After a day of shopping, there's nothing like tucking in to some freshly-made, hot Indian snacks…read more So whenever I'm planning a trip down to Sparkhill; Sooraj Sweet Centre is always on the agenda. They are a pure vegetarian eatery, specialising in Gujarati sweets and snacks. Their mogo and dokhla is utterly divine! The softness of the texture and impeccable taste makes Sooraj's the best place for these particular dishes. I can almost taste them as I write! They also have a rare stock of Indian drinks, that aren't commonly available in supermarkets. So what better way to wash down a hearty snack than with a mango, passion fruit or guava-flavoured drink! And if the sun is out, I need little persuasion to grab a kulfi ice-cream on the go. Pistachio flavour in particular is my weakness! The sweet centre is homely, clean and very reasonably priced. A definite recommendation for Gujarati snacks!

I have a penchant for very sweet desserts; some of the sweetest I have tasted are from Indian…read moreCuisine. On the occasion I am in Sparkhill, I always try to come here to buy some sickly cake style sweets. Barfi is an unfortunate name because it sounds like barf, which means to vomit. The barfi they serve here is delicious and super sweet, it tastes nothing like barf. Barfi is more like a sugar cake with a doughy edge to it. It is usually sold in rectangular blocks from a large tray of barfi. Gulab Jaman is also a very sweet dessert that I often buy from here. To make it they deep fry dough in oil so a crisp orange biscuit emerges. This is then covered in treacle and served in a bowl. The Gulab Jaman here is also very good. If you like sweets, and have never tried Indian sweets then I would recommend this shop for your purchases. They sell some of the best in Brum.

Ate here last night, had a proper meal this time lol. I have to say the garlic naan was a little…read moreon the small side. However I highly recommend the bhutore - they were amazing!...and massive! and the shahi paneer was mmmmmm so yummy! The place was really busy, so service wasn't great, they forgot to bring things like spoons or napkins. It was quite a bit of a wait for the food, however they did warn us of that at the time of ordering. It was very disappointing to find there was no toilet paper in the toilets, and an empty loo roll on the sink hmmm. Would probably still visit again though at less of a peak time!

Wow, what delicious food! Homemade, scrumptious and authentic vegetarian food…read more Be sure to try the masala dosa, chilli cauliflower and spicy chips you will not be disappointed. The service here was great too, so friendly and attentive Highly recommend visiting this hidden gem!

Wow. As a vegetarian I'm rarely at a loss for something on a menu but Milan caters solely for…read morevegetarian and vegans. And how! I went there after a friend strongly recommended it, and I'm glad that I did. It is a small food store on Stoney Lane, not far from the Ladypool Road, it is actually a sweet centre but the savoury food is what I was there for. There is a vast choice of snacks (as well as full meals and sweets) and I couldn't decide what to have, so I asked the guy behind the counter to make me a mix bag of vegetarian selections, such as kachori, batetawada, onion bhaji, palaks, vadas daal, potato fritter, among others. I asked for £5 worth and had to stop him as the food was piling up! I ended up with enough food for 3 people! I can say that every single thing was delicious. My favorite was the palak - spinach, onion and aubergine bhaji. The place went beyond my expectations. I am definitely going to be a regular!

The Milan sits on the corner of Stoney Lane and Chesterton Road, right in the heart of Birmingham's…read moreBalti quarter. A traditional, wholly vegetarian, Asian sweet centre, offering a very wide selection of good quality home made sweet delights (I particularly like the Gulab Jaman) together with an equally broad selection of savoury dishes which include several paneer or Indian cheese dishes (their saag paneer is particularly lovely) including paneer spring rolls which I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Add to this a fine choice in breads (try the bhaturas) and mixed pakora all of which are very reasonably priced, and you can see why I like this place. Oh, and don't forget the kulfi ice cream on a stick too when you visit - lovely for afters.

