Shanaz in Lewes

A friend booked us a table here after reading Mark Budd’s review a few months ago. All I can say is his review was accurate! Would definitely go again

Lovely curry, and the staff were very friendly.

Ok food but the service tonight was very poor. Bordering on rude. Might not be going again.

Fabulous anniversary curry with the Mrs last night and had the most amazing meal. Certainly the best curry I’ve had in a long time. Tried the mutton bhuna which was seasoned and spiced to perfection with keema nan and mushroom fried rice washed down with some chilled Sauvignon. Amazing service with a smile and would definitely recommend checking this gem out.

I have to say. The curry and service was lovely last night. Only cavacat to this meal has been the wind I have been producing today. The smells I have been producing have been barbaric!

I just received a Taste Card which gives 50% off meals. First on the list near me was Shanaz. I've never been but was aware it had recently had a relaunch so why not! Parking is a bit tricky, risk the double yellows or park in a nearby car park. We (I brought the wife!) parked right at the lights and walked back. Great welcome to the reurbished restaurant, dark walls, panelling and marble tables. Starters? Of course, bahji for the wife, kebab for me. Wowser, tasty, well presented and delish! Next, chicken korma for her, mixed grill for me. Plus the usual Naan and pilau rice. We were not disappointed as both our mains exceeded expectations. I managed to dunk my naan in korma sauce when she wasn't looking - coconut but not too sweet. My meats came on a sizzling dish - always love that - and were not too dry orcstained bright red. And that was it. Both of us left full and vowing to return. We even nabbed a takeaway menu from the friendly owner. Shame they don't deliver but who wants cold food anyway?!

Friendly staff and delicious food.Great atmosphere and great service. Highly recommend!

We ordered Desi biryani, and the food was served very quickly. The waiter returned to ask about the food, and the staff was very friendly. The atmosphere was also excellent. Food was so delicious.

Cafe experiance, top dollar prices. Leaving like I’ve had my pockets picked.

First visit here. Extremely friendly staff, lovely clean restaurant and amazing food. Could not fault any if it. Will be back.

It was very delicious and was very filling. It was cost-friendly and the best thing was the staff as they were very helpful and friendly.

Fantastic food, the best Indian in sussex. The refurbishment is absolutely beautiful and creative. Staff are friendly and attentive. Highly recommend having a garlic butter chicken curry. Absolutely delicious

Service and food absolutely 💯 would thoroughly recommend

Great experience - lovely to see the restaurant is getting bigger. Great food. Attentive service. (No idea why my review initially showed as 1 star - sorry about that - I don't even remember making a review!).

Food was great and service good too can't fault any thing. It was an excellent night out.

Always super yummy for a vegetarian feast.

Love it! The food is amazing! The best

Absolutely lovely, full of flavour

Apologies for leaving bad review, that I have happily removed once I realised the problem was with Deliveroo. I have always enjoyed the great food and service from Shanas and I will continue to in the future, but will call Shanaz directly. Again please accept my apologies. Ian gray.

Not unexpectedly it was a little quiet when we arrived here without booking on a Sunday evening at around 8.15. Service was friendly, food was good (although it was clear that the meat had not been marinated in the curry for long enough). Overall value was good.

Had a great meal out the other night defo will recommend and be back

Really friendly staff but food not good. Mine, a biriani, was the blandest Indian meal I've eaten. My friends didn't enjoy theirs much either. Veggie options limited for two of them. In response to Shanaz, yes I have the right establishment, my veggie pals just were not impressed with the choices or the ingredients, sorry.

Eaten here many times, never been disappointed. On Friday came with friends who'd never been before and they were mighty impressed, expressing that it was no doubt amount the finest in Sussex.

Sure the curry is nice but would be even nicer if the delivery was what was ordered. And because it takes so long (1 hour) to get delivered there’s no point sending it back. Recommend having the oven on to warm it up a bit as well as you can tell it’s travelled

Very nice meal. Cost seemed on the high side. Restaurant below pavement level, access by stairs. Friendly staff.

