The Best Indian Restaurants In (Greater) Manchester

Manchester is a melting pot of culture when it comes to food. Its restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisines ranging from the ever popular Chinese, Italian and Spanish to the more exotic such as Mexican, Japanese and Vietnamese. You’ll even find Russian and Armenian restaurants if you look closely.  

I’m always attracted to seemingly exciting new cuisines but there’s one I keep going back to again and again that I’ll never get bored of. Indian.

With a rich history of Indian restaurants in Manchester dating back well over 50 years there’s plenty on offer. Despite the diversity of cuisines available these days it’s still one of the best represented today.

Rusholme

There’s only one place to start if you’re looking for authentic Indian food in Manchester. Rusholme - or ‘The Curry Mile’ as it’s more commonly known - is said to have the highest concentration of Asian restaurants in the UK, many of which are Indian.

They come in varying sizes and styles, from Punjab, the smallest restaurant on the curry mile with probably the most authentic Indian cuisine to Ziya Asian Grill, a modern Indian fine-dining restaurant.

In between is Shere Khan, one of the oldest restaurants in Rusholme and regarded as the first on the ‘curry mile’ as well as my personal favourite, Mughli.

The family run restaurant offers the best of both worlds: an ever-changing menu containing both traditional and modern dishes, the street food menu is a particular highlight as is anything cooked in their ‘Charcoal Pit’ or tandoori clay oven.

Topped off with a fantastic cocktail menu and a range of local beers far more interesting than the generic Indian lagers often served up elsewhere.

City Centre

Manchester city centre is equally well catered for.

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill changed my perception of Indian restaurants when it opened five years ago. The stylish and luxurious décor is a far cry from the out-dated ‘curry houses’ of the 70s & 80s with their garish carpets, flock wallpaper and bad lighting.

The food’s not bad either; just as well as there’s nowhere for the chefs to hide in the huge open kitchen. The menu offers an array of seafood dishes unavailable anywhere else in Manchester. For the more adventurous there’s dishes like ‘Magaz’, a speciality of sheep’s brain fried with onion, garlic and chilli alongside the tamer, more traditional curries.

Other city centre options include the hugely popular Akbars on Deansgate and East Z East who have two venues in the city and specialise in contemporary Punjabi cuisine.

Out Of Town

Didsbury residents have loved the Great Kathmandu since 1987 and it’s got a growing reputation amongst local celebrities too. From footballers and actors to reality TV stars.Slightly further away but well worth the trip is Indian Tiffin Room in Cheadle. Their South Indian street food inspired menu includes dosas (Indian pancakes) and vadas (Indian donuts). Be sure to book though as they’re always busy.

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