Indian restaurants in Manchester

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor

There are plenty of excellent Indian restaurants in Manchester – the curry mile has its reputation for a good reason – but look further afield and you’ll find everything from little backstreet haunts, to celebrity-packed multi-million-pound mega-restaurants.

Here you’ll find restaurants offering entirely meat-free dining, and in one notable case, completely vegan, as well as an Indian take on fine dining, plus plenty of other forward-thinking takes on this endlessly versatile and flavour-packed style of cuisine. While the Curry Mile can certainly be good for certain occasions, for the truly special experiences it’s worth looking a little further away from the norm.

The one thing all of the below restaurants have in common is excellent food.

Here are the city’s best Indian restaurants, whether you’re looking for homely authentic cuisine, or something with a razzmatazz wow factor.

Don’t forget the poppadoms!

Our top picks

Zouk

Zouk, Unit 5 Chester Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M1 5QS - Visit now

As you’d expect from a restaurant that’s been packing them in – including luminaries like Drake and, er, Peter Kay – for well over a decade, Zouk rarely disappoints. All the dishes reach a remarkably high quality and the restaurant itself has a pleasing modern feel. Make a trip here a top priority.

Bundobust Manchester

Bundobust Manchester, 61 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AG - Visit now

Whether you’re looking for a quick snack, or a group meal out, Bundobust can’t be beat. In fact, they offer every item on the menu for a mere £80, enough to feed six to eight people. Do your friends a favour, drag them out for this, weather be damned.

Bundobust Manchester

Mowgli Street Food Restaurant

Mowgli Street Food Restaurant, 69 Bold Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 4EZ - Visit now

Mowgli brings authentic – and delicious – Indian street food to Manchester’s Corn Exchange.

Photo of Mowgli's interior
Image courtesy Mowgli.

Mughli Restaurant & Charcoal Pit

Mughli Restaurant & Charcoal Pit, 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M14 5TQ - Visit now

Indian street food restaurant Mughli is one of the curry mile’s most highly-regarded restaurants – and for good reason. Alongside the tried and tested classics, you’ll find a menu offering all manner of dishes from the Indian subcontinent and beyond.

Kulchi, lahori minced lamb, chicken tikka

Dishoom Manchester

Dishoom Manchester, 32 Bridge St, Manchester , M3 3BT - Visit now

Bridge Street is becoming quite the pocket in Manchester these days and there’s another compelling reason to get down there. With impeccable attention to detail and a charismatic, flavoursome menu, Dishoom should be right up there on your to-do list.

Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester, 2 Isabella Banks Street, First Street, Manchester, M15 4RL - Visit now

It’s not perfect, but Indian Tiffin Room is a solid option for city centre Indian food with some superb dishes on the lengthy menu. Just prepare for a more rambunctious atmosphere than you might be used to.

Bhaji Pala

Bhaji Pala, 2 Old Hall Rd, Gatley, Cheadle, SK8 4BE - Visit now

This is Manchester’s first entirely vegan restaurant, but – yes, we know it’s a cliche to say – you wouldn’t know it. This is modern flavour-packed vegan food that even your most stubborn relative could enjoy.

Bhaji Pala

MyLahore

MyLahore, 14-18 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester, M14 5TQ - Visit now

MyLahore is a bright modern restaurant, with a contemporary feel. They serve fantastic Indian food, along with a few barbecue and Mediterranean dishes. The atmosphere is upbeat and ideal for a laidback bite to eat on Rusholme’s Curry Mile.

Where to go in Manchester

Zadie's
Manchester
Restaurant
Zadie’s

Italo-Japanese plates and razzle-dazzle glamour at Medlock Square. Featuring live acts, a space-age bar and a bird’s-eye view onto the Manchester City pitch.

Proloco
Manchester
Restaurant
Proloco

Honest Crust’s Richard Carver and Rainy Heart’s Dan Hope join forces at Proloco, a music-led Ancoats restaurant serving 18-inch pizzas and seasonal plates.

City Centre
Restaurant
GiGi Gusto Griglia

GiGi is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1950s décor and a menu that sticks to the classics.

Manchester
Restaurant
Dahlia Stereo

Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.

Balance Taproom
Manchester
Restaurant
Balance Taproom

Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

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