Best Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in Leicester (2026 Guide)

Leicester has earned a reputation as one of the UK's most exciting food destinations, and its vegetarian dining scene is a big part of that. With one of the largest South Asian communities in the country, the city has a longer, deeper relationship with vegetarian cooking than most places in the UK – it's not a niche category here, it's a mainstream way of eating. This guide covers what actually makes a vegetarian restaurant worth visiting, and where Herb fits into that picture in 2026.

What makes a great vegetarian restaurant in Leicester?

Not every "vegetarian-friendly" restaurant is built the same way. Some simply remove meat from a few dishes on an otherwise meat-focused menu; others are vegetarian by design from the ground up, with a menu built around vegetables, lentils and grains rather than substitutes standing in for meat. A few things tend to separate the two:

• A menu designed to be vegetarian, not adapted to be – dishes that were never built around meat in the first place tend to taste more complete.
• Ingredient quality – fresh vegetables, herbs and spices rather than pre-made bases or heavy use of paneer as a catch-all substitute.
• A clear culinary identity – a kitchen that knows exactly which tradition it's cooking, rather than a general "Indian vegetarian" menu trying to cover every region at once.
• Genuine variety – enough range that vegetarian or vegan diners aren't choosing between the same two or three "safe" dishes every visit.

Herb's 100% plant-based Kerala menu

Herb Restaurant, on Granby Street in Leicester city centre, is entirely vegetarian, and the majority of the menu is vegan or can be made vegan on request. Rather than a general Indian vegetarian menu, the kitchen focuses specifically on Kerala's culinary tradition – coconut oil instead of ghee, curry leaves and mustard seed tempered into almost every dish, and rice and lentils as the everyday staple rather than wheat and dairy. That gives the menu a coherent identity: every dish reflects the same regional cooking style, rather than a scattershot "something for everyone" approach.

Top dishes to try

• Kerala thali – a full plate of rice with several smaller dishes served alongside it, the best way to try a range of flavours in one sitting. See our guide to what a thali actually is.
• Dosa – a crisp, fermented rice-and-lentil crepe, naturally vegan and gluten-free. Our dosa guide covers the different varieties.
• Coconut-based curries like avial – dairy-free by tradition rather than by substitution, and one of the clearest examples of how Kerala cooking differs from richer, cream-based Indian menus.

Vegan-friendly features and allergen info

Because so much of Kerala cooking is naturally dairy-free, ordering vegan at Herb doesn't mean hunting for the one modified dish – a large part of the board already qualifies. A few practical points:

• Curries built on coconut milk rather than cream or yoghurt are usually vegan as standard.
• Dosa and idli batter is rice and lentil based, with no dairy or egg.
• Nuts and sesame appear in a small number of dishes – let your server know about any allergy when you order, and the kitchen will point you to safe options.
• If you're avoiding both gluten and dairy, rice-based dishes and dosa are the most reliable starting points – see our gluten-free dining guide for more detail.

Good for more than a quick meal

The menu works as well for a solo weekday lunch as it does for a family dinner or a larger celebration – see our guide to private dining and group bookings if you're planning something bigger. Because there's no meat on the menu at all, it also tends to simplify group bookings where dietary needs vary across the table.

Visit Herb in Leicester

Herb is at 96 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 1DJ, a few minutes' walk from Leicester railway station, open daily from 12:00 PM. See the full details on our Leicester restaurant page, including opening hours and how to book a table.