Indian food is part of what makes Birmingham such an amazing city. Everyone has heard of the Balti Triangle – the optimum place to find a perfect Brummie curry – but you can find restaurants serving delicious curries in every part of the city. From verybest restaurants to cheap ‘n’ cheerful takeaways, you’ll find it tough to find somewhere in Brum that doesn’t do a fantastic curry in Brum. But these Indian restaurants in Birmingham all have something special to stand above the rest.
1. Lasan
This Indian restaurant is very much haute cuisine, serving guinea fowl korma and rock oyster tempura. It is no wonder that in 2010 Lasan were praised by Gordon Ramsay and won his ‘F Word’ Contest. They were crowned Best Local Restaurant and their reputation has not diminished in the decade. Only last year was Lasan named the Best Restaurant in the West Midlands for a record sixth time at the British Curry Awards!
A main will cost you anywhere from £17.95 for a vegan biryani to £28.95 for king prawns in a fenugreek leaf bhuna. But some of our favourites include courgette flower tempura, monkfish johl and the lamb Kashmiri rogan. You’re guaranteed to find some of best curry in Birmingham here.
Lasan, 3 – 4 Dakota Buildings, James Street, St Paul’s Square, B3 1SD
2. Opheem
Aston-born Aktar Islam’s Opheem isn’t your everyday Indian. But for something extra special, there is no finer Indian restaurant in Birmingham. With a fine dining experience, Opheem is one of five restaurants in the city with a Michelin star – but the only one serving Indian cuisine.
Many Indian regions are represented on the modern menu, but the occasional Persian and Arabian influence appears too. The current 10-course tasting menu journeys from Mumbai to Malabar via Delhi and West Bengal, and will set you back £115 per person. A cheaper five-course menu is also available, as well as an a la carte lunch menu. Undoubtably the best Indian restaurant in Birmingham
65 Summer Row, Birmingham B3 1JJ
3. Shabab’s
Shabab’s aren’t the originators of Birmingham’s iconic balti curry. That title falls to Adil’s, which sadly closed last year. But Shabab’s is probably the best Indian restaurant still serving in the Balti Triangle and beyond.
There a huge menu to choose from, but every main is cooked balti-style – which means cooked quickly over a high heat, like a stir-fry – all somewhere between £10 to £15. No balti is complete without a large, family-sized naan bread though. Head her for a uniquely Brummie curry.
163-165 Ladypool Rd., Sparkbrook, Birmingham B12 8LQ
4. Itihaas
At Itihaas, there are some pretty ground-breaking options to choose from. Not only do they have a whole section of the menu dedicated to Indo-Chinese cuisine, but they also have dessert samosas on offer, filled with chocolate, almond and pistachios, and served with coconut kulfi.
Curry-lovers with a sweet tooth will love this place, as there are six dessert options. They have also clearly considered their vegan customers, with plenty of options available to choose from. A main course will set you back around £10-£23.
Itihaas, 18 Fleet Street, B3 1JL
5. Jyoti’s
Jyoti’s is the only vegetarian Indian restaurant in Birmingham and it has an extensive menu, boasting a massive choice of 15 starters and 72 main courses.
The restaurant also contains an Indian sweet shop, with 30 different options to choose from, some of which are vegan. Plus, there is so much paneer on the menu that cheese-loving vegetarians might want to move in and live there forever. Mains cost upwards of £6 but thali is available for around £12 so you can sample different dishes.
Jyoti’s, 1045 Stratford Road, Hall Green, B28 8AS
6. Asha’s
The food here is more interesting than your average tikka masala. Asha’s is part of a chain of Indian restaurants, with locations in 7 different countries. From soulful and simple street food to the menus of maharajas, Asha’s menu travels across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. There are five set menus to choose from. This will cost at minimum £44.95 if you’re a meat-eater, or £39.95 if vegetarian.
But there is also an a la carte menu for you to pick-and-choose you own options. Mains will cost you between £11.95 for a veggie kebab to £41.95 for a lamb kebab. There is also the elusive ‘President’s Platter’ on offer, which has apparently been served to several different heads of state in the past. Plus, a number of celebrities have dined here, including Tom Cruise.
Asha’s, 12-22 Newhall Street, B3 3LX
7. Pushkar
Pushkar[/trackLink] has won several awards—including Best Indian Restaurant in 2015 and 2018 and Best of Birmingham in 2019—for their approach to Indian cuisine. A five-course tasting menu will set you back £40.95, but if you go for the vegetarian version it will cost £29.95, with wine costing extra. There are also three different banquet menus that cost around the same as the tasting menus and consist of three courses.
But Pushkar is equally highly-regarded for its sophisticated atmosphere as it is its food. Glitzy white and gold decor decorates the insides makes it simply glamourous. Not content with simply trying to be the best Indian in Birmingham, Pushkar’s [trackLink link_url="https://secretbirmingham.com/cool-cocktail-bars-birmingham/"]cocktail bar makes it a fantastic hangout long after the meal is finished.
Pushkar, 245 Broad Street, B1 2HQ
8. Raja Monkey Café
Raja Monkey Café specialises in Indian street food, which means they have loads of amazing Indian snacks on the menu like samosa chaat and panni puri. You’ll also find familiar favourites like biryani and chicken jalfrezi on the menu. The atmosphere here is laid back – it is a café, after all! Prices for mains hover around the £10 mar. So a visit to this spot isn’t going to break the bank, while still getting to visit one of best Birmingham Indian restaurants.
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Raja Monkey Café, 1355 Stratford Road, Hall Green, B28 9HW