Birmingham is one of the two capitals of Indian food in England (the other one being Bradford). It…read moreis home to Balti dishes, and Balti houses abound all over the city. With so many great-tasting and reasonably-priced Indian food options around, it is quite impressive that a higher end, pricier Indian restaurant like Pushkar has established a loyal clientele. Pushkar sets itself apart from other Indian restaurants in the area due to its upscale setting, the high quality of its food ingredients, and especially its creative dessert offerings. My first dining experience at Pushkar was purely by chance. I was staying near Brindley Place, and happened to be walking past the restaurant, when I decided to stop and check out the menu. The duck masala sounded interesting, so I decided to try it, and it definitely exceeded my expectations. The thick tomato-based curry had a fantastic flavor profile that consisted of garlic, ginger, black pepper and red chilies. It paired well with basmati rice and a side of raita. Since my first visit, I have dined at Pushkar a few more times, and have always enjoyed everything I have tried. The murgh korma stands out as a rich, creamy, nutty curry dish that is perfect for you if you are in the mood for something less spicy. The innovative desserts at Pushkar are a major draw for me. The gajar ka halwa tart with pistachio ice cream is my personal favorite. The garam masala brulee sounded interesting, but didn't taste too different from regular crème brulee; the garam masala in it was really only a hint of cinnamon. It still was pretty tasty. The chocomosa is a filo samosa filled with chocolate and roast almonds, and is served with a scoop of cappuccino ice cream. Why had nobody else ever thought of creating a chocolate samosa, and if they did, why had I never eaten one before? Friends, if you find yourselves in Brummy, you must treat yourselves to a meal at Pushkar. It is truly deserving of all of the awards that have been bestowed upon it, including the 2015 British Curry Award, the 2015 Best of Broad Street Award, and the 2015 English Curry Award.

Elevated Indian food. Loved the tandoori tofu! The vegetable korma, saag paneer and lamb shank…read morewere all excellent and the mushroom rice was a perfect accompaniment. Rocky was our server and was excellent. I was a bit miffed that they didn't have any Rieslings or wines that pair well with Indian Food. We have Rose Champagne - good but surprised at the lack of wines that are notorious for working well with Indian food.

I found this place by looking for Indian restaurants with plenty of vegan options. Indeed, their…read moremenu makes it pretty clear what is or can be vegan. We arrived around 6pm on a Thursday for dinner, and the place was dead. The interior is fancifully set up, and service is very friendly and professional. We ordered: -Vegan tofu curry (£12.50). This was a creamy, mustardy curry, with chunks of firm tofu (seemingly to resemble paneer), drizzled with coconut milk. Rich, creamy, tangy and balanced. Really nicely done. 4.5/5 -Tawa sabzi (£10). This was a drier dish coated with a mustardy curry paste, with cauliflower, potatoes, green beans and peas. The curry has a bit of a sour tang to it but was well-done. 4/5 -Methi aloo gobi (£10). This was also a drier dish, with a fenugreek-driven curry paste coating the cauliflower and potatoes. It was quite similar to the Tawa sabzi, with that sour tang to it. Also well-done but it was too similar to the aforementioned dish. 4/5 We asked for a spiciness level "just above" what they would ordinarily make, and man was it spicy -- not too much for us but bordering that. Overall, tasty food, great service and a pleasant environment. Recommended.

I wish to caution somebody willing to book in an event with Itihaas, Birmingham. I had a terrible…read moreexperience in trying to recover a deposit refund during COVID and eventually ended in losing £ 3,000 in the process. I had booked a Wedding Event for 300 guests to be held in August 2020. We paid £6000 as a deposit for the catering and venue. It was paid by 2 credit cards @3000 each by me and the bride's mother. Unfortunately, the event had to be cancelled with mutual consent due to COVID regulations. As per the prevailing government regulations we were entitled to a full refund barring some expenses incurred by the merchant in the process. We were given a list of expenses incurred amounting to £1494 which were highly manipulated and unreal. We were charged £ 200 for a food tasting event which never happened and charged for the time spend in e-mails, telephone conversation and venue viewing. These, we believed were a part of overhead expenses and were not permissible as expenses incurred by the merchant. We did not receive any services and were entitled to full refund. We still offered a liberal £ 500 to close the dispute but was declined . We were offered a truncated refund of £ 4506 out of £ 6000 as an unconditional offer in April 2020. We had no other option to seek justice and to apply for a charge back from our credit card providers. The process of chargeback was prolonged due to COVID shutdown, and we eventually recovered £ 3000 from one of the credit card providers. Unfortunately, the other credit card providers could not recover our deposit due to delayed and poor representation. We were already frustrated by the ongoing saga and eventually asked Itihaas to honour the initial unconditional offer and pay us the balance of £ 1506 . To our surprise the management refused to pay the balance on the grounds that we used a charge back to seek justice and recover our dues. The management decided to pocket a sum of £ 1506 which was initially offered in the conflict unconditionally. This was extremely appalling, and we felt cheated by the Itihaas management. I will strongly recommend anybody willing to book an event to think twice. You are in for an ordeal and could end up in losing a lot of money.

