Opheem — Summer Row, City Centre ⭐⭐ Birmingham's Greatest Achievement
Two Michelin Stars | Halal fine dining | The most important restaurant in Birmingham
Opheem is the first Indian restaurant outside of London to be awarded a Michelin star and the first in Birmingham to receive two Michelin stars. Owned and led by Chef Aktar Islam — who grew up in Birmingham and whose cooking draws on his own family heritage and the culinary traditions of the Indian subcontinent — Opheem represents one of the most significant achievements in British halal fine dining history.
The restaurant’s tasting menus — a five-course and a ten-course option — unfold as a journey through progressive Indian cuisine: familiar spices and flavour profiles presented with a technical precision and creative intelligence that has repeatedly impressed the most demanding palates in the country. The dining experience begins in a lounge area where the first courses are served alongside drinks, before guests move through to the main dining room — both spaces offering visibility of the kitchen, where the Opheem team’s extraordinary precision can be observed throughout the meal.
Reviewers have highlighted the stunning lounge area, attentive staff, well-presented dishes, and unique flavours that include a good spicy kick unexpected in Indian cuisine. Personal touches — addressing diners by name, accommodating requests with genuine warmth — make the experience feel as considered as the food itself.
Halal status: All meats on the menu are halal. Advance notice of 48 hours is recommended when booking to confirm halal requirements.
Address: 65 Summer Row, Birmingham, B3 1JJ Price: Tasting menu from £75; ten-course menu available Best for: Special occasions, Birmingham fine dining, the best Indian tasting menu in the UK outside London
Shababs — Ladypool Road, Balti Triangle ⭐ The Living Legend
Established 1987 | Fully halal | The heartbeat of the Balti Triangle
If Opheem represents where Birmingham halal dining is going, Shababs is a Balti Triangle legend, credited with popularising the Birmingham Balti. Its fully halal menu features massive naan breads and fiery lamb chops that draw crowds. Founded in 1987 and operating from the same Ladypool Road address for nearly four decades, Shababs is not simply a restaurant — it is the institution most closely associated with the invention and popularisation of the Birmingham Balti, a dish that has put this city on the global culinary map.
The experience at Shababs is deliberately unfussy: buzzer systems manage the queue at peak times, steel balti bowls arrive at the table still sizzling, and the naan bread — baked fresh and arriving in sheets larger than the plates — is the correct accompaniment to everything. The chicken karahi, cooked in a traditional wok with a rich, home-cooked depth of flavour, is the dish that has made Shababs famous. The fiery lamb chops are equally non-negotiable for first-time visitors.
For visitors from the USA and Canada experiencing Birmingham’s Balti Triangle for the first time, Shababs is the definitive starting point — not because it is the only option, but because no other restaurant in the city carries this particular weight of history and consistency.
Address: 163-165 Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, B12 8LQ Price: £ — excellent value Best for: Birmingham Balti, lamb chops, authentic no-frills South Asian halal dining, Balti Triangle experience
Dishoom — Chamberlain Square, City Centre ⭐ Best for Groups
Halal-friendly | Bombay café culture | Always buzzing
Dishoom Birmingham pays homage to Bombay comfort food with halal-friendly options, served all-day from breakfast to dinner and perfect for groups. The Birmingham branch of the beloved Bombay café chain — located in the landmark Chamberlain Square development in the heart of the city — brings the same extraordinary all-day menu that has made Dishoom one of the most celebrated Indian restaurant brands in Britain, with a halal-friendly offering that covers everything from the signature black daal to the famous bacon naan roll (chicken or lamb, not pork, for halal diners).
Dishoom Birmingham recreates the atmosphere of Bombay’s old Irani cafés with extraordinary care: dark wood, ceiling fans, vintage photographs, and the particular combination of energy and warmth that makes eating here feel like a genuinely transportive experience. The house black daal — slow-cooked for 24 hours — has become one of the most celebrated dishes in Birmingham, and the chicken tikka is as accomplished as anything served at the city’s more expensive restaurants.
