Shish Mahal in Glasgow City

Ordered through uber eats and the food came piping hot, was super excited to try it out as its advertised as the 'Home of tikka masala". Never been so disappointed in my life ! Tikka masala was below average even when its sold at a premium price. I wouldn't had any problems if the food turned out like this from a local takeaway but this is utterly unacceptable for a restaurant that distinguishes itself from the rest by making bold claims.

As we went back tonight, it was as tasty as ever, service first class, we still miss the man enormously, will travel from Leith still.

Top quality Indian restaurant! There was no background music for the first 20 minutes, hence the atmosphere rating.

We were told to go because it's the birthplace of Tikka masala but the couch cushions were ripped, my water glass was never refilled without me asking, and our food wasn't as good as other Indian food we've had. I asked for spice and wasn't brought anything spicy. No need to go back

Amazing service and really good food, very generous portion sizes too.

The famous Indian restaurant the original Chicken tikka masala.

There was a minor issue about collecting it, because the staff thought I wanted to place an order then, when the food was waiting for me on the table. A young and very polite waiter sorted it out.

Have been ordering and eating here since before I was born. Best curry in Glasgow/uk :)

My husband and I are from Pakistan and live in Texas, and this was the first time we’ve had samosas that were truly piping hot and felt made to order. The butter chicken and chicken tikka masala were out of this world, and the naans were incredibly fresh—hot straight from the tandoor. It’s rare to find food in the West that’s both fresh and served piping hot, but Shish Mahal delivered on both. The service was amazing, and this was easily one of the best meals we’ve had since leaving Pakistan. We would gladly go out of our way to visit Glasgow just for Shish Mahal—and we only wish we could take some back with us! Amazing food, amazing service, and an amazing atmosphere. Highly recommend the samosa chaat—it was incredible! Shish Mahal did Pakistan proud!

Wonderful food for a wonderful evening. Service and atmosphere was too notch.

Delicious food and great service. I enjoyed all the dishes—we asked for 3 half options for 2 people so that we could try different things. Chicken tikka masala was very good, the chickpeas/potato dish was superb and a mild-strong lamb curry was also delicious. Probably one of the best indian restaurants in Glasgow. We went in the afternoon and got a table right away, but later on it got very busy; probably better to do a reservation. Very quick and efficient service.

Not the place it used to be. No tablecloths and a single sheet laminated menu. Doubt if this would have happened if Mr. Ali was alive. Quite expensive for what you get. £2 for a popadom is ridiculous. Most dishes are average though it must be said that they still do the best bhoona lamb and bhoona chicken.

Visited today for the 1st and last time lunchtime menu £15 pp my wife ordered vegetable pakora the only vegetable in it was potato she also ordered the chicken tikka masala all 4 bits of chicken were dry i ordered fish pakora and chicken madras which was okay but the portion sizes were very small my wife who is a picky eater even complained we also had1 beer 1pink gin and lemonade a peshawari nan and a portion of poppadoms and spiced onions total bill was £56 if eating check prices before you order as we felt ripped off

Fantastic Indian Restaurant. I was very excited to go to this Glasgow establishment which is highly rated for its Chicken Tikka. The Chicken Tikka was creamy and tasty with a great selection of other dishes, it did not disappoint. Such a feed of food I will certainly be back again. It was busy with locals and had top notch service. All the servers were smartly dressed and were always on hand to help. They were even prompt with the bill and payment of said bill. Too often I go to restaurants and I am forgotten about when it comes to paying the bill. This was not the case here. Additionally there was no service charge added to the bill as standard which made you feel pleased to give a tip rather than it just being expected regardless of the actual service received. I would highly recommend spending an evening at Shish Mahal.

One of the best Indian restaurants in Glasgow. Fantastic service, reasonable prices and fantastic dishes. Naan was good too.

This is the address for the real taste of Indian food in Glasgow. Highly recommend 👌

Opted for the lunch menu at £15 per head. Started with poppadoms with onion relish. The starters were chicken chat and pakoras, both good. The mains however were both very poor. The chicken danzack was very dry, and not too sure what the Chicken tikka makhani was, but not enjoyable. We also thought that the rice was included, but was charged £9.50 extra. On questioning this was told fried rice was extra, though on ordering was asked of we wanted white or yellow rice,so a sneaky way of increasing the bill.

