The Silver Oak — Restaurant in County Westmeath

My friend and I spent a day in this lovely little town called Athlone. A great day between drizzles and a wonderful night at Sean and Kelly’s AirBnB - do you know it? This room is absolutely delightful - and we were wondering how finish such a perfect day like this, when Sean came to our rescue: “why wouldn’t you try this awesome Indian restaurant, The Silver Oak! Food is fantastic, I highly recommend 😌”. And that’s what we did!!! And honestly, I can’t understand people who gave less than 5 stars in this review section: the staff were so friendly, the food was piping hot and just after 30 minutes only, our food was ready to be collected so we could enjoy it fully in the most lovely AirBnB in Athlone. I hope there’s no character limit because I don’t think I could stop sharing my love about the succulent food we ate last night 🤩🤩🤩🤩 We ordered veggies chana Masala and biryani, both absolutely delicious and spicy 🥵 Popadoms and naan bread tasted awesome too with the free sauce the restaurant gave us 🤤 two veggies samosas were there to perfectly finish this exceptional meal!!! My spice-sensitive friends, be careful: this food will make your mouth and your throat burn like never before 🔥🔥🔥 but so good that you won’t be able to stop eating it 😆🤤 My friend and I highly recommend it and, Silver Oak, be sure to see us again next time we’ll stop...

DON'T TRY THIS RESTAURANT EVER. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

We had a terrible experience at the restaurant. The waiter was disrespectful and served us extremely spicy dishes that could seriously harm someone. I am not joking; the spice was dangerously high. This wasn't the first time we faced this problem at the restaurant. We gave it another try to see if we made a mistake with our order the last time, but the experience was the same. The waiter insisted we try their chili chicken, claiming it was their best dish, but please don't listen to him. We asked the waiter about the spice level this time, and he said it was suitable for Irish people, meaning it wouldn't be too spicy. However, as soon as we tasted the food, it made us sweat and brought tears to our eyes. We had to ask for yogurt because everyone's eyes were watery and our faces turned red. The waiter even laughed at us. It was a horrible experience, and we believe this restaurant should be shut down because their food could seriously make someone sick. We left all the main dishes - chicken kolhapuri, chicken vindaloo, and chana masala - and still paid the full price. We were so hungry, but we couldn't eat the food there. We strongly advise against going to...

During one visit, the lady at the reception and the tall man serving us were very accommodating. However, the ambience was extremely dated. The dim lighting didn't help either.

Also except for that one odd visit, the same recipes which were consistently great when I used to order deliveries during the pandemic, have significantly degraded to the point that its not worth getting food delivered anymore. Sometimes food is not cooked well and there's always a layer of grease on top which shouldn't happen with skillfully made food.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many other alternatives for Indian delicacies in Athlone, you will be better off saving the craving until a visit to Dublin or one of the...