Ziryab Executive Buffet — Restaurant in Birmingham

I went on weekend the most busiest time, we had to wait nearly half an hr to be seated; was the two of us.

The variety of the food is huge, very asian Pakistani, from Haleem, halwa purri to bog standard curries. Also a condiment bar, and a salad bar with unlimited drinks. I have to say the food does taste authentic and with huge turnover it's always fresh. There were multiple chefs there attending to own stations. There were some noodle offerings and a place for children, including burgers, fries, and nuggets.Massive array of desserts, and very asian which was impressive; but also individual desserts, ice cream as well some other western looking things. The food was slightly saltier than I would have (supposedly I eat salty) and curries weren't too hot, quite tolerable. They had a large number of staff always making sure the venue was clean and tables being cleared, it was always clean. They had one guy with a head set constant communication with rest of the place, he seemed to he doing a very good job.

The whole time I was there, (nearly 2hrs,) it didn't get any less busy. It was heaving and far from fine dining experience. I don't think it's a classy place to eat or the décor is anything attractive, if anything I found it rather strange. However, if you know what you came for, you won't be disappointed at all. The venue is HUGE.

Who is this place for, food lovers, people who are high, huge group of people with multiple palettes. People who have no mobility issues, you need to be mobile or have someone get you food or you will struggle as the venue is huge. Anyone who was released from incarceration,or has been experiencing institutional food may enjoy this place. This is definitely a place for larger group of males to go, they'd really get their monies worth.

Who ISN'T this for, couples looking for romantic time, light eaters, anorexics, the curry hater, racist, edl, Donald Trump. Maybe if you have young children or babies; be warned you're waiting for a while and not sure about table bookings in advance. Anyone who ate last few hrs, (you really need your appetite to make it through the night.) Anyone with food allergies should avoid like plague and anyone with crowd anxiety. You won't be able to discuss business here should you go with that intention.

The experience was great, would I go again, probably not. It was overwhelming, can't help but over eat and then swear never to eat again!!! Something unsavoury about witnessing high levels of gluttony (including my self),but experiencing once was nice. I have recommended it to people who would really enjoy this place. I'd probably stick to the smaller established buffet eatery I normally attend to avoid the problems one can get with huge numbers and less overwhelming. Also make sure you eat with someone same pace as you, to avoid the situation do I wait or "each man for himself".

If you choose to go, I would say bon appetite, you won't be disappointed if all you want is food. You'll go in starving but leave feeling like you'll never...

Yesterday, my family and I (around 40 people in total) arranged a surprise birthday party for my wife.

I had booked a table online a month earlier and were happy that the table had indeed been booked and prepared in advance which is great to see.

My Mum, sisters and friend arrived earlier to set up the table with balloons and decorations. However, when they got to Ziryab's - they were told than they would not be allowed in until at least 30 out of the 40 people had turned up. This, of course, was not helpful at all and very unrealistic.

Because of this, my friend complained (rather vigorously) to the staff and in the end, they were allowed in - thank God - but Ziryab should not have this rule about waiting for most of the party to attend as it can ruin the element of surprise in some cases.

Once the initial drama was dealt with, the table was indeed set up with balloons and decorations. They were also kind enough to hide my wife's fabulous birthday cake too - which my nieces had made.

The service after this early incident was good.

Once my wife arrived, she got the shock of her life seeing her whole family there - and the Ziryab staff did help to create this surprise by NOT mentioning the other guests when my wife, sons and I actually arrived.

From this point, the food was good especially the chicken drumsticks, keema, noodles, salads and much more.

The desserts were plentiful too with my favourites being: Chocolate Barfi, Patheesa, Rasmalai, Gulaab Jaamun with Ice Cream and the elegant fluffy mousses.

Towards the end of the evening, the massive cake was brought out and my wife had her second surprise of the evening - it was a great evening, maasha Allah.

I would ask Ziryab to reconsider one or two of their entrance and seating policies. I also think that the car park is unbelievably small considering the size of the restaurant.

Apart from that issue at the beginning, we thank Ziryab for a great night and great food as we created some...

This place is the perfect balance for a lovley evening out. I will say this: Im sometimes bothered by certain atmospheres and Im fussy about going out. I don’t like to be left disappointed, and neither do I like overspending.

I took the family out here after a somewhat semi long drive. I thought why not? And Im glad I did. It was INCREDIBLY busy AND we still got a table in good time. Furthermore, queuing for food wasn’t a chore (the queue moved fairly quick even though it was busy).

I was taken back by the variety of food! And to my surprise it was ALL tasty and definitely miles better than other places I have eaten at. I probably at least ate from 70% of the dishes there (guestimate) and it was all cooked with care. It had flavour, the perfect colour, texture and consistancy. The kebabs was crispy on the outside and lush on the inside. The lamb chops were flavourful and tender. (I have eaten at different kebab places to only be disappointed to the point I have stopped eating at such places). If this buffet can get the food standards right across the board, I don’t understand how other curry houses etc (who specialise in certain cuisines) miss the mark. In my honest opinion, Ziryabs level of food is way above average considering the bang for buck you are getting. You can go fine dining elsewhere for double or triple the price to only get sub standard food. (maybe some people enjoy paying for the hype and fancy lights). There is food for both adults and children. And the kids love re filling their fizzy drinks and going multiple rounds on the desserts.

Best bang for buck you will get for a sensible meal out. The staff are pleasant - I had no issues what so ever. Everyone was attended to and felt equal. I do believe the system they have developed at Ziryabs is designed to keep things operating smoothly and effectively. On the plus side, you get to burn a few calories when attending for second rounds. Will I go here again?...