Leicester and the surrounding Leicestershire are a true melting pot of several flavours and tastes. A city where over 70 languages are spoken across its streets, and the kitchens and dining tables seem to reflect that same international variety. There are all kinds of global dishes from the typical English meal to Japanese sushi and seafood. You can try your hand (and mouth) at Turkish kebabs or experiment with vegetarian and vegan meals, if you prefer.
5 Best Restaurants in Leicester
1. Shrimp and Co
2. La Fontana Restaurant
3. John’s House
4. Herb
5. Kurukuru Sushi
Best Restaurants in Leicester
There is so much to try and so many good places that it can be confusing which restaurants to try. Here are some of the best places to visit if you are in Leicester for some really good food.
1. Shrimp and Co
Shrimp and Co might be a relatively new face in Leicester’s restaurant scene, but that has not stopped it from dominating the market. Tucked in the middle of Leicester, the seafood restaurant has quietly become the hit place to go to when the craving for seafood hits. Both Locals and Tourists swear by it.
You know the menu doesn’t mess around when you can find every kind of seafood delight on it. From king prawns and lobster to snow crab legs, mussels, and crawfish, steaming away in their own flavour-packed bags. For the sauces, buttery garlic, spicy peri peri, tartar, and Korean BBQ add a layer of flavour to an already awesome spread.
You also get to call the shots on the spice level, and pair your boil with hearty sides to bulk it out. Rice, corn on the cob, coleslaw, chips, and soft stir fry that have soaked up extra flavor keep things tasting divine. To round things up, pair your meal with a cold drink. You can never go wrong with sweet mocktails like a strawberry mojito, a mineral or a chocolate milkshake.
But honestly, the food is only half the good time at Shrimp and Co. The restaurant is loud, cheerful, and designed for sharing and stealing from your friend’s plate without guilt. Many of the dishes on the menu are designed for sharing amongst a group, like the captain’s feast or the fit for a king. You can be sure you will leave the restaurant messy and with sauce all over, but very happy.
Location: 58A London Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Price Range: £20 – £120
2. La Fontana Italian Restaurant
If you are craving a little slice of Italy without leaving Leicester, La Fontana might just be the answer to your cravings. The family-run restaurant is warm, inviting, and beautiful. The combination of soft lighting, traditional décor, and warm, friendly welcome makes the food taste even better.
The menu is an ode to rustic Italian cooking. Hand-tossed and open-fire baked pizzas with charred edges, creamy risottos, and fresh tagliatelle or penne arrabiatta pasta. Maybe paired with a side of well-seasoned mashed potatoes, mixed salads, or chips, your choice. Add this with a delightful plate of tiramisu or gelato and a glass of cocktail or ginger ale, and you understand why people keep coming back for more.
La Fontana keeps things authentic without too much added fuss, largely courtesy of their source ingredients that let the simple flavours shine. Oh! And don’t forget the setting? The restaurant occupies an impressive restored former Barclays bank, its tall windows framing beautiful views of the Leicester Town Hall Fountain. At night, with the fountain lit, fairy lights strung up, and the soft sound of the city in the background, the atmosphere becomes cinematic.
It is not just a spot for food; it is the whole ambience. You can just as well visit for a romantic date or a celebration with friends, or a simple anniversary dinner. The staff seem to have mastered that fine balance between attentive and unobtrusive, your wine glass stays full, but no one hovers. La Fontana’s menu caters to just about everyone; there are halal, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, and it even manages to do it without making the dishes feel like afterthoughts.
Recommendation, though, if you are going just once, make it count: order the seafood linguine. It is a generous tumble of prawns, mussels, squid, and pasta tangled in a rich tomato-garlic sauce.
Location: 10 Horsefair Street, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Price Range: £15 – £35
3. John’s House Restaurant
Located a short 20-minute drive away in Mountsorrel, a list of Leicester’s best is incomplete without John’s House. The restaurant has a well-earned reputation as Leicestershire’s only Michelin-starred restaurant. It is set in a converted farmhouse on the family-owned Stonehurst Farm, and blends what should be farm-to-table dishes with reimagined British cooking.
Opened in 2014, Owner and Head Chef John Duffin brings a wealth of experience from some of the UK’s most respected kitchens. From Simon Rogan’s Roganic to the Michelin-decorated restaurants of Claude Bosi and Marcus Wareing. The menus constantly shift with the seasons and draw heavily on produce from the family farm and trusted local suppliers.
