Shish Mahal in Glasgow City

Best in Scotland for me, 41 years a customer and counting

Thank you very much for such a beautiful meal and so much thank you to your amazing staff ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐my fiance & I had a lovely time in your restaurant. Very best wishes, Audrey & Colin.

First knew the Shish as a little boy in Glasgow. Most times we go back to visit the city we come here. Last time, back in 2019 it felt a bit mediocre. But our visit here on 30th March 2024 was very disappointing. The food was well below par, I had the Chicken Madras and the chicken was tough, tastless and poor quality. The rest of the dishes were pretty poor and with a bill of almost £115 of which probably £70 was for the bin. A real disappointment.

Went with the family. Great service. Mr Ali(junior) was around and was extremely welcoming. Enjoyed hospitality very well! Very attentive and welcoming staff. Service was top notch. Tikka masala, jalfrezi, vegetable kadahi, malai kofta weee delicious! We asked for medium spice level which was perfect although my daughter thought the malai kofta could’ve been a little spicy. Visit if you’re around Glasgow Starters of mixed pakora, cauliflower and veg pakora and samosa chaat were very good!

4.5. The massive garlic naan dipped in their butter chicken was amazing. You really don’t need a full naan for each person (and they’ll even tell you that). Found that it was more of a tomato base, which meant it was easy on the stomach. Great portions!! The service was great, but we found they spoke very quietly, causing it difficult to hear what they said periodically. Was a bit of a longer wait for the meal on not a very busy evening, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Wasn’t expecting it to be slightly more formal, but loved the experience!

The food and the place are acceptable, but the service was so bad, the waiter was so rude I really makes me uncomfortable to explain this in detail. I would say please don’t down on others especially your customers. I would request people to change there attitude towards the customers please.

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of trying the Shish Tandoori Mixed Platter at Shish Mahal Restaurant,and it was a delightful culinary adventure from start to finish. Upon ordering the mixed platter, we were pleased with both the generous portion size and the reasonable pricing. The combination of flavors and spices in each item was exquisite, showcasing the skillful preparation and dedication to authentic taste.

Really wanted to try this place because of the longevity of this restaurant . Absolutely gutted . Food was horrible . Ordered mix grill . Was not fresh , lamb was sheep . Very dark in colour and horrible smell coming from it . Grill had been reheated . Biryani was not authentic but curry sauce and rice mixed . Honestly big let down stay away . The only thing was nice was the waiters . The atmosphere and music felt like a musical from a Sean Connery James Bond movie . Apologies but I’m being very honest here . Won’t be coming again 😢

The food was very good but pricey! Just nipping in for a quick curry is not what it used to be, miss the Gibson St location 😞

Fantastic curries and pakora ! We ordered on deliveroo for the first time and were not disappointed. Would recommend although expensive was very tasty and one portion does 2 nights.

You’ll not find a better curry in Glasgow. We’ll establish business with great food.

Food excellent but really expensive

We went to Shish Mahal to try out the famous Chicken Tikka Masala where it was invented in Glasgow. We arrived at the restaurant at 5:30pm and it was completely empty. As we weren't particularly hungry, we decided to split a main, and also ordered a garlic naan, rice, and two beers. The staff seemed annoyed that we had not ordered more food, and told us there was a £15 minimum spend per person. In fact, we had spent more than this, but apparently the beers didn't count. So we also had to order some starters we didn't particularly want. We did enjoy our meals but they were on the expensive side and you could get similar food for less money elsewhere.

A restaurant my friends and I have visited numerous times in the past, but after our last visit (on 17th January), we most certainly won't be back. I feel obliged to leave this review so other potential customers are aware of a few things... The food is okay, not anything spectacular. Rice portion sizes are small - amongst five people we ordered two boiled rice and two plain naans. When the rice came in a single bowl, I asked where our other rice was only to be told that was two portions. When I divided this bowl amongst two people, the portion sizes were poor. Service was somewhat erratic with different people serving us and getting the orders mixed up. Staff were constantly reaching over the top of us to serve food - not professional at all. For poppadoms, some pakora, five curries, a couple of rices and naans, and a round or two of drinks (only one alcoholic beverage) we were just shy of £200. The best part? THEY CHARGED US £19 FOR FIVE POPPADOMS & DIPS. NINETEEN POUNDS. I queried this at the end as I was certain they'd made a mistake, but no - almost twenty quid for some big crisps and some dips. OUTRAGEOUS.