Living on an out of date reputation. Need to improve many parts of their business as there are so many other Indian restaurants far better in Glasgow. I didn't enjoy any part of my visit.

Had a lovely lunch here today 3 courses for £15.00 an absolute bargain delicious food and great service will definitely return

Ciertamente lo habría llamado una institución de Glasgow, eso es seguramente una declaración emocional y no racional. Las cebollas especiadas eran insípidas y secas, Lidls son mucho más sabrosas. Mi puri de langostinos era de nuevo insípido, ya que no tenía salsa rica, muy decepcionante. Mi plato principal era muy sabroso, aunque tenía demasiado jengibre en él. El Peshwari Nan era insípido, seco con un chorrito de coco, apenas lo saboreaba. All in, quizás viviendo en su reputación pasada y no avanzando. He tenido muchas visitas a restaurantes indios por todo Glasgow y Lanarkshire y mi visita a shish mahal fue una de las que hablaré por todas las razones equivocadas. Demasiado caro en comparación con los competidores y mi experiencia no me haría volver desafortunadamente. El personal era agradable y amable. También podrían hacer un esfuerzo para mejorar el ambiente del restaurante.

After watching Garry eats, we'll make the journey from Renfrew, to try his recommendation. He certainly enjoyed his curry, and I am not a tight git, but £42 for him alone, and I don't need to be a mathematical person to add another £42 for my partners meal. Deary me.

Pedimos una comida para llevar esta noche - muy decepcionante. El korma y el bhuna se veían y sabían similares, ambas salsas muy acuosas. El arroz parecía ligeramente puré (llegó en una bolsa). Las cebollas especiadas no sabían bien, no puedo poner mi dedo en el porqué. Los parathas eran aceitosos, los naan y chapatis estaban secos (los panes normalmente se demolen en esta casa, no esta noche). Era muy caro, si lo hubiéramos disfrutado no nos habría importado, pero fue particularmente malo. La mayor parte de esto ha sido puesto en la unidad de eliminación de residuos esta noche. Para terminar con una nota positiva, el pequeño recipiente de mango chutney era agradable!

No recomendaría, no malgastes tu dinero. La comida era horrible y los camareros muy antipáticos y simplemente se quedaron hablando entre sí. Sin ambiente y muy cansado y pasado de moda. Peores pakoras y poppadoms y cebollas especiadas que hemos probado. Tan grasoso, horrible. Mi curry vegetal tenía más de 15 trozos de patatas blandas y muy poco más y la salsa era insípida. Realmente indisfrutable y obviamente tratando de ahorrar dinero en solo servir un curry de patata. Paneer curry no mucho mejor. Marido tenía un pollo al curry que tenía muy poca salsa y estaba muy seco. Una comida decepcionante. He querido probar este restaurante durante muchos años. Realmente desearía no haberlo hecho. No malgastes tu dinero como nosotros.

El servicio era pobre, antipático y apresurado, en el almuerzo, cuando solo una otra mesa estaba reservada durante la duración de nuestra comida. Calidad alimentaria poco inspiradora. Tenía mejores cenas escolares, para ser honesto. Visité este restaurante por primera vez cuando estaba en Gibson Street, en los años 80. He vuelto muchas veces desde entonces, pero hay muchos, muchos mejores restaurantes en Glasgow y en todo el West End. No hay propinas para el personal.

Absolutely spectacular. I am a food critic as also a fully trained senior Authentic Punjabi food chef. My waiter Zeeshan was impeccable. I regularly dine in the finest restaurants around the world to keep myself versed. No complaints to Asif & tariq sahib in the kitchen who delicately spiced my salmon! Shish mahal team. Thank you for another unforgettable experience.

