Our favourite curry houses - Manchester and London

Fourth Day has held meetings and meet-ups over bhunas, masalas, and jalfrezis in curry houses across the country. So, to celebrate National Curry Week, we wanted to take the opportunity to recommend some of our favourite spots. 

We’ve kept it local to our offices – our list is centred on Manchester’s Northern Quarter and Covent Garden in London:

This & That Café – Manchester. If you’re in the know, feel free to skip this beginner’s lesson in curry heritage. To those who aren’t, This & That Café is widely hailed as the birthplace of Rice and Three – that’s three different curries on a bed of rice. The restaurant served workers who supposedly picked their curries without much thought; a bit of this, a bit of that. The nonchalant selection not only gave the café its name, but the city a dish it adores to this day. What better reason is there to visit than a great story. After all, it’s what Fourth Day is all about. 

Café Marhaba – Manchester. Just a minute’s walk away from our Manchester office, Café Marhaba is another classic that has mastered the Rice and Three. Great prices paired with a great range of curries has meant getting a takeaway from Marhaba is a must for our southern colleagues who were unwittingly born in the wrong city.

Bundobust – Manchester. Not straying far from Café Marhaba, Bundobust is a northern favourite with locations across Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester. The modern chain restaurant throws together Indian street food with craft beers. The atmosphere is great, the beer is better and the street food dishes are some of the best around. Don’t just take our word for it – Jay Rayner described the restaurant as having “that something special.” – We couldn’t agree more!

Cinnamon Bazaar  – London. A favourite for its spectacular interior and top tier curry, Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden has a menu that will keep you on your toes as well as an all week bottomless lunch. From client meetings to laid back meals with friends, this spot is good for all events.

Punjab – London. Established in 1946 and a residence of Neal Street since ‘51, Punjab Restaurant is the oldest North Indian restaurant in the capital and fortunately for us, it’s just a stone’s throw from Fourth Day’s office in Somerset House. You can see the restaurant’s history on the walls that are adorned with portraits telling stories of Britain and Punjab. Turning to the food, there’s not much more to say than the warning on the menu – “our chicken curry dishes can be very addictive”. Our team only saw it fit that Punjab Restaurant rounds off our list of favourites.