The shish mahal still holds its own as one of the best Indian restaurants in Glasgow

The Shish is the best curry in all of Glasgow...... Taste and service is second to none.

Decent place but was dead the night we visited and we were the only customers there so we felt a bit out of place in an empty room I’m sure it’s great on a busy night though and the curry was excellent

The shish is the best curry in Glasgow.... I highly recommend the chicken chilli poori..... The king prawn or chicken tikka garlic nashilee. The peshwari nan is also a taste sensation. Almost 60 years on from when my parents first visited their original restaurant and it's as good as ever. Keep ilup the good work team Shish 👍😁

Great food and service . We went during lunch and had standard lunch Menu and was amazing especially the Chicken tikka masala !!

Food and staff are great. Really busy on a Friday night. That's a good sign.

I have eaten here several times and always found it to be very good, last night was just average. Prices have increased quite a bit, food took a while to come out but the restaurant wasn’t full and was disappointed with the quality of the dishes.

Worst biriyani I ever had in my life. Just a plain rice with mutton pieces. Please don’t try this at all.

The restaurant where the owner - Ali Ahmed Aslam who is credited by many different sources as the inventor of the Chicken Tikka Masala. This is my 2nd time going there to have the legendary dish and I'm not gonna lie, it tasted the exact same. The first time I went to this restaurant was last year, 2-3 days after Mr. Ahmed passed away. After having it for the 2nd time today the taste was as good as it was previously. The only difference was I asked for it to be spicy last year and mild to medium spicy this time around. As I'm an Indian I honestly didn't find much difference in terms of spiciness on both occasions. Also had Garlic prawns in starters which were decent as everywhere around Glasgow. Nothing special about it. Definitely do give this place a visit if you're in Glasgow, a very good place for a family outing. Highly recommended 🙌🏻

We book our Christmas night out here we were 15 mins late for our reservation (traffic) and our table was given to someone else and told they have a 10 minute policy, not such policy in any website or menu! I appreciate tables can’t be kept indefinitely but is the festive season and things over run like traffic. The staff member was very unhelpful and clearly didn’t care and continued to display a lake of customer care/service as we tried to negotiate with them. Terrible experience won’t ever try eating there again.

Pukka Indian restaurant. Fine food and service. Best Indian food I've had in Glasgow.

Disappointed by the quality of the chicken. Dry and thready on 2 out of the 3 dishes we chose.

I came to try Mr. Ali's Original Chicken Tikka Masala, and I was not disappointed!

Ordered a take away to collect. Waited around twenty minutes. Took home and everything was cold. Really disappointed. Won't be back in afraid.

Just left Shish Mahal after another fantastic meal. The best peswari naan in the nation! I had the multani chasni with chicken tikka. Spectacular! I would have loved some dessert, but after 25 minutes no one had offered us one, so we paid and left. Am opportunity missed guys!

My family and friends have been going to the Shish Mahal Glasgow for over 50 years, never had a single complaint. The owners have always welcomed us and we would recommend it to anyone visiting Glasgow.

Extensive menu including their legendary tikka masala, which is delicious. We were a party of four - the table was quite small leading to a somewhat cramped dining experience by the time the dishes were all served. That aside, overall, it was an excellent meal.

My family and I have been visiting 'the Shish' for many years. It never fails. Lamb chops and Lamb Bhoona, I don't even look at the menu. My favourite restaurant in Glasgow.

