Chaiiwala

You know you're onto something good when the queue at Chaiiwala stretches down Loughborough Road at half past eleven on a Tuesday night. This isn't your average Leicester café – it's the sort of place that gets packed with everyone from Belgrave families to university students craving something more substantial than a sad Greggs pasty after a night out. The menu reads like a love letter to Pakistani street food: flaky parathas stuffed with spiced potato, proper lamb karahi that'll have you questioning every other curry you've had, and chai that's actually worth the hype. The karak chai comes served in proper glasses, sweet and warming, whilst the chicken tikka roll is messy in all the right ways. At £8-12 for most mains, it's decent value for food this good, and the fact they're open until midnight most nights makes them practically essential Leicester knowledge.