Why Ed Sheeran, Tom Cruise, the Rolling Stones and more love Asha’s Indian restaurant in Birmingham

It’s the Birmingham restaurant that has hosted a raft of A-list celebrities at its tables on Newhall Street in the city centre.

Ed Sheeran and Tom Cruise are the latest that are known to have dined at Asha’s Indian Restaurant.

But what is it that makes the venue so popular?

BirminghamWorld took a closer look at Asha’s after Ed Sheeran was spotted eating and drinking there on Sunday (10 April) with his Brummie rapper pal JayKae.

The pair later went on to The Roost in Small Heath near to the Blues ground St Andrew’s, where he joined stunned pub-goers in a game of pool, a pint or two and a bit of a sing song.

Asha’s celebrity guests

The restaurant, which also has chains in Solihull and Manchester, is no stranger to famous faces, having hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones and Cliff Richard in the past.

In recent years, a number of big names have passed through the doors of the Newhall Street curry house to enjoy some of the best Indian food the city has to offer.

Some of those star names include: all of the members of The Rolling Stones ( in 2017), Cliff Richard, cricketer Mike Gatting, Harry Redknapp, radio presenter Roman Kemp, presenter Jon Snow, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, singer Michael Bolton (in 2021) as well as boxing rivals Kell Brook and Amir Khan - who unsurprisingly weren’t there at the same time.

But perhaps Asha’s most famous guest was Tom Cruise, who stayed in Birmingham in August 2021, while he was filming the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible film series.

The Hollywood star enjoyed the delicious Chicken Tikka Masala during his visit to Asha’s, and also stayed at The Grand Hotel during his time in the city.

Why do celebs love Asha’s?

From soulful street food to the menus of maharajas, at Asha’s you can sample diverse culinary traditions and the local colour of India’s proud culinary heritage.

The Indian restuarant is known for its delcious food and brilliant service, so it’s no surprise it’s proven a hit with the celebrities.

Asha’s has also won a slew of awards, having previously been named the best Indian restaurant and curry house in the British curry awards, and it’s also been recommended in the Michellin guide numerous times.

You can see the restaurant’s full list of honours on its wesite, here.

‘We treat everyone like celebrities’

Following Ed and JayKae’s visit on Sunday, the restaurant’s general manager Nouman Farooqui said the restaurant aim to ‘treat every guest like a celebrity’ and it was largely business as usual during the Shape of You singer’s visit.

Speaking to BirminghamWorld, Nouman, said: “We’ve had quite a few celebrity visits before and we are quite used to catering for celebs, and it’s important that we treat every guest like a celebrity.

“JayKae is a regular guest at Asha’s, and he’s been to Asha’s in Birmingham and Solihull a few times so we know him as a guest, and he rang a few hours before saying he would be coming and Ed Sheeran may accompany him.

“So it was just a normal service for us – come and sit down, and enjoy your meal and have a nice time.

“This was his (Ed’s) second visit to Asha’s - he had been to our other restaurant in Manchester and he’d heard good things about Birmingham as well, so I think that’s why he decided to try Asha’s again.”

Nouman added: “He was very chilled out and a very nice and casual guy.

“He was very friendly and he came in, and I spoke to him for a good 15 minutes and I asked him about his visit to Asha’s in Manchester and he said he likes Indian food.

“We gave Ed the private dining room, and there were a couple of tables which spotted him, and when these people asked for photos he very kindly got out of the room and took a picture of them, and made good conversation with everybody.”

What food did Ed go with?

“We recommended our most popular dish from the menu which is a Presidents Platter, and that was a starter which he really loved it.

“And he had already pre-orderd his spicy butter chicken so we did a couple of those for him, and he even said he’d be back if he’s in town again.”

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