Al Waalis Restaurant in Manchester

Quality food at reasonable price in the heart of LEVENSHULME, Manchester

The place was clean, food great and price was amazing, highly recommended. Must visit

So the food is very tasty but it cost a lot like I mean a lot

The food is amazing especially the banana jelly friendly workers and has many cultural patterns of pakistan with a grocery store down stairs must recomend

Not recommended. I wish there is no or zero star. Food quality is below average.disappointed

excellent food keep up the good work

Everything was sooooo good and delicious taste .... Remind me of LAHORI TASTE Paayay was 100/100...

Staff is lovely , good starters, in mains namkeen lamb is brilliant. Stars of the night were paaye, gulaab jaamun, gajrela, sawaiyaan and ice cream. Compliments to the chef and big thanks to Sami for such a lovely service . Will visit soon The only thing I would recommend to the restaurant is the outlook of it, repaint and refresh the seating area a little bit .

Very delicious food good service

It's finnished this place no standards

Came here all the way from Birmingham the food was not great And service. Waited so long for them to refill the dishes to the point we got fed up and didn’t eat anything. Had an awful experience will not be coming back.

Excellent service given here today at Al Waalis. Come here for good food!

Had a issue with payment as I was over charged. Staff did not sort the problem out and were being rude. Credit to the owner who only noticed after the review. Gave a refund credit for the over charge and offered free food which I did not want. 5 stars from the owner.

Food had no taste, felt like it was old and just reheated. Got a stomach pain now.

Excellent food with a very nice friendly service

I urge everyone not to trust this place for parties. Rude staff and con artists. Wanted to speak to the manager but was told he is in Pakistan. No wonder this place is quiet, if they treat their customers like that. Paid £100 deposit for a birthday party. On the day I paid the full amount and I totally forgot I already paid the deposit(my fault). Now they will not refund me and are coming up with all kinds of excuses, which is very petty of them. Will never go here are again.

Lovely food, nice people, fab service. Thank you!

Horrible, staff was rude, food made whole family get food poisoning wont be going there again, sad really because i use to go all the time with family, it was empty on a friday night as well. Shows everything.

Fresh delicious food with many options for starter, main and dessert. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended!

Really good but the food was not fresh but the wings were great but they need to start changing the food even if there is still some left but all staff were really kind and there was a wedding when we were there so that's a bonus. Recommended if you like cold food.

Hosted a baby party here, impeccable service and food at an unbeatable price, highly recommend

food was very good and also the dessert, which is very filling. Lovely music and atmosphere. Kind staff

Amazing food . Really recommended . Nice atmosphere and music

Great food and staff are fantastic, we will go again.

we went for food, their starter was amazing and the curries was very good, everything was very good, the staff was friendly . I suggest it’s a best place for family dinner special for child . because so many things special for child our child was so enjoying

Lovely food, very authentic wide range of Asian food, the place is clean and the staff have great customer service. Definitely recommend

Food is not good. And price is too much

They can improve it, but for the price, it's not bad... I missed biryani from the buffet

The toilets were disgusting and smelt really bad. One toilet was fully blocked with tissue. Urine all over the floor. Very limited menu for a buffet. Chicken tikka was grey and slimy. Pizzas were soggy and no taste at all. Naan's were so hard that they was just breaking when trying to eat with a curry. Got food poisoning, been in and out toilet all morning, stomachs killing. Food hygiene standards agency definitely need to look at this place

Very clean place , the food was good. Seekh kebab and krahi gosht, fish panorapakora were my fav. Desserts were too sweet but good. Not bad. Overall, it was a good experience. Would recommend and would definitely go again.

"Disappointment with Recent Visit to Al Waalis Restaurant" I am writing to express my deep disappointment following my recent visit to Al Waalis restaurant, a place I have frequented for the past 14 years. Unfortunately, my experience today fell significantly short of expectations in several areas. -- Food Quality: The rice served was not fresh. The naans were old, with hard edges that made them difficult for my children to eat. The nihari was subpar, with the gravy appearing to be excessively seasoned and indicating that it was not freshly prepared. -- Customer Service and Management: When I requested fresh naans, the staff member assigned to check on the food merely dismissed my concern with a curt response and did not address the issue. The replacement naans were, regrettably, just as old as the first batch. Upon approaching the manager to address the same issue, I was met with an unprofessional attitude. Instead of offering an apology or a resolution, the manager argued that the naans were indeed fresh, which was clearly not the case. -- Billing Issue: After our unsatisfactory meal, I proceeded to the counter to settle the bill. Although I paid via card, the manager failed to provide a receipt from the cash register, further compounding the lack of professionalism experienced. In summary, I am extremely disheartened by both the decline in food quality and the unprofessional behavior displayed by the staff. While I have been a loyal patron of Al Waalis for many years, today's experience has led me to decide against returning. It appears that genuine feedback is not welcomed, and the standard of service has deteriorated. This visit has resulted in a significant disappointment, and I can no longer endorse Al Waalis.

