Asha’s is Indian fine dining with actual pedigree. Owned by Asha Bhosle — one of the most recorded artists in music history, if you didn’t know — the Peter Street restaurant has been Manchester’s go-to for upmarket Indian food for years. It’s the kind of place you go for a birthday or a business dinner, not a Tuesday night dal. The interior is dark, elegant, lots of deep reds and low lighting. It feels expensive because it is, but the food backs it up.
The menu leans towards North Indian and Mughlai cooking. Rich, slow-cooked curries with layers of spice rather than just heat. The lamb raan is a showpiece — slow-roasted leg of lamb that needs pre-ordering but is worth the planning. The biryani is aromatic and properly done, not a rushed afterthought. Starters like the chicken tikka and seekh kebabs are textbook.
Worth Knowing
The cocktail bar is genuinely good. Indian-inspired cocktails that aren’t gimmicky, plus a solid wine list. Expect to spend forty to sixty quid a head with drinks. It’s not cheap but it’s a step above your local curry house in every way — and Manchester has enough of those. This is the one for when you want to dress up and eat properly.