It was my first visit to Shinwari, and the food was absolutely amazing. We tried the special tawa platter, and it was incredibly delicious. The staff were very kind and welcoming special thanks to Saqib bhai, Anum, and Hibah, who were all extremely nice and supportive. The service was quick and efficient. Overall, a wonderful experience. Highly recommended.
UNKNOWN★☆☆☆☆
Where do i start?
Our recent visit to Shinwari in Ilford was an unmitigated disaster, characterized by extremely poor service, dangerous food standards, and completely unprofessional management.
The service started poorly; the waitress tried to take our large order without a notepad, leading to initial mistakes. While a human error, this set the tone for the entire evening.
The main and critical issue was the food safety failure. We ordered the mixed platter (priced at an outrageous £49, which is a rip-off given the quality and quantity). Multiple pieces of meat were dangerously uncooked:
• We immediately alerted staff to the undercooked, pure red/pink chicken and lamb kebab, which were replaced. However, we were so put off by then that we couldn't eat the replacements.
• Then we noticed another large piece of lamb on the platter that was entirely pink inside, as visible in the accompanying picture.
The food was inedible. This was the final straw, and we asked to speak to the manager.
The manager's response was shocking and unprofessional.
He seemed completely confused and had no clue how to handle a serious complaint about uncooked meat. We explained the severity of serving pink/raw chicken and lamb, but he seemed totally ignorant of basic food safety.
Despite the platter being mostly untouched due to health concerns, the manager offered to take off only £9. What followed was an exhausting, unprofessional argument. He tried to "negotiate" and "bargain" with us as if we were at an auction, demanding we pay for uncooked food, which we rightly refused. From £9,£15,£10, £20,£40 and eventually£49 (full amount for platter) We were clear we would only pay for the other items we had consumed.
Unable to handle the situation, the manager brought over a colleague who displayed a disrespectful and sassy attitude. We had to ask the manager to remove his colleague so we could speak to him directly, but he continued to go back-and-forth, looking for solutions from others.
After a long, unnecessary argument, he finally, reluctantly, removed the platter from the bill.
To summarize: This restaurant served dangerously undercooked meat, and when confronted with a serious health and hygiene concern, the management displayed a staggering lack of professionalism and basic customer service skills. We were hungry, put off our food, and forced into a ridiculous debate over paying for food we could not safely eat.
Do not waste your money or risk your health here.
If i could give no stars i would!!!
This restaurant needs to go back to the basics.
Ayesha Akter★★★★★
Taste and portion size both is good, we took this platter for 4 person, was enough for us. Delicious.
Abdur Rahman★★★★☆
A couple of weeks ago, we visited Shinwari Restaurant in Ilford. The overall atmosphere was calm and quiet, which made for a relaxed dining experience. However, we did notice some dust around the place, which slightly affected the cleanliness impression.
When it came to food, the experience was a bit mixed. The rice was not up to the mark, lacking flavor and texture, but the chips and other side dishes were quite good. The curry was served in a large portion, which is great for sharing, but it was too oily — not ideal from a health perspective.
The service was generally good, though one thing that felt uncomfortable was that the staff started walking around our seating place before we had finished eating, which was a bit embarrassing and made us feel slightly rushed.
The portion sizes were generous — what we ordered for two people could easily serve three to four, so it’s definitely good value in that sense. Pricing was reasonable for the quantity and variety offered.
Overall, Shinwari Restaurant offers a decent dining experience with good service and fair prices, but there’s room for improvement in food quality, cleanliness, and customer comfort.
⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5
Mohammed★★★★★
Shinwari Hotel is an absolute gem! The food here is delicious, especially the Kabuli Pulao a must-try for anyone visiting. The amenities are excellent, making the whole dining experience comfortable and enjoyable.
Customer service is top notch. A lady and a gentleman served us with such warmth and professionalism, making us feel truly welcomed. Their attention to detail and friendly attitude made our visit even more special.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for great food, a comfortable atmosphere, and exceptional service
Asad bin islam★☆☆☆☆
Nothing about this restaurant i liked .
First the smell, they should use some very good air freshener .
When we entered the restaurant it wasn’t busy at all & there was no one to greet the customer so we had to wait .
Then one employee came & just kept looking at us ,didn’t say Hi/Hello & we wasn’t sure he/she is a customer or a employee so we keep waiting in-front of entrance.
After brief moment we approached & asked for a table
Foods was tasteless. We ordered Naan, Dal gusto, chciken & kabuli pulao
It was the worst kabuli pulao i ever tasted in my london life. just boil rice & boil meat no flavour at all.
Chciken was spiceless sweet thing.
& the plastic straw in mango lassi are so small/narrow i had to use more than one straw together to drink it. I don’tknow why this straw exist.
Only decent thing was here is dal gusto & naan.
And about their dishes either they don’t clean it properly or it’s too old.
Yahia Hamade★★★★★
Delicious food and great atmosphere. Sitting on the floor and breaking bread with loved ones made the experience even more enjoyable and entertaining. Highly recommended!
Majid Khan★★★☆☆
Restsurant is renovated I think recently, new looks with Touch of afghani and modern. Food was average not that great which we were expecting. Kabli pilau is always good, Chaplin kebab is also okay, but lamb Karahi taste was different.
Hassan Saeed★★☆☆☆
CASH ONLY!!!! Food was just about average, I think lacking spice/herbs; daal was weirdly sweet; no tap water available; the boneless chicken korma was actually with bones LOL!! When I asked why it has bones despite the menu saying its boneless, staff said that’s how it is. The most disappointing part of our experience was that it is cash only, despite this Era’s push towards cashless payments a large restaurant like this is still cash only! Seating was nice, naans were nice, staff were also friendly. Would I go here again? Probably not.. rather Al-Hashim on Romford road.
Mak K (Angels mom)★★★★☆
Excellent food, specially chappli kebab. Shinwari special platter was good as well, apart from the basmati rice were a lil hard boiled to chew. Sweet lasi was fine but the salty one was a lil tooo salty . But over all yumlicious food.
But we were very disappointed with the ambience and decor. Last time when i visited shiwari couple of years back. The decor was very nice very traditional and authentic but this time it looked as if it's left to be just a normal place to eat. And no one is bothered about the decor and ambience. As per customers we want to see that peshawari traditional look not just the carpet and floor sitting.
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FAQs
What is the address of Shinwari?
Shinwari is located at 229-231 Cranbrook Road, Cranbrook, Ilford IG1 4TF, United Kingdom
What is the phone number of Shinwari?
You can contact Shinwari at +44 20 8554 2022
How can I get to Shinwari?
You can find directions to Shinwari by following this map link