I was last here 10 yrs ago, it was wonderful. This time around? Not so. Service was abrupt, not friendly. The service was the best part! Started with popadoms & dips. Popadoms were fine, dips were bland, lime pickle was bland, raita was tasteless. Starter of salmon was over cooked, again lacked flavour. Main of Tikka Dhahi Daghie was possibly the worst curry i have ever had, it was again bland, tasteless and unforgivable for a restaurant curry, i would have been happier with a tesco ping curry. The rice was congealed, stuck together, sticky, well overdone. Sorry but if a restaurant cannot deliver fluffy rice i fear it wouldn’t wouldn't have mattered which curry i chose from the menu. I had about 4 mouthfuls of my main & left the rest, as did my partner. Staff never questioned why we hardy touched our mains & left sharply after. Such a disappointment especially after telling my partner how good the place was. I understand the odd curry can end up not up to scratch but only to get the popadoms of a standard out of all that was order isn’t acceptable. I won’t visit again and on tonights experience I suggest you don't either.

Been going here ever since I discovered curries , I think it's simply the best in Scotland/UK, food is to die for , absolute heaven, service and atmosphere unsurpassed, a proverbial jewel

Had to visit the birthplace of the chicken tikka masala and it didn’t disappoint. Tasty and delicious as was the lamb bhuna. Attentive staff and a formal atmosphere made for a lovely experience.

I was introduced to this restaurant by my husband Andrew Wood, his family have regularly been using this restaurant since he was a young boy. The food in here is amazing, my favourite thing is the Peshawari naan bread. Always a great meal here, great service and a very pleasant atmosphere.

Superb food. Truly THE best Indian food around. However, got a takeaway for 3 and wasn’t cheap. £90. Still amazing food though.

Well let’s start with the ridiculously high prices compared to other Glasgow curry restaurants 12,00 for a tikka starter lamb chops 12.95 for 3 very tough ..surly staff very stiff atmosphere Bill was scribbled in there language nothing itemised on asking what was what turns out 7,00 extra on the bill which they swiftly took off . Try Nakador Indian half the price double the quality and taste ..lovely welcoming staff .

I went on a dad and daughter date and everything was simply outstanding, from the service to the food, the atmosphere and detail to attention 🤩

I went here on the recommendation of a friend and the reputation of restaurant for inventing the tikka masala, which we both ordered. The portions were very generous and the service was good. There is a warm atmosphere and a lot of choice on the menu too! While it was not the best curry I have ever had, it was certainly a very pleasant experience none the less! Definitely worth a visit when in town!

Went very late at night - they were very generous to serve us, but did hurry us to eat. A little suspicious by how quick the food was to come out, but I'm not complaining!

Quite possibly THE BEST Indian food we have ever eaten anywhere in the world! And the service was outstanding as well. The flavors are exquisite and leave your pallet wanting more.

Besonders der aufgeschlossene und sympathische Service muss hervorgehoben werden!!

I would eat in and take away every week From 1976 until 1983 now living in Australia and miss the food quality so much 💖🙏🏼

This is the worst food I had entire in my life

Had the most delicious meal here with my friend. He had been recommending it for a long time and I'm delighted to have eaten here. The service was second to none and the food is full of flavour. I will definitely be back.

We booked this restaurant as most of us had been at some point in years gone by, but unfortunately lunch would not have been enough for a 5 year old, the food was lukewarm on cold plates waiter's stretching over us every minute without a bye your leave to pick-up every plate or glass that you didn't have a hold of. Lunch was £15 each and one of the guys knew the manager so thought we could trust him to look after us. Without asking he said he'd put poppadoms and nan bread on the table for us so we thought it was on the house. The cost for 11 of us was £348, drinks £105, food £243 instead of 11 times £15 = £165

Worst experience ever in an Indian restaurant in UK.

Delicious food. Apparently one of the (if not the) first places tikka masala was served. The wait staff was very friendly although their answers were unclear when we asked questions. Great atmosphere and place settings. Highly recommend the tikka, chicken or special pakora, both naan and the restaurant as a whole.

Best curry on the planet. There's nothing more to say imho.

