Asian Restaurant Awards 2021 Shortlist


17th August 2021



The shortlist for this year’s Asian Restaurant Awards, being held in Manchester at the end of August, has been announced. These national awards are open to restaurants of all Asian and Oriental cuisines. Over 100,000 online votes from members of the spice loving community determined the finalists.

Judges from the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which hosts the event, are now visiting the candidates to determine the overall category winners.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner and presentation ceremony organised at the Mercure Piccadilly on Tuesday 31st August.
The Asian Restaurant Awards cover the complete range of Asian and Oriental cuisines: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Commenting on this year’s awards, which is being held at the Mercure Piccadilly in Manchester, ACF chairman Yawar Khan said: “The pandemic has been devastating for many hospitality businesses and its workers.

“These awards will acknowledge the sector’s resilience, innovation and generosity in the face of such adversity.”
In order to survive, some Michelin-starred fine dining Indian restaurants began offering takeaways for the first time. Others sold finish-at-home meal kits, containing pre measured ingredients and recipe instructions. Another operated pop-up delivery kitchens, based in locked-down pubs.

The awards are supported by Just Eat and Booker Wholesale.

The full list:

LONDON

Darjeeling Express London
Normah’s London

Royal Nawaab Perivale, London
Grand Trunk Road South Woodford
Dulwich Heritage West Dulwich

SOUTH EAST

Everest Inn Ashford, Kent
Taj Cuisine Chatham, Kent
Jah Jyot Punjabi Crawley, West Sussex
Sundar Rachana Rainham, Kent
Rose of Bengal Crowborough
Olive Limes Tring
Saffron Summer Chessington
Simply Indian East Sussex

SOUTH COAST

Indian Summer Brighton
Mahaan Worthing

SOUTH WEST

Maha Bharat Kingsbridge, Devon
Café Diwali Salisbury
Spice Club Bridgewater
Urban Tandoor Bristol
Shapla Alresford
Urban Kohinoor Bristol

EAST OF ENGLAND
Tandoor Lounge Hornchurch
Lalbagh Cambridge
Navadhanya Cambridge
Kushi Essex

MIDLANDS

Gurkha Square Grantham, Lincolnshire
Chef’s Flavours Leicester
Royal Bengal Coventry
Champagne Express Redditch
Tipu Sultan Birmingham
Tipu Sultan Leicester
 Roshni Stoke on Trent
Janaki Solihull
Third place Shrewsbury
Millennium Balti Royal Leamington Spa
Royal Tandoori Corby

Dosa Village Rugby
Fusion of India Derby
Lal Haveli Restaurant Walsall
Latif’s Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent

NORTH OF ENGLAND

Usha Burnley Leeds
Mango Leeds Manchester
Alishaan Cafe Sunderland Bingley
Royal Nawaab Manchester Heckmondwike
Saffron Huddersfield Hyde
Mumbai Haswell Plough, County Durham Stockport
Zouk Tea Bar Manchester Shipley, Bradford
The Naz Eccles, Manchester Thornbury, Bradford
Paprika Takeaway Hyde, Cheshire Sheffield
Ziya Asian Grill Manchester Huddersfield
Sigiriya Altrincham, Greater Manchester Leeds City
Istanbul Grill Prestwich Leeds
Panda Mami Chester Manchester
Bhaji Fresh Takeaway Latchford Manchester
Rice & Spice Wakefield North Tyneside
My Lahore Bradford
Arnero Restaurant Manchester
Istanbul Bar & Grill Glossop
Binary Bar & Grill Manchester
Kathmandu Kitchen Altrincham
Jaipur Spice Thirsk
Al Maidah Manchester
Red Chilli Chinese Restaurant Manchester
Tiger Rock Hawker Restaurant Liverpool
Vadah Stockton-on-Tees
Indigo Stockport
The Zen Restaurant Lytham Saint Annes
Shimla Spice Shipley
Mumtaz Leeds
Asha’s Manchester
Motiraj Sunderland
Mahmood’s Bradford
Rajpoot Chorley
Jinnah Bradford
Duke Bombay Café Darlington
Manjit’s Kitchen
Akbar’s
Shama
Adnan’s
Harappa
Aagrah
Aagrah Midpoint
Aagrah Leopold
Lalas
Aagrah
Aagrah Garforth
Scene Indian Street Kitchen
Gupshup
Shampan Restaurant

South Wales
Red Fort Newport

Sheesh Mahal Llanelli
Mint Room
Barry

North Wales
Ijazz Wrexham
Sapna Tandoori Caernarfon
Maahis Wrexham

Black Peppers Wrexham

ASIAN CHEF OF THE YEAR

Moifuzur Rahman Chutney Masala Ashton-under-Lyne
Mohammed Shajad Rahman Blue Tiffin W.Midlands
Mohammed Iftekher Hussain Baby Kingfisher North West

Ashwani Ranga Gupshup Manchester

NORTHERN IRELAND

Yaks Bangor
Bokhara Bangor Bangor
Cinnamon Indian Restaurant Belfast

Best takeaway

Spice Islands Bolton
Rasoi Indian Takeaway Ross-on Wye
Mint Indian Takeaway Denton
Bhajii Fresh Takeaway Warrington
Wings Kitchen Macclesfield
Achaari Macclesfield
Kushi Brentwood
Stopsley Surma Luton
Curry Leaf Luton

Best group restaurant of the year

Kushi Essex
Everest Inn Kent
Akbar Bradford
Agrah Shipley

Best Fusion Restaurant

DUSK Brentwood
Ekachai Birmingham
Ivy Asia London

Vegan Restaurant of the year

Bhaji Pala Cheadle
Lily’s Indian Vegetarian Ashton-under-Lyne
Jaipur Palace Chorlton

Street food of the year

Little Yeti Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Thaikun Manchester
Tandoori lounge Essex

Best Casual Dining

Sigiriya Altrincham
Kebabish Original Blackburn
Phetpailin Thai Restaurant Manchester
Akbar’s Manchester
EastZeast Preston

Innovative Restaurant of the year

Babul’s Barnard Castle
The Crooked Skewer Hull