Varanasi — Restaurant in Birmingham

We visited Varanasi Leicester as a family of 9 on a Saturday for a celebration! The restaurant is simply gorgeous and nothing we’d ever seen before in Leicester. A beautiful atmosphere and ambience.

Whilst the food was distinctively average (also barely any vegetarian options) and certainly not what we’d expect from a fine dining restaurant, what really let them down was their poor customer service. The worst I’ve ever received in a fine dining restaurant.

Everything felt like we were asking for too much – from simply asking for water, to ordering a cocktail, to asking for advice on the menu. Anything we asked for was not met with a smile and took on average around 5 times of us asking and over 30 mins for anything to actually arrive on our table.

To begin with, when ordering poppadoms, we asked for 5 baskets, but instead were given and charged for 6. When asking for tap water, we were given a bottle of water (which the waitress could not open!) A member of our group was asked to open the bottle for her… Instead, we sent the bottle back and again asked for tap water with no ice. 15 minutes later, tap water with ice arrived. We again asked for tap water but with no ice. They did eventually bring this, but it was simply placed on our table and not served to us. Not what you’d expect from a fine dining restaurant!

When it came to ordering drinks, we had to ask 3 people to order the drinks (it was not clear who was a waiter/waitress and who was simply serving/collecting dishes). We waited for over 30 mins for 6 drinks to arrive. The final 3 arrives another 20 mins after. As a group of 9 out for a celebration, we would have liked all drinks to arrive at the same or at least a similar time, so that we could take the time to toast together!

We were then told the ‘last 3 items from page 2 of the menu weren’t available’. I am not sure why the waiter didn’t take the time to show us and tell us the names of each item. It just left us confused.

We were then forced into order starters and mains together by an extremely arrogant waiter. I’ve been to many fine dining restaurants, and never have I been forced into order both starters and mains together. When we asked about portion sizes, the waiter made it seems like what we were asking was too much trouble and we felt like an inconvenience for even asking. At this point, I had to remind the arrogant waiter we were in fact still waiting for our drinks to arrive. No apology, we were just met with attitude.

The toilets were freezing cold and the doors do not shut. This resulted in a member of our group having someone walk in on them whilst they were on the toilet.

To finish off, we had to ask 5 times just to get the bill. 5-star decor and ££££ pricing, but 1 star service. The only service we got was them putting a napkin on our laps and providing us with a hot towel after our meal.

We understand that restaurants in its first few weeks are bound to have teething issues, but the service we received was unacceptable! What a let down Varanasi! We will not...

Wow.The venu exudes class and luxury and has a decor like no other restaraunt. Definitely not what I was expecting when I went through the doors as I had not done any prior research before deciding to dine here. Didnt start well as I called to enquire what type of Indian cuisine was being served or where the chefs were from. I was constantly told 'indian' much like the sketch from goodness gracious me. Was promised a call back that never happened. Coincidently I walked past to see if questions could be answered but they couldn't by front desk. Ray was called upon by friendly security at front door. He answered my questions and invited to come and have a look. I didn't step out until 2 hrs later for what was a great dining experience. Outstanding service that comes a a dear cost. Mix grill.....chicken outstanding 10/10,kebab was midocre 6/10, lamb chop brilliant. Good quality produce and great flavour.9/10. Paapadi chaat was way too thick and lacked the layers of flavour you would expect. Was like it was made with hung yoghurt. 5/10. Biryani was excellent and the sauce/curry along side was good too nit there is any need for it. 9/10 stingy raita pportio.needed 2. We was plied with water and naan bread which obviously totts up the bill. The water was unnecessary. Desserts we're terrible. Chocolate fondant was okay. Nothing amazing and the pannacotta was so boring and lacked flavour. Couldn't taste coconut.Needs to deliver more given the ambience,the service and the high prices of the menu and service charges. Did have a nice touch as we had an extra little dessert that woukd thoughtful and cute and mad you feel special for a moment until you start noticing that every couple around you is getting the same thing.lol I came again a week later however was surprised with dining requirements as you had to order a minimum number of starters and mains per guest. This was a little embarrassing as I had guests from abroad and I had ordered the maharaja mix grill to start but I was quickly made aware that this would not suffice. I had planned to dine and order more but not to the level that was expected as we just wasn't that hungry. Think it was 2 starts and 2 main expectation per person. The whole idea is a little strange as I have never encountered this before. We walked out. Despite this yes I would come again. The restaurant and ray left a positive long lasting impression. The restaraunt ambience and decor is a winner and sets you aside from others and into an elite league. However you do need to work on those kebabs, the tiny portion sizes in the mix grill and the desserts. Thankyou for...

We visited Varanasi to celebrate our anniversary with our kids, and while the ambience was splendid, the overall experience left much to be desired.

Ambience: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The restaurant is housed in a stunning three-story building with elegant decor that sets a wonderful atmosphere for any special occasion.

Food: 🌟🌟🌟 The food was decent, but it did not live up to the high price tag. We've had better meals at a fraction of the cost, making it feel a bit overpriced for the quality offered.

The drinks were ok, nothing fancy.

Service: 🌟🌟 This is where the experience fell short. We requested to order our starter and main course separately, which was denied, and we had to place both orders together. Despite our request for separate serving times, the main course was brought to our table just 10 minutes after the starters arrived. This left us juggling plates on a table too small to accommodate everything comfortably.

When we asked for the main course to be brought back later, we were told it would get cold. As a result, we had to quickly finish our starters and clear the plates to make space for the main course, which dampened our dining experience.

It was Monday evening so there weren't many guests, or staff under pressure.

I also had a special request on my booking and they never acknowledged it or even asked what occasion it was that we were there for.

Overall: 🌟🌟 While the decor and ambience are exceptional, the service and food quality do not justify the high prices. Unfortunately, the service did not match the fine dining standards we anticipated, leaving us somewhat disappointed on what was meant to be a...