Places to eat in Loughborough

Whether it’s a romantic meal for two, coffee and a croissant or a light lunch, Goodliffe’s on Church Gate covers a lot of tasty territory. A swish bistro and cafe by day, by night it’s a trendy European eaterie with a wine list to match.

A few streets over on High St is Fernandez Grillhouse, a finger-lickin’ restaurant that plays to its strengths including meaty grills, calorific desserts and a make-your-own burger menu.

For a taste of the Middle East, look no further than Tarboush on nearby Market St, a popular, laid-back restaurant that’s been serving up the best meze in town for nearly 10 years.

Eastern Spice might be a slight walk out of the town centre along Leicester Road, but the authentic Indian restaurant is one of the best in Loughborough, covering classic dishes like biryani, korma and their own range of special tandoori masala recipes.

With a strong visual identity including exposed brickwork, atmospheric lighting and in-your-face artwork, Peter Pizzeria is undoubtedly a hipster joint. The pizza is fantastic, with sourdough bases perfectly crisped in the wood-fired oven: Just make sure to leave room for the Nutella pizza dessert.

Where Peter has taken their look and feel from the contemporary playbook, The Basin have stripped back the design of their Chinese/Thai/Japanese restaurant hybrid to the minimalist core. With an open kitchen, a huge white marble bar and a buzzy crowd, it’s one of the coolest restaurants in Loughborough, with food to match the hype.

Be warned: Walking into Dolcino should come with a health warning, with the artisan café specialising in Italian desserts including dozens of flavours of gelato and sorbets, plus crepes, waffles, milkshakes and freshly roasted coffee. You might walk in, but waddling out is the norm!

If you’re craving a full English breakfast, Cino Italian Café on Market Place comes highly recommended. The breakfasts are big and hearty, well-priced and backed up by friendly service.

The first thing that strikes you about Baobab Café is the vast wall menu covering everything from cooked breakfasts, a vast range of sandwiches and wraps and sweet treats. Caffeine fans will love the coffee menu which spills off the page, boasting dozens of different brews and beans all perfectly roasted and prepared.

Over on Swan Street opposite Carillon Court is 2 Monkeys Café, a fine cafe that’s as good at serving plate-swamping breakfasts as they are fine-china tea and slices of freshly baked cakes.

Our last selection is Queen’s Park Café. Not only the perfect place to take in the leafy green park in the centre of Loughborough, the cafe has a children’s play area, plenty of magazines and papers to read through and a wide range of drinks, snacks and lunch options on offer.