Aagrah Shipley — Restaurant in Bradford

Save Yourself The Money and Heartache Go Elsewhere You'll Thank Me Later. See All 1 Star Reviews!

Where do I start. I last visited over 10 or so years ago and it was a little gem of a place. We used to have our work meals here too, it was that good.

Before I go on, it would be good for you to know that myself and my partner are both South Asian, but he loves the cuisine, whereas I know the cuisine very well, but it's so so for me. What I am trying to say is that we know what we are talking about, but I don't really hold super high expectations when it comes to curries etc. Therefore, I'm not as critical as my partner would be if he was writing the review (lucky for them), but I have to be honest.

I'm going to work backwards here, and start with my conclusion and recommendation based on my experience, and then the rationale... sit tight guys.

I'm going to be fair and not write off all of our positive experiences with the other Aagrah branches, and would recommend people in this locality make an extra 15 minute trip and go to their Aagrah Midpoint (Thornbury/Pudsey) branch. I could recommend other better restaurants altogether, however, I'm giving credit where due to the other branches, and would recommend that you avoid your disappointment by coming here, and go straight to the Midpoint branch. This place has gone completely downhill unfortunately.

Moving on to the rationale. This has honestly, and I'm so sorry to say, been the worst experience I have had of a curry restaurant, never mind the fact they call it a buffet, as I can count the starters on one hand and the mains on 2. The variety was almost non existent compared to any other South Asian buffet, especially compared to their own Midpoint branch, which is worlds apart. I was honestly so upset and so hungry by the time I left here, which to be fair wasn't very long, as there was barely any choice available, and what there was just really was not up to par. I can tell they're not that busy as it wasn't busy when we attended, but you could taste, smell and feel the texture of some of the foods that had been reheated from the day/s before, it's just not on, but I'm not surprised it's quiet.

I quietly and respectfully asked one of the waiters if this is how it is on a daily basis, as on a Sunday they advertise the buffet and Carvery, but there's barely any food present (the carvery being just some red meat and gravy), and what is here is either older than it should be, or not up to a decent standard that it could be called a proper curry. Credit to the waiter, he listened to what I said and took on the constructive feedback and said he would share this with the Manager. He also confirmed that this is the amount of food that is on offer daily, which was a bit disheartening, as I was hoping it was just an off day where the main chef had called in sick or something along those lines.

When I got to the till, I was met by a very hostile Manager. Clearly our constructive feedback had reached him, and he did not take it well at all. He literally smacked a piece of paper down with our bill total on it.

Ordinarily the cost is £19.95 per person, but in October they have 20% off, making it just under £16 per person. Well, he tried to charge us full price, as well as £7.95 for a small jug of coke. The receipt said the jug of coke is £5, but he had overridden this to £7.95. To be fair, I was expecting £6.50 as this is what was said to us, and although the receipt said £5, I had to be honest and say I know it's not £5, but £6.50 is what we expected. Once again he rudely spoke and said no it's £7.95 because he says so. Okay, that's fine, but it makes it more expensive than a jug of Mango Lassi, which is crazy, if you know, you know.

Honestly, even with 20% off, you get nothing authentic and the range is non existent. Go to the Midpoint, which by the way is £17.95 full price (a bargain I think for their range), but it's the quality and authenticity of the food that makes it out of this world compared to this branch. Alternatively, give it a miss altogether....

Utterly disappointing, I had come with my family to celebrate my 18th birthday but instead of celebrating it felt like I was mourning. Where do I start? First let's talk about the fact that the dishes were not washed properly, dripping with water yet somehow still dirty. For the flagship restaurant, its branch makes this one look like a fan made aagrah. The glasses had lipstick stains on them, the plates had dried bits of food stuck to them and the buffet itself was mostly empty and half the stuff that was advertised on their tiktok page was not there (lamb chops, roast chicken, gulab jamun etc) and the food that was there was very cold and disappointing. I have been coming to Aagrah's branch for years with my family and today when we decided to come to the flagship show it has put us off for a long time. The drinks were all flat, it was as if they mixed food colouring in water. Here's a question for you: why are you selling ice cream when the spoons are more dirtier than a gutter? I had to have ice cream with a fork, or at least 2 drops of some.

The manager himself was extremely unprofessional, he kept telling us to stop repeating ourselves when we complained and gave us a 10% discount when we didn't even have 10% of food to eat. £60 worth of invisible food we had to pay for, thanks a lot for that. If you are coming here with your family or taking your friends out for a meal, please make a U-turn and instead go to the midpoint Aagrah. Today there was a £12 offer on today and the manager had let 600 people dine in today. It should be the staff's duty to ensure that there is food available at all times at the right temperature, so I'm not sure what the kitchen staff were doing. Overall, if you want to go for a nice meal out, this is not the place. Please improve or just shut down, and also fix your attitude.

Also, I've just called the midpoint Aagrah (the better one) and they have said that they are no longer with the flagship aagrah, so this is also misleading and either one of them should change their names or this one should shut down. Not happy at ALL, worst 18th birthday meal...

Disappointing Experience at Agra Shipley (BB18 3HN)

I’d like to share my experience at Agra Shipley. After seeing a lot of hype on TikTok and social media about their half-price offer on Mondays and Tuesdays, we decided to give it a try. We live about an hour and a half away, so we made sure to call ahead and book a table to avoid any disappointment. The weather was terrible with heavy snow, but we were still excited to go.

When we called, the staff confirmed our reservation, explained the pricing, and assured us everything was fine. However, when we arrived, they denied having our booking and told us we’d have to wait at least an hour. Despite showing proof of our call and arguing with the staff, they insisted it wasn’t their fault.

After waiting for a long time and feeling extremely frustrated and embarrassed, they finally offered us a table upstairs. However, the experience only got worse from there. • Food Quality: The food was almost finished. There were no starters left at all except some pizza and chips. The main dishes, such as the lamb curry, were not being refilled. The food that was available was oily and tasted awful. • Service: The staff were unhelpful and inattentive. Plates were dirty, there were no spoons, no tissues, and not enough clean plates. Desserts were completely unavailable. • Overall Atmosphere: The entire experience felt chaotic and poorly managed.

If you’re considering visiting Agra Shipley, think twice, especially if you’re traveling from far away. I’ve been to much better places, like Lenica in Halifax, which offers far superior service and food quality. Agra Shipley was a huge disappointment, and I regret going.

Save yourself the time, money, and frustration—avoid...