If you’ve been mourning the loss of TGI Fridays at Highcross, we’ve got news: something way more exciting is taking its place.
DAIU officially opens in Leicester today (August 26), bringing an all-you-can-eat hotpot and Korean BBQ experience to the city, and people are already obsessed.
More than 2,200 bookings have been made before the doors have even opened, making it one of the busiest restaurant launches Highcross has seen in years.
For anyone who hasn’t tried it before, the concept is pretty simple. You order from a menu of more than 100 dishes, pick your soup base, then cook premium meats, seafood and vegetables yourself right at the table. Think part restaurant, part social activity.
The menu spans Chinese hotpot, Korean BBQ, sushi, cold dishes, desserts and drinks, meaning even the pickiest member of the group should find something they’ll eat.
And yes, it’s all-you-can-eat.
The restaurant has space for 125 diners and has been designed around sharing food with friends, making it ideal for student societies, birthday meals, flat reunions and those chaotic “where shall we eat?” group chats.
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There are some pretty decent opening deals too
To celebrate opening week, DAIU is rolling out a number of discounts.
Between 26 and 30 August, diners can get a buy-one-get-one-free deal by using the code DAIUOPEN.
From August 31 until 13 September, customers can get £5 off each adult meal with the code DAIU5OFF.
Students can also claim 10 per cent off with a valid student card. The same offer applies to NHS and public sector workers, while birthday diners can bag a free meal.
Highcross director Michelle Menezes said the venue offers something a bit different from Leicester’s existing restaurant scene, describing it as a dining experience that is “interactive” and “social”.
The Leicester opening is part of DAIU’s wider UK expansion plans, with another 20 restaurants expected to open across the country by the end of 2027.
So if you’ve ever fancied grilling your own dinner, drowning everything in dipping sauces and emerging from an all-you-can-eat restaurant unable to move, your time has come.
