City Spice - Voted Best Indian Restaurant on Brick Lane — Restaurant in London

Do not come here if you have an allergy, they are CLUELESS. Me and my girlfriend came here the other day, as we came in we asked if anything on their vegan menu was gluten free, the owner said it was all gluten free minus the breaded items. So when they have the menu I asked about the vegan “chicken” substitute and if that was definitely gluten free, he then said he wasn’t sure and it was the first time anyone had asked him. I asked if he could check, he said he was “too busy” - sorry, but what owner, manager or any worker is too busy to check if something has a harmful ingredient? It wasn’t even busy, there’s about 7-8 tables in the place and all had people sat eating, we’d just come in. We noticed that the vegan chicken they use is a brand called Tindle, so I googled it and noticed it’s NOT gluten free. So we ordered a couple of the dishes that just consisted of vegetables. Both AWFUL, literally zero flavour, I’ve been to many south Asian restaurants and this is by far the worst food I’ve ever had. The quality of it was far from even being supermarket-bought packeted food! Like many others have said on these reviews, they HATE being told their food is anything but amazing … I initially had one waiter ask how it was, I said “not great and no flavour” and he proceeded to answer me back and then walk away when I was still giving feedback. The waiter at the end also asked me, I gave him my honest opinion, told him how we were told the whole menu was gluten free bar the bread, even he didn’t know what gluten was when I asked him, he just kept saying it’ll be better next time I come - how will it be better? You going to change the ingredients? Of course not! Then the owner came over and I explained how it was disappointing he didn’t even know what gluten was, as a restaurant owner or manager or even a worker, you should educate yourself for a few minutes to know what the most common allergens are. He also didn’t want to hear anything negative about the quality or taste of the food when I gave my opinion, he just shut me down and ignored me. Waiters would also just chuck your plates on the table like you’re nothing. Worst service ever. Reading reviews now I notice there was also someone else who has warned anyone with an allergy, so quite evidently there is very consistent issues and lack of willingness to change in this restaurant from the owner to the waiters. AVOID...

I booked City Spice as our group wanted to try an authentic Indian meal on Brick Lane and this was recommended as ‘Voted Best of Brick Lane’, which we were excited to try.

When we arrived initially I explained we had a booking. We were told to wait inside, which we duly did, until another employee abruptly told us to wait outside. No one asked us our reservation details, and it was clearly the case that they were depending on table turnover to seat us, as opposed to having a functioning booking system.

We were eventually seated, and ordered our food, which we were very much looking forward to.

Our much-anticipated food took about an hour to arrive. During this time we were offered no apologies for the delay. The table beside us was served far faster than we were, with multiple dishes, and no explanation for the delay to our own meal was offered. We did bring our own drinks and this was accommodated which we appreciated.

Upon tasting the food, it was very much a mixed experience for all our group, ranging from mediocre to average across the various dishes ordered. Our group have had much better food and far better service in other Indian restaurants elsewhere.

Once we had finished the meal we had waited an hour for, our table was cleared with indecent haste, the bill was put on the table, and we were told they needed the table back for other customers. Again, it was very clear the focus is on table turnover in City Spice and not the dining or service experience for paying customers.

The whole experience was disappointing in every aspect and borderline rude from start to finish. I cannot recommend this restaurant in terms of ambience, food or service, and none of our group will...

Absolutely Horrifying Experience – Avoid at All Costs

We went to this restaurant with high expectations after hearing glowing reviews, only to be served one of the worst meals we’ve had in London—or anywhere, for that matter. We ordered biryani and were shocked to find something that tasted more like fried poha than anything remotely resembling actual biryani. The chicken pieces were so tough and rubbery, they were barely chewable—clearly stale, and likely reheated.

It wasn’t just bad. It wasn’t even substandard. It was inedible.

When we gave feedback to one of the staff members, we were told, “You should have told the waiter you wanted Bangladeshi taste. We make food for European taste.” Adjusting spice levels is understandable. But serving tasteless, poorly cooked, borderline rotten food and calling it “European taste” is a lazy and unacceptable excuse. There was nothing Indian, Bangladeshi, or European about that food—it was just bad.

We've eaten at plenty of places with mediocre or inauthentic Indian food before. But this place reached a new low. This wasn’t a matter of authenticity. This was a matter of basic culinary decency.

Save your money. Save your appetite. Go literally...