Bradford / The parmo
Parmo in Bradford, and what it costs
Bradford has a parmo scene the rest of the country has not caught up with. Here is where to eat one, what you will pay, and why the menu here looks nothing like Middlesbrough's.
Where to get one
Delicious Parmesan House, 12 Mannville Terrace, BD7 1BA. A few minutes from Bradford city centre and walking distance from the University of Bradford. Open every day from 11:30 am to 11:00 pm, dine in or takeaway, with delivery across Bradford on Uber Eats.
Bradford has a dozen or so places selling parmos, and most of them are pizza takeaways with a parmo section bolted on. The difference here is that parmos are the business rather than a line item: seventeen of them, each fried and grilled when you order it, which is why we ask for a few minutes rather than handing you something off a hot shelf.
Rated 4.2 on Google from more than a thousand reviews, with a 5 out of 5 food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency.
Every parmo, and what it costs
Prices below are our Uber Eats prices and may differ in store. Everything comes cooked to order.
Original Parmesan The baseline. Breadcrumbs, béchamel, cheese and nothing to hide behind.£12.50
Hot Shot Parmesan Best seller. Chilli worked through the sauce so the heat is in every forkful.£13.50
Chicken Balti Parmesan Mild desi curry base under the cheese.£13.50
Bolognese Parmesan Italian style, keema and pizza sauce.£13.50
Veggie Supreme Parmesan Loaded with vegetables.£13.50
Alfungi Parmesan Mushroom.£13.50
Inferno Parmesan Naga and scotch bonnet. Order it knowing.£13.50
Lahori Parmesan Desi style and properly spicy.£14.50
Kashmiri Parmesan Desi style, spiced and hot.£14.50
Istanbul Parmesan Spicy Turkish doner across the top.£14.50
Peri Peri Parmesan Choose one of three heats.£14.50
Texan BBQ Parmesan Smoky and sweet.£14.50
Creamy Garlic Supreme Parmesan Garlic cream sauce.£14.50
Philadelphia Parmesan Creamy and cheesy.£14.50
Meat Feast Parmesan Everything on it.£14.50
Mexicano Parmesan Mexican spice.£14.50
Margherita Parmesan For the pizza lovers.£12.50
Why Bradford's parmos are different
The dish is from Teesside. It is credited to Nicos Harris, who adapted the American-Italian chicken parmesan at his Middlesbrough restaurant after the Second World War. Up there the varieties are mostly plain, pepperoni, doner and hot shot.
Bradford put its own kitchens behind it, and the result is a board that would confuse someone in Middlesbrough. Lahori and Kashmiri parmos carry desi spicing cooked into the sauce rather than scattered on top. The chicken balti puts a mild curry base under the cheese. The Istanbul is a hand-me-down from the city's kebab shops. That crossover is the genuinely local part: the dish is northeastern, the flavours are Bradford, and the combination exists nowhere else.
The full history, and how to tell a good parmo from a bad one.
What to order if it is your first
The Original, at £12.50. It is the honest version, and it tells you whether a kitchen can actually make a parmo or is hiding a thin chicken breast under toppings. Once you know the baseline: Hot Shot for heat, Lahori or Chicken Balti for desi, Philadelphia or Creamy Garlic Supreme for comfort, Meat Feast if you are feeding people.
Asked a lot
Parmo questions
Where can I get a parmo in Bradford?
Delicious Parmesan House at 12 Mannville Terrace, BD7 1BA, a few minutes from the city centre and the University of Bradford. Seventeen varieties, cooked to order, every day from 11:30 am to 11:00 pm. Bradford has several parmo shops, most of them pizza takeaways with a parmo section. This is a parmo house.
How much is a parmo in Bradford?
At Delicious Parmesan House they run from £12.50 for the Original to £14.50 for the loaded ones such as Istanbul, Peri Peri and Meat Feast. Most of Bradford sits in the £9 to £15 range depending on whether you are buying from a parmo specialist or a pizza shop with a parmo on the side.
What is the best parmo in Bradford?
Judge any kitchen on its Original. It is the version with nothing hiding under the toppings, so you can taste whether the chicken is a real beaten-flat breast, whether the crumb is still crisp, and whether the béchamel tastes of anything. Delicious Parmesan House is rated 4.2 on Google from more than a thousand reviews and holds a 5 out of 5 food hygiene rating.
Do Bradford parmo shops deliver?
Delicious Parmesan House delivers across Bradford on Uber Eats, and you can call 01274 726218 to collect from Mannville Terrace, which avoids the delivery fee.
What is a desi parmo?
A Bradford variation that builds South Asian spicing into the dish rather than adding it on top. Lahori, Kashmiri and chicken balti parmos are the common ones. You will not find them on a Teesside menu, and they are the reason Bradford's parmo scene is worth writing about separately.
12 Mannville Terrace, BD7 1BA
Open every day, 11:30 am to 11:00 pm. Dine in, collect, or order on Uber Eats.