Most Indian restaurants offer cuisine from a certain part of India. In fact many are called Indian…read morerestaurants when they are in fact Pakistani or Bangladeshi! Sanskrit Restaurant has uniquely captured traditional dishes from the four corners of India with a modern flavour. They have an extensive range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are inspired by the journey Indian immigrants have taken to get to Britain. For example, the crispy bhajia and mogo chips are a perfect marriage of Kenyan and Indian cuisine...yum! Despite the elegant surroundings, the prices are very modest. The service is traditionally Indian with humble waiting staff that are impressively polite. It's a shame the restaurant is as small as it is. It has a lot more potential. I think Sanskrit Restaurant is a gem that is yet to be discovered by the rest of the city. The cuisine is delectable, the service impeccable and ambience is perfect for fine dining.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening night of this great new restaurant. Super friendly…read morestaff and a chef that can really cook. I don't normally eat Indian food but it was great, Seatol and his beauiful wife made us and all the diners and guests very welcome, we reluctantly left 4 hours after arriving. What a great night....TRY THIS PLACE!

Great first Indian dining experience in Birmingham's Moseley neighborhood. Very modern and pretty…read moreinterior! We started with the popadoms and Chef's platter for 4 (onion bhajees, samosas, buckrawta parcels and kababs) - so tasty and a good selection to whet your appetite. Then we got the chicken korma, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, tarka dall and naan bread. Good flavor and not too spicy (at least not those dishes - I have heard that their dishes marked spicy are no joke!). Service was very friendly and attentive. They even called us a cab at the end of our meal! Would recommend it!

After agonising over where we would go for a curry during our brief trip to Birmingham, we…read moreeventually decided on this spot given our location and the recommendation of a friend. Thanks to all the Yelpers who provided recommendations!! The location is good, although I reckon there is a fortune to be made selling car parks in the area - seriously they are rare as rockinghorse droppings. Ambience was nice and the staff very accommodating - we were first sat next to a large very noisy group that made it tough for us as two of three at the table were hard of hearing, however the staff were very happy to shift us and we sat in a nice quiet corner. Wednesday night and they were pretty busy, so suggest booking for weekends. Cobra on tap, good wine list from around the world, and passable cocktails. :-D Poppadums and dips to start while we went through the enormous menu! Chefs Sizzler starter is great - bit of all the Tandoori meats, and we followed with Balti Chicken (of course) and two other curries which I could not name - a lamb and a prawn. All in all the meal was excellent, the naan bread possibly the best I have eaten, the roti thin and crispy, and all the curries well flavoured and spiced. Wish we were in town longer so we could do more of the menu! Recommended.

This is a great Indian restaurant. I've been here a few times and they've never failed to satisfy…read more I think the food tastes as traditional as it can get. A personal favourite is the chicken korma with pilau rice nad peshwari nan and their vegetarian dishes are just simply moorish! On time my family and I used their function room to celebrate a birthday. It's a decent sized but probably not recommended for fifteen or more people because of the capacity. To be honest I think the tables and chairs took up most of the room. The service is good but for some reason the standards lower when they have large parties; it's like they slow down and sometimes get a little stressed.

An M family fave, I have a real soft spot for this place and its homely atmosphere. But I probably…read moreneed to temper expectations for your own good. The setting is fairly dated, looking much like you've wandered into someone's living room. It hasn't changed in years, and I'd know because we've been going that long. The single toilet is also best avoided (particularly for the tricky lock which led to a traumatic childhood experience for my little sister some years ago). However, the food is great. The must-order highlight of the menu for me has always been and remains the Tava Chicken which arrives sizzling on a hot plate full of flavour and spice (there's the same with paneer for the veggies out there). For main, I love the Chicken Jalfrezi - quite spicy - and the breads are all so light, fluffy and fresh it's a hard choice between the tandoori roti and the temptation of the kulcha naan. Go with friends and get both. You will very likely see the down-to-earth owner, Channi, in there acting as either chef, waiter or front of house at any one time, who exudes warmth and hospitality as if you really have walked into his living room. He's very happy to help with suggestions if you're not sure what you want from the menu. Or he'll go off menu and make chips for your kids or any fussy eaters! It may not be much to look at (and parking is a real headache) but give it a chance - I know it'll continue to be a staple for us for the tasty food (i.e. the tava chicken) and very reasonable prices. Call ahead to check he's open if it's a weekend as he's occasionally closed for private party hire (probably for my family ;).

Channi's is one of the longest established Indian restaurants in Birmingham. It has a trademark…read morehomely feel to it with the warm hospitality and informal service. They avoid the pretension and glamour of more upmarket eateries, but I guess this is why it's popular with locals. The food is very traditional, Punjabi cuisine, which tends to be rich in spices and flavours. The decor is a little lost in time and could do with a facelift. The cutlery too seems a little too similar to what my aunt would have at home, but it adds to the informal ambience. The owner, Channi, is always around to greet you at the bar and engage in some light banter. His staff is not as conversational but they serve you well enough. The prices are reasonable so you don't mind venturing out for a feast of a meal without breaking the bank balance.

