Spice Khazana — Restaurant in London

Amazing Pakistani Food (10/10)

Discovered this place early 2021, after the fantastic Rock Spice (on Cranbrook Road, shut down, sadly due to the extended lockdowns). Googled to find a replacement for Rock Spice and Spice Kazana featured (amongst others, that we had variously tried on/off the Ilford Lane). The first time we visited was for Saturday lunch, the place was tricky to find, but has parking close by. Saturday lunch time was fairly light in customers and we realised it’s a buffet service (£15 for adults and children over 9 years, £7.50 for children up to 9 years). The staff are gentle and friendly. The food, as we quickly discovered, consists of a very large range – around 30+ starters, mains and side dishes. Every single dish is amazing. We started revisiting almost as many weekends as we visited London. Not once and to date, have we come across a single dish that is not tasty. The cook/chefs here are to be appreciated, as these are becoming rare. The place is a Pakistani establishment – so the generic category is ‘Indian food’ but from the West Pakistan side – and it is completely mind-blowing!! There are a few of these places, but you have to find them. This place is extra special – as it is (like many) a very nice family run place. Literally the matriarch of the family, an absolute delightful lady, runs the place supported by her children and very nice staff. The place is clearly very popular and known to the locals, as when we visit on the weekends, in the evening – it is packed and often you have to wait for a while to be seated. We have tried booking in advance, but they are very much an informal place. The owner is a very lovely lady, who started noticing our frequent repeat visits and would try to find us a table, even when they are packed at bursting point. The seating and tables are not the best order – but with food like this, one sits anywhere – and we often have, at the back near the entrance to the kitchen in a small booth. But this is the sort of place where the amazing food makes you overlook the décor, which is dated and not too practical. The washroom is not great, but these places often have appalling washrooms, sadly it’s the customers that create the mess. Talking of customers, too many behave like it’s a fish market, the buffet nature means some overload their plates and act a little crazy (greedy) and the children run amok! Many of the adults are not better – this is a cultural thing as well as a reflection of the class of people that frequent here. No reflection on the wonderful owners or their ever patient staff. The food, just to go back, is simply amazing, some personal favourites are - the grilled chicken and the chicken/meat sheek kebabs, the (warm) naan breads, the biriyanis (both meat and chicken are to die for), the veg curry dishes are mind-blowing, the chickpea dish with/without bindi/potato is amazing…it just goes on and on! Love this place. A real secret gem. May it continue to be in business for many years to come! It’s a schlep to have to drive over 60 miles to visit this place – but worth it...

This is an utterly abysmal eatery with the worst possible front of house staff ever. They are not fit for employment and totally inept. They were more worried about drinking cups of tea and playing with their mobile phones than opening the eatery up for business or paying any attention to their customers.

My family and I went here for Sunday Lunch. The eatery opened at 2PM but there was not a single dish ready in the buffet. The is despite calling ahead to check that the buffet would be available at 2PM! We were informed that the starters would be ready in 10 minutes time but the mains would be 15 minutes late. It was almost 25 minutes after opening when we could eat some of the starters and over an hour after opening when 90% of the dishes were ready; it took them 52 minutes just to bring out the Plain Basmati Rice!

My family were the only customers during the entire 1.5 hours we were there (everyone else got the memo to stay away), yet not a single member of staff checked on us or even took a drinks order!

In particular, the young lady at the front counter was only interested in her mobile phone. How can a buffet open for lunch without any food and staff prioritise their own cups of tea and break food ahead of customers being given food? They can here. Shockingly poor attitude to work duties and customers.

The food was poor-terrible, being poorly made, poorly seasoned and poorly flavoured across the board. Many dishes were left over from the previous evenings service and simply overtly reheated until super dry or lifeless. Other reviews to the contrary are beyond my comprehension. I find Halal food in this area to be noticeably substandard to that offered in central and west London. Nevertheless, this eatery sets a new low standard.

I have never rated an eatery with 1 stars before but would score this one less if...

I recently visited Spice Khazana in Ilford for a group dinner, expecting an enjoyable evening with friends and family. Unfortunately, the experience was nothing short of disappointing due to the unwelcoming and unprofessional customer service.

I had booked a table for 15-20 people for a Wednesday evening, hoping for a smooth and friendly experience. However, from the moment we walked in, it was clear the staff was anything but welcoming. The person at the reception didn’t greet us or make us feel like valued guests; instead, his demeanor suggested he was inconvenienced by our presence.

When we were seated, a few guests from our group hadn’t arrived yet. We politely asked the staff if we could have some extra time, but even that seemed to be a problem. Although he agreed, he made it very clear through his tone and expression that he was unhappy about it.

The atmosphere became even more uncomfortable as we started getting food. A few staff members seemed to be watching us closely, creating an awkward and tense environment. Rather than feeling like we were at a restaurant, it felt like we’d walked into someone’s private family gathering. The staff, who seemed to be family members, lacked any warmth or hospitality.

To top it off, any time we asked for assistance, it was given with an unwilling attitude and not even the faintest hint of a smile. It was as though helping guests was a chore they’d rather avoid.

Overall, Spice Khazana left a lot to be desired. The lack of basic customer service and an unwelcoming attitude made what should have been an enjoyable evening deeply uncomfortable. I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for friendly or professional service.

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