Although the limited dishes that I tried were nice, I experienced nausea and painful, explosive diarrhoea soon after arriving home that continued until I went to sleep and again upon waking up in the morning. There were just 3 other table of customers at 7pm, which was quiet for a Saturday evening, so not sure if others have had similar experience. My husband suffered the same symptoms as myself. We used to go all the time years ago without issues- definitely won't be going again.

Not a huge selection of dishes but what they do have is really well done.

Very poor quality of food and service. The outside atmosphere is very attractive but inside is very poor and not hygienic at all.

The food was noticeably stale, which is unacceptable for a buffet setting where freshness is key. The variety was also lacking. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and improves the freshness and quality of their offerings.

All my family were very happy with the food and service.

Fantastic service, delicious food, recommend 10/10.

Poor taste now before taste is much more batter but now very disappointed not recommended now

Definitely needs a refresh in toilets broken/not working now food tasteless,undercooked,not fresh see pics chicken wings are over spiced that they burn not much choice of dessert guys unless no other option avoid this place very low quality meats or food in general

I don't know why people give a low rating. We've been to Al Waalis a number of times. It wasn't bad before but has significantly improved under the new management. Obviously it hasn't got the best toilets but that shouldn't be a reason for the low rating. Food is also good, kids enjoy eating the fries, pizza, fish pakoras, wings etc. I never miss the Lamb karahi and Gulab jamans. I know there is no Chicken biryani but aren't you all just fed up of eating biryani! Try other stuff. They've got egg fried rice and sweet n sour chicken and plenty of other dishes. I would avoid going on the first Eid day because obviously they can't cope with refilling with fresh food due to the rush. Apart from that, always good, free parking, all halal food. Have a place to offer namaz so there's no worry of missing your Salah. I think it deserves 5 stars for £15 buffet. I've seen people going to Nawab and then filling their plates to the brim and then that they end up wasting food all the time. I think it's something psychological that people try to have a lot because they've paid a huge amount at Nawab and also because the food is quite far from the tables. £15 at Al Waalis is fine and you don't have to walk a huge distance to get the food and therefore I always put food on my plate that I can eat because I know I can always get up and get some more when I want to.

Very poor service there was no biryani no pulao only plane rice that was looking 2 days old, sweet rice were like rubber, all the curries tasted off, and the gulab jamun was definitely not gulab jamun, there was no naan I was waiting for long time .I wouldn't recommend anyone to go there for wasting money .

Spent 44 pounds Family of four All u can eat Wonderful service

Nice food .. service needs improvement. They need to keep the buffet counter a bit more tidy . But good food makes up for it

UPDATE March 2023: Went again, against my better judgement. Never again. As soon as I saw the minging carpet, and dirty tissues on the stairs we should have left. It was chaos when we entered, with no one to assist us so after waiting a few minutes went to a guy behind the til and eventually got a small table. On my first trip for food, many items were missing. Also, no one came to ask for drinks, so had to go myself and order. Eventually they came but no glasses. Had to go again, but no glasses available. Eventually they came but were soaking wet from the dishwasher. Had to go again and get tissues to wipe clean. When speaking to the staff, of which there were only 5 available, all talking turns to clean, serve, etc etc, I noticed few of them spoke English. It was also very hard to work out who the staff was because they did not wear uniforms. In fact one guy was wearing a woolly hat. The place looks like it's had a cheap makeover but the food is still average at best. On the flip side prices were a reasonable £15 per head, and parking is ample and free. Frankly, I personally wouldn't go again. UPDATE August 2021: Apparently the prices are now an eye-watering £14 per head (£15 on special occasions). So so not worth it. According to their website they are the "best buffet restaurant available in Manchester". Eerrrr...wrong. #deluded #laughable Review from April 2019. Al Walis is basically what it looks like; a poor man's Nawaabs. Needs modernisation in a big way, and they need someone to keep an eye on cleanliness too. The starters were the best thing, because to me the curries all tasted uniformly the same?! Desserts were decent - if you like ice cream, and drinks were overpriced as they always are in buffet places. I've also noticed that the price has crept up steadily from £7 (I think) to £12. It's basically at the point now where instead of just going, you think about the alternatives first. On the flip side, plenty of free parking available and friendly staff. I would go again, but only if someone else is paying!

