Sharmilee Restaurant in Leicester

Everytime I eat rice in Sharmilees I have diarrhoea. Looks like they don't wash their rice thoroughly before cooking. Lot of oil too in their restaurant food

We visited Sharmilee on Tuesday 25/2 to celebrate my mum’s 82nd birthday. She was very excited and had been craving a masala dosa. The atmosphere upstairs was pleasant, and we were looking forward to a nice evening. My dad ordered a thali, which he enjoyed, and my nephew loved his paneer dish. The mogo was fine too - a little hard but tasty. However, my mum’s dosa was not up to standard. The potato curry inside had clearly gone off. She attempted to eat just the outer shell, but it was difficult for her, and that’s when we realized something was wrong. We tasted it ourselves and confirmed that the curry tasted odd before raising the issue with the staff. The lady who served us seemed surprised by the complaint, so we suggested she taste the curry herself. She assured us not to worry and went to check with the kitchen. Shortly after, she returned, offering to prepare a fresh dosa, but by that time, my mum was feeling nauseous and had lost her appetite. She refused any further food, so we asked if the dish could be removed from the bill instead. We didn’t request any additional discount beyond that, as we felt that would be the appropriate gesture after such an experience. However, the staff informed us that they could not remove the item from the bill and could only offer another dish instead. We had to explain that my mum was not interested in more food due to feeling ill and asked if they could speak to the Manager about removing the charge for the inedible dish. The lady went to the cashier and came back saying they couldn’t adjust the bill since the item was 'tilled', but they would give us a 10% discount instead. This response left us confused. If they could alter the bill for a discount, why couldn’t they simply remove the £5.95 charge for the dish? Though we didn’t argue over the small amount, the whole situation felt disappointing, especially from a reputable place like Sharmilee. Despite everything, we thanked the staff and left without making a fuss. The reason I’m writing this review now is because my mum spent the whole night in discomfort, suffering from stomach pains and diarrhoea due to the spoiled food. Not only did this ruin her birthday, but she’s still recovering two days later. I’m giving the restaurant 2-3 stars, as it was just the 'one dish' that was problematic, however the way the situation was handled was disheartening. In a case like this, I would have expected not only a removal of the item from the bill but also a further discount or some goodwill gesture for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, the way the staff handled the complaint didn’t show much empathy, and my mum’s experience highlights the need for better food storage and more thoughtful customer service. Hopefully, this review will encourage the restaurant to be more cautious and address complaints with greater care in the future.

Lovely server and brilliant food, thank you!

Amazing food always!! The buffet is always a hit with my family as there are so many choices you are spoilt for choice!!

DON’T BOTHER COMING HERE. I decided to give this restaurant a try, but my experience was nothing short of APPALLING. Partway through my meal, I found a PIECE OF HAIR in my food. Feeling PURELY DISGUSTED and SHOCKED, I called a waitress over and informed her of what I had discovered. She APOLOGIZED and brought me a new plate, and while I typically would have left, my family had already started eating, so I stayed, giving them the BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT that this was a one-off mistake. However, when I mentioned the incident again while paying, the waitress at the till had the AUDACITY TO BLAME ME for the hair in my food. My hair is SHORT AND CURLY, my sister’s is the same, and my mother WEARS A HIJAB—yet the hair I found was LONG AND STRAIGHT. When I pointed this out, she became RUDE AND DEFENSIVE for NO REASON. To make matters worse, she handed me the receipt with a MEASLY £3.40 REDUCTION, which turned out to be ONLY A 5% DISCOUNT for finding HAIR IN MY FOOD. When I questioned this, she responded with ATTITUDE. Then, AFTER WE LEFT, she CHASED US DOWN THE STAIRS over a 54P DISCREPANCY in the bill, causing even more ALARM AND DISTRESS. Once arriving home after that OUTRAGEOUS INCIDENT, I realized I had been EXTREMELY OVERCHARGED.My receipt shows that I was charged for TWO EXTRA PEOPLE at the buffet—ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSconsidering how the waitress had already treated us. This just adds to the blatant lack of professionalism and respect at this place. The service was ABSOLUTELY VILE, and I WILL NEVER REVISIT. If you value CLEANLINESS, PROFESSIONALISM, and BASIC RESPECT, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND EAT ELSEWHERE.

