good stop off if going to a club
• A new Bass pub is opening in September on Welford Road similar to the Dry Dock in Leeds (giant boat) and will probably have the same name. Should be really good.
• Jacey's Bar is a really cool place, and The Loaded Dog has just opened on London Road - definitely worth a visit if only for the giant Connect 4 and Jenga.
• Worst Pubs
  • The Bank: Unless you wear a white shirt
  • The Joiners: Foggy atmosphere
  • The Lamplighter: Never had the right clothes to get in
  • The Jug and Jive - never can hear people talk due to the PA.
• Best Pubs
  • Globe: good for its range of beers
  • The 3 Firkin pubs: If only for the name
  • The Magazine: Good atmosphere
    The Magazine is no more, it's been closed down for a few months now. A pity as it was (imho) the best pub in Leicester.
    The Magazine has closed down, and Bar Gaudi below Mosquito Coast has become the new place for good music and looking cool.
  • You could add The Pump and Tap to your list as it has a similar atmosphere but is sans pool table.
  • There are now four Firkin pubs, the Physio and Firkin, the Fuzzok and Firkin, the Fourpence and Firkin and, the latest addition, the Fullback and Firkin, a huge place with big screen telly on Oxford Street. Although it's the size of a small warehouse it still gets very packed, as it's right by DeMontfort Uni's campus.
  • The Charlotte - cheap and in the back room, you can hear the playing bands without paying!!
  • Wilkies Continental Bar for really delicious beer.
  • The Wyvern (usually 5 real ales! including Old Bailey, Abbots and Adnams Broadside).
  • The Durham Ox (for Bass and Caffreys).

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• ice mango, cool chilled out internet lounge with great coffee.
• Caramba! on Braunstone Gate. Amazing BLT baguettes at lunchtime. Laid back and friendly, pop in for a coffee at any time of the day. Also serves great cajun food in the upstairs restaurant in the evening, and the Jazz club twice a week has a relaxed atmosphere.
• The ultimate Cafe is Fat Cats which does gigantic mugs of coffee, and gorgeous Icecreams. Belvoir Street
• costa coffee
• Mrs Bridges
• Castle Rock Cafe, next to the Charlotte. Vast amount of choice (3 walls covered in menus), good quality food, licensed and a very relaxed atmosphere. Open 7 days a week. I love this place, my favourite eating place when I'm in Leicester.

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Last updated: 2008-04-21