Just another average curry house nothing special food was ok but quite pricey . The staff are friendly and quick service . Nearly 10 quid for poppadoms and pickles 👎

Food great Service bit slow but ok

We were a party of 7 celebrating my husbands birthday with friends & family. This is the first time we have eaten at the Shanaz and we're there after a recommendation from one of the party guests. The service was excellent and everyone was really friendly. The food was amazing and enjoyed by everyone. We will definatly return to the Shanaz again. Thank you for a fabulous evening served with excellent food & service.

Excellent curry, friendly and attentive staff, highly recommended

So Thursday we did the Harvey’s Brewery tour and I knew some of us would want food after . Tbh I had attempted to call the Indian before hand and book a table but I hadn’t been successful Booked the table at 530pm that day , said they were very busy but after 9pm would be fine So after we staggered up that hill, we were surprised to have to descend down some steps, the restaurant is below ground Huge roar hit us and the room was packed ( amazing on a Thursday ) Our table wasn’t ready but they had made up a small table for 6 , I screwed this up by bring 7 It was no problem Drinks and pompadoms were quickly ordered and delivered Our tables were now ready for us and we had the main course in more comfortable seating And what a meal, I’ve eaten my fair few Indians in my life , i honestly think this rates in the top 3 , if not the best Nobody could fault anything Great atmosphere and great food

A basement restaurant. Friendly staff and easy to follow menu. Really good food. Very smart and clean toilets. Another Lewes gem.

Absolutely the best Indian takeaway I’ve had for quite a few years. Fresh, generous portions, not greasy at all! Deffo will be having again

Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, with the family, and decided to come to shanaz. best decision we made, the staff were welcoming and friendly. the food was excellent and full of flavor. the speed of the service could not have been any better, if you are looking for a nice place to go SHANAZ is the place to go for the best curry in LEWES.

Was staying in Lewes for the first time for work, and 2 lovely ladies from the hotel I was staying in invited me to dinner, the food was fantastic but the highlight was the hospitality and friendliness of the gentleman and lady working they was fantastic and helped a fantastic meal a perfect one.

I ordered channa puri. It was very tasty. My partner ordered korai chicken. It was tasty but a bit sweet. The service was terrible. The waitress did not seem to have any understanding of the menu. We had to go up to her 3 times to ask for as she seemed too busy doing other things even though we were the only ones at the restaurant.

Don’t let the inside fool you. Despite it being in a basement, we’ve used this place as our yearly pilgrimage and it’s always been great. Staff were extremely good at hosting 11 people. The food was quick to come out and was proper nice too. If you’re wanting a tasty Indian, here’s the gaff for it. Yum.

Always greeted in a friendly manner, service is so good eat in or takeaway best Indian restaurant in lewes xx

Food was delicious, and didnt have to wait long. Service was great, asked waiter to recommend something and liked the fact he didn't go for the most expensive dish like most places usually do..

Such a hidden gem! Delicious curry and amazing service in a lovely setting, can't wait to come back!

You need an account to buy online. Lost a sale as I'm not bothering. Just let me pay and collect! In response to owners reply: I've had a Google account since Google started, I can use OAuth to sign in to many things without needing to create an account. If I wanted to call I would have, but I wanted to order through the website and couldn't do it easily so I didn't bother. Maybe you'd be better taking that on board rather than being happy losing money. Why do you need me to have an account?? Makes no sense.

Delicious well balanced flavours. Every dish cooked to order and beautifully presented taking into account your own flavour preferences. Excellent service. Highly recommended for lovers of Indian food like ourselves.

Delicious delicately balanced flavours and beautifully presented dishes. All dishes cooked to order and adjusted to your own preferences. Service excellent. Very highly recommended for fans of Indian food.

Delicious curry served with a smile. Fantastic curry in the heart of Lewes, serving fresh delicious food at a reasonable price. As well as the fantastic curries, the nann bread was to die for I've never had such a brilliant nann. The vegetarian curries were tasty too. I would highly recommend this place for families and groups.

