Banu Restaurant — Restaurant in Bahrain Island

Some very tasty dishes, especially fesanjoon, jujeh kebab boneless, ash restah (soup). However, portion sizes have shrunk quite a lot with some items more than others e.g., ash reshtah. For the prices, previously, the large portion sizes made the higher than average price tag worth it; now no. I am not the only customer to observe this. My colleague Dr. Hasan used to go to Banu with his wife and they had been able to split a single order of the mixed grill between them; the last time they ordered, when the food came out, they were shocked at how much the portion size had shrunk. Sorry to say but this type of price-quantity manipulation is unethical; better to keep quantity the same and raise the prices posting the menu with current prices on the website. If customers can afford it, they can go but others may just want to bow out. Frankly, Banu's owner became stingy and just wants to cash in on the hapless customer thinking that the latter is too non-observant to notice substantial dimunitions in portion sizes. Moreover, I deliberately ordered two portions of ash reshtah with one extra bowl as, I had thought the portion sizes would have been large as they used to be; I wanted the full large portion but my two senior colleagues just half-portions; what did we get? Three portions of equal amounts. Just went apoplectic. Harold the waiter simply could not understand the instruction; apparently, special orders do not upset him - he just does not understand them. Then that busboy brings out the mirza qassimi I ordered and I tell him two feet in front of him, "serve here;" and he obtusely holds the tray standing idly not knowing what to do despite my exhortations until the waiter, about two minutes later, instructs him. Meanwhile, we are hungry looking at our order being held back for no cogent reason. Service at Banu is like the old Brit sitcom "Faulty Towers" but with frustration rather than comic relief. Since the redesign of the interior, Banu is more comfortable to visit but my personal inclination to go back is minimal. I do recommend Banu for fesanjoon; it is much better there than, for instance, the at Takht Jamsheed. However, from a previous, pre-renovation visit, I found the lamb shank bagelo polo bamahachi to be better at Takht Jamsheed and Safa's Magic Kitchen...

Delicious and well prepared food, and great decor. Whilst I would love to give 5 stars, unfortunately I cannot, due to the very basic issue of menus at this restaurant.

Wherever you are it the world, when you go to a proper sit down restaurant, the first thing you are presented with is a physical menu, that is a universal experience and expectation and it is how things have been done for hundreds of years. There is nothing wrong with this whatsoever, and as the saying goes “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it”.

However, for some reason, this restaurant does not have physical menus and we were presented with an electronic tablet or advised to scan a QR code, when we asked for a real menu, they said they don’t have them. Trying to navigate a digital menu on a tablet or phone is not an easy or enjoyable experience. It is hard to understand the dishes and to look at things together, it is much easier with a physical menu out in front of you to. This “digital menu” is also not appropriate for elderly people or those not accustomed to having to use digital devices. I know my grandparents would not be able to understand or deal with this at all, and if physical menus would not be provided to them, would be unable to dine at this restaurant. It makes the restaurant come across quite lazy that they can’t do something as simple as print real menus and instead delegate this task to the customer to scan something and look it up. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for any restaurant not to have physical menus and it is a very bad first impression to be told to scan something or to be handed a tablet. It is a shame because the food here really was fantastic and I would absolutely give 5 stars if they could...

I’m still trying to comprehend this terrible experience that left my whole family in shock on what we all agreed on is the worst restaurant we have been too! Extremely terrible, overpriced , the TERRIBLE service (They don’t have a manger just a “supervisor”Lol) … first of all, we ordered kebab which was “little salty”, and the rice is horrible , HORRIBLE ! Very HORRIBLE … that not the worst thing … they gave us 1 piece of bread for 4 people ( complementary lol) and said u want more pay! , then they gave us the Shabzi which I think is the worst shabzi is the world … it’s like a Niagara Falls of salt in it .. all my family members tasted it and said they might have dropped a cup of salt by mistake …. And the chicken was stone cold like a rock or brick that has been left in a frizzer… they took the food made new shabzi and reheated the chicken…. However shaibzi was SALTER than the first time … literally it’s like a spit in our faces , and the chicken was STILL cold from the inside although we told them to heat it… later we told them we can’t even eat that salty shabzi cuz I’m sure we will all have high blood pressure after we eat a spoon out of this so called shabzi … they gave us hani or handi (the owner) she stared arguing with us saying it’s the same recipe blah blah … then after 30 min of us making a scene she agreed to refund “the shabzi” that we didn’t touch …. I never comment on posts but this resturant is what I don’t want to eat in hell !

( Edit after post) Comment of the aya she/he put

( قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍۢ يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًى ۗ وَٱللَّهُ...