Greater Manchester, Indian Restaurant Guide

“An outstanding addition to Manchester” – JKS Restaurants and Shamil Thakrar’s phenomenal Indian street food chain is creating just as much of a stir up north, as it did in the big smoke, with its “refreshingly different, tasty and interesting” street food and “sumptuous” interior which makes “stylish use of an interesting space” (a grade II listed former Freemasons’ lodge). The “very unusual breakfast” goes down well too.

A veteran on Manchester’s Curry Mile (est. 1991) – this “reliable” outfit has a crowd-pleasing menu of Indian/Pakistani street food and charcoal-singed dishes (including “lamb chops to die for”), best washed down either with one of the numerous craft beers or their funky twisted cocktails.

This “crazily busy” branch of Shabir Hussain’s Bradford-based group “still delivers great curry and their specialism of over-sized naan”. It’s one of the few places that lists camel (‘on the bone’) on its menu.

“Can’t beat it!” for “big platefuls of steaming, flavour-packed curries for not much dosh!” – this brilliantly named curry house (“just point at what’s on offer and he dollops it on your plate”) has been a Northern Quarter institution for 35 years. Family-run, it’s “a model of consistency”, and hugely popular for its offer of “rice and three different curries for £6”. “There’s talk of redevelopment for new offices, but a lot of the office workers in the area will protest loudly!!”

“A large and understandably popular South Indian restaurant, specialising in street food and dishes served in roadside restaurants, all delightfully fresh and cooked to order” – this “buzzy (and noisy)” modern glass-walled outfit in First Street has become a “go-to curry house in Manchester city centre” with its menu of idlis and dosas supplemented with grills and mains from across the subcontinent. The original ITR is in Cheadle, and there’s a branch in Leeds.

2018 Review: “I have been a customer for 30 years, and it’s as good now as ever!” – this veteran West Didsbury Indian continues to turn out “fantastic” fare that fans feel is far better than on the curry mile.

South Indian street food and home cooking in Chorlton.

A curryhouse like no other, with the all-vegan dishes named after Smiths' songs; superfan Max Paley started up as a delivery service from a kitchen inside the Retro music venue (address listed; sit-in dining planned for post-lockdown). Dishes include Girlfriend In A Korma and How Saag Is Now?.