Royal shinwari — Restaurant in Birmingham

Visited this restaurant after seeing the great Google reviews. However, my experience was far from a pleasant one. We called ahead and booked a table for 2 in the private area. We arrived as stated at 6.30 and were seated. No one came to give a menu. So we had to get one ourselves and went up to the counter to order. Within 5 mins of arriving, we had placed our order of chapli kebabs meal, chips and a chicken charsi karahi, can of pepsi and a bottle of water. After 15 mins of waiting, no drinks had arrived, so we requested the water. The waiter acknowledged our requested and some 10 more minutes passed and still no water. We called over the water again and requested the water and some salad as the wait for food was getting ridiculous, the water and salad was then promptly bought over. However, the dirty waiter had the cheek to bring over a open bottle that was half full. What a disgrace. Tbh should of walked out at that point but instead asked for a full bottle which was finally provided. Then after some time we asked how much longer to wait for the food and was told another 10 mins. What an absolute shambles, can't even serve up 3 kebabs and a nan in over half an hour! Joke is I could make the mixture from scratch and have them cooked myself at home within that time. So, they had set the precedent, my expectations hit the roof... food better be amazing to make people wait so long. 7.10 the kebabs finally came out. I was so hungry, I wolfed it down. They was ok but also disappointing as they don't beat the ones I make at home, nor the ones I have eaten in other Afghan restaurants. 40 mins wait for a few medicore kebabs is completely unacceptable. What is even more pathetic is the time it took to bring out the karahi. Again, we had to enquire as to where the hell is the damn food. The guy behind the counter gave the impression they had forgotten about the karahi. It was 7.25 when it was finally served. In all honesty, the karahi was ruined. Chicken was overcooked and the taste was bland. We had ordered a medium spicy karahi and there was zero spice. Had to use the green chutney dip which is nice to taste it up. Food and ambience were completely ruined by the poor service and wait.

To the owners, you have the most appalling service, no hospitality, no good manners and a pathetic long wait for a few kebabs and a chef that cant remember to cook a curry. Will never return and I advise all to seek a better establishment and service elsewhere. Worse still, the place wasn't even busy....

We visited a Thursday evening. The restaurant had a steady regular flow of diners. This was our first visit and we are so glad we found this gem of a restaurant in Bham. We ordered the lamb tikka skewers, chicken, chapli kebaab with family naan and fries. Karahi chicken and lamb (charsi masala spicy level hot). Qiraat was fantastic and had excellent customer service etiquettes. She knew the menu well and suggested dishes to our liking finding out what we wanted and liked. The restaurant was clean, service pace good. Food was fresh. Oil was very clean so fries tasted clean, crisp and delicious. We ordered another portion! The chappal kebaab were unbelievably good. No black dirty oil, no excessive onions in kebaab. No fatty smelly mince meat in kebaab. The spices and ratio of meat to tomatoes made the most authentic delicious chappal kebaabs. The chicken tikka was nice, not a show stopper but cooked well and good for kids. Similar to Lebanese shish taouk with a little paprika, chillli seasoning. The lamb Charsi skewers were juicy and tasty. If you like sizzling juicy fat cube bbq you will enjoy and appreciate the quality. The karahi portions were generous and extremely delicious. You could taste the fried coarse black pepper and ginger fried with the meats and cooked in delicious tomatoes and spices. Royal Shinwari keep it simple, they keep to traditional recipes without all the extra packet mixes. You can taste all the authentic flavours and cooking flavours coming through because of authentic cooking techniques . This place doesn’t need to use any colouring or over powering spice mixes to make flavour happen. Hats off to the chef, they really know how to cook an explosive meal without all the hidden tricks, colours and unnecessary spices. We will be back again soon....

Dear Manager,

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out again to request a refund for the food we paid for but never received during our visit. This matter has been ongoing for nearly two months, and despite multiple follow-ups, it has not been resolved.

To recap the situation: • During our visit, we ordered food to take home in addition to having dinner at your establishment. • While leaving, we were handed only the leftover food from our meal, which led us to believe it included the order we placed for home. • Upon reaching home, we discovered that the takeaway order we paid for was missing.

We have reached out numerous times, but each time, we were told that the matter would be escalated to management. Unfortunately, no resolution or refund has been provided. This has been very disappointing, especially given the impact it had on our family when we returned home late at night.

I kindly request that this issue be resolved within seven days. If the refund is not processed within this time frame, I will have no choice but to take further action, including: Leaving six more honest reviews about the poor service and lack of accountability, as three of us experienced the issue at the restaurant, while four others waited at home for the food that never arrived.

Reporting this matter to relevant authorities or consumer protection agencies.

I urge you to address this issue promptly to avoid unnecessary conflict. I believe resolving this amicably would be in everyone’s best interest.

Please let me know how you plan to proceed. I look forward to hearing from you...