Consistently excellent food over many years.

Menu encompasses a variety of vegetarian styles and cuisines. Buffet food was hot, delicious and flavourful. Whole dinning experience was wonderful. Service was prompt and impeccable from Dhanvi and Bippan. Would highly recommend this restaurant. Importantly they have seating lift to facilitate individuals who have difficulty in climbing the stairs.

What an amazing place, Absolutely delighted with the food, excellent service and special thanks to the chef Mr Patel from Baroda.

Perfect place to enjoy delights of Indian Sweets Welcome: Lovely welcome by the counter staff as I came here to buy sweets for some friends in regards to a celebration. Ambiance: Nicely presented and clean Menu: The food menu is great but I came for sweets Presentation: Nicely presented but would recommend new clear labels for customers Taste: The Indian sweets are excellent but must say I was truly disappointed by the quality of Ras Malai which I have tasted here for over 20 years and these did not taste like ras malai but rather rasgolla. Hard and grainy not smooth and silky or creamy like before. Please change your recipe back to how it was. Costs: Average for Leicester Drinks: did not see Service: very good Recommendation: Yes this place is family run and they value what they do Score: 4/5 due to terrible ras malai

Came here with friends and saw a 'Thali' option in the menu. Thought of sharing a thali between us like we usually do. Only when the thali plate came and later we learnt it is a buffet system. They should mention clearly in the menu that a Thali is a Buffet and not a fixed menu that they serve. Food was average compared to other places and the situation has been very embarrassing. Now not only I was not given what I asked, but I am being insulted saying I have not explained the staff what I wanted from the owner it self. I don't want to add more negative reviews as I believe karma will do its own work. Good luck

Recomendamos encarecidamente el restaurante Sharmilee. Reservamos una mesa para más de 20 personas para una celebración de cumpleaños y no nos decepcionó. La comida era deliciosa y el servicio era realmente increíble - nada era demasiado problema para el personal y esto fue notado y apreciado por todos. Todo el mundo se lo pasó genial. Gracias por ayudar a hacer que la celebración de cumpleaños de mis padres sea tan especial!

Excellent vegetarian food. Had one of the best aloo paratha in leicester. Inspite of the weekend crowd staff were smiling and courteous. They have a sweet and snack shop on the ground floor which has a good collection

Jay’s Very nice service and give a good respect

The food quality and staff attentiveness were commendable; however, significant hygiene and cleanliness issues were observed. Specifically, watermarks were present on butter knives, dust was visible on starter plates, and a beer glass was served with noticeable dust accumulation.

I visit their first time, and I ordered veg Thali and masala Dosa and mango lassi is was toooooo good everything, I recommend

Restorant on 1st floor. This is one of the best places I have ever visited in Leicester Specially for Indian type of food We had Tawa Panir and Roti We asked them to make it spicy and they made it nicely. Panir was so soft and surprisingly roti too. We loved the ghee roti… They have buffet too. £10 per person Must try: Tawa Panir and Roti No dedicated parking. Plenty of space available to sit Nice and quiet environment

We came for the first time for buffet lunch it was wonderful specially mutter kima paneer N puri Seveya

Really nice place and great food me and family enjoyed the thali’s and variety of food and sweet savouries

Priti and dhanvi both staff really good and food is really great we will come again and again

This is an awesome vegetarian restaurant in Leicester. The food taste is great, service is very good. The manager Vignesh and chef helped a lot with our dietary requirements (pure Jain). We ordered a lot of variety and everything came out exceptional. Recommend: Paneer shashlik sizzler Paneer tikka masala Veg Hakka noodles

Bipal - really friendly service. Great food. A bit of a hidden gem this one, quite quiet, which allows for some quality family time in a cosier setting than somewhere jam packed

The food was nice, the quality is good, the service from Bipal and smooth and friendly

Everyone’s ill since our visit to the restaurant. We had the buffet and food wasn’t tasty and didn’t taste fresh I will never return back here. Biggest mistake ever going in there No where in my review I stated your buffet price. Get your facts right first

Loved it. Will certainly visit again when I'm Leicester. Fantastic food, great service, wonderful atmosphere shared with friends.

