Surrey has a strong presence in the UK’s Asian food scene, with restaurants and takeaways serving Indian, Bangladeshi and other Asian cuisines across the county. For ARTA 2026, ten Surrey businesses have reached the regional shortlist for the Regional Restaurant of the Year category.
The shortlist brings together restaurants from Ewell, Wallington, East Molesey, Tadworth, South Croydon, Hackbridge, Camberley, Guildford and Redhill. These businesses now have the opportunity to compete for regional recognition at the ARTA 2026 Grand Finale.
For anyone searching for the best Indian restaurants in Surrey, the shortlist also provides a useful starting point for exploring some of the county’s recognised Asian restaurants and takeaways.
What Is ARTA’s Regional Restaurant of the Year Award?
The Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards, known as ARTA, recognises restaurants, takeaways, chefs and hospitality businesses across the UK. Its regional categories give local restaurants an opportunity to be recognised alongside other established businesses in their area.
ARTA puts customers at the centre of the process. Restaurants enter through customer nominations, after which nominees are assessed through customer scoring and ARTA scoring before the regional cook-off stage.
The 2026 assessment process considers factors including quality of food, quality of service, value for money, Google Reviews, TripAdvisor reviews and Food Hygiene Ratings. The shortlisted businesses then progress to the next stage of the competition.
For Surrey, that process has produced a final group of ten restaurants competing for the regional title.
The Surrey Shortlist at a Glance
The 10 Surrey finalists for Regional Restaurant of the Year are:
- Bay Leaves Restaurant, Ewell, Epsom
- Kanteen, Wallington
- Madol Doova, Wallington
- New Anarkali Indian Restaurant & Takeaway, East Molesey
- New Khyber Restaurant, Kingswood, Tadworth
- Panahar – Bangladeshi & Indian Cuisine, South Croydon
- Rishi’s in Slate & Grain Brasserie and Bar, Hackbridge, Wallington
- Spice Lounge, Mytchett, Camberley
- The Rajdoot, Guildford
- Trishala – Authentic Indian Restaurant, Redhill
The Surrey shortlist has also received regional and wider media coverage, with Get Surrey reporting on the Surrey restaurants named among the ARTA 2026 finalists and Yahoo News UK also highlighting the shortlisted Indian takeaways.
Meet the 10 Surrey Finalists
Each finalist has reached the regional shortlist following the ARTA nomination and assessment process. Here is a closer look at the ten businesses representing Surrey.
1. Bay Leaves Restaurant, Ewell
Located on Kingston Road in Ewell, Epsom, Bay Leaves Restaurant is a Bangladeshi restaurant offering both dining and takeaway options. Its menu includes traditional curries, biryanis, tandoori specialities and Bangladeshi dishes.
Its place on the ARTA Surrey shortlist puts the Ewell restaurant among the ten businesses competing for the regional title.
2. Kanteen, Wallington
Kanteen in Wallington is one of two Wallington businesses included in the 2026 Surrey shortlist. Its selection reflects the range of Asian restaurants represented in this year’s regional category.
The restaurant will now progress as one of Surrey’s ten finalists competing for the Regional Restaurant of the Year title.
3. Madol Doova, Wallington
Also representing Wallington, Madol Doova has secured a place among Surrey’s ten ARTA 2026 finalists.
Its inclusion adds another Wallington restaurant to a shortlist that covers several different parts of the county, giving customers across Surrey a broad selection of businesses to follow during the awards journey.
4. New Anarkali Indian Restaurant & Takeaway, East Molesey
New Anarkali Indian Restaurant & Takeaway represents East Molesey in this year’s Surrey shortlist.
The restaurant’s inclusion gives East Molesey a place in the regional competition, with the business now among the ten Surrey finalists progressing towards the ARTA Grand Finale.
5. New Khyber Restaurant, Kingswood, Tadworth
New Khyber Restaurant, based in Kingswood near Tadworth, is another Surrey finalist competing for the regional award.
Its position on the shortlist places it alongside restaurants from Ewell, Wallington, East Molesey, South Croydon, Hackbridge, Mytchett, Guildford and Redhill.
6. Panahar – Bangladeshi & Indian Cuisine, South Croydon
Panahar – Bangladeshi & Indian Cuisine represents South Croydon in the ARTA Surrey shortlist.
As its name indicates, the restaurant brings Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine into a regional category that includes businesses serving a range of Asian food traditions. Its place among the ten finalists makes it one of the Surrey restaurants to follow ahead of the Grand Finale.
7. Rishi’s in Slate & Grain Brasserie and Bar, Hackbridge
Rishi’s in Slate & Grain Brasserie and Bar is based in Hackbridge, Wallington and forms part of the 2026 Surrey regional shortlist.
