Barnet’s Bayleaf takes home top takeaway honours at national curry awards
A north London Indian takeaway has been named one of the best in the country after picking up a top honour at the 2026 Currylife Awards. Bayleaf Takeaway in Whetstone, Barnet, has been crowned a Best Takeaway of the Year winner, putting the High Road business on the national map for its food.
The award recognises the kitchen’s standing among hundreds of entries from across Britain in this year’s awards, which celebrate the best of the country’s curry industry. Bayleaf was named alongside four other winners in the takeaway category: Taj Mahal Night in Chelmsford, the Clay Oven in South Dagenham, Henlow Tandoori in Bedfordshire and Little India in Bolton.
For a business that has been part of Whetstone life for more than three decades, the recognition marks another proud chapter. The Bayleaf name is a well-established one on the High Road, where the family-run restaurant built a loyal following over 35 years before closing its dining room earlier this year. The takeaway arm has carried the name on, and this latest award suggests the kitchen’s reputation is as strong as ever.
An award that matters to the industry
The Currylife Awards, run by Currylife Magazine, honour restaurants, takeaways and chefs from across the British curry industry. This year’s winners span the country, from Cornwall to Greater Manchester, and cover categories including best restaurant of the year, best chef of the year and editor’s choice, alongside the coveted takeaway crown.
The awards are judged on the things that matter to customers: the quality of the food, the consistency of the cooking and the value for money. For takeaways, that means judges look at whether a kitchen can turn out great curries night after night, not just on a good evening. With more than 1,250 businesses nominated across this year’s awards circuit, standing out takes more than a good menu — it takes a kitchen that never lets standards slip.
Bayleaf’s win is a particular boost for Barnet, which has long had a proud food scene. The borough’s High Streets are packed with independent restaurants and takeaways competing for local loyalty, and national recognition like this can make all the difference when customers are deciding where to order from on a Friday night.
Thirty-five years on the High Road
The Bayleaf story in Whetstone stretches back 35 years. The restaurant on the High Road became a neighbourhood institution, serving generations of diners and collecting awards along the way, including best north London restaurant at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards and a prestigious Harden’s Certificate of Achievement for very high quality food in 2024.
Earlier this year, founder Tofozzul Miah announced with a heavy heart that the restaurant’s dining room would close its doors, saying that as the neighbourhood had changed, so too had local dining preferences. It was an emotional moment for regulars, some of whom had been eating there for decades. But the takeaway side of the business has continued to serve the area, keeping the family’s recipes going and the Bayleaf name alive on the High Road.
That continuity matters. In an industry where rising costs, energy bills and staffing pressures have pushed many much-loved restaurants to the wall, a takeaway operation with a devoted local following and a national award to its name is in a stronger position than most.
What it means for customers
For regulars, the award is simply confirmation of what they already knew: that Bayleaf’s curries are among the finest you can order in north London. For anyone who hasn’t tried it yet, there is no better recommendation than a national title.
The takeaway sits on the High Road in Whetstone, in the heart of Barnet, and serves the surrounding neighbourhoods. With the award now on the mantlepiece, expect the phone lines to be busier than usual in the coming weeks — national recognition has a habit of sending curious new customers to the counter.
And with the Clay Oven in South Dagenham taking the same honour, London can claim two of the country’s five best takeaways this year. The capital’s curry scene, it seems, is in rude health.