Banging Music Banging freshly made Samosas Service with a smile and nod of the head

We had a punjabi samosa, paneer samosa and masala chai. Lovely place for a traditional snack

Tasty like North India. Better try buffet lunch . Don't go to the buffet for kids. Call and book a seat. No parking available nearby. Better park near street parking or Belgrave commercial center car paid park. Can get sweets in the same shop . I will not recommend sweets.

Fantastic place for Gujarati food savoury and sweet!! Food was 10/10 service matches the food! Would definitely recommend this gem if ur visiting Leicester and are after some vegetarian Gujarati/South Indian indo Chinese food!

Took too long for a simple order of snacks. Food is average...nothing to shout about

Great buffet and the dosa is good value for money

Very tasty food but please cook rice well . Always, rice is uncooked when we buy £5:50 Dish. Kindly improve quality.

Ordered food to be delivered, It took them over a week since we ordered from them to deliver to an elderly relative, they said it would be delivered today on the 08/11/24, when we phoned the day before, the woman said she was 100% sure it would be delivered, only to find out that they never actually sent it, when we phoned again the guy on the phone was really rude about it when we asked for a refund he just hung up the phone on us, would never order from them again, they are absolute scammers, will also be taking this up with paypal to get our money back.

Okay okay! Not that good! So dry and felt old.

Highly recommend for North Indian veg food . One of the best places in Leicester for Indian food. Must try Punjabi samosa.

Special thanks to the management and staff at Sharmilee Restaurant for donating a very generous buffet voucher for two for our community raffle draw.

Absolutely love coming here. Such an eclectic selection of sweets and savouries and very reasonably priced too. On special festival and celebration days eg Diwali , expect to queue - out the door - but the wait is worth it! 😋😋😋

This place is really good but the problem that my daughter doesn't have the right food that she wants, she also complains that she gets seeds in her noodles but we said 2 times and still but the thing that's really good is they provide a lift for my dad in lay

Un amigo del trabajo organizó una comida para llevar Sharmilee, para unos 40 de nosotros. La comida era increíble. ¡Bellamente especiado y lleno de sabor! Cada plato era completamente diferente, ofreciendo diferentes niveles de calor y sabor. ¡Volveré a comer allí al 100%!

A variety of veg food. All nice food. Buffet. A reservation is preferred

Best indian food anywhere in Uk with much affordable prices

What a fantastic experience at sharmilee, food was too good , staff service were excellent welcoming, smile on face all the time asking for anything needed etc.... Everyone should try Indo chinese as well as punjabi paneer dishes at sharmilee.....excellent taste.love it.... Thank you it was great experience....

Cada pocos meses tomamos las horas en coche a Leicester para simplemente comer. Y ayer, después de leer una publicación en las redes sociales, nos dirigimos al restaurante Sharmilee en Belgrave Road. Conocemos el camino, no es nuestra primera visita y de nuevo no decepcionó. Pasando la cola en el mostrador de bocadillos de abajo, una masa de color con una gran selección de dulces, nos dirigimos arriba. No reservé y tuvimos la suerte de que había una mesa de cuatro desocupados. El lugar estaba zumbando al igual que el buffet. Después de leer el menú y pedir consejo al personal, tomamos la oferta especial buffet. Fue una gran elección y una experiencia muy diferente. Está lejos de un plato y amontonarlo asunto alto. Nos dieron bandeja estilo thali y de ahí recoges tus ollas, igual que un thali, y las llenas del buffet. Probamos todo y todo estaba lleno de sabor, con consejos ahumados, especias y calor de fondo. Había platos de patata, maíz dulce y paneer. Además de arroz, pan, dalias y buñuelos. Sumado a esto había chutneys, ensaladas indias y golosinas dulces. Nos encanta el pani puri así que junto con el buffet añadimos un par de estos como guarniciones. Ellos también eran divinos. En general una gran experiencia, buena comida, gran personal y un lugar lleno de clientes muy contentos. Y no olvidar el gran valor.

Staying in Stamford and wanted an Indian meal for 36 people. Spoke to restaurant they were happy to provide . Choose a menu and agreed delivery time. The food was delivered on time and still hot. An excellent meal very good quality and good depth of taste and spice. Staff very helpful , good value for money . Will do the same thing next year .

