THE second finalist in The Press Best Curry House 2024 competition has been revealed.

Kalpakavadi in Fossgate is one of 10 finalists in the contest after readers nominated hundreds of favourites over an online voting platform.

Starting from Monday, October 28, voting slips are appearing in The Press newspaper for 12 consecutive days - allowing readers to pick their winner.

Each copy of The Press in the coming days will feature a short profile on each business and why it thinks it deserves to be voted number one in York.

Readers can vote for the Best Curry House 2024 by picking up a voting slip, found in copies of The Press newspaper every day, with the winner set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Kalpakavadi, Fossgate (Image: Newsquest)


Speaking after receiving the news of the nomination, Kalpakavadi said: "Meaning ‘land of the coconuts’, the term originated as an auspicious saying, now symbolising the restaurant's deep ties and commitment to Kerelaian authenticity.

"Founded by SAJI in 2019, based on his years of experience being the owner and previous head-chef of coconut lagoon, the first authentic south Indian in York, working in well respected establishments like the MAJESTY, Burnhall, Huby and most importantly the lead chef for one of India's largest merchant navy cruise ships.

"He developed his culinary gifts on these cruises, fuelling his ambition to start a restaurant of his own, eventually culminating into Kalpakavadi after his first start-up, Coconut lagoon.

"Saji and his team of chefs, all born and brought up in Kerala, use traditional methods of home-cooking with ingredients such as cardamon, star Aniseed, fenugreek and curry leaves directly sourced from India."

When asked why they thought they deserved to be crowned the best, the team added: "A place where customers can comfortably sit late into the night delving into all sorts of topics between themselves and the staff, after having a satisfactory meal for a reasonable price.

"Kalpakavadi is also known for its special festivals, such as Onam (national festival of Kerala), where we include a mix of 28 items served on banana leaves.

"We also have special menus for Valentine's day and Christmas. Due to this foremost reputation, we’ve had many well-known figures such as the mayor and mayoress of York, the Sheriff, …and many more. We hope to add many more to this list of growing fans."