Al Nawaz

There is a word I associate with Al Nawaz, it doesn’t cross my mind when I think of it, it rams itself front and centre in my mind and stays there for the duration of my visit or thought.
Standard.
This place is… OK, but it’s not good in any respect. The curries are a normal price, if you add naan, rice and a drink you’re safely over £10 (which means you could have had a much better and bigger meal elsewhere, Village £7.50 menu anyone?) but it’s just all so standard. The curries are oily, the portions a bit small, the naans and rice don’t taste fresh and are a bit small also. Drinks are a bit steep. It’s not bad by any means, it just doesn’t do anything that well.
Basically, whenever I visit Al Nawaz I feel a bit cheated at the end of the night. If you want to get a good curry, go elsewhere, if you want a cheap meal, go elsewhere. Al Nawaz is like at least half of the places on the curry mile, just trading off the location.

Okay, okay, back to the curry mile for a second. I promise I’ll stop this! Hey, I’m doing Unilocal a service, any Mancunian resident or visitor needs to know where they are in Rusholme. There’s a certain Wilmslow Road hierarchy that exists… the connoisseurs go to Tabak, the adventurous to King Cobra, the discerning to Lal Haweli, and everyone else goes here. That sounds so much worse than I meant… basically, this is one of the biggest, brightest and most popular curry houses in Rusholme and a lot of people gravitate towards is. But is it any good?
Well, not really. One of the biggest attractions was a resident magician as opposed to the food, and he’s disappeared, which is a shame. It brought a real spectacle to eating there. The poppadoms taste a little stale, presumably because they’ve been made in advance… and hey, I’ve made them at home before. They ain’t so hard. Portions are smaller than a lot of the other restaurants in the area, and the food is pretty average, nothing to write home about. As for the service? Quite stand-​offish as a rule. How can every member of staff adhere to this? Are they all told to behave as if the customers are a hindrance in training sessions?
The toilets are pretty scary… and since being there last I’ve heard tales of cockroaches, which means it’d take the strength of an army to get me to return. Oily curry is one of my pet hates and this was in abundance here, and while it ticks all the boxes like bring your own booze and student discounts, that’s nothing the other restaurants are missing. It’s definitely worth looking at other places before you follow the crowds into Al Nawaz. Remember, sheep aren’t always right…

Sorry Al Nawaz, the reviews have been split on you, and I’m going to have to cast the deciding vote, and its not in your favour.
Its not that your curries are bad, its just that they’re not very nice. They all taste a bit bland and you aren’t very generous with your portions. Have you noticed that you’re in competition with quite a few other Indian restaurants, being as you are situated half way along ‘Curry Mile’?
Everything is fine, but you need to make everything slightly more than fine if you’re going to compete with the excellent curries available elsewhere. And, you’re décor is a bit weird you have to admit.

Hmmm I don’t want to be mean. I’ve been al nawaz a few times every time it has been consistently standard. The dishes are very very well plain. Order a korma, a tikka, a biryani and it’s all very average to poor to be frank. The staff are nice enough. The décor is well strange, there’s a lot of blue light which can make it feel like a film producing room instead of a hospitable restaurant. Shame because Nawaz could be up there with mughlis but something’s holding it back. Expect standard curry mile prices for your dishes in the £5−7 brackets.

I’ve been to a lot of different places in the curry mile during my time in Manchester, some good, some bad. I’ve certainly had plenty of time to, as I spent three years of my life living in Rusholme. Al Nawaz is one of the curry houses I am more closely acquainted with, as it was one of the few large enough to accommodate the population of St. Anselm Hall on the annual fresher’s inauguration meal. It already gets a good rating from me for its ability to handle over a hundred hungry lads ordering, eating and spilling food everywhere at once.
It’s hard to miss, sitting on the left-​hand side as you head towards Piccadilly, and certainly is one of the more audacious of the curry houses alongside this famous stretch of Oxford Road. The most prominent feature would be the large fish tank you have to traverse as you make your way inside, and of which I always have a fear of crashing straight through. Once inside it’s not too different from most other places, just loads of tables laid out ready for your custom.
The menu is the same as you would expect from anywhere else in this area; a large variety of different curries and specialities, using an array of meats and ingredients. The service is quick and the prices reasonable. As I remember, it was possible to get curry, naan and popadoms for under £10. Not too bad.

i’ve always go there for a my indian meals, because the curries & the biryani’s are decillious. for students they have offers. it’s modern from the inside, best looking restaurant on the road. the atmosphere is lively & relaxed. i love going their with my freinds & famliy. i’ve never heard anything bad about this restaurant. i think its the best rated restaurant on the road. with all the customers satified

Al Nawaz was one of the first Indian restaurants I visited in Manchester and it was suggested to me by a friend. Suckered in by the competitive deals, such as a free coffee and student discount, I was actually pleasantly surprised, especially by the interior. Walking in, the restaurant appears comfortable and clean and is full of plush chairs and clean tables, although it seems empty quite frequently due to its huge amount of competition.
The food here is great and the waiters are always willing to tailor a curry for you if it’s not on the menu. Here I have sampled the Lamb Tikka Masala, the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Chicken Korma (I’m a wuss), and they were all great and cooked to perfection, not to mention the chutnies offered with the poppodums are of a far higher standard than those offered by some of the other restaurants.
I have never had a bad meal at Al Nawaz and the service has been great every time — the staff are very helpful and the food does not take too long to come. It’s a staple of the Curry Mile for sure.

Having made a concerted effort to make the most of living so close to the infamous «Curry Mile» in Rusholme, my friends and I have paid visits to several of the curry houses along Wilmslow Road and I think that Al Nawaz stands out as one of the best.
While I am not usually one to venture far from the wimpy korma or biriyani, last time I went crazy and had a passanda, which was great, and everyone else seemed impressed with their (probably more adventurous) choices.
Aside from the generous portions of good value and great tasting food, the enjoyable atmosphere was enhanced by the presence of a magician, whose tricks were perfectly timed as we were finishing our meal, and lifted everyones’ spirits.
I would say that it is definately worth eating here, and if you’re in a party the magician makes it all the more memorable (though if you take advantage of the bring your own booze policy your memory may be a little hazy).