Birmingham, Indian Restaurant Guide

“Aktar Islam (ex-Lasan) is doing a fabulous job in his new venue” – a “super-stylishy”, 70-cover venture that’s immediately hailed as “Birmingham’s best Indian”, with “dedicated” staff delivering an “equisite” and “exciting” modern twist on Indian cuisine. “It’s is a little off the beaten track from the city-centre but well worth seeking out”. In October 2019, Michelin – unusually for a regional Indian – awarded it a star.

“There aren’t many restaurants where I will queue for nearly two hours to get a table but it’s worth the wait!” – This “madly popular” Mumbai-inspired chain “has taken London by storm” and is now the capital’s most mentioned chain. Even if the heady days of its Covent Garden debut are long gone, criticisms that it’s “too popular for its own good” are most notable by their absence; and instead its “a firm favourite” for its massive army of fans who feel “it never fails to impress”. The “buzzy, Indian, faux-retro vibe” (“I felt transported to the Parsi eating houses of Bombay in the 1960s”) helps set up a “crazy, frenetic atmosphere”; and even if the “noise levels are pretty bad”, “somehow it all comes together”. It helps that service is “always punctual and friendly” (respect: it’s such a busy chain), and the tapas-y food – though no longer as bleeding edge as it once seemed – still feels “vibrant”, with a selection of dishes that’s “far from run-of-the-mill” (“recommended by all our Indian friends!”), plus “an exceptional list of drinks”. Breakfast here is unexpectedly “a true thing of beauty” too: “so different” in a brilliant way. “You can book during the day, but not at night” – “the wait is tedious, but the buzzer system works well” and cocktails at the bar help blur time. In mid 2019, the chain acquired the former Jamie’s Italian site next to its original WC2 branch in order to expand its footprint. Top Tips – “black dahl is still the best” and “the bacon naan is the greatest restaurant breakfast dish of all time!”.

This “upmarket Indian in the Jewellery quarter” has pioneered a fine-dining approach as an alternative to the classic UK curry house for almost two decades. Ratings continue to impress under founder Jabbar Khan following the 2018 departure of high-profile chef-director Aktar Islam (see Opheem).

This city-centre venue with a focus on delicious kebabs and other dishes from the subcontinent’s Northwest Frontier is part of an international empire set up by Asha Bhosle, the prolific Bollywood singer, which also has branches in Manchester and Solihull. Now 86, Bhosle is credited as the most recorded artist in music history, and insists she would have been a cook if her singing career had not taken off. Fun fact: Cornershop’s 1997 hit single Brimful of Asha was a tribute to Bhosle.

For “cheap and reliably high-standard South Indian cuisine”, there’s no beating this modestly styled Hall Green veggie.

In the 'Balti Triangle' area of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, once of the few remaining balti houses (that peaked at over 40 during the 1990s).

2018 Review: “Best balti and naan in Brum” is still the view fans express of this Balti Triangle veteran, although it attracted very limited feedback this year. BYO.

2018 Review: Chef and restaurateur Atul Kochhar opened his first UK restaurant under the Not Real Indian (NRI) brand in autumn 2017. The new 180-cover venture in Birmingham’s Mailbox development serves Sri Lankan, Malaysian, and British-Indian inspired dishes. NRI’s first site launched in Mumbai in 2016.