Una comida para 36 , comida pedida para 36 mientras se aloja en Stamford, excelente comida entregada a tiempo y todavía caliente, buen contacto del restaurante, un curry excepcionalmente bueno y una excelente relación calidad-precio.

Very Good staff and good atmosphere ,love it feel to come every time

Fast and kind customer service Amazing taste of food

Sharmilee did it again and again twice mixed my order up I asked and pointed at the orange ladoo but they packed something else.i don't live local but traveled all the way from Wellingborough twice they did this in a row.

I have been visiting Sharmilee since the age of 5, and this place hits the spot always. Coming in to belgrave road and not visiting here would not be right. Today’s visit was amazing as always, food was on point and staff and the atmosphere was second to none! See you in a few weeks.

Vrutika era muy atento y nos atendió bien. La comida parecía muy apetitosa y estamos deseando disfrutar de la comida para nuestro desayuno

Loved this sweet shop which also has a sitting area They staff were very swift, sweet and attentive. This shop serves sweets like Kaju Katli, different types of Peda, Gulab Jamun , Kala Jamun, Adadiya Pak, Mysore Pak, Jalebi, Anjeer and dry fruit Barfi, Motichoor Laddoo, Boondi, Soan Papdi and many more. In the Savory section they have Fafda, Papdi, varities of namkeen and chivda, masala seengh, chana, khaman, patra, Vada, samosa, bhajiya, shrikhand and lassi. We got the mix mithai, soan papdi and thepla which were absolutely delicious and very affordable. Must must visit here.

Been going for 15/20 years, authentic taste and far the as everything is fresh in the restaurant and most of the time I buy sweets and snacks as chevro and gatya, Best veggie Restaurant in Leicester!!!! Also had them when my sisters wedding was and it was best choice by far in quality in food and service. Thank Sharmilee

Great food, they do buffett on 1st floor and the menu is perfectly selected! The best part is the price - very reasonable - must try!

Awesome taste ! Thanks Vignesh for great hospitality : )

Got a small box of really lovely, tasty barfi. Had a pista, chocolate, plain and mango barfi. They weren't stodgy, seemed light and airy and were all delicious. Will definitely be coming again.

I was so surprised & shocked at the same time. Surprised because the experience I had here was AWESOME & beyond expectations. Shocked because it’s been 10 months am here in Leicester & never ever heard about it or else I had tried here long -long ago. I met a server called Vignesh & he is just a gem. What a guy! Vignesh is very professional & at the same time the way he show’s interest in talking to guests & make them feel good is really remarkable. I am really happy to explore such a good place. Now am gonna be one of the regular guest. Cheers to Sharmilee!!!

Tasty indian food, has the option of buffet lunch, basically gujarati restaurant. Enjoyed the food

Great food great service and overall a great atmosphere. So we decided to go for the A la carte menu this time around, we ordered the paneer tikka masala, special chaat, paneer sizzler, special thali and paneer fried rice, honest opinion the food was so tasty and fresh we all enjoyed it so much. The main thing about this restaurant is that the service is fantastic, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Keep it up guys we will be back very soon to enjoy another amazing lunch at Sharmilee.

Great food great service and overall a great atmosphere. So we decided to go for the A la carte menu this time around, we ordered the paneer tikka masala, special chaat, paneer sizzler, special thali and paneer fried rice, honest opinion the food was so tasty and fresh we all enjoyed it so much. The main thing about this restaurant is that the service is fantastic, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Keep it up guys we will be back very soon to enjoy another amazing lunch at Sharmilee.

Mum's go to for every ocassion for mithai. Also dined upstairs and food was delicious.

Visited for lunch and their buffet was worth £11.

Lovely atmosphere and great food. Would highly recommend the buffet! The venue is good for wheelchair users with a stair/chair lift.

Unfortunately, we didn't have good experience with their sweets and farsaan.The Samosa was stale when they sold us and husband had vomiting and stomach upset just half an hour after eating it.Farali chivda had almonds and cashews coated with fungus and we found it the same day we bought it.One of my friend from Leeds came to buy their farsan,had same experience, got ill with food poisoning. I would not recommend this place.

