Ramna Balti House Restaurant

33 Wyle Cop
01743 363170


It would be easy to suggest Wyle Cop is fast becoming Shrewsbury's curry mile, except for the fact that all the restaurants have been firmly established for a fair few years. Never the less, for a good choice of menus you would do well to start down on Abbey Foregate and wander across English Bridge and up Wyle Cop. From the outside the Ramna Balti House (Shrewsbury's oldest) does not look to be anything special, in fact I have wandered past numerous times and it has always looked fairly drab and uninspiring, especially when compared to the Shiraz and Shuvecha at the top of the cop. However, the adage don't judge a book by its cover cetainly applies here.

The little car park at the beginning of Town Walls is convenient and free after 6pm, or it is a nice stroll up from the Abbey car park. As we crossed the road we could see a few people already inside and seconds after stepping through the door I was already glad we had visited. On the far wall a real open fire lit and heated the small and intimate looking dining room. Soft music from the Indian Sub-continent filled the air, along with some very agreeable smells from the kitchen.

Two friendly waiters took our coats, seated us and offered drinks and menus. Throughout, the service was very good and we didn't even have to ask for the bill, though we didn't feel hurried. This was a Wednesday night, though the location and the note at the top of the menu reserving the right not to serve people suggests they probably get some trade after the pubs close. It is probably a good idea to book ahead for a Friday or Saturday night as there weren't many tables.

The food itself was really good. Very good in fact. On a par with Cafe Saffron, though in nicer a atmosphere so I would definitely eat there again. To start we had some well spiced popadoms with some nice sauces and pickles. For mains we opted for Balti as we thought this would show what they were best at. Mine was a chicken and mushroom, my companions chana and saag (chick pea and spinach) and both came served in great little karahi which are traditional balti pans, resting on a block of wood. The rest of the table was filled with bombay potato, spinach bhaji, pilau rice and peshwari naan. We both agreed it was a very nice meal.