Spice Lounge

It’s not often you find an Indian restaurant with quite the capacity for bartending as Spice Lounge. So let’s begin there, with this Northern Quarter destination for Manchester’s lovers of Asian subcontinental cuisine’s wide range of fine drink. Wines from around the world head the list, with vintages culled from Australia and New Zealand, the Americas and Europe. But besting this is Spice Lounge’s top shelf selection: vintage ports, American and Scottish whiskies, cognacs and other liqueurs, plus, naturally, your favourite Indian beer brands. It’s a surprising selection, but it’s one of the reasons that diners patronise Spice Lounge’s Shudehill restaurant and bar over the competition.

The other, primary reason that Spice Lounge is beloved by Northern Quarter locals and Manchester curry fans is of course their delicious food, taking in recipes from Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Balti dishes are always popular here, but it’s the traditional curries that find the most favour among connoisseurs. More unusual curries include the Bangalore, a fruity delicacy that takes the the filling of your choice and cooks it in mild spices with a creamy coconut and banana sauce. Duck dishes are another Spice Lounge specialty, while the tandoor is kept on high rotation in service of both the northern Indian and Himalayan dishes that have made this Shudehill Indian restaurant’s name. Don’t forget to finish your meal with a traditional borhani, an Indian digestif that is made with herbed and spiced yoghurt.