The all-day menu makes Dishoom one of the most versatile halal dining options in Birmingham — equally valid for a weekend breakfast, a leisurely lunch, or a late dinner with a large group. Advance booking is strongly recommended.
Address: Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3HQ Price: ££ — mid-range Best for: Groups, all-day halal dining, Bombay café food, city centre location
MyLahore — Digbeth ⭐ Best for Families
Fully halal | Pakistani and Indian comfort food | Open late
MyLahore Birmingham is a delightful deli and café that serves up an enticing mix of Indian cuisine alongside burgers, wraps, milkshakes, and delectable desserts. Since its inception in 2002, MyLahore has transformed from humble beginnings into one of Birmingham’s premier dining destinations.
The combination of traditional Pakistani and Indian dishes — chicken karahi, nihari, dum biryani — alongside contemporary comfort food like halal burgers, wraps, and thick milkshakes makes MyLahore one of the most genuinely versatile halal restaurants in the city. The mango lassi is a highlight that every visitor should order regardless of what else they choose to eat. The Digbeth location, close to the Balti Triangle, makes it a natural companion to a wider Birmingham halal food tour.
MyLahore blends traditional Pakistani dishes with modern twists and is beloved by younger diners and families alike — bridging tradition and contemporary comfort. The portions are generous, the pricing is honest, and the atmosphere — bright, buzzy, and perpetually busy — captures exactly the kind of energy that makes Birmingham’s halal restaurant scene so distinctive.
Address: Digbeth, Birmingham Price: £ — affordable Best for: Families, late-night dining, Pakistani and Indian classics, the mango lassi
Jilabi — Coventry Road, Small Heath ⭐ Best Biryani in Birmingham
Fully halal | Alcohol-free | Over 4,000 positive reviews
Jilabi on Coventry Road is a standout with over 4,000 glowing reviews for its consistent quality. Their lamb biryani, bursting with tender meat and fragrant spices, and mixed desi grill featuring succulent seekh kebabs and chicken tikka are must-tries. The family-run vibe, complete with complimentary desserts for special occasions, makes it ideal for celebrations. Fully halal and alcohol-free.
Jilabi operates on Coventry Road in Small Heath — at the heart of Birmingham’s Coventry Road corridor, one of the city’s most authentic and undervisited halal dining destinations. The lamb biryani is widely regarded as one of the finest versions of the dish available in Birmingham: the meat genuinely tender, the rice properly fragrant, the spicing balanced with a confidence that comes from years of consistency. The mixed desi grill — seekh kebabs, chicken tikka, and lamb chops arriving on a single platter — is the other essential order and an ideal choice for first-time visitors who want to experience the range of the kitchen.
The alcohol-free setting and family-run atmosphere make Jilabi one of the most welcoming halal restaurants in Birmingham for visitors of all backgrounds.
Address: 206 Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0UB Price: £ — affordable Best for: Lamb biryani, desi grill, family celebrations, fully alcohol-free dining
Colbeh — Hagley Road, Edgbaston ⭐ Best Persian Halal
Fully halal | Persian cuisine | Family-run since the 1980s
Located on Hagley Road, Colbeh serves Persian cuisine at its finest. It serves traditional Iranian comfort food in a rustic setting and is a family-run business. Colbeh — meaning ‘cottage’ in Farsi — serves fragrant rice, slow-cooked stew, perfectly seasoned meats, fresh herbs, and vegetables.
Birmingham’s halal dining scene extends well beyond South Asian cuisine, and Colbeh on Hagley Road is the city’s finest demonstration of what Persian halal food looks like at its most honest and accomplished. The aromatic rice dishes — particularly the saffron-tinged versions served alongside slow-cooked stews — are prepared with the kind of patience that only a family restaurant running on genuine love of the food can produce. The bread, baked fresh, is as good as anything in the city.
For visitors from the UK, USA, and Canada experiencing Persian cuisine for the first time, Colbeh is one of the most rewarding introductions available — food of genuine complexity presented without pretension, in a room that has the warmth of a home kitchen rather than the formality of a restaurant.
Address: 207 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham Price: ££ — mid-range Best for: Persian halal cuisine, slow-cooked stews, fragrant rice, intimate family dining