Balti pioneer Yahsin Anwar is being squeezed by the mighty “Karachi Karahi.” To fight back, his sons gamble on a grand re-opening: “pile your plate for under a fiver,” thirty-five dishes in five hours, plus late-night “Curry-oke” with Bollywood royalty. As orders fly, head chef Billa battles the clock while the team juggle tangled loyalties, private ambitions and secrets that can’t stay bottled. It’s hot, hilarious and human—life and work colliding on a single, unforgettable shift.

And because Balti Kings is inseparable from the food culture it celebrates, this event includes a Balti-inspired meal served at the interval—so you can taste the world you’re hearing. A beloved modern classic, served simply—scripts in hand, plates at the ready.

What sets Balti Kings apart is how it was made. Writers Sudha Bhuchar and Shaheen Khan were regulars in Birmingham’s Balti Triangle through the ’80s and ’90s; curiosity took them out of the dining room and into the kitchens to collect first-hand testimonies from owners, chefs and waiters. The voices they heard—Urdu, Punjabi and Brummie-inflected English—infuse the dialogue with music, metaphor and mischief. The original staging even cooked on stage, sending audiences straight out for a curry; in a script-in-hand setting, those flavours are conjured by words and performance, inviting you to lean in and build the world alongside the actors.

Loading Bay is a brand new pop-up arts venue in Bradford City Centre for Bradford 2025.

Join us on Duke Street as we bring a true Bradford 2025 buzz to the heart of the city.