It’s absolutely disgusting, my family and I went 2 days ago on Eid Al Adha and yesterday my two nieces (under the age of 10) have been hospitalised with severe food poisoning, we have all been vomiting and the taste was terrible aswell the rice was undercooked and so was the meat the daal didn’t have salt and we discovered foreign objects the waiters were unwell aswell and kept making faces at us, my mother has a very weak immune system and she has been in bed for two days. I would NEVER come here again. So unhygienic and awful, my poor father spent over £270 for this rubbish DO NOT COME HERE AT ANY COST!(unless you so desperately want violent sickness and diarrhoea!)

Food was fine but we (group of 7) were charged £22 for 6 popadoms, a tiny portion of spiced onions and a few sauces. We assumed they were complementary, we didn’t ask for them and we ate them assuming they were free. It’s lame when any restaurant does this. Also the bill wasn’t itemised and we had to ask about several of the charges.

We visited on a quiet night, the service was professional. We ordered mild options, but we got plain dishes that lacked flavour and salt. The only feeling was a light chilly burn. The rice was overcooked, etc; at least the meat quality and portions were good. The final bill felt spicy compared to the tasteless experience. It left us with a bitter aftertaste.

The worst staff. What’s happened to this place? Before I moved away I would visit at least once a week. I went last night and it has the rudest, ignorant and uncleaned toilets. The waiter was rude. We will NEVER be back. And the owner - he should go and get customer service training How bad have they let themselves down? £5.80 for soda water and diluting cordial - cost 50p to make and the soda was flat. People do yourselves a favour and stay well clear of this horrific restaurant

Friendly welcome and attentive service. Extensive menu offering lots of options. We had the tandoori mixed grill which includes rice and chutney with tandoori prawns which was very tasty. With the main course, tikka masala, the diners were very happy especially when the owner of the restaurant came to welcome us and made sure we liked the food.

Been a regular here for years, haven’t been for 2 years. Visited it today change of staff. The most ignorant staff ever. I will never be back or any of my family or friends. Stay well clear. Toilets are disgusting now.

Lovely traditional restaurant where the senior staff are suited and booted and check that all is to your satisfaction. A lovely warm welcome, extensive menu choice and generous portions - don't order too much, you won't need it all!

We went to the place because of its reputation as the place that invented chicken tikka masala. We ordered chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, prawn biryani, mango chutney and orange sorbet. Prawn biryani was horrible. The orange sorbet left a very bitter after taste. Chicken tikka masala from this place doesn't live upto the hype. Garlic naan was good. The service was horrible. None of the staff smiles. We were let in with a cold "you have a reservation?" and then shown to the table. No one smiled after that. I also felt that the staff very rudely explained that each person has to order food worth minimum £15. Atmosphere isn't very welcoming. Not a happy place didn't make me feel welcome. Definitely do not recommend

Been going to the Shish for over 50 years. The old favourites were still as tasty as ever. We tried one of the newer sauces and will be working our way through some of the more modern combinations. Nearly forgot, the fish pakora is the best in the WORLD.

Back in the days at Gibson St my family would visit faithfully every 2nd week in the 70s & 80s the food was incredible. Have been living abroad and now back in UK I craved a Shish and ordered a takeaway consisting of Veg Pakora ( salty!) Garlic Chapati was so dry . Chicken Tikka Bhuna was horrible I threw in bin.

