Sunderland takeaway shortlisted to be named the best in the country
The Indian takeaway has been a neighbourhood favourite for almost 10 years.
It’s a well-known spot in Ettrick Grove, where it’s been dishing up curries for a decade - now, Nawaab is vying to be named the best in the country.
The finalists have been announced for the 15th annual English Curry Awards and Nawaab King of Spice is hoping to lift the crown in the Takeaway & Home Delivery of the Year category.
Nawaab owner, Ali Ahmed, is competing against takeaways from across the country, from as far afield as Birmingham and Norwich, and he says he’d be proud to bring the title back to Barnes.
Over the years, Nawaab, which opened in February 2017, has won a number of awards, including North East Takeaway and Home Delivery of the Year in the English Curry Awards 2022 and Takeaway of the Year in the North East Bangladeshi Awards 2024.
“To make the national category was really surprising as my previous awards have been regional,” said Ali.
“It’s amazing to make the shortlist for the whole country. You’re nominated by customers and then an independent panel put together the shortlist, taking into account your customer reviews as well as social media presence and work in the community.
“We’ve had a few viral videos on TikTok recently and also do a lot of charity work behind the scenes, which we don’t usually shout about, and I think they were impressed with that, as well as customer reviews.”
He added: “Fingers crossed we win, but even just to make a shortlist like this is a huge achievement.”
Ali and the team will be travelling to Wolverhampton to attend the awards ceremony on August 10.
Speaking about the longevity of Nawaab in a competitive market, Ali said: “We’re very much a family run takeaway, my cousin is one of the chefs, as is my brother in law.
“I think people like that consistency. We have customers who order from us 3/4 times a week and they want to know that their favourite dishes will always taste the same.”
Nawaab is the only Sunderland business to make the Takeaway & Home Delivery of the Year category.
However, other local venues to make other categories are Yuvraaj and Samrat in Restaurant of the Year North East and Riz-Q in Curry Takeaway of the Year.