One of Leicester’s most popular Indian restaurants is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 – and I can totally see why it is so loved by those who visit, including a certain Jamie Oliver featured it in previous TV series of his.
Indian cuisine is not something I am particularly familiar with, particularly because I only ever order a chicken tikka masala with pilau rice, a garlic naan and a poppadom.
When I arrived at Paddy’s Marten Inn for dinner, I told myself that this would be the evening where I finally experience something beyond that.
And wow – it did in fact deliver in every possible way.
Located in Martin Street, in the Belgrave area of the city, I walked through the doors into the traditional pub setting which is beautifully decorated with a Bollywood theme.
Paddy’s Marten Inn is located just outside of the city centre, in Martin Street.(Image: Leicester Mercury)
I sat down with my Grandad, who has been a big fan of Indian food for many years. He ordered a pint of Carling to drink, and I went for a Coke Zero.
Owner Raj Mashru, who took on the restaurant after his parents Pradip and Amita retired, brought us out two poppadoms, priced at £1.10 each.
The poppadoms are served with Indian mint sauce, mango chutney, red chilli sauce, mint yogurt dip and onion salad.
I hadn’t tried the Indian mint sauce previously, but had tried the other dips in the past with mango chutney being my favourite – and still remaining so.
The sauces were all very tasty, and the poppadoms were fresh and crunchy.
A poppadom, which was served with Indian mint sauce, mango chutney, red chilli sauce, mint yogurt dip and onion salad.(Image: Leicester Mercury)
Raj then asked us what we would like to eat, and my Grandad and I decided to let him surprise us.
Given the wide choice on the menu and having not tried a lot of what was on offer before, I thought it would be a great way to try some new flavours.
We had sizzling chicken tikka chunks, at £9.95 for a small portion, vegetable samosas which are £3.95 on the menu for three, and chilli paneer at £8.95 for a small.
Raj also ordered salt ‘n’ pepper fish, at £13.95 for a small portion, which he said is one of Paddy’s Marten Inn’s most popular dishes.
Salt ‘n’ pepper fish – one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes.(Image: Leicester Mercury)
Curious to see why the fish was so popular, I tried some of that first.
The flavour was absolutely incredible. It was a mixture of gentle spices with juicy lemon, and the fish itself was soft and encased in a crispy batter.
Next, I tried the chilli paneer which I expected to be too spicy for my taste but I was very wrong about that!
It has a slight kick, with the focus on the tangy flavours delivered by the sauce which were balanced by the creamy chunks of cheese.
The texture of the cheese pleasantly reminded me a lot like halloumi.
I had a couple of chicken tikka chunks which were generously marinated and tender, providing that melt-in-the-mouth sensation.
Sizzling chicken tikka chunks (right), vegetable samosas and chilli paneer.(Image: Leicester Mercury)
To round off the starters, I had a vegetable samosa which I almost didn’t try as I have had them in the past and never really liked them.
I am so glad that I gave them another chance as I really enjoyed them; they were piping hot and had the most delicious crunch.
My Grandad and I said to each other that we were beginning to get full at this point, and that’s when Raj gave us a real surprise and asked what we wanted for our main dish!
We both looked at each other and chuckled, admitting that we thought this was the main part, which Raj found quite amusing.
As a massive foodie, I’ll always try my best to find room to eat a bit more, and so we asked for a curry with chicken – but not tikka masala of course!
We were served a large portion of chicken kashmiri masala at £19.95, which comes with rice and naan bread.
I asked for the mushroom rice and a garlic naan, which is changed at an extra £1 each – taking this dish to £21.95.
Raj also brought us chicken makhani (also known as butter chicken) at £15.95, and my Grandad asked for saag aloo.
This dish isn’t actually on their menu, and so I can only assume that the price would be around £6.95 due to the jeera aloo being of that cost.
I was very impressed actually that they were able to accommodate that request.
One thing I must say about Raj and his team is that they really did go above and beyond for you – and I even witnessed that with every customer that walked through the door that evening.
Each person and group who arrived would receive a warm welcome and big smiles, which I feel goes such a long way when you go out to eat.
I tried some of the kashmiri masala first which was served in a thick, rich, tomato-based sauce.
This dish, which felt quite mild in spice, was bursting with bold, aromatic flavours – far more exciting than my usual tikka masala order.
The mushroom rice was soft, with a zest that complimented the mushrooms excellently – my Grandad hadn’t tried this before too and said to me halfway through our meal how nice it was!
I then went in with the makhani which was rich and creamy, with the sauce acting as the perfect dip for the garlic naan.
Finally, I tried some saag aloo which is something I have never fancied.
Saag aloo (front) and butter chicken.(Image: Leicester Mercury)
That will now be a regular dish for me when I next eat at an Indian restaurant. It paired so well with the curries and rice.
My Grandad and I proudly cleared our plates despite being unbelievably full; we just couldn’t bear to leave anything behind!
Raj did ask us if we wanted dessert but we both had to unfortunately politely decline given the feast we had just enjoyed.
The total of our food would have come to £83.85 but Raj however very kindly told us that we could have this for free.
I was completely shocked by his generosity, especially given how many different dishes he allowed us to try.
After this meal, I also came away with a newfound excitement for when it comes to Indian cuisine – there wasn’t a single dish that I tried that I didn’t love.
There’s a reason Paddy’s Marten Inn is so well loved and has even come to the attention of the Naked Chef himself, Jamie Oliver in his 2011 series ‘Jamie’s Great Britain’.
It’s more than just the food, it’s the atmosphere of the restaurant too which makes it really stand out.
I truly can’t wait to return and to visit with my mum and also my partner who loves Indian food to see what they think!
Our rating: 5/5