Good place Good grub friendly 👌

Great food, very friendly staff

We visited on Saturday night and were so impressed! We booked after reading reviews on here so thought I should share my view too. This was honestly the best tikka Masala I’ve ever had. The owner/manager not sure who sorry, was so lovely and helpful! My partner asked his advice on dishes and he recommended something not on their menu, but offered to ask the chef to make it for him anyway which they did and he really Enjoyed it! Staff were really great and couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive. We will definitely return again. Thank you!

Great food, ice cold beverages and always a friendly welcome from Ali & the team. Give the Shanaz a try, you won't regret it👍

Visited with a large group and we all enjoyed our meals. Good quality food and excellent service and staff especially the manager all very friendly.

We had a takeaway due to it being my birthday & not up to going out. Food as always was top standard. Can never fault this restaurant, only my daughter, because she forgot to order my rice.

Bland food, watery sauces and high prices. Not well trained staff

We haven't had a curry in Lewes before, so came here based on previous reviews. The service was a little poor! They weren't rude in anyway, but if you have this card system in place, I would expect the staff to be more attentive. After receiving our food, we could hear every detail of them talking loudly about their personal lives behind the bar. This is not what you want when trying to enjoy a meal out, especially as we were the only ones in the restaurant. The food itself was okay but lacked flavour!

Amazing tasty food Service was first class Very good value Highly recommend and will visits again

Lovely food, very good value. Service very good and staff nice and friendlly. There is a lovely atmosphere and very fast service. Highly recommended.

Honest basic indian but don't expect any frills.

Really lovely meal. Excellent service amazing food

Superb high street Ruby! Ali, Gigi and Team Shanaz have been serving top notch curries to hungry Lewesians for longer than I care to remember. They manfully carried on through the pandemic and have come out the other side better than ever. IF there was room for improvement - and there really is very little - please reinstate on the menu cauliflower/ gobi and also stuffed parathas!!!

Omg best curry in Lewes even tho it’s a small curry house there customer service was great. And the curry was perfect thank you Richard Purdie Purdie

Great vegetarian options. Naan bread was elite but I found the Tarka Dal a bit too lemon-y for me. Bombay aloo is great.

Food is divine. Staff friendly. Will definitely be back.

have not been for a while but was disappointed with the quality off the meal to be honest the restaurant was quite busy to be fair and we did not have to wait to long . the chicken dansack was not very hot , and my chicken tikka was quite bland the rice was very average and a lot of oil was found in the meal , perhaps we should have said something ! our fault the meal price was ok

First time ordering from here today and can safely say i will return again and again . Well catered for as a vegetarian who still enjoys a tasty, spicy curry. Seemed very busy this evening but takeaway was prepared quickly and deliciously.

Great portions really tasty worth the visit if your in Lewes and staff super friendly

It's been unfailingly good for the 25 years I've been going, but recently I've had a couple of very disappointing take aways, with the flavours in the dish I usually get seeming bland and more diluted, and the side dishes clearly not very fresh. Unfortunately I can't risk going there any more and spending so much only to be let down.

Brilliant food, very pleasant staff.

We ordered a takeaway for 4. One of the dishes was excellent, two were average but my vindaloo was nothing like a vindaloo. It was just a tomato curry with extra chilli. I often cook my own vindaloo and marinade the meat overnight. I’ve even had one in Goa to check the authenticity of my recipe and it was pretty much the same. The dish I had last night had never seen a millilitre of vinegar. It was just meat and potato in a generic tomato sauce with a bit extra chilli. Back to Chaulas I go….

Great service.. Great Food.. reasonable price.. I would recommend this restaurant

Wow. believe me its the best service and Best tasting curry you will ever have. Delicious 😋

Top quality food. Service as you would expect

Food was excellent, service perfect. Best curry house in Lewes

No nuts in the restaurant which is always good with a nut allergy. Bit weird not being able to order poppadams until you've returned the menus though. Not ideal with hungry kids. Food is tasty and fresh.

Great food and brilliant service. Well priced and will definitely be back.

