Afghan Darbar Restaurant Derby

Head down to Normanton Road and you'll find yourself in a stripped-back dining room where the focus is entirely on the food. Afghan Darbar doesn't mess about with fancy presentation or trend-chasing; what you get instead is straightforward, flavour-packed cooking that tastes like someone's actually bothered to get the spice balance right. The kebabs here are particularly solid—charred nicely on the outside, tender within—and the curries have that proper depth you only get when a kitchen knows what it's doing. It's the kind of place where regulars know their order by heart and the staff remember your name.