Merchant of Venice in Leicester

First time visiting, service needed a little work and my bowl was chipped but decided not to make a big deal as they already seemed rushed. I would visit again but would probably be more vocal about any issues.

Best of the best no more words to describe !! All amazing here, have a try guys cheers 🍻

Great food, which wasn't expensive. Great service, which I couldn't fault. Cosy & pleasant atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

Great food friendly staffwould definitely come back

We love this place. The food is amazing and the staff are so efficient and friendly. Cannot recommend it high enough. The atmosphere is great too.

Sonny was great! So helpful and made our experience amazing! Would definitely be back thanks to his service! thank you so much!

The restaurant was beautiful, I had such a great time on a Saturday night with friends. The wine is brilliant and the food is delicious. The staff makes you feel like home. Our waiter was Sonny. He made sure our evening goes smoothly and we have everything we need! Definitely will visit again!

Lots of waiting for an okay dinner. We had to wait over one hour for the starters to arrive, and the main dish took another 30 minutes. The place gets either too cold without the heaters or too hot with them. The food was fine, but the whole experience was not great overall, it is a shame as the waiters are friendly, but can't compensate for the rest.

Very friendly service, wonderful environment, 2 swings for seating.

I found this restaurant rather disappointing and I’m honestly surprised by the high ratings, because I and my family found the food very average. We got the olive starter and they were just regular jarred/canned olives, we were expecting something a bit more special such as Sicilian olives. We then got our mains, my brother enjoyed the lasagne but the rest of us found our pasta to be nothing special and rather similar to something we could get at home. The service was good and attentive though. There was a magician going around which I found a bit strange and out of place, but it wasn’t over the top so I could tolerate it. Overall this place isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t rush to come back and probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Great pasta as we are vegetarian they made us good Penna Arrabiatia and home made fries

Great ambience, lovely food and drinks

Lovely place. Only had breakfast but will definitely be coming back for lunch/evening meal.

Came here for breakfast, portion sizes were surprisingly small (look at the beans), bread was barely toasted, flat white was subpar. Bacon was tasty though so will give them that. Also why on earth would you give such a small receipt in a closed box like that, that was very odd. Wouldn't recommend for breakfast.

We just popped in for a drink. Quirky and likeable place. Give it a try and you will be impressed

Shrimp pasta, Cannelloni, Penne Arrabbiata, all delicious!

A nice little cosy restaurant in the heart of Leicester's St Martins. The ambience was great and the food was really good too. The interior decor was really well done with seating downstairs, upstairs and the converted outside back end. The staff were really friendly and provided a great service.

The Merchant of Venice in Leicester offers a dining experience that goes beyond just a meal. The decor of the restaurant is truly captivating, resembling an Italian art gallery, creating a charming and elegant ambiance. The staff's warm and welcoming nature adds to the overall positive experience, making guests feel right at home. Jay's thoughtful gesture of bringing out a slice of cake and singing to my daughter highlights the personalize and attentive service provided at the restaurant. While the food, like the paninis, might have been average, the overall atmosphere and hospitality make this restaurant a must-visit for those seeking a delightful dining experience.

I go here whenever I go to Leicester! The food is gorgeous, the atmosphere is great and the staff are always so attentive. Particular shoutout to Ria on our last visit for looking after us!

Great decor, and live music hidden gem in Leicester. One of our starters came out cold and the staff quickly arranged for a replacement. Highly recommend

Amazing food, beautiful decor, great service

Had the best meal last night with my 2 friends the best lasagne will definitely return thank you

Overall I want to say good things because the manager did try his best, but unfortunately, the things that let them down, we're the easy things they can fix... Basic customer service... The waitresses/waiters are all nice people, but they don't understand this industry and unfortunately, they lack basic training... We left disappointed. Food delays, fake promises and general lack of restaurant staff procedures left us feeling disappointed, plus after asking to pay the bill three times, we all left without paying the bill and saying thank you and good bye to all the staff, including the manager It's not my style so after leaving, we went back in and paid Offered some help to the manager, but he said he had 15 years of experience, so it's all good... Wishing them every success

always a lovely experience and very well trained and kind staff

We visited today at lunch time, thought we'd treat ourselves for my husband's birthday. It was great, the staff were so friendly & accommodating and the food was outstanding! I had penne pasta with chicken & mushroom & my husband had lasagne, both were good sized meals & so tasty! The desserts were amazing, we both had the pistachio cheesecake which was like nothing we've ever tasted, it was creamy & so full of flavour - we didn't want to finish it! We'll definitely be treating ourselves again soon! Thank you to all the staff who made our day that little bit extra special!