Providing well environment Foods are excellent Well staff

A friend and I headed to this Indian in Glasgow's west end to pick up a takeaway first time trying food from here absolutely beautiful iv never tasted chicken so tender It wasn't cheap but so worth every penny 5*

Just had a fantastic meal in Shish. Lived in Glasgow 20 years but never been. Apparently the origin of CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA in the late 70s. Great food, wine, beer and service.

Food was quite cold, just thought it wasn’t the usual standard I usually get from the Shiah, normally I eat in the restaurant, but not sure now

A family favourite, great value, brilliant food, never disappoints, one of Glasgows original Indian Restaurants

Excepto por el camarero siempre sonriente, y los poppadoms y cebollas caros, esto es ideal para un gran lugar para un almuerzo. El menú del almuerzo tiene una amplia selección y es de buena relación calidad-precio. ¡El tamaño más pequeño de la porción es ideal para el almuerzo!

Very fresh pakora and nan. Curries were succulent. Friendly attentive staff. Best Indian restaurant I have been to for a long time.

I have been going to get the Shish MAHAL for 53 years and the last time I was there it was so good. But on this occasion I didn't enjoy my carry out. 1 the sauce in the chicken curry breast was like water no body to it. The korma was rather hotter than a korma and the bhuna lamb was rather hot. Also the price!!!

Excellent food as usual. Excellent service. Great value for money.

Disgusting discrimination. Informed it was fully booked and yet, the place was empty. If you have any disabilities I would look elsewhere.

Went for the £15.50 3 course lunch menu. Good grub, fast service

Food was okay, chicken tikka masala was enjoyable but not exactly how I remember it from before, however it is very overpriced. Would have enjoyed experience more if it was more reasonable and in line with competitors. Service was very good and waiters attentive.

Never disappoints, food quality and service first class.

My favourite restaurant in the World! On this visit I had a Chicken Tikka Chilli Basaar which was perfect. 👌

First time we have dined "in" our favourite, the Shish Mahal, for a while. Plenty of take aways! We had a lovely lunch today with food and service as good as ever! We first went to the Shish Mahal in 1978, year we met, and have been returning ever since....fabulous food that never disappoints! Still best Pakora too!

One of the best meals we’ve had in all of our travels. We would travel back to Glasgow just to eat here. Absolutely incredible chicken tikka masala. Mind blowing. Friendly service, very attentive.

We've been a few times previously with friends, it's been good - nice food, service adequate, I mean not 5* but good enough to go back. Which we did on Saturday 29th June. They advertise a £15 lunch - starter, main (with rice) and either coffee or ice cream. Not a bad deal you'd think right? Well, we also ordered poppadum's (4, one for each of us) spiced onion and a pickle tray, these items weren't on the "special" lunch menu. The reason for that is they charge £2.25 PER PICKLE TRAY ITEM, 4 items in the pickle tray + £2.75 for spiced onions + £2.50 per poppadum, we're now at £22. We had 4 juices, 2 glasses of tap water & one pint of cobra. £120 later our "special" lunch deal was nowhere in sight. For mediocre food and relatively small portions, definitely not worth it.

Typical Indian food, where they invented a recipe for chicken tykka masala and it is very good, medium chilly even though I don't like spicy food, but it was excellent and tasty, what we didn't eat we willingly paid for.

Decent Good service Chicken curry 5/5 Lamb curry 0/5

A very nice restaurant. I enjoyed it The behavior of the staff is very polite I ordered chicken and lentil tikka, and in the end I finished the meal with “Karak” milk tea. The place is clean and the atmosphere is excellent. I will go back eating with them.

excellent food. Will definitely order again

Mmmmmm poppped in here just now 5pm 8th June 2024 …. lovely food, good size portion and it was piping hot, the food was delicious

Best curry in Glasgow . Pakora outstanding . Spiced onions far superior to the obviously mass produced ones in almost every other Indian restaurant . Over the last 50 years the food has been consistently good

Outstanding indian food, great service. Best indian restraunt in Glasgow

Glasgow’s finest restaurant, when we decide to eat out the first Restaurant name is Shish Mahal, every customer is met at the door by management and escorted to there table then the attentive service staff take over throughout ensuring all customers enjoy the Shish experience, this is the World Renowned home of Chicken Tikka Masala invented by the late Mr Ali……by far the best food in Scotland

Korma was pretty tasteless (no taste of coconut). Spiced onions also tasteless.

