20 BEST Restaurants on Curry Mile / Wilmslow Road Manchester From Around the World!

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Curry Mile is a common name for Wilmslow Road in Rusholme, Manchester and where to eat on Curry Mile is a common thought when eating out in Manchester!

Technically not a mile, this street is packed with Asian, Arab and African restaurants serving up some of the best food in Manchester and a melting pot for cultures and tastes.

Visiting Curry Mile can be a bit overwhelming because there’s so much choice.. I tend to go at least once every 2 weeks and am still unsure of where to try next, so lets look at the best Curry Mile restaurants from my experience and from my Manchester based instagram followers who are big fans of the restaurants on Wilmslow Road and visit them regularly!

Best Curry Mile Restaurants

Before we get into a list of the best Wilmslow Road restaurants, let’s go through how to get there and what to expect!

Where is Curry Mile / Wilmslow Road Manchester?

Below is a map of all of the best curry mile restaurants detailed in this post to help you visit.

There is more than one ‘Wilmslow Road’ in Manchester so it’s important you go to the right street. The ‘Curry Mile’ generally runs from Platt Fields Park to Whitworth Park (there’s a lot of debate about which side it starts and ends.. everyone has their own opinion!).

Wilmslow Road Parking

Parking on Wilsmlow Road isn’t the easiest thing. There is street parking but it’s limited. There is also side street parking but it gets very tight and people have a thing of parking on double yellow lines with no apparent fear of tickets around here!

So the best thing is to head to one of the car parks like Car Park Manchester Thurloe Street or NCP Parking.

What Restaurants on Wilmslow Road are there?

South Asian Restaurants (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) are what started the infamous Curry Mile in Manchester back in the 1970’s and 80’s.

These days the street is mainly focused on South Asian and Arab food but you’ll also find Afghan Food, Turkish Food, Persian Food, Mexican Food plus Burgers and Dessert Shops!

Around the outskirts of Wilmslow Road you’ll find lots of African Restaurants with Eritrean, Ethiopian, Libyan food and more!

When looking for halal food in Manchester you can pretty much guarantee that everything on (and around) Willmslow road is halal because the owners are Muslim and the majority of the clientele are Muslim!

The restaurants on Wilmslow Road are such a mix, some offer a nice relaxed dining experience, others are a quick sit, eat and go process and others you might prefer to take-out from altogether.

This really adds to what Wilmslow Road is all about and the fact that because of the different dining styles, it caters to a range of budgets too!

Why is Curry Mile so good?

Curry Mile is like no-where else in Manchester and seems to follow its own set of rules!

Firstly it’s a melting pot for lots of different cultures and people of different backgrounds and this provides a really vibrant atmosphere. It’s also home to student accommodation to one end, which I think also helps the affordability of the food on the street.

With it’s bright lights, smells of food and shisha, car horns blaring (and often manic driving), you easily feel like you’re in a different part of the world.. in a very good way!

Whilst it is a Muslim majority area and this doesn’t go unnoticed, it is a street everyone in Manchester can enjoy and get delicious food from.

It is worth noting there’s a Jaffa and Jafra, Jafra is later down on this list but to understand the hype, make sure you go to Jaffa on the corner of Park Cresent.

It’s a very casual and informing dining experience with seating upstairs and downstairs. You order at the counter (I believe they only take cash) and the servers will bring the food to you. They serve a section of fetayer, kebabs, shawarma, pizza and mezze. We really love their fetayer and salads.

2. Afghan Cuisine

• Cuisine: Afghan
• Style: Informal
• Google Maps Location Link

My personal favourite restaurant on Wilmslow Road / Curry Mile is Afghan Cuisine! We go here a lot either eating in or getting take away.

It’s fairly informal and casual with seating downstairs and a large seating area upstairs. You order at the counter (they only take cash) and the servers will bring the food to you.

We always order the same thing – Chicken Al Faham, Lamb Kobeda, Pilau Rice which I can’t get enough of and bread which they cook fresh in a clay oven! They offer many other options too though and I like that there are photos at the counter to help you order.

I know a lot of people love Afghan Cuisine on Wilmslow Road and it’s always busy for a reason. People mainly love it for the consistent high quality, reasonable prices and big portions. This is another one of the best restaurants on Wilmslow Road to go with the family and young children as it is very relaxed.

Here’s my Instagram reel to help you see what Afghan Cuisine on Wilmslow Road is like:

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A post shared by Ellie Belhaj | Travel Blogger🌏 (@thewanderingquinn)

MyLahore offer British Asian food with the typical curries, biryanis and sides you’d expect from a South Asian Restaurant but they also serve burgers and ‘healthy bites’ helping everyone find something they like on the menu.

Not to be confused with Mowgli Street Food, a new chain of restaurants, Mughli is a family-run restaurant that has been running for around 30 years offering a taste of the kitchens of Mughal India and ‘Indian Soul Food’.

They are known for their Street Food dishes but also serve a range of curries and sides.

