Shahenshah

Went Sunday 30^th June 13, food was superb i had chichen tikka sashlick with madras sauce partner she had chareba (spelt wrong chef special)
Madras sauce was spot on dishes were very tasty.
Staff friendly and attentive
Really good and would definitely go again.
One downsideRestaurant is in desparate need of redecoration, looks very tired and worn.

We were taken here by a friend on a recent trip to Manchester, so thought that was a good enough recomendation. However we discovered once we were seated that they only eat pasanda as everything else is too hot or they dont know what it is… mmm tried to remove this from my thoughts on the place before the food was served.
When we arrived we had a party of 6 and they moved another table of people who were already seated to accomodate us, which was a little odd and the people looked a little miffed. Once seated there wasnt really much space, your chair will be resting against the persons chair behind you. Felt cramed in and I dont really need that much space. Wondered how some of my friends who ar 6’2+ would have felt eating here.
Anyway onto the food. Once seated you are immediately presented with pickle trays and poppadoms while they take the drink orders great good start. Drinks were the standard fair of Cobra etc on draft, when the pints arrived they were all a bit flat. The pickle trays were odd really, one was what appeared to be coleslaw and the other 2 were generic out of a jar spiced onions, raitha and mango chutney. The fifth was amazing it was a green sauce that tasted like tamarind with a chilli kick at the end. I asked what this was was but the waiter said he didnt know… hey ho!
The food menu seemed to be a varied mix of all the usual dishes. We ordered 6 different dishes and a 2 mixed platters to start (one veg and one tandoori). The Veg platter had chicken pakora so the veggies at the table could not have starters and didnt want to send the dish back in case they just removed the chicken and sent it out again. Oks, so bonus in a way for the carnivours in that we have more food to start with, major minus for sending veggies chicken pakora.
The mains turned up and one of the dishes was supposed to be a veggie madras however when serving the waiter didnt know what this was and served the rest of the dishes before handing the veggie mush to the person that was left. Madras is supposed to be spicy this was sweet and had no chilli kick at all.
The rest of the dishes looked like standard neon slope that I havent seen since the early 90’s. Think bright orange microwavable tikka masala from a supermarket. Not good. The only dish that was good was the biriani. My friend once told me if you are unsure of a place then order the biriani as this is generally what the staff eat for their meals… so you can be sure that it is edible. From the outset I knew I would be ordering this. Everyone came away with a feeling of being very underwhelmed or just not enjoying any of the food… even the nans were poor.
My suggestion avoid! Serving a veggie platter with chicken and day glow curries isnt cool especially in one of the homes of curry in the UK. I think this place is probably fine for hen/​stag do groups but I really wasnt impressed.
If you want a good curry try further up the road or check out Eastzeast. Avoid!

Food poisoning on a plate. Absolutely shocking. I have an iron stomach normally after a meal here on Saturday, it is now Friday and I’m only just recovering. 5 solid days of vomiting and diarrhoea (to the point of blood in both) that came on within an hour of leaving. The only other thing I ate that day was toast, so you can make your minds up about which one made me ill. Cost me a week in missed wages and agonising pain to boot.
Also, as others were, promised discounts and freebies, got none of them until 20minutes of arguments had elapsed, although that pales into insignificance compared to almost killing me I guess.
Avoid at all costs unless you particularly like having your arse turned inside out.

We were lured in by a 4-​course meal for £10. No, not 4-​courses, rather, four dishes. Service was pretty bad. Menu was grimy. We were cramped into a tight space, even though other parts of the restaurant were vacant. Overall, I was not impressed. So many other curry houses to try. I’ll not hurry back there.

Pretty standard for the curry mile, but I probably won’t come here again. The staff were lovely, our waiter was very friendly. It was actually him who convinced us to go in. We weren’t sure at first as the place was empty, but we thought maybe it was because it was early. And they gave us a free round of drinks which was nice and free poppadums.
The food was average, there’s a good vegetarian selection but the paneer portions were a bit crap and small.
However, what knocks it down to 2 were the state of the women’s toilets. They were disgusting. There was poo all over one of them. The other had a roll of toilet paper on the floor, not even put in the dispenser. There was chewing gum in the sink and a hand dryer which looked like someone had just hammered it together with a few shards of plastic and a fan.
I think you’ve got to excel at some area to retain custom in the curry mile, or at least be really cheap. Shahenshah does none of these.

