Restaurant in Drighlington, United Kingdom
Michelin-recognised Indian vegetarian, genuinely good value.
Prashad holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025 and draws diners from across Yorkshire to an unassuming former pub in Drighlington. Chef Minal Patel's Gujarati-influenced Indian vegetarian cooking is fragrant, technically considered, and offered at ££ — a price-to-quality ratio with no close rival in the north of England. Book the seven-course tasting menu.
Yes, and with confidence. Prashad is the kind of restaurant that earns its reputation visit after visit rather than coasting on a single write-up. Holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025, rated 4.6 across more than 1,600 Google reviews, and drawing diners from across Yorkshire despite a location in Drighlington that offers zero glamour, this family-run Indian vegetarian restaurant is doing something genuinely difficult: producing cooking precise enough to earn critical recognition at a price point that remains accessible. At ££, you are getting creative, technically considered food that would cost significantly more in Leeds city centre or London. If Indian vegetarian cooking is your format, book it.
Arrive at 137 Whitehall Road and the setting gives nothing away. A former pub on the edge of Leeds, Drighlington is a working suburb with no obvious reason to cross the county for dinner, and yet the car park tells a different story. Smart cars from Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, and beyond fill it on a busy evening, a reliable signal that word of mouth has done its work here over years, not weeks.
Step inside and the aromatic greeting is immediate: the kitchen runs on vivid, fragrant spicing, and the scent of slow-cooked dhal, roasted gram, and herbal layering reaches you before the menu does. This is not background warmth; it is the first indication that Minal Patel's cooking prioritises aromatics as a structural element rather than decoration. That fragrance carries through the meal from the amuse-bouche onward.
If you have visited before and ordered from the standard menu, the next step is the seven-course tasting menu. It distils the range of the kitchen into a coherent sequence, and it is where the evolution in Patel's approach is clearest. What was once described as rustic vegetarian cooking is now genuinely considered in its presentation: slow-roasted dhal arrives in a spoon alongside gram-flour vermicelli and beetroot chutney, sweet and earthy, setting the register for what follows. Kopra pethis — fresh coconut dough balls, precisely spherical — are a good test of whether the kitchen is having a good night; they should be zesty and moist, and here they reliably are.
Mausmi ghota brings together root ginger, mint, and mashed Jerusalem artichoke in a crunchy-outside, soft-inside format that is more technically interesting than it sounds on paper. The sanku dosa , a deeply traditional preparation , is presented as small ice-cream cones, a piece of plating that manages to be playful without obscuring the dish's flavour logic. Kofta of spiced lentil dough balls in caraway-infused tomato rasam is the dish that leading demonstrates the kitchen's aromatics-first philosophy: the rasam is layered in a way that builds rather than shouts. The paneer and cauliflower biryani closes the savoury sequence with salty-sweet-heat balance.
The drinks programme is worth your attention. Craft beer pairings are offered alongside the food, Cobra is on tap, and the wine list is all-vegan and organic. Cocktails and mocktails are available, meaning the restaurant functions well for tables with mixed drinking preferences , useful for a group booking.
For a returning visitor, the tasting menu is the clearest way to see how far the kitchen has come. If you went for the dosas and curries last time, the tasting format will feel like a different restaurant operating at a different register of ambition, while still being rooted in the same Gujarati heritage that defines the whole menu. The two-floor pub space, colourfully decorated and carrying flashes of pink throughout, creates an atmosphere that is more lively than hushed, which means this is not a place for a long, quiet conversation but works well for groups who want energy alongside the food.
As a neighbourhood anchor, Prashad occupies a position in Drighlington that goes beyond being the leading option locally, which would not be a high bar. It is genuinely the reason people come to Drighlington at all. That is a rare function for any restaurant outside a major city, and it reflects consistent quality over time rather than a single season of good press. The Bib Gourmand is not a one-off: back-to-back recognition in 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is not resting. For comparable Indian vegetarian cooking with similar creative ambition, you would need to travel to Opheem in Birmingham, which operates at a significantly higher price point, or look internationally at venues like MTR 1924 in Kuala Lumpur or Podi & Poriyal in Singapore. Within the north of England, there is no direct equivalent at this price.
Booking is direct , this is not a hard reservation to secure compared to Michelin-starred venues in Leeds or further afield. That said, the tasting menu may require advance notice, so if that is your plan, contact the restaurant when you book rather than requesting it on arrival. For groups, book ahead and specify numbers clearly; the two-floor layout accommodates larger tables but the room fills on weekends.
| Detail | Prashad | Opheem (Birmingham) | MTR 1924 (Kuala Lumpur) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | ££ | £££–££££ | £–££ |
| Cuisine | Indian Vegetarian | Modern Indian | Indian Vegetarian |
| Awards | Michelin Bib Gourmand (×2) | Michelin Star | Regional recognition |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate–Hard | Easy |
| Tasting menu | Yes (7 courses) | Yes | No |
| Location | Drighlington, Bradford | Birmingham city centre | Kuala Lumpur |
For more options nearby, see our full Drighlington restaurants guide, our full Drighlington bars guide, and our full Drighlington hotels guide. If you are making a wider trip around Yorkshire and the north, Moor Hall in Aughton and L'Enclume in Cartmel are the region's other high-water marks at a substantially higher price tier. Further afield in the UK, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, Midsummer House in Cambridge, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, hide and fox in Saltwood, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, and The Fat Duck in Bray represent the broader context of what serious UK restaurant cooking looks like , and what makes Prashad's price-to-quality ratio stand out within it.
