Shehnai in Reading - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Attended a dinner here, about 150 diners, tiny coat rail as a cloakroom, but staff seemed friendly, main room was well laid out, and starters arrived promptly, the main course though was held up, so we had veg and potatoes on the table going cold while they waited for the lamb to come from the kitchen - worse though was the vegetarian meals - the starter was tomato soup with poppadoms, and the main was a really bad mushroom risotto ... so good venue, but not the perfect meal

I hosted our Upper Sixth (Year 13) Prom here a few days ago and it was utterly brilliant. The room looked beautiful and was very good for both talking and dancing later in the evening. We had the three course sit-down meal (with table service) and the food was utterly brilliant (the stuffed chicken and parmesan risotto was particularly good) and the service was very good, especially when you consider the large number of guests present- 191. The vegetarian and vegan guests also told me that the food on offer for them was very good which is impressive as often catering for vegetarians is hit and miss. The entrance hall was very good for taking photos as well, which is very important at any prom. The management team was also particularly good at running the event on the evening which allowed me to enjoy myself as I knew that they had everything in hand. Thank you again for such a brilliant evening and I would recommend this venue to anyone wishing to host a brilliant prom or other formal event.

As ever, the Olympia served only the very finest Indian food at our event last night. Top quality, fast service and lovely venue. Absolutely recommended, especially the spicy chaat! Good for veggies too.

We booked the beautifully refurbished Olympia Ballroom for the closing ceremony of our high-profile yearlong Festival of the Dark; an important occasion. From start to finish it was a delight, one of those rare occasions which remain wholly positive in the memory. This was due in large part to the efforts of the venue team, their attention to detail, good planning, excellent food, and faultless customer relations. Add to this the fact that at our request the entire evening, including the meal, took place in the dark. Nothing was beyond Animesh, Jaideep and their team and their gentle presence contributed greatly to the wonderful spirit of the night. If we could, we would do it all again tomorrow!

I held my wedding reception at Shenai. It was a bit doubtful start but once i was introduced to event manager Animesh, things started to fall into place. i was very grateful to him for even coming in on his day off. Both Saroj and Animesh had been very helpful. It was a huge success, it was everything we wished for and more. All the guests were very pleased and so were we.

The wedding package company have dressed this stunning venue a number of times over the years. We highly recomend you get in touch with this great venue

The Olympia recently hosted Reading's Inaugural Cultural Awards, which over 300 people attended. We could not be more pleased with the outcome. The food was delicious, served and cleared expertly, everything was running on time, the decor was out of this world and the staff were so wonderfully pleasant. I couldn't recommend this venue highly enough.

I hosted my sister's bridal shower in the Jalsa suit and I couldn't be anymore pleased. There is nothing the team could have done to make it better. The service I received was beyond perfection. My night went smoothly. The co-ordinators of the night were first class. Jaideep provided amazing customer service and used his own initiative to make my event run smoothly. Animesh what can I say, a true blessing to have you there your hosting was absolutely memorable. Guests who attended feedback to me how helpful you were through out the night. Thank you to all the staff who worked very hard to make my sisters night truly memorable. Thank you Olympia.

I ran update training on Tuberculosis here on Thursday 5th January. From the very first contact, all the team were extremely helpful and courteous. On the day we had a few technology problems which were quickly sorted out. Jaideep allowed me to come in earlier than arranged to put out my materials and prepare the presentation. There was plenty of tea and coffee and free pens which the NHS staff loved!! They were reasonably priced and everyone loved the venue itself-it has beautifully designed interiors. I would not hesitate to use this venue again. Linda Dobraszczyk. Senior Project Manager for Latent TB, Slough CCG.

Been here for a few functions including a wedding, an exhibition and even Comedy n Curry Night and each time i have exprienced great service, great food so what else could you ask for?. 800 seated banqueting hall which i hear The Rolling Stones once performed. Though now its far from what it looked like back in the day, the decor is of Indian origin, with paintings of maharaja's and from the days of the raj, no doubt. The indian food is amazing, and i should know coming from a South Asian background myself so believe me when I say the asian dished are to die for. I would thoroughly recommend Comedy n Curry night (normally on a Fri evening), whether you're with friends or work colleges its a must !!!