Walnut Persian Restaurant is known as one of the best restaurants on Wilmslow Road and best Persian restaurants in Manchester. They offer a really good sized menu with options like Kebabs, Chops, Stews, Soups and Rices. Don’t miss their Saffron Ice Cream!

I found their portions to be huge so you can definitely share dishes and people love it for it’s delicious, fresh and authentic tastes.

6. Don Tacos

• Cuisine: Mexican
• Style: Informal
• Google Maps Location Link
• Website Link

You don’t often find halal Mexican food but at Don Taco’s on Wilmslow Road you do!

This is one of the top restaurants in my halal food in Manchester guide because they offer a wide range of dishes like tacos, birria tacos, burritos, quesadillas and much more with beef, lamb, chicken or veggie fillings and a range of spices to suit everyone.

The restaurant is informal with only a few tables but its bright and fun and we enjoyed dining in, take out is popular too!

Here’s my Instagram reel to help you see what Don Taco’s on Wilmslow Road is like:

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A post shared by Ellie Belhaj | Travel Blogger🌏 (@thewanderingquinn)

Pitmaster is a BBQ and Smokehouse serving high quality, brisket, ribs and burgers, and it’s all halal!

Their 16 hour smoked brisket really is some of the best meat I’ve tasted and the quality is really high. Eating it in a burger with cheese and jalapeño’s makes you feel like you’ve had a really naughty greasy burger but because the meat is so good, you don’t feel rubbish afterwards and it actually fills you up!

Located on Welmar Street East, just off Wilmslow Road, it looks very informal and it is, especially downstairs, but they have an upstairs area with private Arab style rooms sectioned off with curtains with cushions on the floor and this was a highlight for me as I haven’t eaten in Manchester in this way before.

They offer a range of mezzes, pastries, grilled meats like kebab and pizzas in a relaxed seating area.

Al Jazeera are a long standing restaurant serving Afghan dishes like Kobeda, Kebab, Faham, Fish, Pilau Rice and much more.

Going by the reviews on Tripadvisor, not everyone is happy with the quality and it seems some people think it’s great and others don’t have a great experience. I’ve been twice and enjoyed it but it’s not my favourite restaurant.

They do have big tables and booths which are great for a big family dinner.

Their restaurant is all on an upstairs level making it calm amongst the chaos Wilmslow Road can often become. It’s not a fancy restaurant but its not informal either and is good for big groups and a big family dinner due to it’s size.

I’ve been to the Afrikana in Birmingham on the popular Ladypool Road (the Birmingham version of Wilmslow Road!) and it was good!

They serve African style curries, grilled chicken, steaks, wraps and much more that are full of flavour with sides like rice and peas, plantain and Mac and cheese.

Their menu is Asian fusion with burgers and chips but spiced grilled meat too. From the reviews, people love the lamb chops here.

16. Jafra

• Cuisine: Middle Eastern
• Style: Casual
• Google Maps Location Link
• Website Link

Another one of the popular restaurants on Wilmslow Road that many return to time and time again, Jafra serves Palestinian food and here you’ll find all of the Middle Eastern mezzes, grills, shawarma, kebabs and wraps you can think of.

Jafra is a casual but they offer table service unlike some of the other top restaurants on Wilmslow Road.

People love the quality of the food here and find the staff friendly which is why they keep going back.

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A post shared by Jafra Restaurant (@jafrarestaurant_)

17. Cedar Bakery

• Cuisine: Arabic Breakfast & Sweets
• Style: Formal
• Google Maps Location Link
• Website Link

Cedar Bakery is the perfect place to go when looking for brunch restaurants on Wilmslow Road, I mention it is my best halal cafes in Manchester post because it’s a hidden gem on the Curry Mile.

Opening from 10:00 am everyday, just off Wilmslow Road on Walmer Street E is where you can get delicious Arabic Breakfast dishes like classic Foul, pastries with all the Arab flavours, hummus, omelettes and much more.

People love this restaurant for the high quality, authentic Yemeni dishes, friendly staff, the family friendly environment and reasonable prices.

If Yemeni food is new to you, be sure to speak to the staff and ask them to explain the dishes, Mandi Chicken is always a good option!

Best Dessert Shops on Wilmslow Road

Both Moonlight and Heavenly Desserts are dessert shops on Wilmslow Road that are consistently busy! Both are decorated in a pretty way with lots of flowers and they offer similar menus with pretty much every dessert you could ever ask for!

19. Moonlight

• Google Maps Location Link
• Website Link

20. Heavenly Desserts

• Google Maps Location Link
• Website Link

I hope this list of the best curry mile restaurants has given you lots of ideas of where to eat on Wilmslow Road!

• For more of my Manchester posts see:
• 10 Things To Do Near Manchester Airport! 10 Minutes from the Airport!
• 23+ Fun Family Days Out NEAR Manchester!
• PERFECT One Day in Manchester Itinerary
• 14 Cafes for Halal Brunch in Manchester You HAVE to Try!
• BEST Halal Restaurants in Manchester