Will definitely recommend to anyone who loves to eat in buffet. Food was very fresh and delicious.

I recently visited this buffet restaurant, and I have to say, it left me with mixed feelings. The variety of dishes was decent, but unfortunately, the freshness factor was a major letdown. It seemed like the food had been sitting out for a while, losing that just-made appeal. I'd give it a 2 out of 10. While the selection might tempt you, the lack of freshly prepared items takes away from the overall dining experience. If you're someone who values the taste of freshly cooked meals, this might not be the best pick. There's room for improvement, and I hope they take steps to enhance the quality of their offerings.

Food was great for the amount paid. Can't expect more for the price. But service could have been better. Soup bowls were not refilled as soon as it got over. Other than that overall it was good for the price.

Fish not cook properly. And sweet rice was not fresh and gajer halwa. Kheer tast so bad

Didn't like the food the meat dishes were smelly and sickly only nice thing or should I say was OK was fish and Chapli kebab and roast potatoes the rest big no for me secondly my kids came back hungry as the chicken was spicy and they had pizza and chips I paid £8 for each child just for normal pizza and chips deserts again poor just jelly and ice cream they had galab Jamon was OK keer from a tin nothing desi

Outstanding food and customer service was excellent. Everything was neat and clean. Many varieties of food available in reasonable price.

I had dinner with my buddies lots of time ' the food is delicious ' the ambience is beautiful and peaceful , must come here and enjoy desi and grill food.

Food was very delicious. Excellent customer service and atmosphere.

Excellent lip-smacking food, huge variety in buffet with reasonable prices.

Appreciated the excellent customer service; though the food wasn't perfectly warm, it still delivered a decent taste overall.

We visited last day .Food was soo bad and tasteless lose of money .worst food ever been in my whole life .

Starters ok but all curries are no taste

Waste of money absolutely disgusting food. New management has messed up everything i would highly recommend every one not to waste their money please buy tesco meal for your kids

Went there for my birthday party and were able to get seated right away, the staff were excellent and always asked if we needed anything. The food options are great too and they have amazing sauces. Would go there again!

Nice entertainment and loads of Pakistani and Indian food variety.

I had the food yesterday with my family. It was my first experience there. To be honest food was nice. Everything was good and nice. It was good reasonable pkg there.

the food is so bad basically getting food from asda floors were sticky and the food was cold and when i asked for a drink they charged me 20 quid more dont recemoned this place

Honestly its not that bad as people say but some of the food had some problems like The chicken karahi was basically just chicken and there was barely any shora but overall its not that bad but i would still not go to this restaurant because there are many restaurants around it that are so much better

food is ok drink Taste is very bad.

Absolutely atrocious, the service was terrible and the floor was sticky surprised my shoes didn't get stuck to the floor and come off my feet. The food was not fresh the only nice thing was the seekh kebab. The coke was warm and the mains were not eatable. It is not worth the price at all and for a weekend it was terrible.

Came today with my full family. As soon as I walked in, the floor was sticky and felt like it’s never been cleaned before. Food was mediocre , also lacked a selection of food. Desserts were absolutely inedible and tasted of cardboard. Didn’t have much of a selection of ice cream and didn’t even have vanilla!!!!! Toilets are disgusting. No hygiene whatsoever. Also flies on our table. Disappointed

I always love to enjoy food in alwali restaurant and that's why I bring my mother and my brother in law and my family on alwali restaurant but the taste of the food really disappointed me and my family. Food was cold and not fresh at all. It seem that I wasted all my money.

This is my 5th time I visited Alwallis with my family. In my last I really enjoyed the food. But this time I am very disappointed because the food was not fresh and food is cold. Fish and grilled wings are good. And all other food is cold, no taste. Even icecream taste was not good. It's really important to fucus on quality and taste of food.