An excellent shop to buy Indian sweets and savory items, specializing in all types of Gujarati snacks. The Masala Tea was outstanding—proper homemade Indian tea, not the tea bags or sachets you get at other places. The staff was also very friendly.

Pathetic service. The staff didn’t allow to have food as I was single although the restaurant was empty. And he asked me to wait for more than an hour for take away. Why do you open when you don’t want to do business.

A popular spot for street food and traditional curries to mouth-watering sweets, Sharmilee's buffet is a must-try for any vegetarian food lover. The staff at Sharmilee are frequently praised for their excellent service, creating a welcoming and comfortable dining experience. Whether you're a local or visiting Leicester, Sharmilee is definitely a must-visit destination for anyone seeking top-quality vegetarian food in the city.

Best vegetarian restaurant in Leicester Golden Mile

(25 Aug, 2024) Sharmilee did it again. Serve the tastiest meal, many options to pick from and great taste. We had their buffet and loved it. (Sometime in May/June 2024) Great food, awesome staff, neat & clean. There were plenty of vege options and looking at what other people were eating, everything was looking delicious 😋 but we had buffet which was even better. Not to forget that the staff in the restaurant (1st floor) as well as the sweet n savoury shop below were excellent. They have online delivery options too, take a look guyz.

Came here with family after a long time, buffet was wholesome, filling and loads of variety. Loved the red and green puris plus the potato curry was mwah. Keep doing your thing guys, standards are high and you've kept them there for a long time, see you again soon.

I visited this restaurant recently and my experience was beyond amazing. The food was incredibly delicious and from the first taste I could tell that it was absolutely fresh too. I highly recommend going and if you do then you should also try the Masala Dosa. The staff were also very caring and catered to all our needs. They seem very down to earth and provided genuine service. This place has to be in my top three favourite and definitely no. 1 for veg food. Make sure to definitely check it out! 👍

We were made to wait for almost 30 minutes, there were two families waiting before us, the young lad made us wait but some random large family to have a table, nobody said anything and then one took a table on their own because nobody was allotting anything fairly then again a table was given to a man and his mother who came after us, when I questioned he said he came before you, I said you can check tour cameras but to no avail instead of fixing the issue and providing us the table this young man went on to defend the incorrect information he was giving us. After standing their with a baby fir almost 30 minutes it was just unfair, we have been visiting this place since years but they have now started taking their customers for granted particularly the young generation who are very impolite at times

The place has 2 parts. 1st the downstairs for quick munch and takeaways, 2nd is the upstairs where a restaurant has been set up in much more formal ways 1st - the downstairs is quick and easy for all indian fast food , which I rate highly 👌 with some decent seating arrangement. 2nd- upstairs is more for Thali set up largely but also offers a variety of dishes from the menu.. It's okay, not massively impressed, Basically, you pay more if seating upstairs but wish to order some food from downstairs. Overall, the service is good and quick, I would prefer to stick to Gujarati dishes here rather than being too experimental with Indo Chinese.

Fantastic service and tasty food! We had a great time here! The buffet is definitely worth the recommendation. Staff were friendly & very accommodating!

I visited with my family today around 4:30pm. That time already 4 to 5 family already there. When we went in buffets table puri and bhajias are out of stock. So I noticed college lady about that and she try to restock even one time little Puris come. But then after no bhajias or puri come. So the taste is good but service is really poor. Sorry but it's true.

Nice food, did not enjoy much of lilo chevdo.. but banana chips, papdi, samosa.. 👍

Nice place. Chilli chips were nice and tasty and all our food portions were very generous.

Recently ordered Mohanthal and gatya as mid morning snack for sagai ceremony. Guests were very pleased with the food quality and quantity provided on the day. Comments were ' it was just right'. Please see photo how it was presented on the day.

I love it very much. Lovely food and desserts. I love how much they tell me about the different food also. I go in there to buy some gulab jamun and punjabi samosa. Then I come out with a lot more. 🤣 all is tasty and the staff are absolutely amazing and welcoming. I've not been in a while, but when I get paid, I'll be having a visit to get some bits. I need to try the buffet they've mentioned many times.

