Al WAALIS Restaurant — Restaurant in Manchester

UPDATE March 2023: Went again, against my better judgement. Never again. As soon as I saw the minging carpet, and dirty tissues on the stairs we should have left. It was chaos when we entered, with no one to assist us so after waiting a few minutes went to a guy behind the til and eventually got a small table. On my first trip for food, many items were missing. Also, no one came to ask for drinks, so had to go myself and order. Eventually they came but no glasses. Had to go again, but no glasses available. Eventually they came but were soaking wet from the dishwasher. Had to go again and get tissues to wipe clean. When speaking to the staff, of which there were only 5 available, all talking turns to clean, serve, etc etc, I noticed few of them spoke English. It was also very hard to work out who the staff was because they did not wear uniforms. In fact one guy was wearing a woolly hat. The place looks like it's had a cheap makeover but the food is still average at best. On the flip side prices were a reasonable £15 per head, and parking is ample and free. Frankly, I personally wouldn't go again.

UPDATE August 2021: Apparently the prices are now an eye-watering £14 per head (£15 on special occasions). So so not worth it.

According to their website they are the "best buffet restaurant available in Manchester". Eerrrr...wrong. #deluded #laughable

Review from April 2019. Al Walis is basically what it looks like; a poor man's Nawaabs. Needs modernisation in a big way, and they need someone to keep an eye on cleanliness too.

The starters were the best thing, because to me the curries all tasted uniformly the same?! Desserts were decent - if you like ice cream, and drinks were overpriced as they always are in buffet places. I've also noticed that the price has crept up steadily from £7 (I think) to £12. It's basically at the point now where instead of just going, you think about the alternatives first.

On the flip side, plenty of free parking available and friendly staff.

I would go again, but only if someone...

If i could give zero stars i would. Cannot believe this place is still open with the way its operating. Used to be a good place many years ago but now its a totally different story. We visited on a saturday evening so you would think they would be on the ball with keeping the buffet topped up and serving customers. We were there for over half an hour and no food was replenished unless you asked them and even then there was a long wait. Its as if they didnt want to bring more food out. The kids asked for pizza which they said they served but waited 20mins before finally got a slice. When they went back for more there was none left and it wasnt replenished in the time we were there despite us telling them there was none left. Same with the chicken wings. When we arrived there were two in the tray and after we took the last two, they werent replenished in the half hour we were there. Many of the serving trays were empty or scraps at the bottom. The sweet rice was hardened and looked like it was weeks old being sat there reheated. Some of the curries looked questionable so i didnt even touch them. Many of the platters, we had to scrape the food out as there was barely any in there. Felt like we were scavenging for food. When we went to queue for the dessert, i was stood at the desserts counter for about 7-8minutes before someone came over to serve me. I didnt bother going back. This is the first time ever we have left from a buffet still feeling hungry. The kids were sick of waiting for more pizza and wings so they just had plain naan to kerb their hunger. My daughter didnt even go up to get dessert which is a first aswell as the dessert is what they always look forward to. All in all this was the worst dining experience ever for us as a family. We did complain at the end to the manager that we had been waiting for the dishes to be replenished but they werent despite informing the staff so we are leaving. The manager said sorry hopefully next time will be better. We said we definitely wont be...

"Disappointment with Recent Visit to Al Waalis Restaurant"

I am writing to express my deep disappointment following my recent visit to Al Waalis restaurant, a place I have frequented for the past 14 years. Unfortunately, my experience today fell significantly short of expectations in several areas.

-- Food Quality: The rice served was not fresh. The naans were old, with hard edges that made them difficult for my children to eat. The nihari was subpar, with the gravy appearing to be excessively seasoned and indicating that it was not freshly prepared.

-- Customer Service and Management: When I requested fresh naans, the staff member assigned to check on the food merely dismissed my concern with a curt response and did not address the issue. The replacement naans were, regrettably, just as old as the first batch. Upon approaching the manager to address the same issue, I was met with an unprofessional attitude. Instead of offering an apology or a resolution, the manager argued that the naans were indeed fresh, which was clearly not the case.

-- Billing Issue: After our unsatisfactory meal, I proceeded to the counter to settle the bill. Although I paid via card, the manager failed to provide a receipt from the cash register, further compounding the lack of professionalism experienced.

In summary, I am extremely disheartened by both the decline in food quality and the unprofessional behavior displayed by the staff. While I have been a loyal patron of Al Waalis for many years, today's experience has led me to decide against returning. It appears that genuine feedback is not welcomed, and the standard of service has deteriorated.

This visit has resulted in a significant disappointment, and I can no longer...