Sanam

I can’t believe I’ve been living and eating in the curry mile for 13 years and never been here before. Its look more sweet shop. Inside however it is modern, busy and vibrant, perhaps the most exciting restaurant I’ve eaten in in Rusholme. It’s speciality non alcoholic and best food.

The service was average. Appetizers were barely ok. The main course was good (not excellent).

Sanam is always busy whenever I visit the Curry Mile even when the restaurants in close proximity are sparsley populated. This is always a good sign. There choice of Asian music is also quite decent.
Overall I’d recommend Sanam to anyone ahead of any other.

Overpriced and the food was not cooked to a great standard — we paid £8 for three prawns which was very disappointing! Overall I don’t like the food on Wimislow road the standards are poor and the atmosphere more for people that enjoy sheesha. If you want great food in a more private location I suggest you go to vermillion; the food and service are 5 stars!

Build it and they will come!
When Sanam opened its doors back in the 60s it was THE only Pakistani (‘Indian restaurant) on Wilmslow road.
It’s refreshing they haven’t changed their philosophy in all that time. This is a place serving genuine authentic Lahori cuisine. If you want to wash down vindaloo paste with 5 lagers this place isn’t for you. A God send for foodies who actually ARE interested in try something genuine.
The gol gapay starters are my fav but today we came here for the desserts. The Kulfi faluda was incredible, different from other Faluda places who serve it with Vanilla ice cream. Kulfi is a special Lahori ice cream (basically a milk lolly) but with a unique flavour and comes with pistachios/​almonds embedded.
If you’ve ever tried a home cooked curry, you’ll know for a fact 90% of «Indians» serve hot sauce to people who don’t know any better. Sanam is one of the few places that goes very close to the real thing.
Yes they don’t serve Alcohol but that just adds a warm family vibe to an already soothing atmosphere. Their choice of Asian music is also genuinely decent. (I love the instrumental beats of Asian instruments us has the tabla/​sitar)
Overall I’d recommend any foodie to sample this place ahead of any other.
Sanam translated means sweetheart. I’d place it certainly as Manchester’s first love when it comes to South Asian cuisine.

I was sadly disappointed by the food here, a party of 15 of us came in to celebrate my brother’s birthday. We couldn’t all be seated together. We chose the all-​you-​can eat buffet and for 10 GBP (that’s about $ 16 – 17 for me) I could not (and did not want to) eat all I could however.
I don’t eat meat and there were very few tasty vegetarian options, I do eat fish and the only fish option was a very disgusting jelly like fried fish, super gross. C’mon at least hide in it some Tikka Masala sauce so we can’t tell.
They do not serve alcohol which is a shame as I this could’ve washed down the food easier thinking it tasted better if they did! Our party ordered soda instead, these were served in jugs and were basically some chemical tasting high fructose corn syrup sludge diluted by a soda stream machine. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY on these.
The servers were hardworking and prompt with bringing water and clearing dishes which is what my 2 stars go toward. The sweet house options looked good, I just can’t eat them as Indian sweets are too sweet for me.
Sorry Sanam, until the food quality improves, especially at that price, I will sadly not be returning.

Ended up here last night with a big family group because there was a 90 minute wait at Nawaab in Levenshulme. A few of us had been here previously, but not for years, we won’t be rushing back! Service was so slow that we should have taken the 90 minute wait at Nawaab. No alcohol was only a problem because it would have been useful to temper the over spiced food. It was a bad sign when the chutney was burning! We went on to order a variety of dishes, on paper the menu is varied and has several unique dishes. However, the dishes we ordered nearly all had the same problem of being too hot with what seemed to be the same basic sauce. It was like the lid had fallen of the chef’s chilli powder! We did not order anything that was supposed to be this spicy. The rice was sloppy and the naan had a flavour I didn’t like but the chapatti was good. Finally, it was over priced.