I held my husband's 40th birthday party there and had a bad experience. I sent the following feedback to Shehnai but no one bothered to do anything about it: 1. The guests reported that many of them asked for diet coke / low sugar drinks but were told that they could not be served as Shehnai did not stock them. They could see your diet coke fountain and knew you served them. They were refused even when they offered to pay. 2. many guests wanted ice in their drinks as it was too hot but were refused. Requests to serve colder water / drinks were also refused. 3. All the guests reported that getting to Shehnai parking was a nightmare and had to park in pay parking. we agreed that someone will be there to direct guests on where to park but no one was there to offer these services. 4. As my husband and I were busy organising and managing the event, we could not join in the starter or main course in time. When I said this to a couple of staff members, they bluntly said that the remaining food had been binned - both at the end of starters and at the end of main course. It was very disturbing. However, Sumit (event manager) treated us exceptionally well and managed to get food for us on both occasions otherwise we would have left our party hungry. He recognised tat we had many guests but we really were your guests and needed taking care of while we took care of others. 5. One of your staff members helped with managing music which was really good. 6. Lighting and Stage were beautiful and the staff honoured our request when we requested them to switch on the lighting for a couple of pics 7. Food was very tasty. I recognise that we were late in emptying the hall so have a left a tip of £50 with Sumit to be distributed among the staff. However, I think the only well deserving men in your crew are your chef and Sumit and if it was not for them, the party would have been an utter flop. The rudeness of your staff was very disturbing and very uncommon for hospitality industry.

Nice evening out with friends. Stylish bar & seating area, ideal for big funtions like wedding receptions & parties. Went to the comedy club night & must say we had a giggle. Not overly priced so all remained happy. The indian buffet was very good quality indeed. Even a big fussy eater likd myself was more than satisfied

Good place, Good Ambience, Very Good food, Good service, Lovelly People Overall Great. Very good place to celebrate parties.

Excellent service right from The start from Kitty to event manager Ali. Third we have used shehnai and it has been perfect every time. Thank you Shehnai for making my daughters first birthday so special.

Absolutely awful first impressions. My wife had booked an appointment to discuss having our wedding reception at 2pm. Upon our arrival, we stood outside the door for around 10 minutes having rung the door bell at least twice. We literally thought they were closed! We were kept waiting and were fortunate that one of the staff members were walking by to open the door. She then told us to take a seat and wait for her colleague to attend to us. She said it'll take a "few minutes". We were left unattended for 30 minutes before my wife asked an ambling member of staff if we can look around. He seemed reluctant to take any initiative and was asked to call someone. At one point I even opened the door for one of their members of staff! Another few minutes later the same lady who opened the door came and asked us to wait in the main hall. We spent another 10 minutes waiting for the appointment to begin, then we finally lost patience. My family and I were not confident after this kind of first impression and lack of interest in potential clients. At around 2.45pm, we decided to leave as I didn't want to pay another hour for parking and wasting the rest of our Sunday afternoon. We had to see ourselves out. Not at all reassuring for a hospitality and events company. Highly recommend looking elsewhere as these guys clearly weren't interested.

We recently booked Shehnai for our work Christmas Party and from start to finish it was brilliant. Kitty and her colleagues were very accommodating, supportive of last minute changes, practical with communication and took the hassle away from the organisation. The service team on the night were polite and good humoured.There were 100+ guests to please and I think it's safe to say they all enjoyed themselves.

2015 is the third year Shehnai have hosted the Alternative Queen of Reading. A celebration for International Women's Day, the event is run in support of local charities, and Shehnai are absolutely fantastic in the support they offer. From helping advise on and arrange the best layout for the evening, to responding to last minute requests, they handle everything professionally and are consistently friendly and helpful. The team that helped set up this year were as accommodating as always, but it was Patrick who was the absolute star of the night, running the bar and helping our team dismantle and take down all the get up, all in good humour (despite him having to be back at the venue at some unearthly hour this morning). The venue is as much a star of the show as all our wonderful acts.