Excellent food. Brilliant service. Stunning decor

We koved our visit. It made us feel like we were on holiday!

Had a pleasant experience, great food

We've eaten Breakfast here before which was really nice so we decided to have lunch before the football, we really can't fault it. We both had pasta and arancini and then Cannoli dessert, don't miss out on that! The staff were absolutely fantatic and next time we're coming in the evening as we have a 30th anniversary coming up and we're sure the evenings will be just as good! Definitely worth a visit!

Excellent service,food and very friendly staff

Food was quite good, however we felt rushed during the whole experience from ordering to paying the bill. We had 3 starters to share and they started collecting our plates when we weren't finished with one of the dishes, we were asked if we were ready for our mains 3-4 times from different staff even though we had already responded... we kept having our meal and conversation 'interrupted' when again 3-4 different staff came to ask if everything was ok, and the same when we had finished our meals, we were asked if we were ready for the bill, this was probably an hour before the closing time. It would have been a better experience if the service was more organised and if they had a dedicated staff to manage a table...

If you are looking for an Italian restaurant, then this is it! You will not be disappointed! We booked a table at The Merchant of Venice for a wedding anniversary and was welcomed by Patricia and Hari. The service and the hospitality were amazing. This place has three floors, the ground, upper and cellar. We were allocated a lovely private setting area in the cellar. It was cosy and romantic. We had drinks with starters, mains, and desserts. The starters were all brilliant. Olives, bread, and salad. The garlic creamy mushrooms, which came with toasted bread, were amazing. The chicken and egg panini's were extremely tasty! The seafood marinara came piping hot with plenty of king prawns, mussels, and clams. The other main is the creamy garlic chicken pasta. When ordering the mains, we asked if the type of pasta could be changed to tagliatelle from penne, and this was swiftly adapted, without any quibble. The tiramasu had unfortunately run out and proved that it must be one of the best sellers. Hopefully, next time, we will try this. We had the pistachio cheesecake and lemon tart, both lovely. We have been to many Italian restaurants over the years all over the UK and the world. This has got to be one of the top up on the list, second to none in hospitality, and the food was authentic and amazingly tasty. Patricia was more than happy to accommodate and made it a memorable special occasion for us. I would like to send a special thank you to Patricia and Hari for making our day special and that you are both amazing souls. You definitely care about people, in which you serve and make us happy! We will definitely be coming back again soon.

I have visited this restaurant 3 times in the last 10 days. In my business pride myself in great customer care that we are renowned for, this restaurant is nothing more than outstanding. The food, the team, the environment and atmosphere were all on point. Thank you so much and see you soon.

What lovely staff and great food. Proper fresh food and great wine. Price is amazing for quality 👌 Thank you x

I ordered an iced caramel latte and an iced vanilla latte it was truly the best coffee I’ve ever had and Nish was just the sweetest she was so nice when she served us would go back again

If you are looking for a place with stylish design, good service and food, you should definitely try it. I have been here several times and every time I have been especially pleased with the attention of the team.

Visited for brunch after a nice experience at the granby st restaurant. The food here though was inedible. I ordered avocado and eggs on toast. What arrived was a small bit of avocado mixed with a horrible oil (they said olive oil but it must have been a very poor quality), sopping wet eggs that tasted soapy and a bitter salad on the side. It did not taste good and after one bite, actually made me have to run up to the bathrooms. There was a huge chunk of salt as well. Awful. I was offered some plain sliced avocado (because why mix oil with avocado?) but by the time it arrived I sent it back. I never send food back but this was truly disgusting. When the waitress collected the plates, I did say that it was not very nice and I couldn’t eat it. She just gave me a robotic smile and said ‘ok’ Also, absolutely nothing genuinely Italian about the place.