I went in Saturday night and the starters were atrocious except the nann was stale , biryani was nasty before we got dessert,this cost me £80

Worst buffet I have ever attended. Sticky atmosphere & horrible food. No flavour, grit in fish pakora & didn't listen to complaints. AVOID.

Being very generous with one star, the food was atrocious and off. The floors all sticky and the plates and cutlery wasn't very clean. The children didn't eat and even when I told the management they didn't even give a discount. Paid alot of money and came back still very hungry. Definitely don't recommend this place unless you have money to waste! The naan bread was hard and tasteless as were all the Currys. The fish pakora had grit in it and I had to spit it out in the napkin. I thought I would give it a try but regret my decision and really wish I hadn't gone there. Please avoid if you like to eat.

Went in on a Saturday night and it was dead no customers only 3 there. Still gave it a try and was very bad. Naan was absolutely rock solid. Pilau tasted off aswell as the Currys. The atmosphere was very bad. The place was very dirty the floors and Chairs and plates were very sticky. Would never recommend. £80 went down the drain. My kids didn't eat at all. STAY AWAY!!

Just been to Buffett - excellent food , great choice and different selection than usual tika massala and korma - staff very friendly - would highly recommend it

We invited our daughter inlaws on the dinner everything was fresh flavour of the food was gr8 and atmosphere and customer service was splendid. I must recommend that buffet resturant

I love trying new places etc but really wish I read the reviews before trying this place. I viewed the menu before going which was a waste of time as they didn't even have half the curry's they show on it (or boiled rice). They don't keep the food refilled, we had to ask and when they did it was only luke warm. Desserts ain't the best (No cakes whatsoever) even the Pepsi tasted cheap. 100% not worth the amount they charge. No wheelchair access, it's a tall flight of stairs upto the restaurant for those needing to know, there is a carpark at the side which hasn't got much lighting at night.

Please don’t waist your valuable time. Absolutely disgusting food chicken nuggets it’s look like blood inside not cooked properly but outside is crunchy and the floor was so dirty and sticky I couldn’t pull my feet off. One request to the staff please keep clean the floor.

Service was quite good but food was average..and reasonable selection of dishes. I expected a better selection for the price

Place has been refurbished under new management flower walls and nice entrance. The dishes are pretty decent with good variety corn soup, starters, mains and desserts firni and suji halwa was fab

We booked them for small event about 150 guests ant they provided marvellous service, delicious food, multiple dishes for all age of people. Good quality of service and cheaper and affordable prices 👌 our guests were happy with their services too. Cooperation was wonderful as we needed any extra support. We will highly recommend Al Waalis restaurant for book your events or even their buffet menu is wonderful 😋

worst food ever...food seemed like it was old and reheated and was very dry apart from the fish pakora.The rice was hard and crunchy...very bad experience in the toilet aswell theres only cold water running! but the dessert was decent and was the best part of the dinner

I visited this restaurant on Sunday evening, it was a buffet the food was not nice at all, other than the Sikh kebabs and the lamb karahi and other things as well Very bad experience

very good delicious food and very reasonable prices fantastic buffet service and quality food recommended to visit again and again

Been in for first the time literally I had the best food ever. High quality food with a good price Friendly, staff good service, clean place the toilet was in a good condition as well Everything was organised well I had kebab , chicken tekka, veg samosa, veg pakura, egg rice, chips and some more all was delicious and amazing the food wasn't not very spicy that's a good point for me . Recommended for vegetarians people. AAAAA+ The decorations was amazing 😍 There is a part doe big group separately of small groups like 2/4/6 people Couldn't take any pics I was busy in eating hahaha

Food was awful. Very spicy on everything even the starters. I asked for my bill and the guy charged me additional drinks which I only ordered a bottle of water. He was questioning me and said we know what you ordered. The waiter who served me came up to me as I was distressed about my bill and confirm only ordered 1 bottle of water. Very poor service. The toilets had mould growing and very unhygienic. This place will need a review on food hygiene. First and last time I ever come here with a ridiculous parking space next to the shop. £15 per head. Over 40 dishes as it said on the website. Only 20 dishes was available. Mis sold advertising. Never again sorry

The food was brilliant also the seating is good but

Terrible customer service, extremely misbehaved with customers by one of stupid waiters, ruin all event. ‘ll never visit and recommend this restaurant because “one dirty fish spoils the whole pond” and Shehroz waiter is one of that dirty fish 🤢🤮

Conjust and not too much choices.

we reserved it online then when we came in we got told that we cant eat there because its full

Everything was fabulous! The Iftar was awesome

The restaurant is now under new management and the quality of food has dropped significantly. The starters, mains and desserts are not the same as before, recipe has changed and the food is not tasty, just tasteless. Will not be coming back to Al Waalis ever again.

