Why the Curry Mile in Manchester is a must-visit

Step into curry heaven on south Manchester’s stretch of top drawer Indian and Pakistani restaurants.

If you’re lucky, there are probably three curry houses in your local area. One will specialise in producing lumps of unidentifiable meat in sauces that both taste and look identical, regardless of what you order. One will be fine, the other might be pretty good. It’s a sad state of affairs, but one you won’t encounter on Manchester’s Curry Mile. OK, so it’s not quite a mile, but that’s a minor quibble. This flavoursome stretch of south Manchester is home to some of the best bhajis and biriyanis this side of India or Pakistan. Here are some of the highlights…

Mughli Charcoal Pit

You’ll find plenty of locals willing to tell you how this is probably the best Indian restaurant in Manchester, and they wouldn’t be lying. It’s hugely popular with Manchester curry fans, and even has a few celebrity fans, too. It’s been dishing out excellent traditional North Indian and Pakistani food since 1991 and hasn’t shown any signs of a drop in excellence in all that time. What comes out of the clay oven and that eponymous charcoal pit is a taste of heaven and as authentic as curry gets in this country.

MyLahore

MyLahore takes a different approach than the likes of Mughli and the more traditional curry houses along the Mile, attempting to add a bit of a contemporary spin in its décor and attitude. It feels almost like an Indian take on an American diner, and that extends to the food, too. While the traditional curries and sides are all present, correct and excellent, MyLahore also throws in a few oddities such as burgers, lasagne and ice cream sundaes that increase your calorie intake just by looking at them.

Punjab Tandoori

There’s very little about Punjab Tandoori’s exterior that gives away how good the food is. The font looks like it was left over from a bad Bollywood sci-fi, the lighting is set to somewhere between “betting shop” and “dentist’s surgery” and the signage adopts a “put-words-anywhere-they’ll-fit” attitude. But looks aren’t everything, and the inner beauty at Punjab Tandoori is boundless, putting it up there with the Curry Mile’s best. This family-run business boasts that they have the true taste of India and it’s hard to argue with that.

Shere Khan

Shere Khan holds its proud place in Curry Mile history as the one that started it all and the first to get a full licence. Since it first opened its doors in 1987, it’s gone from strength to strength, opening branches all over the country. The original is still the best though, retaining all the elements that made it such a success in the first place.

Ziya

One of the newer kids on the block, Ziya opened in 2014 and has quickly established itself as one of the best. Its interior is impressively stylish, its ingredients locally sourced and its food a refreshingly modern take on traditional Indian food. The curries are out of this world, but the real highlight is the Peshwari lamb chops, marinated for 36 hours before being cooked to perfection in the tandoor. With around 70 competitors on the Curry Mile, it takes something special to stand out and Ziya has that in spades.