Manchester’s Kurdistan Restaurant missed in lockdown

HALAL STATUS Fully Halal

By Ghulam Esposito Haydar

One place I’ve missed the most since “lockdown” is this very small unassuming cafe on a back street in Manchester.

This place is so underrated. It is a gem! A no-nonsense place full of Kurdish working men during the week and Kurdish families on the weekend. When your own kind flock to you, it is a sign of quality and authenticity. For me, this is a massive seal of approval.

Their “Kurdistan Kebab” is amazing. It’s very soft but crispy. It’s a variant of the kobedah, adana and seek kebab. It’s my favourite kebab by far.

Then there is, the “Lamb Quzi”. The Lamb Quzi is one of the most grand, entertaining and delicious dishes cooked in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The famous Quzi is traditionally a whole lamb (I know!) stuffed with a mixture of nuts, currants, vegetables, spices and more minced lamb, served on a bed of rice.

At Kurdistan Restaurant, they often use generous portions of slow cooked and then slightly fried lamb shanks when serving the Quzi. The meat is so soft, falls of the bone, and is served with rice and a number of different side dishes of vegetables cooked in a special house sauce, all for just £7! A cheap eat by my standards. You’d pay a minimum of around £20 for this in a moderately fancy restaurant. Probably a lot more.

Seriously missing this. It’s my wife’s “death row meal”. Try this place out post-lockdown if you’re in Manchester (hoping it reopens). It’s a grotty little cafe; but clean and comfortable enough.

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Kurdistan Restaurant
4 Grandale St, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5NS.

T: +44 (0)161 224 1608

Opening Hours: TBC