Adaab — Restaurant in Zone 1

I recently visited Adaab in Islamabad for an official farewell lunch for a colleague, and I must say, it was one of the most disappointing and unprofessional experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

I had made a reservation for 7-8 people a day prior, confirming it both over a phone call and via WhatsApp, which they acknowledged. I specifically chose the 3 PM time slot to avoid the rush and ensure a smooth experience. On the day of the visit, I messaged them at 2:45 PM to inform them that we were on our way, and they read the message. However, when we arrived at 3:15 PM, we were stopped downstairs and told that there was a "meeting" going on and that we couldn’t go up to the restaurant.

This was shocking, as I was never informed that my booking was canceled or that the restaurant was unavailable. When I called the reservation number, the staff member came downstairs and gave multiple conflicting excuses: first, he said we were late (even though it was only 3:15 PM for a 3 PM booking), then he mentioned that some VIPs were coming, and finally, he said we could come up but had to order quickly and leave by 5 PM.

This behavior was completely unacceptable. I had invited diplomats and colleagues, and it was embarrassing to face such unwelcoming and unprofessional treatment in front of my guests. The staff’s attitude made it clear that they did not want us there, though they refused to disclose the real reason.

When we finally went upstairs, there were no VIPs, no meetings, and it became apparent that the staff might have had their own plans (possibly a private party, as we later saw pizza deliveries coming in). It was shocking to see how the staff prioritized their own agenda over paying customers.

Despite the initial hostility, we sat down and ordered food. I made it clear that we would leave only when we were finished, not because of their arbitrary deadlines. The entire experience ruined what was supposed to be a special farewell lunch. The food, which could have been enjoyable, was overshadowed by the terrible service and behavior of the staff.

I urge the management and owners of Adaab to take serious note of this incident. Instead of investing in influencers and vloggers for publicity, focus on training your staff in basic hospitality and customer service. Such unprofessionalism can severely damage your reputation, as it did for me and my guests.

I will never recommend Adaab to anyone, and this experience has left a lasting negative impression. I hope the owners take immediate action to address these issues and ensure that no other customer has to go through...

Update: they're adding fake reviews to disengage original reviews by original users.

So the other night we decided to goto Adaab resturant. Turned out to be the most horrible experience of our lives :D This is the first review I am writing with laughters. We had ordered "Murgh Makhan Wala Karahi" (which was actually Chicken Ghotala Mix since it couldn't be called Karahi at all!) Turned out to bw the worse Karahi in Islamabad.

The meat was old, tasteless (like chewing a rubber) and all chicken pieces were those which become bubble while chewing. By heavy heart we kept eating the EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE "chicken ghotala" and sadly asked for an extra roti (as we had to Halal our money). The waiter just peeked into my eyes, and ignored me like nothing happened and started taking order from another table. Matalb jani tumne enter hoty wakt Aadab keh dia h aur ham jab andar aa gaye tu koi Aadaab hi nai? Wah! For literally two minutes, we kept watching his face and another waiter had pity on us and said "Jee" (full drama lagaya hua tha pendowon ne) and I had to utter words: "Usne tu bat sunani nai tusi he taras khaa lao, ek roti phara deyo".

In the end, a Chawal waiter tried to snatch away our Green Chatni and we had to say "Bhai abhi kha rhy hen" (he clearly knew it. Wapis fridge mai dalni hogi)

Everything about that place was WORST, from rooftop view to chairs, fake atmosphere, except the words "Aadaab" they utter at entrance! I warn you, don't get into this TRAP or you'll regret :D

اپنے پوتوں بچوں دشمنوں کو بھی یہاں نہیں...

Sadly had a terrible dinner experience. This place is all show but no taste. Took all of my friends here because of all the hype and what I had heard and ended up mighty disappointed.

We ordered 6 items, all of their specials: The Zafrani Chicken Handi, the Mutton Madrasi Handi, the Prawn Tawa Masala, the Palak Paneer and the Khargosh Karahi.

We waited over a hour for the food to get ready - and sadly when it arrived... everything was subpar. There was no taste at all. The chicken handi was just a sweet tasting sauce, the khargosh had no discernable flavor, the prawn masala had no prawns (just masala) and the palak was just some green and bland curry looking thing. It was shocking how utterly tasteless the food was - even a random roadside restaurant has better taste then this fancy desi restaurant.

It was so bad that my friends stopped eating completely halfway because the lack of flavor killed our appetite. We decided to complain to the management and said we would not pay for this food that met much below our expectations. The management obviously didn't care much about the quality of their food but rather wanted us to pay the entire bill. We ended up convincing them to mark it down to 50% and paid it.

But overall the entire experience was just terrible. Avoid this place if you want to enjoy some great tasting Desi food. They don't know how to cook a simple...