A restaurant that not only shares its name with a number of other curry houses around the country but also a rather popular Bollywood film, it might be difficult to pronounce (especially after a few beers) but get used to it, because after a visit to Shahenshah you’ll be mentioning it plenty when recommending it to others.
It’s the quintessential traditional curry house. Service with a smile, nay, customers are treated like royalty, polite and speedy, it’s clean and crisp and the food is fresh and spicy with a great array of accompanying drinks. I had a friend disagree with me somewhat on the service when she felt like the waiters were paying her a little too much attention, if you know what I mean. I told her to cheer up and be flattered or simply realise that the staff in Shahenshah are certainly well trained to attend to all needs, whether those needs exist at the time or not.
That’s the thing about a good curry house, it lifts any mood. Shahenshah’s a great example of this.

Shahenshah represents a lot of what is good about the curry mile. Like any area that becomes renowned for a particular type of service, you will get a lot of sub-​standard places filling it up and bringing the overall quality down. Shahenshah manages to be reasonably priced, well-​made and good service, a trio that many curry houses miss.
As Becca has pointed out, the service is very quick and the waiters are all very polite and knowledgeable, which can help immensely with uncertain or indecisive individuals. They let you bring your own beer, which saves on the cost, and is also just a generally nice thing to do. And like I pointed out previously the food is good.
What more could you want?

Got to say I’m surprised Shahenshah has received a 4.5 star review average. For me it’s the perfect example of an average curry house. Its average in relation to the curry mile Indian restaurants, which are in turn average compared to the curries available elsewhere in Manchester.
(Please not that the joyous haven of delight that is Punjab, is exempt from the previous comment, and is certainly as good as any curry house this side of Dehli (the city not the sweet shop in Rusholme))
Shahenshah is absolutely fine, and I certainly have no complaints to make about the service, the prices or the quality. As Thomas points out its definitely a good option for groups, as they have plenty of large tables in plenty of space. The meals are good, though the vindaloo is a bit tomato-​sauce-​with-​chilli-​powder-​ish. It probably works out at around ten quid per person without alcohol, so the value is good too.
Its just that there are much nicer curries to be had along the curry mile, not only Punjab but also the second best, The Village, and if you’ve already had the curry mile experience (and it is well worth having), you can find better curries in Withington or Deansgate.

Shanhenshah is another example of huge parties well catered for. This place is very popular with athletic union groups and societies from the local universities. The staff are nice and will serve every one quickly as if they weren’t there. One of the best qualities of shahenshah is you can drink from what you buy in the local newsagent so you dodge the extortionate prices of drinks from restaurants. Very useful for students. The food is good with a big selection of dishes all done very nicely. I’ve come back from weekends with the army on training exercises to gorge myself here; I can’t think of anything better then be surrounded by lovely dals, chips, nans and chicken tikka. Come the end of the evening the bill will sit in the £10 to £15 range, reasonable. Watch out on cold nights though, shahenshah is as hot as India when they whack on the heating.

The Curry Mile is a bit of a conundrum. I mean, there are so many curry houses, all lit up and exciting, how can you possibly know which one to go to? Well, duh, that’s what Unilocal’s for! So let me tell you about my favourite curry house, Shahenshah.
Shahenshah sits head and shoulders above the other curry houses on Rusholme for many reasons, which I shall lay out for you in a list formation, because sometimes I like making lists:
— The service is excellent. You will be seated within a minute, no matter how busy it is. You will be asked if you like your table, if you don’t, they will ask whre you’d prefer to sit. Ladies, your chair will be pulled out for you and your coat hung on the back of said chair.
— The above described showing-​you-​to-​your-​table will always be done by at least two members of staff, who will then give you your menus and skedaddle, only to return seconds later with your poppadoms and a lush platter of dips.
— They leave you just enough time to decide, then take your order, answering any and all questions you may have. The waiters know the menu inside out and are always handy with explanations or suggestions.
— They serve Cobra beer in those pint glasses with the gold rims, which is always nice. But, you can also BYOB, and there’s no charge for doing so.
— The food is lush. Really lush. I have tried, I think, a dozen or so different dishes here, and have never been disappointed. Some curry houses use cheap ingredients and try to mask this fact with over-​flavouring. Not Shahenshah. The meat used here is clearly decent, and the sauces are all very well flavoured, but never overspiced. I strongly recommend the lamb rogan josh. Nom nom nom!
— The servings are huge, and moderately priced. Expect to pay about £30 for two, including all yer naans, poppadoms, beers and food.
— Once you’ve got your grub, the waiters don’t hassle you, but if you need one, he’ll be by your side quicker than a bolt of greased lightning.
I really do love Shahenshah, and as a result of finding it so early into my life in Manchester, I have neglected the rest of Curry Mile. But who cares? When a place is this good, there’s no need to go anywhere else!

