Growing up in Marston Green, a town just outside Birmingham, England, Ozzy Osbourne’s love for curries was never really a surprise. The area’s often called Britain’s “curry capital,” given its deep-rooted Indian and Bangladeshi food culture, flavours that go all the way back to the 1940s. It’s the go-to cuisine for most people there, and the legendary rock icon and Black Sabbath frontman was one of them. He was obsessed with curries to the point he even came up with his own signature recipe. And while fans around the world are mourning the loss of the superstar, there’s one story that fans in India, and die-hard curry lovers, might never forget.
When Ozzy Osbourne ordered curry at an Italian restaurant
The incident dates back to the early 2010s, when Ozzy caused a scene at Cipriani, one of London’s most high-end Italian restaurants. The place is known for its exotic, top-tier European dishes, risotto, pasta, and its own signature specials. One fine day, Ozzy walked in with his wife and manager Sharon, and her X Factor co-judge Louis Walsh. The staff welcomed them and handed over the menu, filled with elegant-sounding plates. Ozzy glanced, shoved it aside and said, “I want a curry.”
At first, the staff tried convincing him: “Risotto? Maybe something customised?” But Ozzy wouldn’t budge. He kept saying it again and again. “Ozzy was completely unfazed by the situation and insisted he was in the mood for a curry. Sharon and Walsh kept telling him he should just have a nice bowl of pasta or something, but he wouldn’t budge,” a source told The Mirror UK at the time. All he wanted was chicken curry, “as far as he was concerned, that was the end of it,” the source added. Eventually, not wanting to disappoint one of rock’s biggest icons, or risk the bad press, the restaurant sent a staff member rushing to a nearby curry spot in Mayfair. They brought back the takeout and served the takeaway chicken curry on their own branded plates. Ozzy was definitely thrilled.
Also read: Ozzy Osbourne, iconic Black Sabbath frontman and British heavy metal pioneer, dies at 76
Ozzy’s love for curries developed at his hometown, where, in the early 1940s, Bangladeshi and Indian immigrants opened restaurants that served everyone from lawyers to pub-goers with rice and curry. Over time, Birmingham developed its own curry identity, especially the desi called “Balti,” born out of Pakistani and Kashmiri kitchens, and soon became a sensational UK cuisine. Back in 1988, the Prince of Darkness even came up with his own version of the dish. It ended up in a cookbook called Rock ‘N’ Roll Cuisine, a wild compilation of recipes by rock stars. Ozzy submitted the recipe with ingredients like chicken, apples, lemon juice, canned fruit like pineapple or peaches, and a jar of curry powder.
On a podcast with his friend Billy Morrison, Ozzy once said, “When I find something I like, I’ll eat it until I’m sick of it.” Curry was one of those comfort foods. His go-to spot was Bombay Palace, where he swore by their chicken madras and vindaloo. His daughter Kelly once revealed Ozzy could go through 25 apples a day, but curry was the real obsession. And somewhere in Mayfair, there’s still a story about the night Cipriani’s upscale kitchen had to make room for a chicken madras, because Ozzy Osbourne didn’t take no for an answer.
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Ozzy Osbourne died at the age of 76 after battling Parkinson’s and multiple surgeries. His last performance came in July 2025, where he reunited with the band to raise money for the patients of Parkinson’s. His family confirmed in a post that Ozzy died in peace, surrounded by his loved ones.