I visited Shehnai for a company awards evening in July 2015.I have to point out that all of the food and drink was paid for, which of course helps make for a positive night, however the review is still based on the food quality and service but thought I should point that out given the negative reviews about this as a wedding venue.We started the night with a drinks reception and Indian style canapés which were refilled and served enough to perfection, to the point where I was turning away canapés after a while, but I got to sample each one and enjoyed them all.When we were shown to our table in the large room which was decorated very nicely (in our corporate colours) and everything was clean. The starters were already out (sharing starters from Lamb Koftas to Chicken tikka) - this meant they were warm at best, but that didn't detract from the taste and I can understand when they are catering for so many at once.The staff ensure the drinks were topped up regularly although I never had the need to speak to any of them, so I cannot comment on their politeness.The main course was a buffet with a selection of Indian food to choose from. I had a paneer dish, along with lamb rogan josh and rice. I have to say and be very honest that it was some of the best Indian food I had eaten since I returned from a business trip to Indian in Februay 2015, which is some high praise as since all of the local Indian food I've eaten since returning has been a let down.The only shame was the lack of other choice as there were a number of people who just didn't like Indian cuisine but no alternative was layed on and so they were left with a double helping of chocolate cake desert!A great venue for corporate events, I'd really like to go back and eat there as a diner and would like to see what their prices are like!

Thank you to Patrick (Events Manager) and all the staff at Shehnai following the fantastic Shower Event for my daughter on 30 May 2015. The service was excellent, the staff helpful, and the setting could not have been better. I recommend and will use Shehnai for any future event. Everything had the "WOW" factor. **High Five you-all at Shehnai** Mavis

Good venueSpacious CleanPleasant staff but could smile a little moreGreat breakfast Food ok, I had a good portion size as I was veggie however my colleagues all were left a little hungry Pudding excellentRefreshment/ breaks well supplied

We happen to attend a Diwali function here in 2014. The food gave me problems next day. Also, the service was bad. I being vegitarian wanted more rice and Daal and they were looking at me as if I had asked for a diamond. Over Hyped venue.

I booked Shehnai for my daughters 21st party and it was a huge success. The venue, food and overall service was excellent. A big thank you to Dipti and Ali who were very helpful. Definitely will be coming back to Shehnai.

Had the misfortune to experience a Curry & Comedy night here recently.The food was extremely poor - the staff seemed very reluctant to part with it, and when I asked if I could have more subji (they served me roughly a tablespoon full) as I am veggie and did not intend to partake of the meat dishes, they were very reluctant and begrudgingly handed out another tablespoonful. I didn't miss much - the food was rapidly cooling and very bland - chilli was used as a substitute for skillful spicing - very disappointing. The sweet (Ice cream and chocolate cake?? was awful, cheap and as tasteless as the main.I hoped that the the comedy might salvage the evening, but it was appalling. The compiere was irritating beyond belief and the first comedian was a joke (or not...) Usually I am very sympathetic and respect anyone who has the guts to get up and try to make people laugh, but this guy was so far from anything that resembled funny that it was truly painful to witness. The second was marginally better but still, I was extremely relived when the whole ordeal was over. Dreadful!!

Two days ago we had a public talk with 260 people in Shehnai, they were really kind with us and help in everything we needed. The venue is great, nice and big. It was such a lovely night, thank you so much.

What an amazing evening this was. We held our Diwali Ball at the Shehnai Ballroom on the 30th October.Staff were very helpful and the food was good. The new lighting really is fantastic.Generally we were looked after well and was an incredible evening.THANK YOU!

We had our wedding reception held here last week.Before I proceed, I have to give Shehnai credit for when it comes to taking money of us, whether it's the venue hire or the house of tuza decorations package, they're very good at that.However honouring their part of the contract, they should be ashamed.Firstly, the staff slag one another off, Davneet of House of Tuza slagged of Deepti and others.Likewise, at the end of the night when we voiced our complete dis satisfaction at the service, those there blamed everything on Davneet.alarm bells were set early, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. They took 4 months to get back to me regarding table decorations.Then 4 weeks before our event they made us come back to re choose our package.Still we trusted them because they talked a good talk.Come the wedding reception, the order of day was not adhered too, we were left on the pavement outside in our attire while our guests all looked at us bemused as to why we were not hidden upstairs out of sight before the entrance.Only when I asked Deepti what was wrong she blamed everyone but herself and had the audacity to shout at me and when she walked off to get the DJ to announce our arrival, I broke down in tears. Happiest day of my life ruined because of someone's patronising and rude tone.The table decorations were NOT anything remotely similar to what we had ordered, the stage fell apart and I was told that they had a wedding afternoon party which finished an hour before my reception was due to start.by all accounts they just reused from that event and the stained table clothes make a good case for that.Deepti spent the entire night insulting the DJ who was the only reason the event was some what salvageable. He made sure the dance floor was put down on time, the music was amazing and despite the disgusting service and tasteless and cold food everyone said DJ Senator knew how to get the crowd on the dance floor and make them stay there!

