Balti Triangle
The Balti Triangle is the area of south Birmingham around Ladypool Road and Stoney Lane, in Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Moseley, where the balti curry became popular from the 1970s. A balti is a curry cooked quickly over a high heat and served in the same thin steel bowl it was cooked in.
In practice
The dish developed in Birmingham's Pakistani and Kashmiri restaurants, and the city has long claimed it as its own, though the exact origin is debated. In its heyday dozens of balti houses lined the area's streets, many unlicensed and inviting diners to bring their own drinks. Fewer remain today, alongside dessert shops, grills and South Asian clothing and jewellery stores, but the name and the dish are firmly part of Birmingham's identity.
Why it matters to newcomers
A balti in the Balti Triangle is a classic Birmingham evening and an inexpensive one. Check whether a restaurant serves alcohol or allows you to bring your own before you go.
Related
- Jewellery Quarter - another district with its own trade
- Digbeth - for food halls and street food
- Brum - the city that claims the balti
Source: Birmingham City Council.