Amazing food, environment and service from the staff. Patricia helped in making my anniversary such a delight and my girlfriend loved every bit of it. Will definitely be back!

My favourite restaurant EVER. I am always coming back here and the food never fails to leave me satisfied. It’s literally heavenly. This place has got to have been established by God or something. The service is SO friendly and I’ve never been made uncomfortable or put out by the servers. The atmosphere is also really calming and the music is very relaxing.

Really cool place in the heart of Leicester. We were famished so we dashed from the Premiere Inn to the nearest open restaurant! Excellent Italian food I can see why they have won awards. Very polite staff. In the afternoon - not so busy but I expect it gets busy in the evening. Could do with some air-con!

The perfect Italian dining experience. From the minute you walk in you are welcomed by the great staff. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are in Venice. We booked in advance and were quite fortunate to get given the swing chair seats. However we did move to a normal table after starters as the table from the swing chair felt like a little stretch. The food was 10/10. Starters are little tapas dishes. And all the dishes we very authentic and with a twist of their own. Definitely recommended, and we will be going back soon.

went here for the first time and was really impressed ! the staff was super friendly and helpful, and the service was amazing ! food is delicious and came quite fast. would recommend to anyone !

Beautiful flavours, lovely atmosphere, very attentive staff. All were friendly and professional though we only got Sonny's name. And live music! Fantastic. Planning to have a family party here!

Beautiful dining area, really lovely beer garden area in the back. All of the staff were absolutely lovely, smiling and helpful! I ordered the lasagna (£13) and flower tea (£3), both were amazing! Pricing is very reasonable too, service fee isn’t included so you are free to tip as you wish. I dined alone and sat for a little while after I ate to write and read, they even encouraged me to stay longer and order dessert. I would definitely recommend going here :)

Went her today. Fantastic place to visit. Stunning inside. Great food and service. Jay (the waiter) was amazing. Thank you. Will be back soon to visit again

We called in here purely on the off chance before a night out in Leicester with friends. So glad we did, fantastic Italian with lovely decor and lighting to give it a cosey yet romantic feel. The food was superb and was matched by the service, certainly the best Italian ive been in since as long as i can remember and i love Italian. Next time were over Leicester ill be sure to pay another visit.

Arrived to be seated and did not get menus until table next to us walked out and we reached across for their menus. Eventually took order and drinks, would like to have them offered as seated. The music was melodic piano but then changed to cheap Pop. Brought down atmosphere. Food ordered Lasagna Alfrono. There was too much pepper and detected a spice which made traditional lasagna taste awful. We ordered garlic bread and was 6 slices (which equated to one slice of bread between two of us). I had actually asked for garlic bread with cheese but this wasn’t understood. It would be better to have more garlic bread and lose the sad salad! The tagliatelle, whilst tasting quite nice, was again too hot. Maybe chilli? Would be better without. Far too strong for a traditional bolognese.. I’d also prefer my pasta without a spider crawling on it. The theming is nice and place is clean. Just need to avoid strong flavours and cheap music. Took our plates and left us, missed opportunities and this place was not even bothered -waiting staff doing other jobs instead of serving few customers. Table next to us were sat and ignored for 10 minutes.

Another great visit to the Loseby Lane site - great service and food as usual, I tried lighter lunch options this time (we tried two different paninis) with coffee. It's definitely worth a visit, such a lovely vibe.

Just popped in for a coffee, very quirky place and lovely staff. Thank you.

Went for dinner here for the first time since it opened (we used to go to the one by the train station often). the food and drinks were perfect could not have asked for a better meal. the staff were lovely and we didn’t wait long for anything. it was live music tonight at the musician was wonderful. would recommend anyone looking for a good meal to come here. the portions are good and the quality is amazing.

Absolutely amazing food, excellent service and some lovely drinks, had a lovely evening here. 10/10 would recommend!

Every time I have visited this Merchant of Venice branch I have always received top-tier food and service. I visited again today for my work lunch and had my best experience so far, with lovely service by Jay. I also strongly recommend the tagliatelle salmon if you are craving heavenly pasta like I was!

I have been to Leicester twice in the past year. Each time I have dinner at The Merchant of Venice. Outstanding in every way. I am from the US, I have been all over the world, to include Italy and the Merchant of Venice is my favorite restaurant. Service, food, and atmosphere are wonderful. I will be back!

