Al Maidah — Restaurant in Manchester

Update 28/09/2024

Serious hygiene violations, that pose possible health risks.

I'm even more disappointed this time. The starters where the only saving grace for me last time, but this time they were a massive let down. The chicken was properly dry. I was just unimpressed. It's 6.95 for a jug of a soft drink, and they are a litre. They are also watered down. So you are paying 1000% over value for a litre of a soft drink, yet they are still watering it down.

The curries were an absolute disappointment again. It's like they are not getting the ingredient amounts right for such a big portion, there is just no flavour at all. It is not acceptable for this still to be the same almost a year later.

Parking is a an absolute pain, if it's busy you will not find anywhere to park, there are only around 20 spaces for the entire restaurant.

The chairs are become dated and quite hard now, and they are staining back as it's white pu. There is no space as they have crammed as many tables as they can into the restaurant. People have to que in the hallway waiting for a table.

Ive also noticed quite a few hygiene violations, in the middle of the buffet is the open kitchen where food is prepared, the waiters walk around that area with no hygiene equipment, like beard masks, meaning they can contaminate the food, also a lot for the chefs are also not waring the beard masks, I didn't get any hair in my food, but that doesn't excuse it. I also noticed cheifs using the same gloves for cooking, and then putting the food in the dispenser, then cooking food again with the same gloves, they do not wash them or anything, people have to open the lid on the dispensers so they should be washing their hands before preparing food again. They are not even washing their hands every so often. This is a serious hygiene issue.

Inconclusion it's just too expensive for the quality of the food. There's no flavour at all, in both the food and drinks! When it's busy there is no room to move, everything is really packed in and you could be waiting quite a while to actually get to the disappointing food. I'm more disgusted this time as they clearly haven't taken feedback seriously, and for 6.95 for a litre of softdrink there should not be a need to water it down, it costs £2 for a 2 litre bottle of Iron bru, so they will make £14 from that, but they are still watering it to make that £2 go further! That is just purely disgusting, a clear cash grab. I'm not sure where all the 5 star reviews are coming from, but it's just not the case. I would recommend finding another buffet.

Run! This place is amazingly expensive. Like rip off expensive. It's £22 per person! And you have you pay first. You need to pay for the drinks at the start too. 1 litre of iron bru is £6! The markup on that is extremely would say %300.

I didn't like the over all experience. Walked in, get told to go pay, then get thrown at a table. For the amount of money you are paying, it could feel like a nicer experience.

But I will say the starters were amazing. They where cooked to perfection and very good quality. They really did start to make me change my mind.

But then the main courses were bland, boring and not even authentic. The curries really disappointed not just me, but everyone with me.

But then the deserts were again quite good. Really nice and a nice range. And it's unlimited.

But I just cannot justify the price. Its not like they have a cheap entry price then markup the drinks to increase profit. They charge your pants off at the door. Then they also charge your pants off for the drinks, the markup is insane.

My advice is to avoid the place, there are cheaper places that will offer the same quality, but at lower prices. And even with better customer service. If you must go. Only do it once. Its just not worth it.

It cost a table of 4 £97 in total. That really gave me a stroke. I literally said we should go...

I have been visiting Al Maidah for past 10 years. On my last visit food was mediocre at best. Staff were rude, especially the old man who sits behind cash register. Why they have not sacked him long ago, speaks volumes about the restuarant, they just don't care what customers think. They have now introduced a charge for water. If they are unable to supply tap water due to regulations at least you could charge a sensible price not £3 for a 1.5Litre bottle when you can buy it in bulk for 52p. Also you sell the cheapest Cola (Barr) and for the privilage you charge £7 for a jug. A 2Litre bottle can be bought wholesale for 80p. They are milking customers. I for one will never return, a piece of advise to the restuarant carry on serving the quality of food you do and charge these sort of prices for drinks you'll be out of business in no time. No longer will I ever visit this buffet. They have lost the business for a family of 4

NOTE FOR MANAGEMENT - YOU WILL BE REPORTED TO TRADING STANDARDS.

You Quote in a reply to a recent customer about water charges:

The local water authority has reached out to us and advised we must fit a commercial water filtration system through one of their approved contractors and conduct monthly ph tests as well as a quarterly service on equipment. The sheer cost and additional workload required for this is not practical for us to implement. This is not because the water is contaminated but because of the size of the venue and the fact we are “providing tap water commercially” which we argued we have always done.

THE FACTS AND THE LEGAL POSITION No, a water board in the UK cannot legally compel a restaurant to install a commercial water filter. While they are responsible for ensuring public water supplies are safe and suitable for all domestic purposes, including drinking, the decision to install additional treatment, like a filter, is a matter of choice for the business owner. Here's why: Water Boards' Responsibility: Water boards are legally obligated to provide potable water to all consumers, meaning it's safe and suitable for drinking. They regularly test and publish the results, ensuring the water meets standards. No Legal Requirement for Additional Treatment: There's no legal requirement for businesses to install additional water treatment beyond what the water board provides. Optional Filtration: Restaurants can choose to install water filters for various reasons, such as improved taste, reduced limescale, or for specific equipment needs (like coffee machines). Customer Perception and Preferences: While not legally required, some restaurants might choose to filter water to enhance customer perception and cater to specific preferences. Water Boards' Role: The water board primarily focuses on ensuring the overall quality and safety of the water supply, not on individual businesses' water treatment choices.

As well as having rude staff you also lie to your...

I dragged the family out to Al Maidah in Manchester. Before I start the review I want to say a little bit about my pre dining experience. I popped in yesterday to make a reservation. I met the wonderful brother Amir. I think he is the manager or the floor manager. He was absolutely wonderful. Professional, kind courteous and just generally very warm to deal with. He took a small deposit and my booking details and informed me that the office was closed now as it was quite late and they would get back to me tomorrow to confirm. Just as he had promised, the office rang me today where an equally polite courteous and professional young lady confirm my booking details and then emailed me the same. It was the first time I nearly wrote a food review before I had even visited the place for action food. Fast forward to today where we all turned up about 7:30pm. The place was reasonably busy but not chaotic. The food was surprisingly good. I had been many years ago and this was a huge improvement on something that was already good. There was a good selection of salads. The starters were good but just above standard - good. All the members of the families enjoyed the starters a little more than I did. But this might just be because I prefer my Curries to my starters. Just a personal preference. Now for the main event. The Curries. They were really really tasty. Really authentic tasting, rich, flavourful piping fresh. The nan was amazing and the vegetable curries in particular hit the top note for me. The desserts were also very impressive. Pancakes and doughnuts made to order. Really nice keer and Firney. A really good selection of cakes and ice creams. And to top it all off, all the staff were very friendly and accommodating. Unlike some buffet places where they make you feel guilty by staring you down when you are serving yourself the food, these guys spoke to you, smiled at you and made you feel really welcome. All in all a very enjoyable experience thank you for making our night special.

Apologies for the poor quality pics, they don't do the...