Lal Quila
Restaurants and Takeaways
17Bishopthorpe Road, York, YO23 1NA
Tel: 01904 670684
Opening times: Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 11.40pm; Sunday
The name Lal Quila means 'red fort.' It was the ethnic name for the 17th century Mughal Fort in Delhi, built from red sandstone. York's own Lala Quila was established in 1990, when York itself didn't have many Indian restaurants. Today there are more, but Lal Quila continues with the same local ownership and management and with the same caring attitude towards its customers. It has long been popular in the neighbourhood and enjoys the patronage of, in addition to local residents: neighbouring restaurant owners, returning seasonal customers who visit York on their holidays and a couple who have been visiting Lala Quila weekly for almost a quarter of a century!
The food served here is that of the North, which has always been popular in the UK and is associated with the ambience of the great Mughal courts. Discerning customers are aware however, that the sub-continent is a land of many races, languages, foods and cultures, so the restaurant also features dishes from other regions such as thali (a selection of vegetarian items served on a big plate) from South India and fish dishes from Bengal.
It is worth noting that the restuarant caters to individual tastes and so is more than happy to remove any ingredient in order to steer a dish towards a taste of the customer's preference. The chef is more than happy to do this and will not feel it as an infringement of his style or technique.