Worst Indian restaurant I’ve been to and I already went to many in the States, UK and Vietnam. Tl;dr: average food + incredibly rude service. I went here with an Indian friend and she told me the first thing they asked her was “are you here looking for a job”. Throughout the whole time we were served by completely different people messing up different things (two for taking order, one or two for explaining, one for bringing out the card reader, one for correcting the payment, etc). My friend asked what’s special/ good in the menu and they didn’t even know or bother to tell us. I ordered a three course lunch and asked whether I could switch dessert for a mango lassi. They did say yes but later charged that separately and denied what I said. They were like “fine then we’re giving you ice cream” but excuse me I didn’t get one before getting the bill?? I told them I would prefer an iced coffee but they gave me a hot flat white. Also they WROTE the bill with a very bad handwriting that we could barely make out anything. Even my Indian friend told me this is very rude, completely different vibe she would typically get from Glasgow. People dining there were mostly middle aged and not even Indian. How can you call yourself “fine dining” if you mess up big time like that? The food was also not that good. Everything just tasted average and were badly presented. Even the famous chicken tikka masala looked depressing as in the photo. Overall horrible experience. Wanna try the original chicken tikka masala? Cut yourself some slack and go to a proper Indian eatery than spending £14 for weirdos.

Great original restaurant in the western.

Excellent food and service as per. Always a joy visiting here, easily one of the best Indian restaurants in Glasgow.

The best restaurant experience I have had for years. Superb food and very attentive staff. Do not go anywhere else in Glasgow.

My first visit here but my husband used to come here when it was in Gibson Street way back. Can't believe those poor reviews, our food and service was amazing. Dining area is spotless and the food was delicious. Best curry and pakora I have ever had. Chicken was perfectly cooked and so tender and the pakora freshly made and everything was plentiful. I think some people get mixed up when some serving staff have a quiet, reserved courtesy about them but I found all of the staff courteous, helpful and attentive and we did not have to wait long at all for our food even though it was very obviously freshly made. The best of the best in my book. Can't wait to return. Thank you Shish Mahal.

Great quality Indian food with very attentive service

We’ve tried a few Indian restaurants in Glasgow and they are generally very good. This one is better!! One of the originals in Glasgow (it boasts being the source of Chicken Tikka Masala!) it is still within the same family and is superb. I suspect we won’t be going anywhere else next time we visit Glasgow.

Lamb bhuna. Condistently delicious. Tastes the same as it did 40 years ago and all the times in between. Well done Shish Mahal.

Everything was absolutely first class 10/10, from starters to main courses all absolutely delicious 😋 Been lots of times and in my top 2 Indian restaurants in Glasgow. Will be back again soon

Restaurant looks beautiful and fancy from the outside. Food was well below average. Spiced onions were probably the worst I’ve had. Veg pakora was definitely the worst, was basically just potatos. Rice, bhoona and naan were ok. Theres hundreds of better Indian restaurants than in Glasgow so I will not be back.

Food was good but they added 20 pounds extra…apparently it was up charged for extra spiciness but it doesn’t explain the extra charge, and the bill was written in a way to be incomprehensible. Manager gave attitude at the end as well. Food was good though

I had 2 dishes lamb karihi and chicken tikka vindaloo got to say was some of the best I've had..nom nom Thak you will defo be coming again

I ordered take-away from SHISH Mahal Glasgow recently The portion size was ridiculously small The portions do not reflect on the prices they charge Poor value for money Sadly being a regular customer in the past I will not be anymore Cannot complain about the food quality but definitely not the same value for money now Very very disappointing.

One of Glasgow's best and oldest Indians. Service is spectacular with amazing food also

On a cold wintery evening the food was warming and hearty. Maybe just lacking in atmosphere as the room we sat in was really brightly lit and the decor quite minimal. Service was friendly and efficient and I would recommend if you are looking for good quality Indian food

Food was fine. Service a bit quick. Aiming to get us back out quickly it seems. That was ok. Wasn't prepared for the hike in prices. Nearly £80 for 2 starters, 2 mains soft drinks plus one main and one rice. Latter 2 being around £9 each. Started going here 40 years ago. Won't be back in hurry, I'm afraid. It was good but but not £80 good

It was to cramped and people kept leaving the door open with a cold draft,service was poor ,people need to smile more ,food was average .

Lovely calm atmosphere and good service.table linen excellent

Not inexpensive but great food and service

Such an iconic restaurant. The home of the chicken tikka masala. Great food and service. A Glasgow 'must'.

Always good, I was there for lunch deal but still very good. We always take a carryout back to Edinburgh for family and our freezer.

