Green Gates Indian Restaurant(Renfrew) — Restaurant in Scotland

I do not normally leave reviews but the experience was so substandard that it deserves one. We arrived at 6:15pm and nobody came to ask for drinks or give menus. Once we asked, they came. We ordered a beer and 2 poppadoms. Soon after the girl came with 2 beers. We sent one back. Nobody came for orders, we asked repeatedly to order. At 6:45 we finally ordered. Please note we were with 2 children and my 3yo son was not super easy to keep still for that long. We ordered momos, asking specifically if the chicken momos were not-spicy, we explained we wanted them for the children. The waitress said yes they were mild and came indian style, at which point my husband (who is INDIAN from Delhi) said “ah ok with chutney on the side” and she said yes. We ordered veg pakora as well as a starter, a paneer paratha for the children (again we asked non-spicy) and raan for 2 (leg of lamb). My daughter, who was bored and moving around the table, by mistake dropped my husband’s beer on the floor (glass was half full). We called for the waiter to clean and they came 10 min later with some small napkins to clean the beer. What about health and safety…? My husband had to ask for another small beer, no one checkef if he wanted more. At about 7:15pm, ONE hour since we arrived, we got the pakore, which were decent, average-level mind you. Soon after arrived the momos, and they were super spicy inside. My daughter was very disappointed and my son was so hungry he was asking for roti repeatedly. I kept telling him it was coming…! Then a woman who I think was the manager came and offered my son some lollipops, just like that, without even checking with me if it’s ok. I refused. I felt like saying do not bring candies, bring his dinner! She offered to bring chips although I wasn’t happy about it. So my husband went to the waitress and asked not to have the chips but a naan perhaps, since the boy is asking for roti every 2 seconds. Guess what comes 5 minutes later? Chips. Tasteless as well. But the children are so hungry they eat even that. I am fuming at this point. I know if they eat chips they won’t eat the food we actually ordered for them, and sorry if I want a decent dinner for my kids, not chips! Anyways at about 7:30pm paratha came. My daughter at least tried a slice, it was not (too) spicy but the quality was bad. They didn’t use fresh paneer (it was processed), we know because WE do use fresh. She didn’t really like it, also because it was a bit spicy and it was nothing compared to the parathe you actually get in India (yes, been there many times). Anyway at this point we are hopeless and just waiting for the 35£-lamb we ordered for us. At 7:45pm, a shocking hour and half after we entered the room, our lamb comes. The kids attached the naan and we tried the lamb, although we could tell by looking at it that it was not great. The gravy was watery and tasteless, really bland, zero chilly actually, and so full of coriander I could not stand it. I love lamb but the taste of that was pretty disgusting. The rice that came with it (which was not explained in the menu) was so so so full of cloves you could smell it before you even taste it. This was meant to be their USP (unique selling proposition). We couldn’t wait to leave. The manager came after we paid and apologized for the momos… she said to me that they are like that actually… which is a lie, in India they are very bland and the spicy part is the chutney. That is how they are. Maybe they can fool people who do not know anything about indian food, but for us it was appaling. Disgraceful service, unbelievably slow (they claim to be very busy, sorry guys there were like 5/6 tables in use!) and then the level and quality of food was shocking. Do not go there if you want to have a real Indian experience. It is even more disappointing considering the staff is indeed indian. There were not even napkins at the table, which is beyond words considering that Indian food is mostly eaten by hands. Maybe they should be the take away you actually are and do not pretend to be what...

Beautiful surroundings , gorgeous food, excellent service and surprisingly affordable.

Updated today 30/6

I attended today for a carry out and decided to stay for a sit down meal ..

The staff as always were first class and maybe just a tad too attentive to serve me. The complimentry soup, was warm, spicy and delicious . I have to say drinking cold water drink metal goblets does have a wonderful medieval feel to the precedings

After the great start I was presented with a bland vegetable Pakora . I have to admit it wasn't the tasty or enjoyable..in fact it was bland and disappointing.

I was then served a Chicken Tikka Masala which was tasty and creamy however the chicken did not appear to be Tikka , it tasted more of a bland chicken when I tried some away from the rich sauce . The mushroom rice was surprisingly enjoyable however I did not appreciate the lack of fresh mushroom in the rice accompany priced at over £4.

Overall , I wish I'd drove over to Paisley to enjoy my usual curry , however, I'd read that Green Gates had improved for carry outs and the restaurant.

I'm not convinced tonight .. lovely venue, fantastic serving staff , disappointed by the food ..if I'm being honest , it was average at best

Is there better Indian food in Renfrewshire, yes, better in Renfrew , yes also

Will I return , not for a long time until ratings increase...

We recently visited Green Gates Renfrew on two occasions and it was such a delightful experience! They have a welcoming ambience and a lovely staff!!! What I look for in a restaurant is flavourful food, great staff and a welcoming ambience and more importantly, consistency in all these three factors that will determine our future visits and this restaurant has ticked all the boxes both times. Will be a shame if I don't leave a review of this amazing restaurant that has left us mighty impressed.

They have such diverse options for vegetarians. I was told they can make anything off the menu too - just need a heads-up a few days ahead.

A special mention about Payal who beams with high energy and recommended me to eat Soya Chaap and Tandoori Momos which I had not tried ever before, and I must thank her for these great recommendations. I loved both dishes so much that makes me want to again! Also, Bharati was the lady who made sure our food was delivered on time and promptly fulfilled all our requests.

Verdict:

It is a great spot for anyone looking to enjoy authentic Indian food in a comfortable setting. I’d highly recommend it for family dinners or a casual night out with friends. I’m already looking forward to my next visit to try...