Shama — Restaurant in Bradford

One of the Worst Dining Experiences in Bradford – Avoid at All Costs

I recently ordered from Shama Restaurant in Bradford, and to say the experience was disappointing would be a massive understatement. I specifically requested all three of my curry dishes — Garlic Chilli Chicken, Chicken Karahi, and Chicken Tikka Masala — to be made Asian style spicy. What I received was the opposite: bland, generic slop that tasted almost identical across all three dishes. There was no depth, no spice, no character — just a weak attempt at curry that insulted the idea of South Asian cooking.

To make matters worse, I ordered a Mix Starter for 2 and asked beforehand whether everything was made fresh. I was assured it was — a blatant lie. The fish pakora tasted off, the shami kebab was clearly old and stale, and the chicken pieces were dry and likely reheated. Only the sheek kebab was passable, but even that seemed like something you could pick up frozen from a cash-and-carry and microwave at home.

To top it all off, the person handling the order tried to charge me full price despite the restaurant clearly advertising 20% off for collection. If I had gone in myself instead of sending my partner, I’d have walked straight out on principle. Dishonesty over a basic discount is not just bad business — it shows a complete lack of respect for the customer.

Overall, the entire experience left a sour taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively. Between the poor food quality, misleading assurances, and shady billing practices, I would strongly advise everyone to STAY AWAY from this place. Bradford has plenty of authentic and trustworthy restaurants — this isn't...

As you can see on my other reviews i travel around and give good reviews on ones i enjoyed this is by far the worst tasting one. When i complained, which im not a complainer at all, but the papadoms were the only things made right. The chutney tray is tastless and watery, the starters had no taste and the mains were so bland that plain rice i make at home had more taste and the rice they gave was smelling and was off for sure and the nan was not made properly the outer bit was done but the inside was still soft like fresh dough. When i complained the waiter admits its bland and tries to tell me thats how his customers like it because they are white. Im a chef myself and i told him if we treat people like that its a bad name for all our chefs he goes you other like or you dont thats how it is. I even complained quietly so other customers do not hear but he was arrogant and as for the chef,...

Called in on the off chance for a meal. We were not local so had no idea about the restaurant. The place was quiet, but we were given a friendly welcome by the waiter and shown to a table. The first thing we realised was that it did not serve alcohol, but that didn’t really matter to us. We ordered a tray of Popadoms and chutney’s, and two curries and rice. The food arrived in good time and was delicious! I ordered the Chicken Tikka Rogan Josh with Pilau rice, this was so tasty and full of spices, not hot and bland like you can sometimes get, the taste was fantastic. My wife ordered the Chicken and Paneer curry, again with pilau rice, and this too was very tasty. Overall this...