The King's Lounge

There is a long and convoluted history of vegetarianism in India, one strongly associated with the northern region state of Punjab. There is also a very strong tradition of quality Indian and Punjabi cuisine in Birmingham. The King’s Lounge, located just outside Birmingham along Smethwick’s High Street, is a restaurant serving Punjabi cuisine that combines the two traditions, ancient and modern: fine Indian and Punjabi cuisine that is 100% vegetarian. It’s also the region’s first non-alcoholic Punjabi bar.

Over two-and-a-half thousand years ago, the coming of Buddhism and Jainism to India ushered in a vast cultural change among locals – abstinence from meat. While it is true that most modern Indians are not strictly vegetarian, there remains a strong ethos of moderation, at least, when it comes to meat dishes. Despite this, most Western diners characterise meat-based curries as the epitome of Indian cuisine – but that’s less than half the story. At The King’s Lounge in Smethwick, the ancient traditions are preserved, and you are welcomed into their capacious High Street premises to enjoy and explore the cornucopia that is Punjabi vegetarian cuisine.

The King’s Lounge is also the Birmingham region’s first non-alcoholic Punjabi bar, serving delicious mocktails, organic, pressed juices, and sparkling celebratory beverages. As for the food, the expert vegetarian chefs in this High Street, Smethwick kitchen use traditional Punjabi ingredients – lentils, beans, black eyed peas, chickpeas, potatoes, as well as the more modern soy protein – as a base for a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Various dal makhani and paneer dishes, panjiri, saag, pakora, cumin scented rice are just some of the options, while those who don’t eat meat but want to believe they do can opt for a mock-meat curry that rivals the real deal.