Having walked past this restaurant many times, I thought it was about time to sample the tasty…read moredishes I heard so much about. I booked a table for 7 of us for a Saturday evening, and whilst we waited for everyone to arrive we had a look through the menu - there was so much choice! The restaurant was filling up nicely as the evening went on, which is a good sign. The restaurant has a lovely feel to it, and is nicely decorated. We all decided to have some poppadoms to start, and the sauces that accompanied them were flavoursome and spicy. For my main I decided to have Chicken Tikka which was served with pilau rice and salad as well as seperate bowl for the chicken tikka sauce. Everyone was pleased with their food choices, and there was gasps of "WOW" and "this is lovely" as we tucked in. The service was very good, and they were able to recommend some dishes to us and attended to our every need. I will defintely be coming back, and would also like to try the all you can eat lunchtime buffet at the bargain price of £4.95!

The obligatory curry in Birmingham (well not the only one)…read more On to Yelp we go to spy out a great Curry House after a lovely afternoon in the Symphony Hall listening to a bit of folk, curtsy of The Cadbury Sisters. After the very high recommendations of Milan we trundle along. There were two big tables in this night, which meant there was a great atmosphere to the place. They sat them right at the back of the restaurant so it was all the atmosphere, none of the loud noises right next to you. Window side seat we perused the menu with excitement. With a great big choice of vegetarian options up for grabs we are happy Easter bunnies. Greatly appreciative of Cobra on draught opt for a beer and the Mrs a Mango Lassie - Yum. I've just got to mention, when it comes to curries - I've been spoilt. The Mrs lives in Southall which - hands down has the BEST curries in London - no argument. So as the food comes out I'm praying it all lives up to the hype. Starting lightly with a few poppadoms, the sauces that came out were just amazing. Spicy and creamy a complete world away from the dodgy mango chutney and onion pickle that's the standard at these restaurants. You have to, simply have to have the stuffed baby aubergines and the paneer. So creamy and moreish, perfectly seasoned and just MMmmmm worthy. The paneer is again not the normal, slightly squeeky cheese smothered in tomato, but is smooth and beautifully textured. I'm not going to say its better than Southall curries, because they're simply not the same, but the food is just beautiful. Our waiter was not the best. He was not very attentive at all and even argued with us about not wanting more rice (as it was I was right, we had enough). Still just as we were about to leave a lovely man which I assumed was the owner took our cheque and hoped we had a lovely evening. I'm still not convinced about the brown walls, but all together an A class experience.

The finest of Indian cuisine in its most modern form…read more Lasan has been a highly regarded part of the Birmingham restaurant scene for a long time now, after finally getting around to going I can see why. The place itself is nice and light with very simple, chunky decoration and furnishings throughout, it is all comfortable and doesn't distract from the eating experience although it probably is time for them to give the place a refresh, everything is getting a little tired in there. Food wise this place lives up to the hype. The ala carte menu (which unless you are in a big group you'll be eating from, this isn't a taster menu place), although not too long, was completely jam packed with food I wanted to eat making it was genuinely difficult to narrow down to just two dishes! I had a quail starter, complete with outrageously tasty quail scotch egg, which was beautifully cooked, gorgeously spiced, a real delight to eat. Main was venison, a loin and a small curry next to it which was an awesome meld of anglo-indian and again lit up my palette in all the right ways. They have a full bar here and the drinks are quite well priced for a high end fine dining restaurant, a bottle of wine starts at around £25. The staff were good, they answered my questions and gave recommendations and made sure that my glass was always full but didn't get in the way of the food, which is the perfect type of service for me. Prices are also very reasonable considering that this is one of the best places in the city, going ala carte gives the flexibility to suit most budgets, although it is by no means cheap. I absolutely can't wait to go again, I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to eat everything on the menu, I WANT TO EAT EVERYTHING ON THE MENU!

After visiting the two sister restaurants (Raja Monkey and Fiesta Del Asado) I was delighted to be…read moreinvited to a Christmas lunch at Lasan. Although I've lived in the Jewellery Quarter for a good 7 years but hadn't ever visited due to the whispers I had heard regarding the high prices. Well, on receiving an invite to the winter banquet (a three course meal for £19.95), I had my tastebuds primed and ready to give it a go. To give you a bit of background, Lasan has been around since 2002 but due to the steady increase in the number of awards it has received over the years (British curry awards, Gordon Ramsay's 'F Word - Best Local restaurant' and BBC's 'Great British Menu') it has gained a reputation to impress. The venue itself is just off St Paul's Square, so very easy to get to from the City. There is no parking available, but street parking is plentiful around the area. The restaurant itself is classy and intimate. On a Sunday lunchtime at 1:30, you would still struggle to get a table if you hadn't booked. We enjoyed a lovely bottle of Malbec (shared between 4) for £24 whilst our starters were bought out. Between succulent pieces of meat, fish and delicious vegetable sides; we got a chance to try everything. The Salmon was truly amazing. The mains were also impressive with a chicken dish, a mutton curry, a fish curry, aromatic rice and fresh naan. The meal was rounded off with 'Gulab Jamoon Aur Rabri' (Warm Khoya roundels with North Indian cardamom scented custard). I hadn't tried this before, but would love to have it again! The food, the wine, the company and the setting were perfect. £19.95 was a very reasonable price to pay, but I would recommend you give it a go now. The normal banquet price starts at £30.95!

