As far as I know, Shrewsbury offers ten Indian restaurants in the town centre, plus a few take-aways (and some, of course, outside the central area). Starting at the northern end of town in Lower Claremont Bank near the river is the unusually named Kasturi 2, Shrewsbury’s newest, and arguably smartest Indian restaurant. This restaurant opened at the end of 2002 and is modern and fashionable in design. The reception and bar at ground floor level has pale wooden flooring and contemporary furnishings, while the modern dining area is on a mezzanine level. It seats 90 in all and the menu offers a number of different dishes as well as the more commonly found ones. The young manager was very friendly, provided me with invaluable help in identifying other Indian restaurants in town and I am greatly indebted to him for this. Although I didn’t eat there, it was certainly one which attracted me and I am sure they will do well.

Just across the square is Cafe Saffron at 25 Hills Lane. This is the second newest, opening in July 2001. It is situated upstairs and was closed during my lunchtime investigations so I couldn’t see in, but from a photograph it looks modern and comfortable. Again the menu offers many different dishes. Part of the menu offers ‘dishes exclusive to Cafe Saffron’ but incongruously starts with Tikka Masala (hardly exclusive to any restaurant!). However, the rest of the list is encouragingly different - items like Nawabi, Bagha, Tarkari and the fiery sounding Naga Murchi which I imagine is made with those wickedly hot naga chillies - not for the faint hearted!).

Through a shopping arcade next door is The Curry House at 29 Mardol. Another upstairs restaurant where the young man told me that it was the oldest curry house in Shrewsbury, being established for 35 years after being opened by his grandfather in 1965! Not only his arithmetic a bit awry but the factual accuracy is slightly out as the menu states it was established in 1970, and it is not the oldest in town. Nevertheless, it is certainly long established, and the second oldest. It looked fairly cosy in the dining area and offered a more-or-less standard menu although with one or two different names which took the eye - Shai Tukra (for example, home made cheese with chicken or lamb), Dumka Murag (tandoori chicken in a hot coriander sauce) and the Goan dish of Xacuti which is not found on the menu of the average high street curry houses.

To the West side of town, nestling under the castle in Castle Gates is the Cafe Sylhet. Again this was closed when I visited but looked a fairly standard restaurant with about 30 seats (unless there is further seats which cannot be seen from the front) A notice in the window announced that they were closed on Monday. It looked a bit dingy from the outside and didn’t attract me for that reason, although, of course, it could be good.

Moving to the southern side of town, the quaint and historic road intriguingly named Wyle Cop and adjoining area houses most of the others. At the top of Wyle Cop, at number 79, is Sheraz which is not only Shrewsbury’s oldest Indian restaurant but the oldest in Shropshire. It is run by Mr Uddin and his brother, and Mr Uddin told me that the restaurant has been there (and within the same family) for forty six years, although another source puts the opening at 1960. believe what you will but it is still the oldest. It is bigger than it looks from the outside, having opened the upstairs as a dining area fairly recently. (See report for further details).

Moving down Wyle Cop is the newest, the modern-looking Shuvecha at number 82. I am told that the owner has recently (autumn 2007) introduced an innovative pricing policy called 'stop the clock' between Sunday and Thursday. Essentially this is that whatever time you order, then that is the price you pay for 3 courses of popadoms, any starter and any main course from the menu with either a bread or rice accompaniment (King prawns a £2.50 supplement). Friday and Saturday are normal prices. Therefore, if you ordered at 6pm, then you would pay six pounds, and if ordering at 9.30 then £9.30 and so on. It sounds a great deal to me. I hope it lasts.

On the opposite side is the Ramna Balti House - a small restaurant, seating just 36 but in cosy and comfortable surroundings with a welcoming fire in the grate when I popped in to investigate. On enquiring when it opened the young waiter told me it had been open 11 years and was the oldest Indian restaurant in Shrewsbury. On querying the validity of this he explained that he was only going by what it said on the billheads. He sought out the manager who explained that it was the oldest ‘Balti House’ in Shrewsbury (which is what the billheads state). I commented that he was, perhaps, making a fine distinction between names but he assured me that his restaurant provided genuine Balti dishes cooked in the Karahi while other restaurants used the word ‘Balti’ without it being the genuine article. I still probably looked a bit sceptical as felt it was a matter of semantics to make a debateable advertising statement. He then told me that he was Pakistani, as was the chef and staff. This put a different complexion on things, and I accepted the legitimacy of his claim (he also said that the family run a restaurant of the same name in Islamabad, while he alleges is well known there). Being Pakistani run I was greatly tempted to eat there as I like the more robust spicing of Pakistani curries and I had the feeling it would be good. However, having already booked a table elsewhere it will have to wait another day.

Further down Wyle Cop, at number 36 is Parveen Balti which, I was told, has been there ‘about 6 or 7 years’. A long and, I thought, unattractive looking restaurant which looked to seat about 40 downstairs but there is further seating upstairs. The menu was a standard but comprehensive list. Like the Cafe Sylhet, I did not find it particularly enticing, although again I might be doing them an injustice. I did note, however, that it was the only one which was empty (downstairs) on the three occasions I passed.

Opposite, in the small side street called St Julian’s Friars is Masala at number 36 (it used to be the Koh-I-Nor  but changed hands in about November 2005). It's better and bigger (a 90-seater) than it looks from the outside. Dark oak beams, both in ceiling and walls, lend the old fashioned look appropriate to that part of town. 

Back to Wyle Cop and moving towards the Abbey is Shalimar, at 23 Abbey Foregate in a Grade II listed building opposite the Abbey. This opened in 1989 and although the attractively laid out dining area downstairs looks small, there is a further dining area upstairs which provides 75 seats in all. The menu contains a comprehensive list of the popular dishes

Either side of Shalimar are two places which look like Indian restaurants - Seven Spices at number 7 and Ganges at number 32 but both are take-away  had appetising smells emanating from the kitchens.

Further out in the same direction is Chilli Peppers in Mount Pleasant (off Castle Foregate) and Tandoori Cottage at 184 Monkmoor Road (BYO licence only) but they were too far out to look them up.

In short, therefore, Shrewsbury seems well endowed with good Indian restaurants. I found several of them had particularly interesting and enticing features but unfortunately I could only eat in one. The choice was not and easy one, but in the end I went for Sheraz in recognition of it’s long service to the community!