Indian restaurants in Manchester

Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor Last Updated 16 August 2022

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!

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.

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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.

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Asha’s

Asha’s, 47 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 3NG - Visit now

Asha’s boast an elaborate and inventive menu. If your tastes lean toward fine dining, rather than curry and chips, you won’t find much better in Manchester.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Where to go in Manchester

City Centre

Restaurant

Chotto Matte Manchester

Snazzy Manchester outpost of the globe-straddling Japanese-meets-Peruvian restaurant brand.

Manchester

Food hall

House Of Habesha

Wholesome Ethiopian and Eritrean food courtesy of this fast-growing street food vendor.

Manchester

Food hall

Kargo MKT

Mighty food hall in Salford Quays, with around twenty street food vendors, serving a huge range of cuisines.

Manchester

Café or Coffee Shop

ASAP Coffee

If you’re looking for quality coffee and a decadent brunch in a setting that nails the Northern Quarter brief, you’d struggle to do better than ASAP Coffee.

Chinatown

Restaurant

Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

Manchester

Restaurant

Gladstone Barber & Bistro

Upmarket family-run restaurant with an impressive Middle Eastern menu, plus an on-site barber.

Manchester

Restaurant

Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Manchester

Café or Coffee Shop

Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

Manchester

Restaurant

House of Social Food Hall

The newest addition to Manchester’s First Street, House of Social is more than mere student accommodation.

Chinatown

Restaurant

WakuWaku

High-quality Japanese cuisine with unique hand-drawn decor.

Castlefield

Restaurant

Bar Lina Manchester

Elegant Italian cocktail bar with plush seating, low lighting and a peerless drinks menu.

City Centre

Café or Coffee Shop

CUPRA City Garage

Already based in Paris, Mexico City, Sydney and Vienna, CUPRA’s international expansion is driven by culture as much as cars, and Manchester’s creative energy has clearly caught their attention.

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Chinatown, Manchester

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