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Moving to Leicester at the end of December, any favourites?

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Hey all, any personal tips/suggestions for the town of Leicester? I'm relocating there at the end of December, and have never actually seen the city, so I'm starting from scratch. Currently I'm expecting to be living in the city centre, but I would love to hear favourites from anywhere in the area.


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  1. Your post is not forgotten - just awkward to answer, have requested the info from my sister who's lived in Leicester for the last 12 years. Whilst she wouldn't describe herslef as a chowhound she does like her food and I'd listen to her recommendations so when she gets back to me I'll let you know.

    We did have a lovely meal at 'the horse and trumpet' www.horseandtrumpet.com in medbourne south of Leicester for her birthday - they overdid the froth as a garnish but the food was good. We stayed in the marquess of exeter in Lyddington which looked like it had a good menu of gastropub type food too.

    For Leicester itself, watch this space!

    1. Great, I appreciate the effort, and as you're the only one to reply so far, perhaps it's a good thing I'm asking 2 months early ;-)


      1. My SO is from Leicester, and I moved there when I first moved to England. You'll find great Indian food almost everywhere, since Leicester has a large South Asian population. I think it's hard to go wrong.

        One area you might like to investigate is the Clarendon Park/Queens Road area. It's a little way from the main High Street center (about 15 min. walk or a quick bus ride), but it's a really nice residential area, and there is some good stuff on Queens Road. For drinks, Babelas is great. Jones's has really good food in a friendly atmosphere--totally unpretentious but stylish. They also do good breakfast, but their "American" pancakes are definitely not. Avoid those.

        I haven't been there in a while, but the Orange Tree on the High Street used to have really good food--it's a pub, so nothing really fancy, but good sandwiches, veggie dishes, snacks, etc. Across the High St is Cafe Bruxelles, which has good mussels and other dishes.

        The same people who own the Orange Tree recently opened the Lansdowne, on London Road. The place is a very popular, smoky, and crowded night spot, but if you go in the day, it's quite nice, and the food is very decent.

        1 Reply
        1. re: Kagey

          One thing I can't believe I forgot to mention: Leicester Market. I think it's supposed to be one of the biggest open-air markets in Europe. It's a dream for anyone who likes to cook; you'll find great meat, fish, and fruit/veg there.

        2. Great, thanks Kagey, I look forward to trying your suggestions :) The market does sound like it'll be a lot of fun, and I know I'll love the Indian food. Do you happen to know if there is any good Chinese (my current town is ~30% oriental and I know I'll miss it.

          1. Hi there. I can recommend "Bella Takaway" (Chinese) on London road in Leicester. They do great take aways and you can also eat in on one of their small tables but is mainly for take away. I will be trying another place called "Eataway" (also chinese) next week which is an all you can eat buffet place on Church Gate in the city center. I have heard good reviews about it and look forward to trying it! Will let you know, hope this helps! Oh and there is also a Chinese supermarket that sells great noodles and lots of other things located near the city centre too.