Preston has a variety of around 250 restaurants to choose from, ranging from British, Chinese, Mexican and more.  Here is a brief overview of the cuisine you can find in the one of the UK’s newest cities.

Italian

The city has a very impressive selection of Italian restaurants.  If you’re looking for somewhere in the city centre, try Tino’s; a family run restaurant which is renowned for its reasonably priced, traditionally cooked food.  It’s the perfect restaurant to visit in the heart of Preston, especially if you need catering for a large party.  Find out more on the Tino’s website.

For somewhere outside of the city centre, which has always been recommended, try The Italian Orchard.  Established in 1985, this restaurant offers something for everyone and most of their ingredients are sourced directly from Italy.  It has a very high and successful reputation for offering their signature and traditional dishes, and being one of the top restaurants in Preston.  Find out more on The Italian Orchard website.

Chinese

Situated in the city centre, Buffet @ Preston is a restaurant where you can eat as much as you like for a fixed price.  There are a very wide variety of dishes including hot appetisers, main courses, vegetarian dishes and also salads and desserts.  It is one of the only places in Preston that offers this type of dining and is excellent value for money, as well as being very popular with students at the University of Central Lancashire. Find out more on the Buffet@Preston website.

Also situated in the city centre is the very large and authentic Great Times Chinese Restaurant.  The service is said to be brilliant and the food on the traditional menu is said to be made fresh, and be very good value for money.  Find out more by calling 01772 250173.

Indian

EastZEast is a place that has set a new standard for Indian restaurants and is said to be the new home of Punjabi cooking in Preston.  As you enter, you are greeted by a man wearing traditional dress and the restaurant itself has a modern design with stylish fittings.  The service is very efficient and the food is exquisite.  Find out more on the EastZEast website.

British

No one can argue that you can’t beat a lovely pub lunch, and Preston has many enjoyable places on offer.  Having recently re-opened in March 2011, The Sparling has an entire new look and an entire new menu.  It’s new contemporary look has already got people talking, and even though the menu has been updated, it still includes all the classic favourites.  Find out more on The Sparling website.

Another place renowned for its brilliant British food is The Smiths Arms.  Standing alone on a country road, surrounded by fields and a great beer garden, makes it perfect for throughout the year.  For great value for money and excellent service, this is the place to go. Find out more by calling 01772 760 555.

Useful links

Here’s some useful websites if you’re planning to eat out in and around Preston:

North’n Exposure | We covered them on Blog Preston when they started, it’s a website which aims to review loads of restaurants, pubs and more places to eat in Lancashire (hard life eh?). Worth a read if you want honest reviews about where to eat.

Sugarvine | A directory site but very comprehensive, gives you a good range of the restaurants available to eat at.

Visit Preston | The official tourist guide to the city gives a good flavour of what’s on offer and has nice little profiles of some of the city’s best places to eat.

Shout Preston | A good place to find restaurant vouchers in their Taste Preston section, just click through and see if any local places are offering 2-4-1s and other great deals. A meal out is good, a meal out with an offer attached is even better.

Visit Lancashire | Looking beyond the city limits, Visit Lancashire has a great guide to the food and drink in the county. And if there’s one thing for sure it’s that Lancashire is home to some of the finest produce in the land. Yum!

Paul Heathcote Twitter | He is Mr Food in Preston. He’s an MBE as well for his services to food in this country. Knows his stuff when it comes to fine dining and running restaurants, well worth a follow if you’re on Twitter to find out more about his insight into business, food and Preston.

Lancashire Evening Post Lifestyle | The Lancashire Evening Post often covers restaurant openings and more in the Lifestyle section.

Lancashire’s Top Pubs | Blog by an Evening Post reporter, Ben Robinson, he is mainly writing about the booze but he does mention food sometimes. A funny and insightful guide to Preston and beyond’s main drinking holes.

Lancashire Life Food & Drink | A magazine covering Lancashire and has a comprehensive look at food & drink in the county, well worth a browse for independent restaurant reviews amongst other foodie gems.

Lancashire Magazine | Another Lancashire magazine, again covers the county and does restaurant reviews.

Guide put together by Holly Sutton