National Curry Week - The best hidden curry spots in Manchester

Everyone knows about Dishoom, Bundobust, Zouk, Akbar’s and Curry Mile faves like Mughli. And rightly, so, they’re all great. But to celebrate National Curry Week, here are a few spots around the city that are a bit more off the beaten track to try out.

Cafe Marhaba

Tucked in the alley behind Piccadilly Gardens - Back Piccadilly, to be precise - what Cafe Marhaba might lack in terms of a boujis address it makes up for in some of the very best Pakistani food in the whole of the city, all from the humblest of surroundings. Those who know have been coming here for decades, for the tandoor-roasted kebabs, the niharis, the palaks and some of the best breads in town. If it’s not already a regular, why the heck not?

36 Back Piccadilly, Manchester M1 1HP

Royce Balti

The Royce Balti Palace on Chorlton’s Beech Road is the stuff of local curry house dreams, and if you’re not local it’s well worth the journey - though it’s take-out only. The menu is crammed with highlights, from a spectacular lamb biryani and crisper than crisp bhajis to a Persian style hot and sour samber curry - sharp with tamarind, and spicy. The staff curry is well worth seeking out too, with either chicken or melting lamb on the bone, and as the name would suggest, the Balti dishes are superb too. Oh, and price-wise it’s wildly reasonable.

111 Beech Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9EQ

This & That

An absolute standard in the Northern Quarter, This & That has been serving up fantastic - and fantastically affordable - currys to the city since the early 80s from its tucked away corner on Soap Street. The menu changes daily, encompassing a wealth of vegetarian offerings from daal to kidney bean curries, and slow-cooked lamb with spinach, all served up canteen