I’ve tried almost every restaurant and takeaway on curry mile. My favourite food is Mediterranean. When it comes to Indian Curry I love to go to Shahenshah without any 2^nd thought! I’m originally from South East Asia and Shahenshah is the only place in curry mile where I get satisfaction in terms of curry!

There are more than 70 Indian restaurants on Wilmslow Road and as the Shahenshah was open late at night when many were closed we decided to get our fix after a night out.
I have visited many restaurants in the curry mile and have had both good and bad meals.
Even after a night out when often almost any food would satisfy your appetite this place did not do the trick what was a shame as we got a taxi from the centre of Manchester and dashed here passing many good restaurants on the way.
The service was not professional and the food was so-​so, it was like chewing a tyre with the tandoori lamb chops.
The popadom’s and pickles were good but if that’s all I could complement them about then that a sorry state.

Found this place while driving through the curry mile after not eating all day so decided to pop in here with my daughter for a meal on a Thursday tea time.
I hadn’t read any reviews prior to visiting so was unaware of other comments made about here.
We were greeted and seated quickly in this restaurant and popodoms immediately offered with 5 selections of Pickles, we were offered extra popodoms but declined these as I didn’t want to spoil what was to come, I opted for Onion Bahji’s for starter but found them a bit bland and dry however my daughter thought they were nice, she had the Fish Tikka which I though was a lot better than mine.
For main she choose Tandoori King Prawn which again were very nice, I had Lamb something or other (sorry can’t remember the exact name) which again I found very appetising, the whole meal with a couple of beers and 3 glasses of wine was less than £40.00 and I didn’t have any complaints. the place seemed clean enough to me but there again I didn’t see behind the scenes.
Originally I would have revisited this restaurant but after reading other comments made and Press reports I would now have reservations, so this one is up to you!

UPDATE: I wrote the review below at the end of July, but recently read in the Manchester Evening News that the restaurant had been fined £31,000 for six breaches of food hygiene standards in April, more details here:

It may be that the restaurant has cleaned up its act since then, and I suffered no ill effects from the meal I had, but having read the article I would approach this place with extreme caution.
Please also note that Al-​Bilal and the Shere Khan restaurants on the Curry Mile have also been fined for breaches in food hygiene standards within the last two years.
And now the original review…
Smack in the middle of the Curry Mile, Shahenshah is one of the larger curry houses in Rusholme, with a decent sized restaurant downstairs and a large function room upstairs. However, its sign is not as garishly neon as some others along the route and as such it’s one I’d never really noticed before.
Once inside, me and the group I was with were quickly seated and a seemingly endless supply of poppadoms were brought to us, with five dips to try (a couple of chutneys, mint yoghurt, a couple of others I didn’t try). We ordered drinks, though mine was probably the flattest pint of Strongbow I’ve ever tasted, and some of my friends returned their Carlsberg, choosing Cobra instead. If I were you I’d stick to bottles rather than draught in here…
The main courses were very good though — my chicken balti was full of flavour, my girlfriend’s rogan josh was very good too and I didn’t hear any complaints about that section of the meal from anyone. The waiters gave us a mixture of rice and naans to simplify the order which worked out well, and we all finished our meals pretty stuffed but happy, it was a good meal.
The staff were very attentive and pleasant at all times and the prices were pretty good too, at £120 for a table of nine.