The Sanam has been part of my life for the past 40 (jeez — that’s a scary thought) years. As a student in the 1970s I first learned the difference between chana dhal and saga aloo right here. As I began working, I could suddenly afford a meal with my mates here every week. My partner and I had prawn bhunas here on our second date. I took my son here for a curry on his first birthday — he wolfed down a mild chicken korma.
Why such loyalty? Well, the food is always fresh-​tasting, and there is a family-​friendly atmosphere assisted by the absence of alcohol. For less than the price of some supermarkets’ ready-​meals, you can eat beautifully spiced meat, fish or vegetarian options. Here’s to another few decades for this happy customer (even though the service can sometimes be a bit slow when they are busy).

I love the indian sweets from this place, massive variety, they are nom nom, and the samosas are very tasty, staff are a little dry but who cares i just want to eat their food.
School report: A-​. Get rid of the attitude and you could be at the top of the class.

You are spoilt for choice in Rusholme for curries and sweets so it can be difficult to decide. I have been going to sanam for some time and the sweets are always delicious. They can be quiet expensive but they are great for a celebration or special occasion.

This is one enterprising little business, I’ll give it that. Sanam not only has this curry restaurant, it even has an adjacent sweet house for when you’ve finished and are in need of tending to your second stomach. With so many curry houses to choose from along Wilmslow Road it’s worth weighing up the pros and cons of each, and one of the major cons with this one involves small portion sizes.
Still, when we think about it rationally, the amount of food a group leaves over at the end of an Indian feast is usually enough to feed a small country, so perhaps Sanam’s doing the right thing here. That said, the prices are higher than a lot of its neighbouring restaurants. Are we missing a trick? The no alcohol rule can seem a bit school ma’amish (that’s none served and none consumed on the premises) but again, it could be a positive thing considering the curry and lager louts you can get knocking about Rusholme. As for the food itself, you’ll find South Asian flavours on the menu and the quality really is excellent.
Sanam has always been very busy whenever I’ve been to the Curry Mile, even when other restaurants were looking a little sparsely populated. This is always a good sign. Heed it!

Unlike other curry houses in Rusholme Sanam’s doesn’t serve alcohol. Whilst this can be a little disappointing on your first visit if you fancy a cool pint of Tiger with your dinner, it does mean that the atmosphere and clientele is a cut above the other place s on the main strip. Without a bar, the big groups of students and football fans you may come across in other restaurants are filtered out, leaving people who are coming for a curry because they fancy a meal rather than a stomach lining.
The food here is exceptional. With a great mix of Indian and Pakistani dishes you will be spoilt for choice. There are the usual starters and mains you might expect (bhajis, kormas and vindaloos) but there are also a selection of regional specialities to try if you fancy something a little different (paneer aloo, prawn rogan josh.)
I would highly recommend the mix Tandoori grill for meat eaters and the vegetable biriani for veggies, (but be warned this is pretty spicy!) if things get a little too hot you can always cool down with a jug of mango lassi or a selection of soft drinks and juices.
Sides-​wise the Pershwari naan is delicious and the pilau rice is
sweet and delicate without the lashings of food colouring you may find at other establishments.
If you still have space for dessert, heave yourself out of your seat and waddle over to the Sanam Sweet Centre (the restaurant’s sister business) and try some of the freshly made sweets or home made cakes.

I popped into this little eatery last week and just like the name suggests I was rewarded with mouthfuls of sensational sweets and desserts.
Located on the curry mile in Rusholme and on the central Wilmslow Road Sanam’s is easy to get to and easy to find. Unlike most of the ofther restaurants on the Curry Mile they don’t have rude men trying to persuade you to come in and the atmosphere is pleasant, with Indian music and much laughter coming from the surrounding tables.
The food is fabulous — We came here because the queues for Moonlight were much too long, even though this was my second choice for the evening I wasn’t dissapointed. Gorgeous sweets, beautiful cakes and great service make Sanam’s Sweet House one of my must stops on the Curry Mile from now on.