'I've lost everything' - Heartbroken Balti King owner confirms famous Sheffield restaurant has closed

Tony Hussain fought hammer and nail to keep the iconic venue running, but Balti King sadly closed its doors for the final time on February 2, 2023. He said: “I tried my best. I even remortgaged my house to keep it going.

“Covid was the biggest killer and then the council doing what they did and then the cost of living as well. I’ve lost everything and I will probably lose my house now as well.”

Self-proclaimed to be Sheffield’s first Balti house, Balti King has been serving the residents of Broomhill, students and celebrities for 33 years. Tony used his businesses success to continuously give back to the local area, sponsoring local sports teams and donating to different causes, including offering free food to NHS staff.

Unfortunately, the current cost of living crisis was the final blow for Balti King, and Tony said he couldn’t afford to pay his rent or his bills. He said: “Everything was so expensive, it was unbelievable. It’s killed me.

“I lost everything. I’m on medication now the doctor’s given me because I’ve got depression.”

In 2020, as part of a range of measures to enable more social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, the previous parking spaces outside the parade of Broomhill shops where his business was located were “temporarily” closed to be used as a wider footpath. The spaces have since disappeared as the pavement has been extended to allow more space for pedestrians.

Tony said the pandemic meant he couldn’t get students or locals through the doors for three years, then the pedestrianisation scheme meant many regular customers, some of whom were disabled, couldn’t pop into the business anymore.

In a previous conversation with The Star, Tony revealed his business heavily involved food delivery orders or takeaways and they didn’t have many sit down diners anymore following the pandemic.

Following the revelation Balti King was up for sale last year, Star readers flooded social media with messages of support and thanks for Tony and the Balti King team. Tony said he has also had “so many messages from so many people” in the last few weeks.

Sheffield will certainly miss one of its most iconic Indian restaurants.