Bradford - The Curry Capital of the UK

We're on the hunt for the best Indian restaurants in Bradford. Bradford deserves attention as a must-visit destination for gastronomic art and delights. This city in West Yorkshire brims with culinary gems for every palette and budget. But among the 200 Asian restaurants in its domain, Bradford builds a reputation for its authentic curry.

Bradford is the Curry Capital of Britain, bagging Britain's Curry Capital award for six consecutive years from 2011-2016. And with its mouth-watering curry dishes, the city has become a Mecca for foodies and connoisseurs.

Indian restaurants in Bradford offer a range of curry choices. For exquisite and sophisticated curry experience, Mumtaz in the city's Great Horton Road is the best option. Enjoy sweet flavours of curry in Nirala. Karachi in Bradford’s West End offers a cafe style curry experience. Discover more delectable and unique flavours in Bradford’s first Asian restaurant, Sweet Centre..

Bradford Curry Trail

Spending a day or two to explore Indian food in Bradford is definitely worth a shot. You will never run out of options with the town’s interesting variations of restaurants and shops. And there is no better way to tour around the 50 Indian restaurants in Bradford but to follow the Bradford Curry Trail.

The Great Horton Road holds some of the highly-recommended Indian restaurants in Bradford. The list includes Mumtaz, Omar Khan's, and Jinnah's. Another curry haven is the MyLahore British Asian Kitchen where tradition meets modern cooking techniques. Delicious and affordable meals are also available in Kashmir.

As the trip in the Curry Capital of Britain continues, England's biggest Asian store named Bombay Stores will be in view. The shop is popular with its regal fabric, luxurious jewelry, and fine shoes.

Prashad is a family-run restaurant in Drighlington. Starting up as a deli in 1992, Prashad has preserved its reputation as one of the best Indian restaurants in Bradford. Its craft has also been recognized in 2010 when the restaurant became a top contender in the television program Ramsay’s Best Restaurant.

The exquisite vibe of Prashad’s setting reflects its sumptuous menu items. Among the most popular and tasteful appetizers are kopra pethis, a dough ball with coconut and garlic, and the khuli kachori, a plate of mashed lentils with garam masala. For the main course, the highlights are the Paneer masala, marinated paneer cheese in an onion and tomato spiced blend, and the methi renghan, a serving of aubergine and fenugreek leaves.

In Pudsey, east of Bradford, the busy Kashmiri restaurant Aagrah has grown to be one of the heavyweights in the curry scale since its establishment in 1977. The building’s architectural design has eventually become contemporary with the flow of time. Patrons from all ages and races swarm the restaurant for its mouth watering sets of meal courses.

For starters, the grilled ravee or sea bass offers a refreshing texture and flavor with a dash of nutmeg and Kashmiri sauce. But among the restaurant’s line up of dishes, the Goan machli or monkfish takes the cake. It is a savoury dish made even richer by curry leaves, fresh mint, and coconut-laced sauce.

A place that should not be missed when Going Out in Bradford is the center of the curry revolution – the Sweet Centre. A hearty halal meal in Sweet Centre in Lumb Lane is a mandatory point for the culinary expedition. The family and owner of the Sweet Centre seized the opportunity to start the business in the 1950s and 1960s when waves of immigrants set off to live in Bradford.

Since opening its doors to customers, Sweet Centre is best known for its breakfast meals, savoury snacks, and delectable sweets. And even today, the restaurant keeps its fire alive with signature dishes such as Chana Puri, Seekh Kebab, Samosa’s, and Asian desserts. Keeping close to traditional cooking, Sweet Centre guarantees excellent food and service.

In the northern part of Bradford, the Cartwright Hall provides satisfying art and heritage experience. Cartwright Hall is a civic art museum that houses four permanent galleries of art pieces. Contemporary arts and crafts from the 19th and 201th century primarily make up the museum's collections and displays. The museum is part of the Lister Park where guests may enjoy a boating lake and a playground.

The beautiful Mughal Water Gardens is also located in Lister Park. Its extraordinary aesthetic comes from the blend of Islamic and Indian architectural designs. The garden has paths and terraces, and rows of trees separated by water pools.

In the vibrant area of Oastler Market, there are food stalls selling authentic spices from around the world.

Fun Facts About Curry

• The origin of the cuisine name, curry, can be traced back to the French word “curie” meaning “to cook.” The word appeared in the title of the 14th-century book “Forme of Cury,” a collection of recipes from the medieval period. Another possible source of the dish name is the Tamil term “kari” which refers to a sauce featured in a Portuguese recipe book during the 17th century.
• Indian cuisine reached London in 1810. Sake Dean Mahomed, an Indian traveller and businessman, came to England and built a restaurant known as Hindoostane Coffee House in George Street. This sparked the curry culture that swept through Western Europe.
• The first book to ever contain the recipe for curry is titled “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy” by English author Hannah Glasse. The first edition was published in 1747, listing only coriander and black pepper as spices for the dish. It was in the book’s fourth edition when other seasonings such as ginger and turmeric were mentioned for the curry recipe.
• The Indian Chefs and Culinary Association took home the Guinness World Record for the largest curry in August, 2015. The chefs prepared the dish during the Suvai celebration and the curry weighed 15.34 tonnes or 33,838.9 lb.
• The Hampshire firefighters made the world’s biggest naan bread for charity in July, 2014. The colossal Indian bread weighed 26kg and measured 3.79m (12ft 5in) by 1.4m (4ft 7in). It beat the record of the 9.5-kg naan bread made in 2008.
• The champion for the hottest curry is the popular “Flaming Fiery Phaal”. Prepared with Scorpion and Naga peppers, this curry recipe will set your taste buds on fire. Another spicy curry dish known to food enthusiasts is the Chicken Naga. The dish contains a generous amount of Naga pepper seeds which are a hundred times stronger than jalapeño.
• Bangladeshi chef Tipu Rahman set a record for the tallest stack of poppadoms in October 2012. The chef built the 1.72-m tower of poppadoms for The Tamarind Restaurant, in Northampton, snatching the world title from the Indian Ocean Restaurant which made the previous record of 1.57-m stack in March 2011.

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