There is no formal dress code. The room is a converted pub, colourfully decorated, and the atmosphere is relaxed rather than formal. Smart casual is appropriate and comfortable. The clientele is a mix of local regulars and destination diners from across Yorkshire, so the range of dress on any given evening is wide. You will not be underdressed in jeans, and you will not be overdressed in a jacket.
If you have been once and ordered à la carte, book the seven-course tasting menu next time. It is the clearest expression of Minal Patel's cooking and worth the planning. On the standard menu, the dosas have a strong following, and the kofta in caraway-infused tomato rasam and the paneer and cauliflower biryani are dishes that return visitors consistently recommend. The kopra pethis are a good marker of the kitchen's consistency on any given night. The craft beer pairings are worth considering alongside the food rather than defaulting to wine.
The entire menu is vegetarian, which removes a common concern for plant-based diners. The wine list is all-vegan and organic, which is useful if that matters to your group. Beyond that, specific allergen or dietary queries should go directly to the restaurant at the time of booking , contact details are available through the reservation platform you use to book.
Yes, specifically for occasions where the food matters more than a hushed, formal setting. The seven-course tasting menu gives the meal a clear structure and occasion-worthy arc. At ££, it is considerably less expensive than a Michelin-starred dinner in a major city, which makes it a strong choice for a birthday or anniversary where the priority is cooking quality over prestige address. If you want a quieter, more formal atmosphere, the tasting menu at Opheem in Birmingham operates at a different register, though at a significantly higher price. For the north of England at this price tier, Prashad is the clearest occasion-dinner option in Indian vegetarian cooking.
There is no direct equivalent to Prashad in Drighlington or its immediate surroundings , the restaurant's Michelin recognition and the draw it creates from across Yorkshire puts it in a category of its own locally. If you cannot get a table or want a comparison point, your nearest options for creative Indian cooking at a higher price are in Leeds city centre or Opheem in Birmingham. For the broader Drighlington area, see our full Drighlington restaurants guide, our full Drighlington experiences guide, and our full Drighlington wineries guide.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prashad | Set over two floors of a former pub, this colourfully decorated, family-run restaurant offers interesting, original Indian vegetarian cooking inspired by the owners Gujarati heritage. Dishes are substantial in both size and flavour and spicing is well-judged; the dosas are popular.; The edge-of-Leeds location isn't glamorous but Prashad continues to draw fans from all over Yorkshire; there are some very smart cars in the car park. Minal Patel's cooking style and creativity have grown steadily over the years; her food has always been fragrant, with vivid aromatics the dominant feature, but today the most significant difference is in the presentation. What was once a fairly rustic offering is now a masterclass in creative plating without being outright dots-and-dribbles cheffy. The notion of an amuse-bouche was once a stretch, but now it’s likely you’ll get a spoon of slow-roasted dhal with gram-flour vermicelli and beetroot chutney. Sweet and earthy, it’s the perfect way to kick-start a meal. Among the classics are kopra pethis (fresh coconut dough balls, precisely spherical, zesty and moist) and mausmi ghota (essentially a crunchy-on-the-outside/soft-on-the-inside ball of spiky root ginger and herby mint with mashed Jerusalem artichokes), while sanku (a deeply traditional dosa) is presented as dinky ice-cream cones. Kofta (spiced lentil dough balls revved up with caraway-infused tomato rasam) hit all the senses, while the paneer and cauliflower biryani is a salty-sweet-heat firework. The setting is a cavernous former pub but there's no doubt you're in an Indian restaurant (complete with flashes of pink bling); there's also a subtle, sophisticated vibe, emphasised by the seven-course tasting menu, a delicate distillation of regular dishes and a great introduction to the depth and complexity of Minal Patel's cooking. Excellent craft beer pairings match the food, Cobra is on tap, and there’s an all-vegan and organic wine list – in addition to cocktails and mocktails.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | ££ | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| The Ledbury | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ££££ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Casual is fine here. Prashad occupies a former pub in Drighlington and the atmosphere is colourful and relaxed rather than formal. That said, the seven-course tasting menu and Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition mean some diners do dress up slightly — think smart jeans and a decent top rather than a suit. You will not feel out of place either way.
Book the seven-course tasting menu if you want the clearest picture of what Minal Patel's cooking can do — it is a structured introduction to the depth of her Gujarati-inspired repertoire. The dosas have a strong following and the kopra pethis (fresh coconut dough balls) and the paneer and cauliflower biryani are cited consistently as standouts. Craft beer pairings are worth considering, and the all-vegan organic wine list is an unusually considered option for a ££ restaurant.
The entire menu is Indian vegetarian, rooted in Gujarati cooking, so it is a natural fit for vegetarians and a strong option for vegans given the all-vegan wine list. Guests with specific allergens or dietary needs should check the venue's official channels before visiting, as menu details are not publicly confirmed in advance.
Yes, particularly if the group appreciates vegetarian cooking — this is not a compromise choice. The seven-course tasting menu provides the structure and occasion feel you would expect from a special-occasion dinner, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024 and 2025) gives it credibility as a destination rather than a local regular. At ££, it costs a fraction of comparable tasting-menu experiences in Leeds city centre, which makes it a practical choice for groups who want occasion dining without the price of a full Michelin star.
There are no directly comparable Indian vegetarian restaurants with Michelin recognition in the immediate Drighlington or Bradford area — Prashad is the primary reason to make the trip to this location. For Indian dining in Leeds city centre, options are more plentiful but none hold equivalent Michelin recognition at this price point. If the draw is specifically the tasting menu format and you are open to travelling further, that comparison shifts to starred restaurants elsewhere in Yorkshire, all of which will cost significantly more.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