I think I am going to say it…read more.. This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Birmingham City Centre! Manzil's is situated about a minutes walk from the Bull Ring and people in the know who know about curry know what I am talking about with this place. When you walk in, you are met with a homely and friendly atmosphere which makes it a delight to eat in. It's an old school curry house which I love. I really like the wallpaper! I have got to know the waiters as I have visited so many times, who are really chatty and are always happy to see you. If you see Hakeem, he loves his Football! The music they play is so random and unexpected. The last visit I made, they were playing Britpop hits of the 1990's haha On this visit, I was with 4 friends from down south who were visiting me for the day, who are tough critics I may add! I had the Chicken Pakora which was a great starter and just the right size to begin the meal. For the main course I had a lovely Dhansak which was really filling with Pilau rice. Manzil's speciality is their sizzling dishes which provides a good alternative if you are not in the mood for a hearty curry. The biggest surprise came when the bill arrived and we split it. One of my friends said "That price wouldn't even get you a starter which isn't half as good as that in London." Says it all really!

Whilst it's been awhile since I've been here, and if I'm honest every time I've been there it's…read morebeen exceptionally quiet. Like we are the only ones in there quiet. I'd put it down to them doing more sales via delivery. But judging by the reviews of this place it's not a well kept secret. I was brought her as a 'proper curry virgin' by experiences prior had been out of a jar and pub curries. According to a friend this was unacceptable, so off we went. I can't remember what I ordered. I know it was vegetarian and not spicy - I can't do spicy as much as I try. You get a lot for your money, going for an Indian can be an expensive affair but this was reasonable by the amount of food received. The service as well is excellent, always smiling and helpful. I really must go again, I whole heartedly suggest the rest of you do too.

Had a great meal, mixed meat platter. Great quality and…read morereasonable price October 2021

I was in Birmingham for a night last month (hurray for cheap flights). I was at my hostel and…read morestarted wondering "is there a dish/food Birmingham is known for?" Well Google told me about balti, some kind of Indian curry dish. I love curry so I wanted to give balti a try. Hen and Chickens came up when I was looking for a restaurant serving Balti, and it was close to my hostel. Outside looks like a typical pub. Inside it's not a huge pub/restaurant, but the high ceiling and big windows let in lots of light (even in December) and makes it feel nice and open. I was there in mid-afternoon and it wasn't too busy. I ordered the lamb balti with garlic naan. I also got a pint of beer. The food was delicious. Apparently balti just refers to the type of dish the curry is cooked in, but I also read that it's a curry made with vegetable oil (rather than ghee). I'm a bit lactose intolerant and sometimes curries can give me issues. Maybe it's because balti is apparently made with veg oil, but I had no issues. The curry had a nice spice, but wasn't overwhelming. Staff was nice. Food was great. This looks like nothing special on the outside, but inside there's some really great Indian food. If I'm in Birmingham again I'd definitely come back here.

An awesome gem in Walsall. Probably the better of all the indian BBQ pubs in Walsall area…read more They serve a selection of good draught beers with some good whiskys also. The food is very good, the portions are small but the prices are cheap so that makes up for it. The taste of the mix grill and curries is very authentic. They have 2 bars, a small beer garden and a dining area also.

So this is the 4th 'indian barbecue' pub I have been to. So far this is the biggest one, from the…read morefront it is deceiving as you walk through to a big, light dining area. We we on a Sunday early evening so it was busy but we managed to get a table for the six of us ok. I would recommend booking if there were any more then six of you though. So as for the food, we ordered enough for 4 of us to be absolutely stuffed for just over £30. This was for the large mixed grill, chips, two curries and 4 naans. All very tasty. The keema curry was a bit too spicy (all four of us agreed) which was a shame as it took away the enjoyment of the other tasty food a little. Overall very flavoursome and fresh though! I'm giving four stars as the dining area was quite loud and chaotic and there wasn't waiter service. I would give back though!

Visited this place today. Exceptional relaxing surroundings…read more Food was excellent. Portion size, taste and service was very good Highly recommended

What an unexpected good surprise in an unexpected location. Delicious and cheap food. The place is…read morea bit noisy though.