Dem Shish Crawley — Restaurant in Crawley

Went for my husband's birthday meal. Made a reservation and let them know it was a special birthday – but no one acknowledged it at all at any point across the evening. It honestly felt like they hadn’t even read the notes or even properly reserved us a table. We were plonked right next to a large rowdy group of girls who were clearly having a good time and had been drinking a while – no issue with them at all, but I’d asked for a nice table for the occasion. There were definitely more suitable ones available earlier on, but after we arrived they’d been filled – otherwise we would’ve asked to move. It’s a shame they didn’t actually reserve us any table, especially considering the occasion.

Service was fast but felt really rushed. The staff were polite enough, but everything just felt a bit chaotic and like we were being hurried along. Serval waiters/waitresses would approach for the same thing and varying times. They also missed off the salad that was supposed to come with my meal, and by the time I realised, it just didn’t feel worth chasing it up.

The food was tasty, but definitely overpriced for what it was.

One of the main reasons we chose this place was because they advertised live entertainment from 7:30 – it was actually a big part of why we booked. But there was nothing. No explanation, no heads-up, nothing. Just a bit of a let-down.

To top it off, both my husband and I ended up with really bad stomachs afterwards. I hadn’t eaten anything else that day, so I know it was from the food. Not great, especially after spending £70.

Overall, we were both really, really disappointed. It was meant to be a special evening we’d been looking forward to (we don’t often get a night without the kids) and it just completely missed the mark. Really ruined the evening.

Wouldn’t go back. Really...

I visited a few days ago with a group of 10 (9 + a baby). The restaurant was completely empty, but when we arrived, a staff member asked if we had a booking — which felt quite awkward, as if we weren’t welcome despite there being plenty of space.

The food was very average for the price. We ordered two full cold meze starters, but the portions were tiny. There was also a long delay before the mains arrived. While the mains were okay, the service overall was disappointing.

They forgot to bring out my child’s meal, and we ended up waiting a long time for it. Staff barely checked in on us throughout the evening. We brought a birthday cake, and although they brought it out, they didn’t provide a knife, cutlery, or plates — which added to the sense that we weren’t really being looked after.

It honestly felt like they didn’t want us there. I was really disappointed, especially because I’d been before with a friend and had a much better experience. This time, we spent a lot of money but didn’t feel it was worth it — neither the food nor the service lived up to expectations.

Only when it came to paying the bill, the service was better, we did still pay the service charge despite this. We realisef as well that they also offer 20% off Monday-Wednesday. They didn’t even tell us or offer this off the final bill. Sums...

The venue was absolutely freezing inside , most customers including us had a keep our coats on for the entire time, even whilst eating . There was a tiny builders style heater plugged in on the floor , but nowhere near sufficient to heat the entire restaurant. We were a party of 4 and noted the flat breads that came to the table with dips wasn't enough for 4 people ! ( More than 2 tiny slices each would be better ) . Although it was very tasty. The meals themselves were of good quality , but at these prices they need to be elevated to next level . The children's menu dish of chicken Kofta again was very nice , but it was pretty much the same portion size as the 3 other adult meals . Which left me very annoyed as the kids meals were half the price of an adult meal. This venue has the potential to be so much better , it left us Very underwhelmed to the point where we won't be returning.

One last point which won't effect everyone but did for us , was no step free access for a wheelchair user . We had to leave ours in the car and navigate the steep step and incredibly slippery surface by...