It is a very nice restaurant, its decoration is special, the food is delicious and the service is good, the desserts are fresh and very good.

Frist time at Merchant of Venice Leicester. It my Birthday and Anniversary. I could ask better place, To share are day. Staff were amazing very helpful. Will back again soon xxx

Cannot fault. Food is so fresh and delicious. The restaurant is so quirky. Fantastic choice of wines. Looking forward to going back.

Decent food but it seems like the waitresses aren’t that experienced which lets down the overall experience :(

Wonderful meal and atmosphere. Lovely staff too!

Very lovely restaurant good vibes, good food, busy and service was brilliant. Manisha was very polite and attentive to our table. Great experience! Will be going back

Booked a table but despite arriving on time we're shown to a cold garden room and told to wait. Manager discussed menu options and I pointed out I do like shells on seafood. Assured there would be no shell apart from the mussels. Dish arrived with clams on shells, prawns with shell tails. Changed the meal for a salmon pasta dish but I couldn't find the salmon. Very disappointed. Cannelloni was poor, very small portion. Not returning.

Sonny and Deena were very helpful as were all the staff. Lovely unique restaurant great food.We will be back! Thankyou

Great food, great staff, great venue

All I had here was a vanilla latte and a slice of red velvet cake. Both the cake and the coffee were too sweet for me. But the ambience is nice and I like the swing style seating. My friend recommended his pasta and will try it next time.

This place is stunning! Beautiful little side street place to eat. We had breakfast and coffee. I would not be able to do any justice by even beginning to describe the beautiful decor. Has to be experienced first hand. Food was delicious, service polite and delightful. Will be visiting again for pasta next time! 😋

Had the pleasure of visiting this Merchant of Venice, the place was so clean, had nice atmosphere from the chilled music, and cocktails were great, especially Bella Ciao! Also a honourable mention to the choice of vegan cakes (3x). Also thank you to Jay for outstanding service

Spent a lovely evening here, more due to the quality of the service, the coziness and buzz of the place and its live music. That said, food was good - just not outstanding

Best cocktails in Leicester with awesome staff and amazing decor too.

Good pasta and wine. Do not sit on the swing seats by the window, they are inappropriate for dining and the table is inadequate. Staff should ask before seating you here

Amazing food and fab service, definitely recommend

Had a birthday coffee and cheesecake here today. I'd seen another M of V nr the train station but this one is in St. Martins and it's lovely. Will definitely return with our husbands.

I had halloumi fries and the arrabiata.Both were excellent!Lovely meal.Good sized portions,and very well presented.

Really good experience despite a little issue which was taken care of. The food is tasty and the service is impeccable. The restaurant has a lovely vibe and we were seated straight away. Look forward to going back.

Friend booked a table for 7pm. We arrived 10mins early so fair enough had to wait a bit before being sent to the 'garden room' which was absolutely freezing. We were asked to have a drink there whilst our table was being vacated by other customers paying up. As compensation we were offered some olives.. about 2 each. 745pm is the time we actually sat at the table and were able to order for our starters. We were told other diners are happy to eat their meal in the garden room but actually there were only a couple who were drunk already who we actually saw staying there and with no meal served. Food was tasty in a beautiful decor but for the painful service and lack of empathy, go somewhere else to have a better night. Or risk going feeling you've sat in a freezer being half ignored whilst you're paying for your time and paying by your hard own cash!!!

I always have such a wonderful time here. The hospitality of the staff is amazing. They always ensure to make us feel special. The service is lovely and the food, oh the food. It’s my favourite restaurant in Leicester. I always end up ordering prawns starter and sea bass as main (bit of the seafood fanatic). I had chicken with wild mushrooms today and it was incredible. I frequent this all the time and will keep coming back!! 🥰🫶

We all were very disappointed I am from an italian background and the pasta dishes were poor. Tasteless will not visit again and also would not recommend.

Excellent food & service from Gopika 👌🏾

Linguine tasted nice and the Marinara sauce was tasty but i wasn't too impressed with some of the seafood. The Mushrooms in the funghi alla aglio could do with being cut bigger, it's too tiny pieces of mushroom. otherwise it was a tasteful meal.