We attended Diwali party on 25th Oct:Food: Below Average, some items (Pani puri, paneer) were tasteless Ambience & Crowd: GoodDJ: Good, but playing a song for too long, must switch quickerSound: Too Loud, not suitable for kidsKhan Brothers Qawaal: Pathetic

This is a terrible place to book your wedding and please do not make the mistake of doing so. I recently attended a wedding at this venue, only to find a few weeks later I had received a parking ticket. I had parked my car in the car park that the staff at Shennai were directing me to. I later found out that almost half of the guests had received the same ticket, and were all now expected to pay a fine of eighty five pounds.The family of the bride contacted Shennai and they agreed to pay the fine for all the parking tickets . Today I have come back home to find a letter of final notice, with a threat of issuing a claim in county court.My advice therefore is not to book your wedding in this venue, as your guests will end up paying a fine of eighty five pounds each.

This place is surely recommended! The event organisers are friendly and very helpful. on the day of event all the staff are well organised and making sure the event runs smoothly. the food was amazing and tasty ! All my guests loved it and they still talk about it. thank you all at Shehnai. Organising and Planning - Excellent Event Managers - Excellent Decoration - Stunning Food- Tasty / Amazing Staff - Superb / friendly

I had my wedding reception Yesterday at the venue; and from when I looked at this place over 1 and a half years ago, it was the place i wanted it to happen! The venue came with so much already that the decorations that were put there was just icing on the cake! Every single person in the production of my wedding day was so helpful! The food tasting was amazing! The atmosphere was brilliant! Every detail that was given was laid out to perfection! I cant praise this place enough! Please please please consider it for a reception!

If you want your guests to be happy, then DON'T book this place, staff had no idea what they are doing, no help with parking. Food came in small pans and with 10 people per table you have no chance of getting any food. So all Asian peoples planning your wedding, do not use this place.

Well where can I start with my review. It was a total success!!The staff where easy to communicate with, friendly, helpful & presentable. There was nothing they couldn't answer or refused to help with which made the evening more enjoyable.The venue was decorated beautifully for the party no cheap balloons or tacky Christmas decorations. They pushed the boat out for us to have an enjoyable evening.Onto the food, firstly it was served promptly at the times advised and was still hot when it reached the tables which is important when you have a party the size of ours. No complaints on that front.The DJ hired by Shehnai was another highlight of the evening. Great mixture of musical tastes to keep everyone happy.Overall it was a great evening for us all at Thames Water. No shortage of anything, hopefully we'll back next year for more of the same.

If you're going to get married then do it at Shehnai. I had such a great time with the Shehnai staff organising my wedding reception. Not only did they make me feel like I was the only wedding they were working on but each conversation made me feel secure and special that my wedding requirements were being catered for. The staff are professional, very helpful and really importantly I felt that they really listened to what I envisaged my day to be... (Even when bridezilla came out in me) I don't know who to thank more. Kitty for my random rants to her about the stress of organising 200 indians, or Priyanka for understanding that I had to discuss every detail with the family first, or Luzan for putting up with the 7000 changes daily to the wedding agenda or for Patrick aka shahrukh khan for managing my evening perfectly. I thank you all Shehnai. I have 200 very happy guests. Not one single complaint.. The food was amazing, piping hot, full of flavour and just very flavoursome. My guest told me it was the best wedding food they had eaten.House of Tuza. You were all fantastic. The venue looked spectacular. I thank you all for catering to my specific needs A very happy bride Polly

Expecting some entertainment and a buffet we were very pleasantly surprised by the spectacular decor and the very high quality of the food presented - definitely the best buffet we have had for some time !Excellent organisation, quality comedians and an efficient bar staff serving the drinks made for an excellent and entertaining evening that we look to repeat once the monthly series start again in September ... Well worth checking out ;-)