I ordered our food and a just eat person arrived with half of the order which consisted of starters and main courses then about 30 minutes later the restaurant called to confirm that a 2nd Just Eat courier did not turn up therefore the restaurant were going to deliver the remainder of our food which consisted of more starters and main courses - all of which were cold - disgraceful service

Food is very good specially Chicken Tikka masala.

I paid a visit to the Shish for the first time since it moved from the top of Gibson Street. I was with an old school friend with him I had lunch whilst at the University of Glasgow way back in the early 1970s. We decided on spiced onions and popadums instead of vegetable pakora. I had a Chicken breast birriani and my friend a small prawn birriani. Both of these were served in my teal bowls topped with a thin chapatti. Each dish was accompanied by a thick brown sauce. Both dishes were fantastic. My chicken dish had lots of thick chunks of rendered chicken. The dish was sensational and must have been one of the best curries that I have tasted in the last 55 years. I cannot wait to return.

We were here many years ago as students at University of Glasgow. Our favorite place then. Re visited today bhuna lamb just as good and the tandoor platter too. Ambient is nice, although neighbourhood is like before - a student place. Reasonable portion and price.

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

We were surprised to get a table for four on a Saturday night at short noticed given how busy it used to be (this should have been a warning). The Shish used to be my favourite place in Glasgow under the watchful eyes of the owners. Things are not the same. We arrived to a half empty restaurant to a what I can only describe as a disinterested welcome. The older gentleman serving us clearly couldn't be bothered and didn't try to hide the fact. Fortunately the food was OK but not great. Halfway through our meal one server came and took our wine cooler away from our table saying they needed it for someone else! Bizarre. As the restaurant emptied the staff made it clear to the remaining tables that it was time to leave and stood not far from the remaining tables. Throughout the evening the manager stood with his arms folded and then disappeared. I was so sad and disappointed given how incredible this place used to be. I fear it will not last much longer.

We visited Shish Mahal during our first trip to Glasgow with friends, drawn by its popularity. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t meet our expectations. The staff seemed rushed and inattentive, giving the impression that serving us was a burden. The food was generally disappointing; the Chicken Tikka was mundane, akin to supermarket-ready versions, and the Chilli Chicken Poori was unexpectedly sweet, better suited for a dessert menu. Based on our experience, I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to visitors in Glasgow.

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.

I have not received my food order!

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.

Driver delivered to wrong flat

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!

Staff were really friendly and food was amazing as always. Especially loved the chicken tikka masala and the great garlic naan bread. Will be returning

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.

The Raita exploded in the bag and coated every other item. I had to spend ages wiping everything down before I could try to eat. Putting something so liquid in non-tupperware container that doesn’t seal seems like a stupid thing to do

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!

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.

Always liked this place but hadn't been for years. Just incredible, nans, pakora and all main course dishes went down a treat. Staff were great too.

Food excellent. Was expected at 7pm but didn't arrive until7 7.20pm.

Visited with a large group of pals last Saturday evening (2nd March) I had eaten a lunch out and so was not expecting to be out again in the evening… However, ended up eating a truly delicious lamb multani chasni! Too good to miss. We all enjoyed our meals and the service was superb - especially as we all arrived later than expected and not together. Everything was accommodated cheerfully and we had a great night!

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

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.

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.

This order arrived 2 hours and 19 mins after it was prepared and ready for collection. Not the restaurants fault. Very unhappy. Was stone cold

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

Excellent food from a great menu.

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

The time taken was appalling. It took 90 minutes from a Driver being “assigned” to one getting to the restaurant. Uber Eats from now on!

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 👍😁

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

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

Fantastic absolutely delicious dinner thanks you will order again!

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.

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

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.

Added £7 for king prawn curry in korma sauce. Prawns wer boiled to rubber and black. Totally inedible.

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

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

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!

Customer Service at retuarant is poor...misled re: delivery ..disappointing ..food late and cold

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.