International curryhouse visited by football stars in past

International, in Morley Street, is one of 10 restaurants shortlisted for the T&A’s Best Curry House 2024 competition.

Readers were invited to share their favourites and thousands of nominations poured in.

We have been profiling each curry house in the lead-up to a winner being announced after votes have been calculated and today we take a look at a name familiar to many, International.

The original restaurant in Morley Street, which opened in 1976, is the branch that has been shortlisted for the awards.

The business is now run by Safeer Khan, son of the founder.

International is not short of awards but Mr Khan claims the T&A competition is the “pinnacle” in Bradford.

He said: “Any achievement that we get is amazing.”

Mr Khan added: “We’re happy to be nominated and hopefully we win it.”

Staff at International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) Inside International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) The restaurant prides itself on a cooking style that won’t be found anywhere else, which has kept customers coming back for decades, according to Mr Khan.

He said: “People feel at home there, especially the older generation that have been coming, the families.

“It’s got a lot of history there, now we’re probably moving onto the third generation.”

Safeer Khan who runs International (Image: Telegraph & Argus) International opened a new flagship restaurant in Sticker Lane in December 2022 and the 300-seater space has proved a roaring success.

The Morley Street restaurant holds a lot of memories and will always be the backbone of International, according to Mr Khan.

He wants to remember what is important to the brand while also moving International into a new era.

Inside International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) Mr Khan said: “Even though we opened a second branch, the original restaurant has very rarely changed because it’s the OG in many ways.

“It’s the pinnacle of International and we’ll never forget that – you can never forget your roots.”

Inside International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) Inside International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) He added: “We’ve been around a long time now.

“Especially in the four or five years since my dad retired in 2019 and we’ve took over, we’ve excelled, we’ve taken International to the next level.

“Because we did all about good food, and that’s what made the name.

“There’s a lot more focus now than in the 80s and 90s on décor, atmosphere, vibe, the full package – people expect everything now.”

Inside International, in Morley Street, Bradford (Image: Telegraph & Argus) Mr Khan said quite a few celebrities and famous names have been in over the years, including politicians, particularly in the 80s and 90s.

Some of the names to visit more recently include former Real Madrid, Liverpool, Man United, and England star Michael Owen, as well as Gareth Southgate.

The 54-year-old, who resides in North Yorkshire, spearheaded the national team’s most successful spell since Sir Alf Ramsey, in an eight-year tenure that came to an end recently.

Mr Khan feels International is “taking steps in the right direction to become even more popular”.