Northumberland, Indian Restaurant Guide

“Consistently excellent” local curry house which has spawned a couple of spin-offs in Newcastle and Hexham (badged Cilantro). From Newcastle, you can follow in Michael Portillo’s footsteps (on his ‘Great Coastal Railway Journeys’ TV Series), and book their well-known ‘Passage to India’ train service from Newcastle (which includes your meal, plus travel by train).

2022 Review: “Delicious, interesting dishes” inspired by the street food delivered by Mumbai’s ‘dabbawala’ bicycle delivery men, are to be found on the menu at this brightly coloured Jesmond venue with an open kitchen and verandah. It’s a spinoff of the city-centre original.

“Always a favourite” – this smart Punjabi curry house is “still one of the best Indian restaurants in town”, even approaching its fourth decade; the “traditional food” is “very dependable”, having been overseen by chef-owner Bob Arora (a former regular) since the millennium.

“Fabulous food and great customer service” are the hallmarks of a meal at this Quayside fixture, founded in 1981 as a ‘fast and furious’ curry house by the late Ashraf Ali and re-launched as an upmarket destination eight years ago by his daughter, Shelly Muktadir.

“Some of the best and most authentic Indian food you can get” in these parts awaits at this “really good addition to the varied Quayside scene”, founded in 2020; while superficially there’s a “similar menu and ambience to Dishoom”, the point of pride here is the Josper grill, which lends its smoky magic to the menu of retro regional classics.