Restaurant in Anstey, United Kingdom
Neapolitan cooking that earns the drive.
Sapori is the clearest answer for Michelin-recognised Italian dining near Leicester. The Neapolitan family kitchen holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, delivers a menu that moves well beyond standard Italian territory, and backs it with service warm enough to make a celebration feel personal. At £££ per head, it is solid value for the quality on the plate.
Yes — if you want a genuinely accomplished Italian restaurant within reach of Leicester, Sapori is the clearest answer. The Scarpati family's Neapolitan kitchen holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025), delivers a menu that reaches well beyond the Italian-restaurant comfort zone, and wraps the whole experience in service warm enough to make a celebration feel effortless. For a special occasion dinner in north Leicester, there is nothing comparable at this level.
Sapori occupies a substantial Victorian redbrick building on Stadon Road in Anstey, a suburb north of Leicester — not a location that shouts destination dining. Step inside and the contrast is immediate. A full refurbishment in 2020 gave the interior a sleek, modern feel with a glitzy edge: think clean lines, considered lighting, and an open kitchen pass that puts the chefs on display. This is not a cosy neighbourhood trattoria. It has the energy of a room that takes itself seriously without losing warmth.
The family behind it hail from Torre del Greco in Naples. That Neapolitan identity runs through the menu in specific, traceable ways: the structure of antipasti leading to handmade pasta, the confidence with pork and seafood, the instinct for flavour combinations that feel borrowed from a home kitchen rather than a recipe manual. But the cooking also reaches for more considered territory. A starter of pesto burrata sits alongside grilled octopus with artichoke and fennel; pasta courses include agnolotti filled with Genovese beef ragù, pea purée, carrot and pickled onions. Main courses bring a 'four ways pork' with parsnip purée and sherry jus, and roast monkfish with buttermilk and sourdough sauce. Desserts follow with camomile-whipped panna cotta and strawberry tartlet. This is not a menu that coasts on familiarity.
The open kitchen pass is one of Sapori's more useful features, and not just as a design gesture. Sitting within sightline of the kitchen changes how the meal reads: you can watch the pacing, read the energy of the service, and feel the intentionality behind dishes that might otherwise just arrive at the table. For a solo diner or a couple wanting something more engaged than a standard table-for-two experience, requesting a position near the pass is worth doing. The kitchen here is clearly operating with care, and seeing that work reinforces confidence in what you're spending. At £££ per head, that transparency matters.
PizzaBar area operates as a distinct zone, serving a separate pizza menu all week (the main restaurant also serves pizza Tuesday to Thursday). This gives Sapori a practical dual identity: a more casual bar-side for mid-week pizza, and a proper restaurant for when the occasion calls for it. If you are planning a celebration or a date, book the restaurant rather than defaulting to the PizzaBar , the cooking and the atmosphere are more fully realised in the main room.
Michelin Plate is a recognition of consistent quality, not just ambition. Two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) tells you the standard is held, not occasional. The service, described across verified sources as sweet and endearing, carries the kind of family-run warmth that makes a birthday or anniversary dinner feel personal rather than transactional. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 from 559 reviews, which at that volume suggests reliability rather than a lucky run of good nights. For Leicester-area diners, Sapori punches considerably above the suburb it sits in.
Italian-oriented wine list includes tasting notes throughout, which is a small but telling detail: it suggests a room that wants guests to engage with what they're drinking, not just order by process of elimination. For a special occasion pairing, this is more useful than a list that leaves you guessing. For broader context on serious Italian dining elsewhere in the world, see 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong or cenci in Kyoto.
Booking difficulty is moderate. With two Michelin Plates and strong Google ratings behind it, weekend tables fill quickly. Book at least two to three weeks ahead for Friday or Saturday evenings. Mid-week slots are more accessible, and Tuesday to Thursday also gives you the option of the pizza menu in the restaurant if you want a lighter spend. The address is 40 Stadon Road, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7AY , driving is the practical choice from central Leicester; street parking is available in the area.
| Venue | Price Range | Booking Lead Time | Cuisine | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sapori, Anstey | £££ | 2–3 weeks (weekends) | Italian (Neapolitan) | Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 |
| Opheem, Birmingham | ££££ | 3–4 weeks | Modern Indian | Michelin Star |
| Midsummer House, Cambridge | ££££ | 4–6 weeks | Modern European | 2 Michelin Stars |
| Moor Hall, Aughton | ££££ | 6–8 weeks | Modern British | 2 Michelin Stars |
For more on eating and drinking in the area, see our full Anstey restaurants guide, our full Anstey bars guide, and our full Anstey hotels guide. If you are exploring the wider region, our Anstey wineries guide and experiences guide are also worth checking.
Sapori sits at £££, which positions it meaningfully below the ££££ tier occupied by the most decorated names in British dining , CORE by Clare Smyth, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, or L'Enclume in Cartmel. Those are longer-destination decisions with tasting-menu formats and substantially higher per-head costs. Sapori is a different proposition: Michelin-recognised quality at a price point that allows a full dinner with wine without requiring a significant occasion budget. If you are comparing it to Moor Hall or Gidleigh Park, the answer is simple , Sapori costs less and is substantially more accessible to book, though those venues operate at a different award tier entirely.
