Kerala Cafe — Restaurant in Coventry

Given other replies on google by the owner, I am already expecting the owner to reply with a disingenuous apology and denial of what I said, finding excuses for his lack of customer service.

We visited Kerala Cafe initially being really excited to try good ethnic food. We ordered at the counter and asked for directions from the owner on his recommendations. He directed us towards "combo meals", leading us to order the parota chicken 65 and parota beef roast. As we were unsure on what to go for, liking the sound of multiple things, he told us that the combo might be a good mix for us.

We waited 1 hour for our order to arrive. We asked staff twice for updates and we kept being told that it was really busy and they were experiencing delays. Truth is, there was only a few customers and some that came much later than us, received their order quicker and even left by the time we received our food. We patiently waited for a while, while the mango lassi's arrived early along with the karak chais. We expressed that we wanted the karak chais as the last drink and the mango lassi to accompany food. Both our requests were totally ignored, along with the karak chai being very bitter - which may be how some like it, however, waiters never bothered to ask if we wanted sugar. We had to get up and look for a waiter asking for sugar, after a bit they brought 2 sugars - which were still not enough to tackle how bitter the chai was.

When the food finally arrived, we were absolutely appaled. Having had no breakfast, and having waited 1 hour to receive my order, I genuinely felt like crying seeing 2 parotas with 3 small chicken breast pieces. I want to clarify, I mean 3 little chicken cubes - like the bits you put in pasta. Honestly, even writing it sounds surreal because it genuinely felt like it was a joke and that the next pieces will be arriving soon as in additional bowl after giving us the plate for presentation. I thought this because the menu had no description, that's why I had to ask the owner for clarification on the dishes in the first place. The combo meals - he made them sound like multiple dishes in one as he suggested it after seeing us wanting to try more things. He told us we would enjoy it if we like to try different things (which didn't make sense after seeing the food).

The parota beef roast was not really a roast, more like a beef curry, and that was nice and with substantial more amount in portion. We were incredibly confused at the stark difference in the two meals - both part of the combo section. We immediately complained to a waiter and the owner came to address the situation. His responses were shocking and very rude, trying to gaslight us into believing that 3 chicken pieces are a good amount and that "everyone else is happy with the amount". I looked at him with disbelief and watched him argue into trying to be right, instead of trying to make the issue right, showing that he was unwilling to take any feedback and I felt as though his ego was hurt by anyone mentioning any flaw with the food - a very odd reaction I've never experienced by any other restaurant/cafe in my lifetime. At last, he reluctantly agreed to change the parota chicken 65 into a parota beef "roast" meal, the same as our other order, since I was adamant on the fact that 3 little chicken pieces were only a good portion for a toddler. Ironically, when this the replacement dish came, it came within 10 minutes and we were really confused as that same dish took 1 hour previously. That will remain a mystery to me, however, I was genuinely scared that given the reaction I got from the owner, the food was meddled with out of spite.

This was the worst experience I've ever had with a service provider, let alone a restaurant. I did leave feeling quite upset that I had to argue with the owner to get a proper meal and that I had him trying to gaslight me after having waited for so long to get food. I will never forget getting treated in such a way by a fellow south asian, whom I went to initially to try an support...

We recently visited Kerala Cafe in Coventry, and it was quite the unforgettable experience. Upon arrival, the place was not crowded, with a few customers were waiting for their orders. We quickly learned that we needed to place and pay for our order first, which was fine. We ordered 3 Ambur Mutton Biryani, a Kappa Meen combo, and Appam with beef roast.

After placing our order, we noticed that others who arrived before us were still waiting for their food. Little did we know, this was a sign of things to come. We waited... and waited... and waited. After 30 minutes, our patience started wearing thin. After 45 minutes, we were tempted to ask about our order but decided to wait a bit longer.

Exactly one hour later, someone finally brought out one biryani and left it on our table without a word. We optimistically thought the rest would follow shortly. Five minutes later, the second biryani arrived, and another five minutes after that, the third one. Our remaining orders trickled in slowly after that.

It seems they prepare each biryani one at a time. This theory was confirmed by the vastly different tastes: one was bland, one was salty, and one had a sour taste. It's impressive how they managed such inconsistency! The biryani we bachelors cook at home without any experience is far superior to this.

The only redeeming dish was the beef roast, which was actually good. The prices are affordable, but they clearly don’t value their customers' time. This experience wasn't unique to us; our friends confirmed similar issues. We don't prefer to go there again, also we don't recommend dining in there. won't be returning unless they make some serious improvements.

I've noticed many negative reviews where the restaurant's response is to ask why customers didn't discuss the matter with staff during their visit. In our case, we did give feedback before leaving, and it's important to note that our intention is not to harm the business but to encourage improvement. However, despite multiple reviews and responses from the restaurant, it seems no improvements...

Our 3rd visit and most definitely our last which is disappointing. The sad thing is, the food is great…..when you finally get it. The service and the speed of delivery is terrible. If you want to eat on Saturday, order on Friday. The worse thing is, there is no accountability by the owners. We arrived when it was fairly quiet on a Saturday evening. When I ordered, I specified what was starters and what was main meal. We waited for a hour to get the first dish which was the dosa. We thought the pani puri and the momo’s would also follow. They never came. However we got 1 of the main meals. Again we waited for the rest. In the meantime all 4 of us asked for our drinks, again this took ages to come to us. So, out of 3 starters we got 1. Out of 3 main meals we got 2. Other than sharing with family, I did not eat. I mentioned this to the man behind the till who I think is the owner. He did nothing to address the situation. He finally brought one of the starters after 1 and half hours of waiting. This was the pani puri which was terrible. No filling just a very spicy water in soggy puri. In the end I got my refund for the 2 dishes we never received. The food is hit and miss. It is VERY spicy no matter how much they say it’s not. Be aware of this. This place has no consideration for dine in customers. They keep everyone waiting no matter what time you arrive. They need more people in the kitchen and at certain point, stop taking takeaway orders to concentrate on dine in. I give 3 stars for food because when you do eventually get it, it’s not bad. Incredibly spicy for no reason. No stars for service because it’s terrible and non existent. 3 stars for atmosphere only because the wait is so long you end up talking to other diners and to each other. Overall 2 stars because the whole experience made me so angry. As I said, we will not...