7 of the Nicest Restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent for a Student Budget Treat
The Potteries is an interesting and welcoming part of the country. If you are a student at either Staffordshire University or Keele University and live in Stoke or Newcastle-under-Lyme, you’ll know all about how friendly the locals are and what a pleasant part of the country it is to live in. One of our favourite things to do is to have a positive impact on our students is to show them some of the best places to eat in different student cities.
This guide takes a look at 7 of the nicest restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent, those places where you can get a good feed on a student budget. We all deserve a treat from time to time; you work hard and deserve it. Let’s break it down and see where you’ll get your next feed from when visiting restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent.
Rabbit Hole Tea Room
9 Glebe Street. St4 1HP
Rabbit Hole Tea Room Instagram
A good way to get yourself into the community feel of a town is to seek out the tea rooms, especially in the Potteries, where there is a history of quaint tea rooms and exquisite china for tea. Rabbit Hole Tea Room is a discovery that transports you into the world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Outside, it looks like a normal shopfront, but inside is truly magical and full of whimsical décor.
The everyday sandwiches are delightful and cost under £7, but if you are feeling fancy and want to treat yourself to afternoon tea, you can get that for £26.95 with three tiers of finger sandwiches, loose leaf tea, and the best cakes going.
La Bella Napoli
46/48 Piccadilly. ST1 1EG
An institution! Since 1988, this family-owned Italian has been serving up classic dishes to loyal customers in the area. It’s moved recently to a larger venue, but has maintained the high standards, by the same Italian family that founded it.
This is the perfect pre-theatre dinner date place if you’re heading to something at The Regent Theatre just over the road. Whether you’re looking for wood-fired pizza, sumptuous pasta, or a little sweet treat, tiramisu at the end of the night, you’ll be transported to Italy and made to feel like part of the family (they remember faces and orders for regular customers, which is always a nice touch!).
Gandhi Indian Restaurant
Hunter Public House, Saverley Green Road. ST11 9QX
Gandhi Indian Restaurant website
What’s not to like about the vibe of a good old fashioned pub combined with an Indian restaurant? What makes a place remarkable is the staff, and before we get into the food, the staff are attentive and friendly, and really know how to look after you. The dishes are exceptional, with a range of classic curries all washed down with a pint of the pub’s finest.
What brings it to this list, however, is the midweek deal. For just £14.95, you can get four courses!
The Slamwich Club
63 Piccadilly. ST1 1HR
This has the potential to be the discovery you’ll love more than any other out of all the different restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent! The Slamwich Club is an independent sandwich joint that has taken an everyday location and transcended to new heights of culinary excellence. Who doesn’t love a fully-packed, juicy sandwich? Thick slices of bread, the thickest cuts of meat, oozing cheddar cheese, and homemade slaw to beat all others.
You’ll find some truly mad sandwich creations here, including the BeeGee halloumi sandwich, and the Porkie Pig overflowing with slow cooked beef brisket and other meats. It’s a casual spot that’s got the buzz of Neon Lights overhead and the funk, soul, and indie classics spinning, for a proper chill out restaurant.
Namaste Dine
61-63 Market Street. ST3 1BW
If you’re looking for simplicity and modern Indian cuisine, look no further than Namaste Dine. The food is widely regarded as some of the best in the Stoke area, and the menu encompasses not just the Indian curries that you know and love but also other Asian-inspired menu items that combine Chinese and Nepalese recipes along with South Asian classics. The curries start at just £12.95, so you can get a big feed for a good price.
Toby Carvery
National Festival Park. ST1 5PA
Toby Carvery Festival Park Instagram
The home of the roast!
Now, hear us out on this one, because you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a Toby on a list of the best restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent, but we believe it merits its inclusion. For just £10.99 (go for a King Size plate for just a couple of quid more) from Monday-Friday, you can pile your plate high with as much meat, veg, and gravy as you like at this all-you-can-eat carvery buffet. There’s no FOMO that you’ve ordered the wrong thing when you go to a carvery with your mates, just go back up and add some more to your dish!
Capello Lounge
58 Ironmarket, ST5 1PE
The Cappello lounge is part of the wider ‘Lounges’ group that has seen some mad growth in recent years and can be found in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It’s a cosy, warmly lit pub, with a varied and eclectic décor that really makes it an Insta-worthy visit.
The long wooden bar and colourful stools are inviting, the sofas are comfy, and the vintage-style passes the vibe check of a lounge that you’ll want to visit again and again with your crowd. If you want to pop in for brunch, lunch, or some cocktails in the evening, the lounges are perfect.
It is even a welcoming place to students who want to bring along a laptop during the day and work for an hour or two with a coffee and a slice of cake. The menu is pretty vast, with great gluten-free, veggie, and vegan options, smoothies and mocktails alongside alcoholic drinks in the evenings.
Another thing that ticks the box for Cappello Lounge is that if you want that familiar feeling and you already know and like a ‘Lounge’ in a different town or city, you’ll know what to expect here.
Last Bite
We hope that this guide to some of the nicest restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent has helped you to find some new places to explore. We like to have a positive impact on our students across the country, offering guides for restaurants in Leeds, Sheffield, and many other cities.
You’ve got the potential to try out a few different places with your crowd, your visiting family, or even alone. The range of independent and chain restaurants in Stoke-on-Trent helps you to find a new community to belong to, and in such a friendly town, it’s no wonder many student stay beyond their university studies to make a life in the Potteries.