Its inclusion demonstrates the breadth of the category, which brings together different restaurant formats and Asian dining businesses from across Surrey.
8. Spice Lounge, Mytchett, Camberley
Spice Lounge in Mytchett, Camberley, is another Surrey finalist competing for the Regional Restaurant of the Year award.
The restaurant joins nine other Surrey businesses in the final regional group, with the winner set to be announced at the ARTA Grand Finale in October.
9. The Rajdoot, Guildford
Guildford is represented by The Rajdoot, which has secured a place in the Surrey Top 10.
Its inclusion gives Guildford a finalist in the regional competition and adds another location to a shortlist covering a broad area of Surrey.
10. Trishala – Authentic Indian Restaurant, Redhill
Trishala – Authentic Indian Restaurant represents Redhill in the 2026 Surrey shortlist.
The Redhill business is among the ten restaurants now progressing through the ARTA competition, with the regional winner to be announced at the Grand Finale.
How Was the Surrey Shortlist Judged?
The ARTA shortlist is based on more than a single customer vote. The awards use a structured assessment process that combines customer feedback with external indicators.
Customer nominations form part of the first stage. The Customer Nomination Score accounts for 30% of the overall assessment and considers quality of food, quality of service and value for money.
A further 30% comes from the ARTA Score, which considers TripAdvisor reviews, Google Reviews and Food Hygiene Ratings. The highest-scoring businesses in each region progress to the regional cook-off stage.
The regional cook-off accounts for the remaining 40%. At this stage, judges assess the food presented by each competing business, considering flavour, appearance, texture, aroma and hygiene.
This combination means the Surrey finalists have been assessed through several measures rather than relying on one source of feedback.
Why the Surrey Shortlist Matters to Local Diners
For customers, an awards shortlist can provide another way to identify restaurants worth considering. The ARTA process brings together customer nominations, online reviews and hygiene information before the regional cook-off.
If you are searching for the best Indian restaurants in Surrey, the ARTA shortlist offers a useful group of businesses to investigate. You can compare their menus, locations, cuisine styles and customer feedback before deciding where to eat or order from.
It also highlights the range of Asian dining available across Surrey, from Ewell and Wallington to Guildford, Redhill and South Croydon.
When and Where Will the Surrey Winner Be Announced?
The Surrey Regional Restaurant of the Year winner will be announced at the ARTA 2026 Grand Finale & Gala Evening.
Date: Monday, 12 October 2026
Venue: London Hilton on Park Lane, London
The Grand Finale will bring together shortlisted restaurants, chefs, hospitality professionals, industry representatives and supporters from across the UK. ARTA’s official programme confirms that the regional winners and overall Champion of Champions will be announced at the October final.
The event will also mark the final stage of the competition for the ten Surrey businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which restaurants are shortlisted for ARTA 2026 in Surrey?
The Surrey Top 10 includes Bay Leaves Restaurant, Kanteen, Madol Doova, New Anarkali Indian Restaurant & Takeaway, New Khyber Restaurant, Panahar, Rishi’s in Slate & Grain Brasserie and Bar, Spice Lounge, The Rajdoot and Trishala.
What is the ARTA Regional Restaurant of the Year award?
It is a regional category within the Asian Restaurant & Takeaway Awards, recognising restaurants and takeaways across different UK regions.
How were the Surrey restaurants selected?
ARTA uses customer nominations, customer scoring, online reviews and Food Hygiene Ratings as part of its assessment process. Shortlisted businesses then progress to a regional cook-off.
When will the Surrey ARTA winner be announced?
The Surrey Regional Restaurant of the Year winner will be announced at the ARTA 2026 Grand Finale on Monday, 12 October 2026, at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Can customers vote for ARTA restaurants?
ARTA’s 2026 process included public nominations, with nominations closing on 30 June 2026. The current Surrey shortlist has now progressed to the later stages of the competition.
Surrey’s Restaurant Scene Takes Centre Stage
The 2026 Surrey shortlist brings together ten restaurants from across the county, each reaching the regional stage of one of the UK’s prominent Asian hospitality awards.
From Ewell and Wallington to Guildford and Redhill, the finalists represent the breadth of Asian dining available across Surrey. Their selection followed a process combining customer nominations, food and service assessments, online reviews and hygiene ratings, before the final cook-off stage.
For local diners, the shortlist provides an opportunity to learn more about the restaurants representing their area. For the finalists, attention now turns to the ARTA Grand Finale on 12 October, when Surrey’s Regional Restaurant of the Year will be revealed at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
