Leicester's High Street sizzles with 42 new openings.

Leicester city centre is experiencing a fresh wave of independent energy and high street investment, with more than 42 new openings already announced or launched this year across restaurants, nightlife, leisure and retail.

From Vietnamese street food and Goan-inspired dining to live music basements, “human claw machine” gaming and a booming café culture, the city is rapidly reinventing itself as one of the Midlands’ most vibrant destinations for food, culture and entertainment.

At a time when many UK city centres continue to battle declining footfall, Leicester’s mix of independents, national brands and experiential venues signals a powerful comeback for the urban high street.

Here are the 42 sizzling new venues in Leicester you need to know about:

RESTAURANTS

There are loads of great new spots to try out in Leicester if you’re feeling peckish.

In the former Shimla Pinks on London Road, Golden Sands is a Goan influenced Indian restaurant serving delicious, insta-friendly main meals, plus Indian style breakfast and brunch.

The newly opened Mandi & Biryani House can be found at the top of Granby Street. Coming soon to the former Counting House pub on Freemen’s Common is Soho Tavern, an Indian Gastropub chain which has been a hit across the West Midlands.

Continue your tour of world flavours around the Highcross with a rash of new openings. Recently opened on St Peter’s Square is Umami World Kitchen, a new all-you-can-eat, world buffet concept.

Also on Highcross Lane is Daiu, a new Korean BBQ and Hotpot buffet restaurant and The Thai Classic,

expanding from their Birmingham site into the city.

Kumo is a new Japanese restaurant that’s just opened its doors on the High Street with Thành Nam Phở now open next door serving Vietnamese Street Food, making this area a hotspot for South East Asian cuisine. 

A few big names have opened new spots in Leicester with popular restaurant Bill’s and viral sensation Wingstop opening near Highcross. Starbucks has opened a brand new café on Gallowtree Gate as has Dave’s Hot Chicken with their takeover of the old Pret unit bringing a splash of colour and flavour to the area.

Café-wise one of the biggest recent wins for the city was the opening of Public and Plants on King Street, a fantastic bakery and coffee stop which has been absolutely packed since opening. Lynn in St Martin’s Square serves up quality brunch, dinner and cocktails; and on Jubilee Square Alcove – voted Leicester’s Best Coffee Shop 2026 – has tastefully reimagined the old Alfred Lenton antiques store as a fantastic new café serving coffee, matcha, açai and even a run club every Saturday.  Tea Time comes to Leicester straight from Qatar, with eastern influenced drinks, brunch and desserts.

Rounding out our list are Crust Issues on High Street, serving up individual pizza slices, Biggies Pizza in St Martin’s Square, and on Granby Street, Scooperb serving up natural, vegetarian/vegan and eggless desserts; Lala’s Restaurant with pizza, chicken and burgers and finally Grillworks, who offer flame grilled burgers, fries, salads and more.

NIGHTLIFE & LEISURE

Leicester’s nightlife is still absolutely thriving, and while the hub of the city’s activity has shifted towards the old town and St Martin’s Square, whether you’re hitting the bars, live music venues or taking part in something more active, there’s loads going on.

Sally Cinnamons is a new music venue in a basement on Cank Street, with line-ups influenced by 90s and northern soul. Right next door to them is Ivy Lounge, a luxurious venue for parties, bottomless brunches and socials!

Merchants Yard has now formally opened, and its timing couldn’t be better, providing a fantastic open air events space. Tucked away just off High Street, expect DJ sets, live music, sports events, street food and great drinks – all served up in the yard/garden.

Taking up the space where The Case restaurant used to be in St Martin’s, The Cork & Case is now a vibrant bar with live music, cabaret performances and comedy nights.

If you’re looking for some fun and to get active then worldwide-phenomenon, Activate, is your spot, opening later this year in Highcross. It’s described as ‘Live Action Gaming’ where your team of players will test their speed, agility, problem-solving and teamwork with the latest technology. Over in Evington is Claw Kingdom: the UK’s first ‘human claw machine’ where you are the claw! They’re now looking to expand into the city! Loads more arcade fun can be found inside too! And rounding out the active fun is Padelaire – Leicester’s first premium indoor Padel club, opening later this spring – and offering premium padel courts, pickleball and table tennis to the north of Leicester city centre.

RETAIL

Alongside Leicester’s fantastic range of independent shops, there are a bunch of new openings to highlight.

Henshin is a unique store focused on anime and Japanese culture with great geeky gifts available - you can find them on Silver Street.

Fashion lovers will want to head to Highcross’s new Office store for all your footwear needs. If you love a bit of denim, then Jeans and Jeans have opened a pop-up shop in the Highcross and there’s also a welcome return by Topshop who have launched a concession in John Lewis.

Luxury diamond company Austen & Blake have opened a new store in Highcross offering beautiful custom-made jewellery designs. Also in Highcross is Nomination, an Italian jewellery store which allows you to build your own bracelet link by link. Joining the Golden Mile on Belgrave Road is Kalyan Jewellers, a 112 year old family business from India with more than 300 showrooms across India, the Middle East and the USA.

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

Leicester is the perfect place for a spot of pampering with a range of new shops and boutiques.

Hair Nova Leicester is a Premium hair salon in St Martins Square who specialise in hair colour, extensions and styling. Over on Market Street Chloes Nail Art have taken on a large unit where they create stylish and glamorous nail looks. For a glow-up, PureSeoul have just launched their first K-Beauty store in Highcross with Korean inspired skincare, makeup and beauty brands.

Also recently opened in Highcross are large Bodycare and Superdrug stores, giving you the chance to shop for affordable toiletries and perfumes. And speaking of perfumes, Loris Parfum has opened a store on Loseby Lane in the Old Town with a range of original scents, aftershaves and perfumes.

Stabana Cultural Products is worth a mention as, after the retirement of the owners, they sadly closed after 30 years serving the African-Caribbean community with dedicated hair and beauty products. But, good news as a new owner has taken on the store on Charles Street!

GETTING IN AND AROUND LEICESTER

And don’t forget that Highcross Leicester offer all day parking for just £5, you just need to set up a subscription here. If you arrive after 5pm, then it’s just £2.50 for the evening.

Leicester is well served by buses on all main routes running into the city centre every 15 minutes, the free Hop bus running around the city centre and the Enderby Park & Ride service extended to run until 9pm, meaning you can stay for a meal once you’ve done with your shop.

Check out Choose How You Move for a range of travel options whether you’re walking, cycling, drinking or using public transport.

For more information on places to see, things to do and where to stay in Leicester and Leicestershire, visit www.visitleicester.info

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