A takeaway known as the ‘home’ of the ‘rice and three’, a family-run Nepalese restaurant and an Indian sports bar are amongst the Greater Manchester venues to be named as finalists at a top curry awards.
Taking place next month, the Nation’s Curry Awards will celebrate the best curries served up across the country. Alongside regional awards, the ceremony also celebrates the best when it comes to vegetarian venues, the best curry kitchens and fine dining restaurants.
Amongst the ten finalists for Curry Kitchen Of The Year are three restaurants and venues within Greater Manchester. Curry Cottage, on Washway Road in Sale, was named as a finalist and has been praised with reviews online citing it as having ‘smiley service and tasty food’.
Norden Indian Kitchen, on Edenfield Road in Rochdale, was also recognised in the top ten for the category. The Indian restaurant features traditional dishes, alongside specialities like jafrani and a bhuna chilli massala.
Also recognised as a finalist for Curry Kitchen Of The Year is the Kerala Curry House in Ardwick. Named after the Indian state of Kerala, the restaurant on Higher Ardwick Street serves a range of authentic dishes including the Chicken Dum Biriyani and the popular Kerala Porotta – a soft, flaky flatbread often served with curries.
Elsewhere, Amaani Restaurant, on Lees Road in Ashton-under-Lyne, was named as a finalist in the Local Restaurant of the Year category. The Bangladeshi and Indian restaurant is housed in a former pub and has now been going strong for 13 years. Amongst popular dishes on its menu are handi curries, which are served on the bone and rich in flavour, as well as stir-fries, biryanis, and a homestyle apna desi.
Sanskruti Restaurant, on Mauldeth Road near Fallowfield, was nominated for Vegetarian Restaurant Of The Year – a title it received last year. Hoping to claim the award again, the restaurant serves a range of Tandoori-style street food, like pani puri, soyak tikka, and samosa chaat.
Sanskruti Restaurant, on Mauldeth Road near Fallowfield, has been nominated for Vegetarian Restaurant Of The Year
(Image: Sanskruti)
Sanskruti, meaning culture in the classical language of Sanskrit, also offers Punjabi and Indo-Chinese dishes, like vegan malai kofta and salt and pepper babycorn. It has also become known for its family-sized naan bread – which is served on a hanging stand.
Best of Manchester nominations
In the Best of Manchester category, ten restaurants, bars and cafes will compete to take home the coveted title. These include the family-run Indian and Nepalese restaurant Original Third Eye, on Wilmslow Road in Didsbury, and Arnero, on Sackville Street in Manchester’s Gay Village.
This & That on Soap Street, near Shudehill, has also been recognised in the Best of Manchester category. The family-run café, which is regarded as the ‘home of the rice and three curries’, has been running for more than 25 years now. It was also recently named as one of the best restaurants in the UK as part of a prestigious guide.
Indian kitchen and sports bar Spice and Spirits, on Manchester Road West in Little Hulton, was also amongst the ten shortlisted. Self-described as ‘a true labor of love’, features a menu spanning the likes of cheese pancakes and chilli fish to flank steaks and a home-style chicken tariwala curry with a ‘chef’s special’ blend of spices.
The Curry in a Hurry drive-thru hatch, on Manchester Road West in Little Hulton, is from Spice and Spirits
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
It also serves pizzas and has a designated ‘curry in a hurry’ menu, where people can pick up a curry in five minutes from a designated drive-thru hut that opens as early as 9am.
Sharing the news of their nomination, regular Spice and Spirits customers were keen to share their praise for the recognition. One person wrote: “Thoroughly deserved, congratulations”. Another wrote: “Amazing!! Good luck.”
This & That, on Soap Street, has been nominated in the Best Of Manchester category
(Image: Matt Ratcliffe)
Now in its third year, the Nation’s Curry Awards will take place in Manchester in February and will recognise ‘the best of achievements in our Curry Industry’.
Full list of Greater Manchester venues named finalists at the Nation’s Curry Awards 2025
Curry Kitchen Of The Year
Norden Indian Kitchen
Kerala Curry House
Curry Cottage
Local Restaurant Of The Year
Amaani Restaurant
Vegetarian Restaurant Of The Year
Sanskruti Restaurant Manchester
Best Of Manchester
Original Third Eye
Exotic Lounge
The Great Kathmandu
Spice & Spirits – Indian Kitchen & Sports Bar
Asha’s
This & That Café Ltd
Arnero Restaurant
Grand Kerala Restaurant
Mughali Taste