The UK’s most popular curry restaurant name is Taj Mahal, followed by Taste of India, the Raj, Saffron and Bengal Spice.
The results were revealed following research conducted by the Greenwich Curry Club of over 240,000 restaurant and takeaway names registered with the Food Standards Agency in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For takeaways Taste of India tops the popularity list, followed by Saffron, Curry King/s, Bengal Spice and Spice of India.
It’s no surprise that curry lovers have become familiar with certain names. There are 46 restaurants called Taj Mahal (and a further 20 takeaways). Taste of India is the name for 38 restaurants and 30 takeaways. Saffron is also popular among owners, with 26 restaurants and 28 takeaways choosing the name.
Other popular names just missing the top five lists were Little India, Tandoori Night/s, Indian Ocean and a string with spice in their name, such as Spice of Life, Bombay Spice, Eastern Spice and Spice Village.
Spice, unsurprisingly, is a word used somewhere in the name of many restaurants and takeaways – a whopping 1,750 in fact. Other words that crop up frequently are Tandoori (1,578), Indian (1,414), Balti (665), Curry (560) and Chilli (334).
Evidence that Brits tend to put all subcontinental food under the banner “Indian” regardless of its accuracy, is that other spice countries receive relatively few mentions, with Bangladesh appearing 73 times, Nepal 30 and Pakistan just nine. Bengal crops up 291 times, while the colonial name Bombay is used by 201 restaurants and takeaways.
But not every owner is content to have a name like many others. The research threw up some great names that stood out from the spice crowd, including the Curry Fever Restaurant in Leicester, Curry Cottage at Lovers’ Leap in Derbyshire, Curryosity in Bradford, Curry on the Curve in Newport, Spice Entice in Cardiff and In’Delicious in Greenwich.
Top restaurant names
1. Taj Mahal 46
2. Taste of India 38
3. The Raj 34
4. Saffron 26
5. Bengal Spice 25
Top takeaway names
1. Taste of India 30
2. Saffron 28
3. Curry King/s 22
=4 Bengal Spice 21
=4 Spice of India 21