Well the premises where nice the staff where friendly…. But as far as the food was concerned, I was so disappointed. Spiced onions had no taste at all absolutely rotten . 2 bites and left them Curry was bland . No flavours I don’t think aircon was working as my clothes where smelling of curry . So disappointed is a understatement Paying £70 pounds for a meal in theses hard times is a big treat for us Do not recommend this restaurant

Beautiful authentic freshly made food. It was all absolutely delicious. The staff were very friendly and advised on the best choices after listening to what we wanted. Would go back for sure.

Restaurant very very bad manager Not good food

Best Indian restaurant in Glasgow

A very nice place, the kitchen is good, the food is delicious, the staff is nice and helpful with customers, I recommend a visit

Very kind people. Caring service. Incredible food. We ordered chicken masala with white rice (fluffy perfect white rice) and garlic naan. We enjoyed the ambiance also.

RIP Aslam Bhai, the inventor of chicken tikka masala. Will definitely visit if we travel to the other side of the pond.

Much love and respect to you Mr Ali. Rest in peace.

My family have been frequenting the Shish Mahal for close to 40 years and must’ve spent tens of thousands there over those years. Tonight, for the first time, I placed an order with Uber at around 8 o’clock, which was suppose to arrive by 10 to 9 at the latest. Long story short I eventually went to the restaurant at around 9.30 to see about getting a replacement order; however, I was refused and told to take my issue up with Uber. This is simply not how you reward customer loyalty. While on the premises, I made it clear that neither my family nor I would ever return (in light of the treatment I had experienced); the acting manager was unperturbed by this and responded by shrugging his shoulders. I note that another long standing customer has had a similar experience 5 days ago (leaving a review here): perhaps this spells the end for the Shish Mahal.

Avoid Avoid Avoid Avoid Ordered our Christmas office dinner through just eat and left terribly disappointed. Order never delivered and no concern expressed by the manager on trying to find where our food was. Couldn’t care less. We’re left to try and claim it back from just eat. What a ridiculous service and restaurant. Staff just plain rude.

This is where chicken tikka massala was invented by the legendary Ali Ahmed Aslam.

ordered a takeaway today 3 mains I starter 2 popadoms £59.98! Food Arrived at the last minute through deliveroo. All food was cold to lukewarm. NO SAUCE with the pakora. 2 x Lamb Patia SOME OF THE LAMB TENDER OTHER PIECES TOUGH AS OLD BOOTS OBVIOSLY ONE POT OF LAMD ADDED TO AN OLDER POT. QUESTIONABLE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUE?? I have been a fan of this restaurant for many years but have watched it go downhill in both food and service over the last year. . I was with a party of four 3 weeks ago and waited 50 minutes just for starters when there were several waiters on the floor. The food was mediocre. Just not good enough. When they have the audacity to charge £60 for a takeaway for one starter and 3 main courses then it's time to shop elsewhere.

Staff were very attentive but the food was disappointing. In the group I was in some found it very hot - strong chilli flavour- more than expected. My own dish seemed bland and lacking sophistication.

RATHER OVERPRICED I had a portion of pomadoms and spiced onions for starters, except they we kot SPICY A Lamb curry with naan and chips. And 3 small bottles of cola. Rather expensive £3.75 for 275ml bottle of cola. Just under £40 into. Won't hurry back.

Went here with my husband and kids when we arrived we were made to feel like kids definetly arnt welcome here. Waiters are very unfriendly and for the money we spent If u have children I wouldn't even bother the food was nice but definetly didn't reflect in the prices.

Friendly welcome and attentive service. Wide-ranging menu gives plenty of choice. We had tandoori mixed grill which included naan, rice and sauce with tandoori prawns which was all very tasty. Very happy diners especially when the very reasonable bill came.

Had one of the best Chicken Tikka's in years.

Very good indian food including the glasgow speciality chicken tikka masalla. I enjoyed the meal!

Great customer service and the food was top notch. Everything arrived on time!