Food is excellent, service is really good too. The card system on the table (green for service, red to be left alone) works really well and means you can enjoy your meal in peace and get someone's attention without doing that awkward attempting to catch a waiter/waitresses eye. 10/10 would eat here again

Good value curry which was very tasty. The service was good and there was a nice atmosphere in the restaurant. We were a bit dubious to start with as upstairs in just a take away and does not make it look very appealing, but ignore that and go in.

A hidden gem, on the high street but with an unprepossessing frontage so I suspect a lot of visitors to the town will miss it. They will be missing out. It's a lovely traditional Indian - great food and great value - and the staff are lovely, too. We had poppadoms, bhajis, chicken korma, tandoori chicken, rice and puri, with cider and the bill was a modest £36 for two. Recommended.

Have been going here for the last 20 and a bit years for after work food. It is always excellent - food and service

Delicious food and friendly staff

Really impressed some interesting decor, worth a visit to see it. Good sized room for larger groups if needed. We had a Friday night table for about a dozen service was great, food very tasty overall bill reasonable and would defiantly visit again

We've been going to the Shanaz for years as it is always delicious food and a great welcome!

First time we used Shanaz . Take away very easy online ordering online . Food was delicious the best curry we have had for a long time . I would recommend.

Lovely food, friendly staff, great company what's not to like ? Went early Friday evening and it made for a cracking start to the night and, indeed, the weekend.

We booked this for a 50th birthday for my wife there was 14 of us , it was fantastic, food was great , service was great , they looked after us very well , we took a surprise birthday cake with us !

Lovely food. Lovely atmosphere in the restaurant. Lovely staff and very reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend!!

Our first time at this restaurant and everything was A1 The service was excellent, not rushed and relaxing. The food was amazing, perfectly cooked and very tasty. Perfect

Delicious food with great service

A simple well cooked meal, well spiced, exceptional flavour, great service and decor, try it you will not be disappointed! I can say no more!

Thoroughly enjoyed our delicious meal made with fresh ingredients. The best curry I've had in a long time.

Popped into Shanaz, as we do every few months as a family group. Ali & his team were superb as usual. We had a variety off the menu but the Sag Paneer was awesome as a side dish. As usual, the food & ambience was...

I had a meal here one week day evening . I thought the red green card system to let staff know if you wanted anything was a bit strange . I also get quite turned off if the Sag Ponir is Sag Cheddar. I was...

This is a great takeaway. The food was hot and great flavour. Easy to order.

We live Shanaz, we travel 25 mins to collect food from here and never regret it! Absolutely gorgeous food! We miss their Mixed Thali on the menu and are hoping to see it back soon. 😉

Stopped off on the way to Newhaven for the night ferry to France. A very attractive semi basement dining room. Service was prompt and good. I chose the mild chicken curry which was excellent with a glass of house red, followed by good coffee. Excellent...

Great curry with great friendly staff

I visited Shanaz on a daddy daughter evening out. My daughter’s favourite phrase whilst eating was “this is so good”. There service and food quality was “so good”. Well done Shanaz team.

My daughter & I had a lovely meal here, food was lovely & tasty, very nice decor & staff very friendly.

First time ordering from this restaurant, all very good reviews but I was very disappointed, I'd say mediocre at best. Won't be ordering again shame.

Shanaz is such a brilliant restaurant - we always get a friendly, courteous and professional welcome and the food is second to none! I ALWAYS look forward to a night out at the Shanaz so when they were open again we booked a table straight...

Great little business that’s ran by an incredible guy called Ali. Nothing is to much trouble when requesting food, as I have a daughter that’s a vegan. He always caters for her and the rest of our family who are either vegetarian or myself who...

Went for a takeaway last night. Chicken dhansak, mushroom rice and sag paneer. Fantastic food as always. Thank you to Ali and his team.

Great food and service. Fresh herbs and spices always well cooked. Recommend their Special of Sathae

Great good service and good food, also took a takeaway home. Tables apart from every one and tested on entry.