Two top Birmingham restaurants have been named Regional Champions 2025 in the British Indian Good Food Guide’s annual Top 100 Recommended Restaurants.
Asha’s Indian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar in Edward Street, and two Michelin-starred Opheem are both singled out for praise in a city that is renowned for its Asian cuisine.
The Midlands section of the guide commends Asha’s as “a longstanding leader in the city’s dining scene. Dishes drawn from classic North Indian traditions, refined with modern technique. Seasoning is assured and service operates with calm confidence.”
Opheem is praised for “a singular interpretation of Indian cuisine driven by precision, innovation and technical flair. Flavours unfold in clear, articulate layers. The kitchen displays exceptionally high standards across every course”.
Nouman Farooqui, director of Asha’s in Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to be named by such a prestigious national guide as one of the two most highly-recommend Indian restaurants in the city.
“To be named alongside a two Michelin-starred restaurant is high praise indeed for our excellent chef Sunil Kamar and his team. The comments on our table service are also most welcome and will be recognised by our regular clientele.”
Asha’s is well known for its celebrity clientele, with stars such as Tom Cruise, Pink, Jack Black, Ed Sheeran and The Rolling Stones booking tables when in town. Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, and Amitabh Bachchan have all visited.
And the restaurant has also had peer reviews from top chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and James Martin who were wowed by the restaurant’s exclusive ambience and excellent food. The restaurant was established in the city in 2006 by well-known Birmingham entrepreneurs Paul Bassi and Pawan Kenth and has gone from strength to strength.
Paul Bassi said: “Asha’s Birmingham continues to be a symbol of culinary excellence and celebrity allure and this year announced the rollout of the ‘Asha’s Events’ concept which is delivering the restaurant’s popular cuisine to major sporting events, food festivals and other major events."