Dishes can range from simple 3-course lunch meals like sea trouts to more exclusive 7-course meals of cured sea trouts, Cornish cod, duck pancake, and sorrel sorbet or lamb with artichoke and nettle. You might come across parsnip dumplings with braised oxtail, and ox tongue, or a crisp pig’s head terrine with a confit egg yolk. Even desserts don’t follow the normal creations; English strawberries paired with rice puddings, cream hay, and marigold might sound unlikely, but somehow works. Wine lovers won’t be disappointed, either. The list is broad and designed to match the food to a T. The only choice is to go all in, and you probably should; this is not a place for holding back.
Part of John’s House’s charm is its setting. As you eat, you are only steps from a working farm where visitors can meet the animals, wander through a small classic car museum, or pick up fresh produce from the shop. It is an unusual backdrop for fine dining, but it somehow works at John’s. So, if you are going to splurge on just one meal in Leicestershire, John’s House is the one.
Location: 139 – 141 Loughborough Road, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Price Range: £80 – £150
4. Herb Restaurant
Another dining gem in Leicester, shining quietly and doing its own thing, is definitely the Herb Indian Restaurant. Specialising in Kerala-inspired South Indian vegetarian dishes, Herb proves that meat-free doesn’t mean flavour-free. In fact, it is the very opposite here; the dishes are delicious, aromatic, and rooted in Indian tradition.
The first thing you notice, though, when you walk into Herb is the atmosphere. Warm, coppery light spills from decorative lanterns onto wood tables, and the walls are adorned with intricate Keralan art. Even the cutlery was considered, copper spoons and serving bowls that seem to have popped up from the past. The menu is also an adventure. You will find the classics: crisp, paper-thin dosas, idlis, and thali platters, curry, channa masala, or biryani paired with rice. Everything is prepared without artificial colours or preservatives, and many options are nut-free, gluten-free, and, of course, entirely vegetarian or vegan.
A few standout mentions, the Keralan thali, masala dosa, and uttapam are a must-try. Or maybe go for something more unusual, the pavakka pachadi, with bitter gourd in a creamy coconut and yoghurt gravy, for a balance. Even the starters and desserts deserve their own mention. You can start your meal with crispy murukku and fried banana slices, golden lentil doughnuts called uzhunnu vada, and bhel puri, and end it with khulfi, banana roast, and gulab jamun. And you definitely don’t want to leave without trying out the tea. From hot turmeric or masala tea to soothing cardamom or flower herb tea. Not a fan of tea, try their traditional Cochin coffee, ginger black coffee, contemporary Irish coffee, or hot chocolate.
The meals are generous in portion and matched by a friendly staff, who guides you through the menu with genuine enthusiasm. Herb is perfect for a quiet dinner, a celebratory feast, or simply because you want to try something new. In any case, Herb delivers regardless.
Location: 96 Granby Street, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Price Range: £15 – £30
5. Best Restaurants in Leicester: Kurukuru Sushi
Kurukuru Sushi is one of those restaurants you can walk by without noticing how obscure it is. The little sushi bar might be small in size, but it delivers the kind of quality that has earned a loyal following.
The space inside is tight with a laid-back minimalist style that directs all the attention to the food. The most desired seat, though, is at the counter where you get dinner and a show. The chefs work with calm precision, slicing sashimi, shaping rice, and layering each roll until it becomes a tiny edible sculpture. And there is a kind of meditative pleasure in watching it happen right in front of you.
The menu includes classics like California rolls, spicy tuna, and silky sashimi, but also fancy detours like tempura rolls, miso-glazed grilled fish, and ramen. A few must-try items are the crispy salmon skin hand roll, the chef’s selection sashimi platter, and the dragon roll. Their bento boxes also make for an easy, filling lunch, but for the full experience, just let the chef lead.
Kurukuru is not flashy, and it’s not even trying to be. It is simply a place that has hacked the code to great sushi, skill, quality ingredients, and a genuine love for the craft.
Location: 11 Welford Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Price Range: £10 – £25
The truth? What makes Leicester restaurants so damn great lies in the diversity. From asian to European to American and, of course, English dishes, you can be sure to find a place that makes great food. It is not even just about the food; it is the atmosphere, the staff, and yes, the food.
