Belgrave Road, running north from the city centre into the Belgrave suburb, is Leicester's "Golden Mile" — a stretch of shops, restaurants, mithai houses, and jewellers that is the commercial heart of one of Britain's most significant South Asian communities. Walking it is one of the most vivid cultural experiences in England outside London.
The street is predominantly Gujarati. The sweet shops sell fresh barfi, jalebi, and chaat; the restaurants specialise in vegetarian thali and dosas rather than the northern Indian curries found elsewhere. In autumn, the street is illuminated for Diwali with a display that draws 30,000–40,000 people to Leicester's streets — the largest Diwali celebration outside India. Come hungry, and go in the evening if you can.