Shahbaaz Curry Cottage — Restaurant in Bury

I've previously visited this establishment a number of times and never had a bad meal. I've also had great service in the past. However, tonight was just a disaster on the service front. Admittedly, we were a large table of 13 which can be difficult to navigate and grace is offered in that regard. From the minute we were there, questions we were being asked about why we had spread across a 4 seater table next to our table arrangement of 12. Despite my attempts to explain this, the server looked dreadfully confused that 13 were dining and 1 babyseat required (which there weren't any available). The whole process of ordering drinks and food was frankly disastrous. Receiving the food was equally as much of a nightmare. Firstly, portion sizes have been cut in half, that is no exaggeration. Secondly, numerous people were left without their correct order. Thirdly, a waiter tried to serve a mixed grill without a plate in front of me. He then proceeds to knock over my beer in front of me. He offers me another but doesn't think to bring a towel over so I proceeded to eat my food from a plate sat in a lagoon of lager. One eating my half portioned food which was lacking any flavour, I went to pay my bill separately. The waiter challenged me several times about how many bottles of Corona I had. The answer I gave was 1. The same 1 that had been spilled all over the table. The same 1 that was recorded on the bill yet he was persistent in asking how many I had. I asked him whether he was calling me a liar. He said he was trying to understand. So. I looked at the bartender and asked whether he understood what I meant when I stated I'd had 1 beer. He understood, yet the server still looked puzzled. I was quite frankly offended and used plenty of choice language. I hope this was a bad one off experience. Shahbaaz clearly needs a manager on shift or servers who are able to work in an environment with large tables. The restaurant wasn't even particularly busy as it often is. I dined with a large group at Armaan in Radcliffe on a Friday evening two weeks ago and didn't have a single issue like those raised...

Extremely Disappointing, Overpriced, and Poor Service – Avoid This Place!"

I really wish I had checked the reviews before coming here. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. The waiter, a short, balding man who seemed visibly frustrated, made us feel incredibly uncomfortable. He kept glaring at our table and speaking in his language, creating a tense and unwelcoming atmosphere. To make matters worse, he had a strong, unpleasant smell of sweat, which made the experience even more unpleasant. When I tried to understand what was going on, his colleague casually mentioned that he was in a bad mood and just wanted to go home, even though it was around 8 or 9 PM, and the restaurant stays open until 11 PM with other tables still dining.

The food was overpriced for the quality and portions, and the service was unprofessional and disrespectful. You might feel tempted to give it a chance, but you’ll regret it. Just go somewhere else. I strongly advise checking reviews first, as this place clearly doesn’t care about customer experience. I won’t be returning Also I left a tip of £5 and then decided to take it back as the waiter or God for bid the owner should be sacked as he is...

We have been loyal customers here for over 35 years, but sadly the quality has been declining for a while and tonight was the worst experience yet. The peas in the curry were hard and undercooked, the rice was excessively oily, and the chicken in the masala came in tiny, unappetising slivers. The balti had no real flavour at all. They are cutting every corner possible and the prices keep going up. When I raised this politely and privately with the owner, he responded defensively, making a scene in the restaurant in front of tables and insisting the food was ‘meant to be like that’. He’s a nice man but sorry to say, delusional.

After years of eating here, I can say with certainty that the food quality and standards have slipped dramatically and the response after raising did not come close to addressing the poor quality of the food or the ruined evening which was actually meant to be a special occasion and went back here for nostalgia.

This used to be one of our favourite local spots, but the experience is a real disappointment. Unless there are major improvements, we will sadly not...