The Best Curry in Leeds

The best curry in Leeds is at Tharavadu on Mill Hill, for Keralan cooking that has made it the city's most recommended Indian restaurant, with Shabab on Wellington Street for a classic night out and Manjit's Kitchen in Kirkgate Market for the best cheap thali. Then you have Goan plates in Headingley, a vegetarian Bib Gourmand in Drighlington and a curry house on Eastgate that will give you a certificate if you finish its challenge. Leeds takes its curry seriously. So should you.

Tharavadu, Mill Hill

Tharavadu, at 7 to 8 Mill Hill (LS1 5DQ), near the station, cooks the food of Kerala under a wooden roof. Order the Meen Pollichathu and the Adu Cheera Mappas, a boneless lamb dish, with an appam or a paratha. At lunch the thali, chicken, lamb or vegetarian, comes in under £10. Book for dinner.

Uyare, Victoria Gate

Uyare is the Tharavadu team's rooftop restaurant, on the third floor of Victoria Gate on George Street, with views over the city. It does South Indian food: the lamb pepper fry and the Meen Chatti curry, with an Uyare lager brewed with Kirkstall Brewery. This is the one for a birthday.

The city centre classics

• Shabab, 66 Wellington Street. Around 50 years in business, cooking from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Order the Nehari or the Kalaigi, chicken liver, and some onion bhajis. It is near the station and has been going for around half a century, which tells you most of what you need to know.
• Akbar's, 15 Eastgate. The post-pint curry, with hearty portions. Chicken liver tikka, chargrilled lamb chops, baltis. There are two Chef's Challenges, one for size and one for heat, and finishing either gets you a certificate and a free dessert. You have been warned.
• Kerala Restaurant, 2 Eastgate. Food from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Meen Koottan and Kerala chicken curry, with a Kingfisher.
• Cinnamon Kitchen, The Queens Hotel. Vivek Singh's restaurant on City Square. Lamb rogan shepherd's pie and a Malabar boatman's fish curry.
• Kerala Canteen, 5 St Peter's Street. A menu by MasterChef's Bobby Geetha, with duck kothu porotta and a flat iron beef and bone marrow curry. The Bloody Chutney Mary is the cocktail.
• Bengal Brasserie, 5 Merrion Way. Bengali cooking: tandoori prawns, Naga Chilli Mach and lamb chops. There are branches on Roundhay Road in Oakwood and on Haddon Road too.

Cheap and vegetarian

Bundobust, at 6 Mill Hill, does vegetarian and vegan Indian street food with its own beers: paneer tikka with mushrooms and the bhaji butty. In Kirkgate Market, Manjit's Kitchen does vegetarian Punjabi food, and its multi-curry thali is half price for the second one on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Bring a mate. Manjit's also does chilli paneer wraps if you are eating on the move, and it is one of the best-value lunches in the city.

Headingley and Chapel Allerton

De Baga does Goan-inspired sharing plates at 9 Otley Road in Headingley and at 8b Stainbeck Lane in Chapel Allerton. Get the lamb Xacuti in Headingley and the chicken lollipops in Chapel Allerton, which has its own dishes. Also in Headingley, The Cat's Pyjamas at 53 Otley Road does Indian small plates: pani puri, Railway potato curry and a Yorkshire cheese naan, which is exactly as good as it sounds. Rasoi Stories, at 106a Harrogate Road in Chapel Allerton, is inside a Grade II-listed former police station. Order the Amritsar Machchi and a rose and almond lassi.

Kirkstall Road, Adel and Farsley

Jodhpur, the blue building at 352 to 354 Kirkstall Road, does a lamb madras, dal makhani and a chilli cheese dosa. Dastaan, at 473 Otley Road in Adel, offers a tasting menu alongside paneer makhani and Malabar prawn curry. Deeva, at 58 Town Street in Farsley, is in a former church and does a seafood platter for two, plus tandoori cod and a proper jalfrezi. It is the neighbourhood favourite out that way, and worth a detour if you are visiting Sunny Bank Mills.

Worth the drive: Prashad

Prashad, at 137 Whitehall Road in Drighlington, holds a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide for its Indian vegetarian cooking, built on the family's Gujarati heritage. According to Prashad, it opens for dinner from Tuesday and all day at the weekend, from noon on Saturday and Sunday.

How to curry in Leeds

For a first visit, book Tharavadu. For a cheap lunch, Manjit's. For a night out with mates, Akbar's or Shabab. Most of these restaurants change offers often, so check before you go. The full roundup is in the Leeds-List Indian restaurant guide.