Nottingham Restaurant Guide

Established in 1994, Corsican Stéphane Luiggi’s “authentic” (down to the Gallic staff) homage to La Belle France, spanning a café, deli and shop, remains “the perfect place to relax with good food and wine after a long shop in town”; bien sûr “you have to be a bit of a Francophile to get the most out of it!”

“The smells, the sounds, the buzzy atmosphere” that transport you (via tuk-tuk) to Bangkok – “it’s all wonderful” at this outpost of a Leeds-based group, and so convincing that “I honestly believe this is how street food is in Thailand”.

“Nottingham’s best Indian” and the most-commented-on restaurant in the city centre: Amita Sawhney’s “buzzy, friendly and efficient” fixture continues to inspire nothing but praise for producing “wonderfully flavoursome, yet refined, dishes time and time again”. Is it “the attention to detail and woman’s touch seemingly so apparent in the meet and greet, presentation… even down to the Molton Brown in the toilets?”. “I’ve eaten at many Indian restaurants all over the world, including renowned Michelin-starred ones in London. This is right up there, and at a decent price”.

Impressive marks, if on limited feedback, on this gourmet Indian, which set up shop in 2014 on Nottingham’s trafficky Maid Marian Way, and has won a firm local following for its decadent, if not too subtle, dishes; off-shoot Maharaja’s Retreat opened five doors down, in May 2019, replacing a seafood joint which stayed open for barely a month.

“Freshly cooked food to a high standard” and “really excellent service from Monika and Sunny” make the Anand family’s Punjabi specialist stand out from the crowd on Nottingham’s ‘Madras Mile’ of curryhouses.

Tom Brooke, launched this 70-seater in Nottingham in September 2019 by splitting his existing Red Dog Saloon site (sibling to the well PR’d one in Shoreditch, as well as three others around the country) into two. The all-day format will offer Indian small plates cooked on a charcoal BBQ, with influences from Middle Eastern countries such as Persia, Turkey and Lebanon.

“Very reliable and reasonably priced (especially at lunch. or for the popular pre-theatre menú deli dia)” – Escabeche’s lively, city-centre spin-off provides “tasty tapas in a utilitarian but appealing setting”. On a nice day, nab one of the few tables outside.

“A stalwart of the Nottingham restaurant scene” near the castle, whose “clubby setting” owes much to the intriguing seventeenth century building and courtyard garden which it shares with The Nottingham Club. Its ambitious contemporary cuisine has always tended to divide opinion – exceptional to its fans but “somewhat overpriced and bland” to its foes (with the latter a bit more in evidence last year).

“Authentic and very tasty Sichuan cooking” is served “in basic surroundings” at this Lace Market operation, which is reassuringly popular with Chinese (around 80% of the clientele, apparently), as well as students and – better for PR – even the odd Times food critic.

The “mind-blowing selection” of “unusual” burger combinations is the trump card of this Lace Market outfit, with “something to please everyone including vegan, gluten-free etc”; add in a “lively” vibe and reporters “love this place”; following a Derby spin-off, they branched out to Worcester in late 2018.

“Amid the hustle and bustle of Nottingham Lace Market”, this “go-to” cellar in a historic building elicits real raves for its “London-quality tapas” and “lively” atmosphere. A “cheaper and cheerful” no-reservation sibling, on Carlton St, is also a hit.

“A great addition to the city’s food scene, whose food is getting better and better” – Alex Bond’s “restored Georgian stables” on the Park Estate (a little way outside the city-centre) opened in summer 2017 and his “amazing and very creative” approach and “modish” design makes it Nottingham’s hottest rising culinary star of the moment. You can eat from either a five-, seven- or ten-course tasting menu (everyone at the table should have the same option) and results are “exceptional”.

“When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

Sat Bains’s “special” cuisine “doesn’t miss a beat” at his much-acclaimed foodie Xanadu, which remains one of the country’s foremost culinary destinations. “Much is made of the bizarre location” – a converted motel amidst flyovers, “on the fringe of an industrial estate at the edge of the city” – “but once inside, you are cocooned in luxury” (including, if you stay, in the “quite reasonably priced bedrooms”). Both seven-course and ten-course tasting options are “hugely inventive and utterly brilliant with a superb matching wine flight”. The “chef’s table is an exceptional experience” and many regular diners also report “experiential touches like a tour of the busy kitchen after dinner with a signed menu”. “Top waiting staff too: friendly and knowledgeable, but more importantly, keen”.

“Exceptional veggie food in the heart of Beeston” (“at lunchtime it's entirely vegan”) draws nothing but praise for this two-floor outfit which “excels in taste combinations and spices” – even “carnivores will not miss the meat!”

For “British street food at its best” you can’t miss this bright fish ‘n’ chippy, serving 20 types of catch deep-fried in beef dripping, and consumed in a smart, booth-lined setting.

“Splendid, just splendid” – this “crowded”, old-school late-Victorian boozer, cited in DH Lawrence’s debut novel, is “a nice local with good food and beers” (the former from an “interesting”, wide-ranging menu). It might not be a gourmet hotspot but it’s “all a pub should be”.

An “extensive” and “interesting tapas menu” (plus a “very good-value lunch”) is the formula behind this relaxed but reliably busy spot.