Came with family today, unfortunately food was 3/10. Quality of fish pakora was awful. The gulab jaman was uncooked and still served. When they picked it up to put in plate, it felt apart. The mains selection was limited. With each main having literally no taste at all. Pilau rice was salty. Chapli kebab was too chunky and dry and cold. Coming from pashtun family we know how they are meant to be cooked. Desserts was AWDUL. Ice cream scooped up with water dripped into bowl. The gulab jaman was not cooked, extremely soft, which broke apart. The staff was having struggle to find a full cooked one as every other one was too soft to be picked up into a bowl. Complained to the owner , he didn't seem to be that bothered. DID NOT APPOLOGIES and could barely understand a word what I was saying. No discount was given for the awful service and bad experience. Paid in Full. NEVER COMING BACK AGAIN! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. DO NOT DISSAPOINT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR FAMILY. YOU ARE BETTER OFF LOOKING ELSEWHERE.

Went here last week with a group of work colleagues was disappointed at the fact that the meat curry dishes which once upon a time we're boneless are now on a bone.. otherwise ok

Very easy to find and had parking. Entrance to restaurant is very pretty and stairs lead to small dining room. Were greeted and seated immediately. Good selection of starters and mains, smaller selection of deserts. Very friendly staff. Food was excellent, very flavourful and seasoned. Very good value for money.

Really worth for money.The taste of food is awesome.I prefer this buffet restaurant than any other in Manchester

Food is tasty, people are good and service is grate.

First time visit to Al WAALIS. And tbh it wasn't bad. Don't expect a nice aesthetic, tables and chairs are basic, and the floor could do with a good scrub. But the food was good. Went to nawab the week before and I preferred the food at Al WAALIS although there isn't as much choice. But what there was was fine esp the starters. The gajrela with ice-cream was amazing. Lots of families in there and big groups. We were a group of 15. Took a while to get us seated and then they wanted us out as there was a big group waiting. So we were barely there...1.5 hours including the waiting around which I don't think is good enough. There's not much customer service but for £16 pp it is is what it is. It def needs a makeover though. There's no atmosphere either. But I was with friends and it didn't matter so much, but the place needs some tlc.

We came back after a number of years as we heard it's under new management. Nice selection of mains and starters, not much choice in the desserts section. Used to have cakes before. Gulab jaman was not nice. Gajrela and ice cream were nice. They don't provide tap water like in other restaurants. I gave low stars because of the bad management. The staff and management are rude. Booked a table a couple of hours before for 16 people, which wasn't even ready. Then we got told to hurry up as other people were waiting. The delay was caused due to the staff not sorting our table. The manager asked me to pay like I was going to walk off. Won't be coming back any time soon and wouldn't recommend due to the bad service. Was really embarrassed in front of my family and friends as I had suggested going there!

We came back after a number of years as we heard it's under new management. Nice selection of mains and starters, not much choice in the desserts section. Used to have cakes before. Gulab jaman was not nice. Gajrela and ice cream were nice. Price is £16 for adults and £8 for kids over 8. They don't provide tap water like in other restaurants. I gave low stars because of the bad management. The staff and management are rude. Booked a table a couple of hours before for 16 people which wasn't even ready. Then we got told to hurry up as other people were waiting. The delay was caused due to the staff not sorting our table. The manager asked me to pay like I was going to walk off. Won't be coming back any time soon and wouldn't recommend due to the bad service Was embarrassed in front of my friends and family who I suggested the place to!

Although the service was slow, we managed to get our food before 2 hours and it's worth the wait.

Dirty plates, bad service, waste of money

I visited yesterday but its dirty plates, cracks in the plates , its like 3rd world . Food was rubbished , every where is dirty look , totally waste of money,