Independent Birmingham
Shababs — The Balti Triangle's Standard-Bearer
The restaurant that helped invent the Birmingham balti is ten minutes from Edgbaston
The balti was invented in Birmingham in the 1970s. Not imported, not adapted. Invented here, in Sparkbrook, by Pakistani restaurateurs cooking fast over high heat in thin carbon steel bowls and serving the dish in the same bowl at the table. Shababs opened in 1987, when the Balti Triangle had 30-plus restaurants and Ladypool Road was the centre of something that didn't yet know it was famous.
Most of those restaurants are gone. Four originals remain. Shababs is the one people mean when they say the Balti Triangle.
The food cooks in six minutes. High heat, thin-pressed steel, fast. The result is different from a slowly simmered curry the way a stir-fry is different from a braise: brighter, with a caramelised edge, the spices sharp rather than integrated. You eat from the bowl it was cooked in, with naan.
No alcohol licence. Bring your own — there's an off-licence nearby. Book ahead for weekends; the place fills two floors and gets loud.
For the Edgbaston ODI: the ground is ten minutes away, the kitchen runs until the early hours. The crowd at Edgbaston on India day is substantially South Asian. A lot of them grew up eating balti. Coming here after the match makes sense in a way that doesn't need explaining.
Why it's special
Shababs has survived a fire, a tornado, a vehicle driving into the building, and the slow disappearance of most of the restaurants around it. Still run by the same family. The balti campaigners pursuing UNESCO heritage status for the dish would have this place at the centre of any application, and not without reason. The food is good, the room is busy, the service is direct. It's just that eating here is also eating somewhere that made something. The Birmingham balti started in buildings like this one. At Shababs, it started in this one.
Insider tips
- 1
Book at least a day ahead for match day evenings — Shababs fills fast when the ground empties and walk-ins are turned away once the floors are full
- 2
Pick up beer or wine from the off-licence on Ladypool Road before you arrive — the restaurant is BYOB and there's nothing to drink inside otherwise
Practical info
- Hours
- 12pm to 6am
- Address
- 163-165 Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham B12 8LQ
- Website
- www.shababs.co.uk
What to avoid
Walk-in for groups under 6. For larger groups call 0121 449 0400 a day or two ahead. Busiest Friday and Saturday evenings — a match day lunch midweek is noticeably quieter.