Second visit, food still quality, Excellent place to eat,drink

We had good experience despite many people creating chaos. Manager jay was very good and accommodating. There were many drunk people coming into the restaurant thinking that's a pub, but he handled everything very well.

Another lovely meal ,Jay and his team worked hard to ensure we had a great night. A little late getting our table but Jay couldn't have been more helpful and made sure all the drinks and food arrived as swiftly as possible and Al together. We will return

Booked a last minute birthday meal for a friend, four of us went. We were taken downstairs into the cellar and given a table, but we’d spotted the lovely round table for four in the corner and asked if we could have that instead, a quick check by our lovely waitress and we were given what we wanted. Great meal, lovely wine, brilliant service by Manisha who was very friendly and attentive. Only a minor criticism, the weird electronic music that suddenly piped up, didn’t really fit the ambiance of this great little restaurant

Such a cute place to escape the cold and have a drink. Whether it’s wine, cocktails, or coffee this MOV is it! Very nice for a date night or brunch as well.

Absolutely love this place. Finally found somewhere that’s welcoming, friendly, great staff especially Jay the manager and serves good quality food at affordable prices. I’ve been there twice this week and would highly recommend The Merchant of Venice also do 2 for 1 on cocktails at certain times of the day.

Good atmosphere and fantastic authentic food

I had lunch and a coffee with a friend. Its really cosy and warm inside. Service was good and the staff were friendly.

Very nice to visit for breakfast. Food is very good and the coffee is great. Deserts look stunning - but not for breakfast!! Recommended.

The food was divine with a warm atmosphere to match- the ambience was incredible with live music, delicious food and management/staff work above and beyond to make your evening perfect. Will definitely be returning!!

Such a lovely place to come dine. The staff are super friendly and helpful and the aesthetics are amazing!

Amazing place. Very chilled out and there was so much to look at, I noticed something new every time I looked round. The food and prices were amazing, I had a lovely time. Only one thing I’d change is the music. It didn’t fit the chilled out vibes and was too “poppy”, for a place like this you need something slower and quieter, maybe try playing a bit of Moby, The Verve, Portishead, Morcheeba or Massive Attack.

Amazing restaurant, welcoming staff and good food

Really friendly staff, comfortable swings, nice coffee.

Food cold, starter look for the chicken, main course stone cold hardly anything on the plate and pudding sickly

Don't taste like Italian food won't be buying again

Its a very nice and good food quality and tasty and best service provider all staff is very good 😊

Best Cafe in Leicester. If you ever are in the mood to take your partner on a nice romantic dinner, or have a business meeting or just a solo experience this is for you. The staff are very friendly, the manager is intuitive, the food is amazing. Honestly I have been here multiple times and they never fail to amaze me. This is my go to restaurant.

The Merchant of Venice is a quaint place. The interior design is warm and charming with some swing seats The menu ranges from sandwiches to pasta. The food is good and they have some good Sicilian beer. Service is pleasant. Prices are reasonable.

Good value takeaway cofee, much better than Pumpkin & Lightbite

Do NOT eat here. Service is so bad, waiting over 30 mins each time to order drinks or food, the restaurant wasn't even busy. We loaded 2 of the sharing starters between us, all the portions were a complete let down. We had what felt like a complete jar of olives per starter, a couple of pieces of Italian bread, and a quarter of a artichoke We complained and they brought us out a small side plate with a piece of Italian bread and 2 more quarters of artichoke. Our main meals were better, but the restaurant only seems to have the smallest jar of parmesan, which the waiters came trying to take back off us before we had even managed to put any on our meals. Puddings - Do NOT order the red velvet, the sponge wasn't cooked through. The Cannoli had no flavour. The Tiramisu was the only nice pudding We will not be returning and will be passing on the word of the bad experience to all

Perfect location in the centre of town. Beautiful interior and ambience. Small and cozy feel

WOW! This restaurant is amazing, the food was stunning, the staff could not do enough for us and the decor is beautiful. Took my friend for a birthday treat and the table of two became a table of five... No problem at all, they went above and beyond. I highly recommend this beautiful place. Thank you x