All the places you need to eat at in Grantham

To an outsider, Grantham is a mess of closed down stores, charity shops and places which sell things you don’t need.

Yes, that’s an accurate description of the high street – but our culinary charms are a little more tucked away. It might look like the only place to buy food is a chain pub or a pizza place after 3am, but that means you’re not looking hard enough.

There are a growing number of foodies in the Midlands, and they bring a demand for better quality restaurants. Here are the places in Grantham who certainly deliver.

Piccola Venezia

The closest to sprawling canals and gondolas you could possibly get while sitting near the banks of the River Witham.

Piccola Venezia is about as traditional as it gets with old-school Italian chequered table cloths and olives while you wait. Yes it ticks all the boxes when it comes to the more conventional pizza and pasta dishes, but where they really shine is on their seafood menu – which is surprisingly extensive for a neighbourhood Italian. If you haven’t tried to mussels or the fresh langoustines, you should.

Gurkha Square

If you want a curry, those in the know will go to a Nepalese, not an Indian. Whether you get it at Gurkha Square or Everest, you can’t go wrong. Here they recommend the succulent Duck Chheula Puree and the spectacular Jomson: that’s a sizzling lamb flambéed in rum.

Their famous Chilli and Honey Chicken deserves an entire section of its own. Don’t miss out.

Chequers

People don’t always put Grantham (ok it’s in Woolsthorpe) and high cuisine together, but one step inside Chequers will put that straight to rest. They nail the basics like an excellent steak frites with garlic butter, but really hit the stride with their venison and fondant potato, not to mention their Chequers gourmet burger. The meat is good, but what takes it to another level is the generous layerings of stilton with beetroot and horseradish relish.

Try to make it down early for Seventh Heaven, where a selective seven dishes are priced at – you guessed it – £7.77.

Siam Garden

With a range of lunch deals and buffet options, this place is a dream if you want to grab a Pad Thai on a budget. The chicken and seafood dishes are good, but Siam Garden really shines with their range of vegetarian options. If you don’t eat meat, this place has the best choice in town. Find me somewhere else in Lincolnshire which serves tofu five ways.

Eden

They might not have served tapas in the Garden of Eden, but if they did it would taste like this. Admittedly no other tapas platter contains honey and mustard Lincolnshire sausages, but that can only work in their favour.

Eden is probably best known for their Champagne Fridays, though their on point dry aged steaks are worth a visit alone.

The Picture Cafe

A relative newcomer, The Picture Cafe is probably best described as the kind of place you’d usually find off Brick Lane or in Brixton, but instead found itself on Westgate.

We mean that in the best possible way. The rustic-meets-industrial decor is just the kind of facelift Grantham needs, with kitsch cream teas and milkshakes served in storage jars.

Go for brunch and pick up a jumbo baked ham, cranberry and stilton pancake or opt for their signature burger later in the day. They even let you select what cheese you want.

Harry’s Place

Once the smallest restaurant with a Michelin star, you wouldn’t expect to find this in Gonerby.

This place is exclusive, like Gordon Ramsey level exclusive. They don’t even have a website. That’s why Harry’s Place is on our doorstep, but hardly anyone has ever been.

We hear the Lincoln Red fillet steak is to die for, but the prices aren’t. Keep this one aside for Mother’s Day or engagement parties.

Mona Lisa Pizza

Best pizza place in Grantham. Hands down. Stringier cheese, crispier crust and more original toppings than you’ll find this side of The Channel. We’re talking California vegetable and spaghetti (yes spaghetti) on a pizza.

Just call Castlegate the new Little Italy thanks to Mona Lisa.

Cafe Leo

If someone like Deliciously Ella opened a restaurant in the midlands and took a slightly more relaxed outlook of life then this is what it would be. Lashings of homemade soup and homemade baguettes really hit the spot. Cafe Leo have been marking items on their menu as ‘vegan’ long before you read about it in the Daily Mail.

Bombay Brasserie

We could have picked one of the other takeaways in town, but if you want authentic Indian food or a boozy sit-down curry then Bombay Brasserie is the place to go. Order anything cooked in their clay tandoori oven and a large bottle of Cobra.