The sweets here are just lovely and fresh af mate no doubts one of the best place

Amazing Indian Food. Just loved the special Thali - amazing variety of puris - each had a different flavour. The paneer sabji , the curry and the most yummy Aam Ras. Each item was a delight for my taste buds. In all our excitement forgot to take a pic of the lovely thali. Will remember next time - must go to place if you are in Leicester. Remember to pick up Indian savoury snacks and a huge variety of sweets too.

Yesterday I ordered sevpuri and dahipuri but u lot give which was more like pani puri and the stuffing and taste wasn’t even good . In my 18 years of life I have never seen sevpuri and dahipuri like this before. And they both were same also I add photo hope u can see it, and price was expensive £5.50 for each. I would never recommend this place to anyone!:(👎🏻

Overall 2.5 No puris available and when they made them it was limited, so constantly people waiting for them. Food is ok nothing amazing. Lassi is prepared so asking for no salt to be added was difficult. They swapped it but could still taste it. I wouldn’t visit again. £30 for 2 people 2 x buffet 2 x lassi

Very nice service and food. Will not hesitate to recommend to anyone.

I don't like the vadapav of sharmilee

Had lunch at Sharmilee today, and it was fantastic! The buffet lunch is a great deal at just £8 per person. You get to choose from 4 different curries, and there's a nice variety of salad, Daal Rice, Kadhi Pilav, Poories, and a sweet to top it all off. Everything is bottomless, so you can eat to your heart's content. The food was excellent, the staff were super friendly, and overall, it's very reasonably priced. Highly recommend if you're looking for a delicious and affordable meal!

Bland sabjis, watery chaat, OK haka noodles, decent thalli....overall an underwhelming experience.

Very good food. Unlimited buffet has good varieties and good taste for good price.

Ashish and his team provided a first rate service and the food served was excellent. Our guests were really impressed with all aspects. We'll dine to the Team

Very beautiful place & lovely food.. we want with work friends every one enjoy the food

Starters were awesome especially Paneer sizzler, Special chat and Dahi Vada (which we ordered) and can’t really complain about the quantity, we also ordered Plain and Masala dosa but it was not up-to the expectation (not very bad either)

I dined at the buffet alongside my mother, and we must admit, every dish possessed a unique and genuine flavour. The sauces were rich in fresh spices and herbs. The spinach and masala puri were particularly delightful to me. I cannot forget the passion fruit juice, it was like a party in my mouth! I am looking forward to returning to this place in the future. Many thanks to each staff member for your prompt and friendly service :)

The thaali was filling and we enjoyed the food

Visited this place to try the buffet. The buffet had a decent spread of items and it tasted good. We also tried the mushroom fried rice and malai kofta which were very delicious. They also have a good variety of Indian snacks and sweets.

Best Samosas. Rest all is good enough.

On behalf of the Wanza Thursday Club Thank you for the great hospitality and service during today’s lunch. The food was nothing short of delicious and we will be definitely returning again. This establishment has been running for many decades now and never fails to impress. Thank you entire team at Sharmille. Jayandra Parmar

Enjoyed s meal here with my Family. The food was a bit spicy, but good. Great service and a nice atmosphere.

Food is awesome but Girl staffs are so rude. Management should tech them how to speak with customers.

The service was a bit slow and their masala tea wasn't the best I've had. Snacks, eg. chaat and pav bhaji were quite authentic and tasty. The music could be a bit softer.

Good vegetarian food and huge selection of mithais. They also offer buffets lunches.

We came here for Mothers Day and were charged £11.95 per person for the buffet. The normal charge is around £6 per person for the buffet. At the time of booking we were told the increase was due to a special menu on the night for the buffet. When we arrived the place was very busy however there was not a special menu as we had previously been told. We asked where the special menu was and were told someone would come over to speak to us. Nobody came. The food in the buffet was cold and there were also empty trays where food should have been. There were hardly any staff and I overhead some other customers complaining as well. The restaurant seems to have gone downhill in my opinion and we won't be going there again. Not a great experience. We would have had a better experience and service going elsewhere.

The food was very nice and staff were really helpful, enjoyed an evening there on my mums birthday. The food was spot on, I don't normally eat fried but made an exception as the everything was drained out thoroughly and was really nice. My mum enjoyed herself and ate more then she usually does. I would recommend sharmilee and will be returning in the near future. Also a thank you to the staff who helped me with my dietary needs.