Within Italian dining specifically, the comparison is more about register than geography. Sapori's Neapolitan-rooted menu, family service, and open kitchen energy make it feel more intimate and personal than a city-centre Italian at the same price tier. If you are driving from Leicester for a special occasion dinner and want cooking that has earned independent recognition, Sapori is the practical choice. hide and fox in Saltwood or Hand and Flowers in Marlow offer a comparable profile of family-run ambition with award recognition, but both require considerably more travel from the East Midlands.
Smart casual is the sensible call. The interior is sleek and modern after its 2020 refurbishment, and the two Michelin Plate recognitions signal that this is a room that takes dinner seriously. You will not be turned away in jeans, but the atmosphere fits better with a step up from everyday casual , especially on weekends or for a celebration booking at £££ per head.
Yes, particularly if you request a seat near the open kitchen pass. The pass gives a solo diner something to engage with beyond the table, and the service is warm enough to make solo eating feel comfortable rather than awkward. The PizzaBar area is also an option for a more relaxed mid-week solo visit at a lower spend.
Two to three weeks for weekend evenings is the safe window given the Michelin Plate status and a 4.5 Google rating across 559 reviews. Mid-week tables are easier to secure. If your date is fixed, book as soon as you know , the restaurant's reputation in the Leicester area means weekend demand is genuine.
It is one of the stronger options in the area for exactly this purpose. The Michelin Plate (held in both 2024 and 2025), the family-run service warmth, the considered menu, and the open kitchen atmosphere combine in a way that makes a celebration feel deliberate rather than generic. At £££ per head it also avoids the anxiety of a full ££££ spend, which means the evening can feel generous without requiring justification.
For Italian at a comparable level, the honest answer is that Sapori has no direct local competitor , its Michelin Plate sets it apart from neighbourhood Italians in the Leicester area. If you want to travel further for a step up in award tier, Opheem in Birmingham offers Michelin Star cooking (different cuisine, higher price) within an hour's drive. See our full Anstey restaurants guide for other options in the immediate area.
At £££, yes. Two Michelin Plates, a menu that goes well beyond standard Italian-restaurant territory, and 4.5 stars across 559 Google reviews point to a kitchen and room that consistently justify the spend. The pricing sits below the ££££ tier of destination-dining restaurants like Restaurant Andrew Fairlie or The Fat Duck, making Sapori the better value call for a Midlands special occasion dinner.
The database record does not confirm a formal tasting menu format at Sapori. The menu structure described runs from antipasti through pasta to mains and desserts in a traditional à la carte Italian progression. If a tasting menu is specifically what you want, it would be worth confirming directly with the restaurant before booking , the Neapolitan structure of the current menu is strong on its own terms without requiring a set format.
Sapori has a dedicated PizzaBar area that operates separately from the main restaurant, serving pizza all week. The main restaurant also serves the pizza menu Tuesday to Thursday. If you want the full kitchen menu , including the pasta and main courses that earned the Michelin Plate , book the main restaurant rather than defaulting to the PizzaBar. The bar-side is a practical option for a more casual mid-week visit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapori | Italian | £££ | Moderate |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Unknown |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Unknown |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Unknown |
How Sapori stacks up against the competition.
The interior was refurbished in 2020 and has a sleek, modern feel with a glitzy edge — not a casual neighbourhood trattoria. Dress neatly: smart clothing fits the room. You won't feel out of place in a blazer, but a suit is unnecessary for a £££ suburban Leicester setting.
The open kitchen pass makes solo dining genuinely worthwhile here — you have something to watch and the service is described as sweet and attentive, which helps when dining alone. Sitting at or near the pass is the obvious call. The PizzaBar area could also work for a lower-pressure solo visit earlier in the week.
Book two to three weeks ahead for weekend tables. A Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, combined with strong local support, means Friday and Saturday evenings fill quickly. Midweek availability is easier, and Tuesday to Thursday also gives you access to the pizza menu in the main restaurant.
Yes — it's the clearest answer for a special occasion within reach of Leicester. Two consecutive Michelin Plates signal consistent kitchen standards, the 2020 refurb gives the room real presence, and a menu running from grilled octopus to camomile-whipped panna cotta has the range a celebration dinner needs. It punches above its £££ price point for the occasion.
Anstey itself has limited direct competition at this level, which is partly why Sapori draws from across Leicester. For Italian dining in the wider East Midlands, options at a comparable standard are sparse — Sapori's Michelin recognition makes it the reference point for the region rather than one option among several.
At £££, yes — particularly given the Michelin Plate recognition for two consecutive years and the Neapolitan family credentials behind the kitchen. The menu moves through antipasti, fresh pasta, and considered mains at a price that sits well below the ££££ tier occupied by London destination restaurants. For Leicester, this is strong value at the top end.
The venue data references a structured menu running through antipasti, pasta, mains, and desserts in a traditional Italian sequence, but does not confirm a fixed tasting menu format. The à la carte progression is clearly the core offering. If a set tasting format matters to you, confirm directly with the restaurant before booking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