Excellent dining service, prix fix menu with accommodations for vegetarians and pescatarians…read more Creative and delicious 2.5 hour dining experience.

Amazing, creative and tasty food with fantastic, warm and friendly service. Excellent Sunday lunch…read moreand monthly Afternoon Tea and watch out for special evenings focusing on wines or top local produce. A must visit!

This restaurant is a huge and beautifully decorated Indian restaurant serving kashmiri style food…read morewhich was really tasty, much better than typical Indian takeaways. They have a huge menu ranging from curries and sizzlers to vegetarian dishes, various biryani, tandoori dishes and Indian desserts like Kulfi. Portions are massive so just a main would be more than enough, and prices are very cheap for the amount of food you get. The service was excellent, we came on Christmas Eve so it was very quiet but it's usually a very busy lively place. Overall good quality cheap Indian food, very generous portions and great atmosphere, good for parties too.

The best curry in Brum. I hesitate before saying that it's the best curry in the UK, as I would…read morelike to feed my face some more before making such a blanket statement, but it's certainly knocked the London competition out of the water as far as I can see. Goodness though, where do I start with the curry. Firstly, here is not where you come if you like your eyebrows singed and little pain the next day. No, the curries here are made with roasted spices, cooked for absolutely ages until the chefs can be sure there'll be an absolute taste riot in your mouth. Each dish is totally different too. Some of the standouts are the lamb on the bone, the keema, the daal of the day, masala fish (sizzling and huge portion, equal to a whole fish!). The service here can be a bit hit and miss, although when it's spot on, it really is awesome to watch. There are usually about ten waiters on at any one time (it's a big place), running laps around the restaurant with huge trays filled with goodies. It can sometimes be hard to catch their eye for a corkscrew, or to order, and you can wait a while for food. However I might add here that this hasn't happened the last twice I've been. They must be sharpening their game. The atmosphere is raucous (huge groups of people make the pilgramage most nights) and loud (but not in a binge drinking hen night sense, moreso the enjoyable family way). It's BYO - you'll be given some queer glasses to drink from that'll make you think you're drunk before you start. The decor is modern curry house chic. Glass tables and pleather chairs all over the place. There's a curious waiting area with zebra print sofas and a huge telly always showing sky sports. Who knows why. Who cares, eat your dinner!

Bader Resturant is one of my best as they have multi cuisine and they nail them all! Everything…read moretastes authentic and delicious. I ordered the Lamb with okra and I highly recommend anyone who visits to try it. The restaurant is nice and has a relaxing atmosphere, always clean which is very important to me and the workers there a so lovely and welcoming. My freinds and I visit every Wednesday to drink their yummy milk tea which is made deliciously. It goes great along side their freshly baked pastries/breads. Thank you for always welcoming us to your wonderful restaurant

Bader Restaurant, Ladypool Road, is second branch of original Bader restaurant from Small Heath in…read moreBirmingham,. If you have read my review about that then you will be surprised to read that complete opposite of that review here. I had a chance to go to try this branch, not sure about the quality and service from previous branch... but I was totally in for surprise. What a welcome, beautiful family environment with traditional comfortable seatings. The restaurant doesn't make your cloth stink after you have left the place, this is the main factor I look for a good restaurant. Secondly I like to see how the service is, and this place has lots of good things to talk about. The service is superb compared to previous (original branch experience) experience. I went on Thursday night and the place was quiet but very peaceful. Very clean and family friendly. The price is reasonable for authentic arabian food in my opinion. I went with family so we ordered few different dishes to try out. And they were all yummy as usually arabian food is always yummy. Very healthy as they use a lot of lemon, which is very good for digestion and burning your body fat. They have good parking space on the side road at the back of the restaurant. They have good space to serve good amount of customers. I will fully recommend this place to anyone who would like to try some authentic lebanese food in Birmingham. I am so happy that so many arabian food restaurants are springing up in Birmingham and most of them are superb as they serve authentic arabian food with good standards. So in short, Anyone want good authentic arabian food, Go to BADER Restaurant on Ladypool Road, they are SUPERB.