Mother India Restaurant — Restaurant in Scotland

Tucked away in the cellar of Westminster Terrace, Mother India offers a rustic, wine-cellar-inspired dining experience that promises a mix of tradition and charm. Armed with a voucher for a four-course lunch for two, we eagerly anticipated a culinary treat. Unfortunately, the experience left much to be desired.

Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly by staff who directed us to our table downstairs. The decor immediately caught the eye – rustic and atmospheric, with a cozy dining-room feel. However, the ambiance was marred by an unpleasant smell, reminiscent of drain issues, which lingered throughout the meal. This initial impression was compounded by stained and dirty menus, a red flag for hygiene. While presentation matters, cleanliness is paramount, and this lapse raised concerns about the restaurant's overall standards.

Determined to give the food its due, we persevered. For starters, my guest chose vegetable pakoras, while I opted for fish pakoras. Both dishes were well-presented and flavorful. The fish pakora stood out – perfectly cooked with moist, flaky flesh encased in a spiced, crispy batter. The accompanying poppadoms with spiced onions and mango chutney were delightful, offering a beautiful balance of sweetness and spice.

However, as the restaurant filled to capacity, service began to falter. A long 40-minute wait for the main course passed without communication from the staff. A simple apology or acknowledgment of the delay could have made a significant difference. Eventually, we were served lamb Rogan Josh with garlic naan and basmati rice. The main course did not disappoint. The Rogan Josh was a masterclass in depth and complexity, with bold flavors and tender, generous portions of lamb.

Dessert was a nostalgic treat: retro tubs of ice cream served with small plastic spoons – a quirky, playful end to the meal.

Regrettably, the experience was soured once more by a visit to the restroom. The facilities were unclean, with a broken toilet seat and clear signs of neglect. Such issues are inexcusable in any dining establishment, as they speak volumes about attention to detail and respect for customers.

While the food at Mother India shines, offering authentic flavors and hearty portions, the glaring hygiene and service issues overshadowed the meal. These problems are easily fixable, but until they are addressed, I cannot recommend a return visit. It's a shame that such potential is undermined by avoidable lapses.

Rating: 2.5/5 The food is the star, but the supporting elements need serious...

Great food, AWFUL service, genuinely the worst service I have experienced in a restaurant in Glasgow which really soured a decent meal.

To begin, we were a party of 8 and when we arrived into the main restaurant we were looked up and down by two separate managers. They did not greet us, welcome us; they pointed to the stairs and said we were upstairs. This set the tone for the dining experience.

When we made it to the top of the stairs there were 8 waiters/waitresses but no manager on this level and you could tell that none of the staff really knew what was going on. We were initially placed on the wrong table which we shared with another couple, that was awkward to say the least. Then another waiter came up to us and told us we were on the wrong table.

When we finally made it to the correct table. The waitress came to take our order. The a la cart menu is very limited, shockingly, they don’t offer any favourites like chicken pakora or any standard curries. There’s about 7 starters and 7 mains which you won’t find on your standard Indian menu. I asked the waitress if they did chicken pakora and she said; it’s not on the menu but we can do it. Excellent I thought, how accommodating. Another member of our party wanted South Indian garlic chilli chicken as her main, again they could offer this but it wasn’t on the menu which we thought was accommodating.

What was very frustrating and most peculiar was that you could actually have any curry that you would expect from an Indian you just couldn’t see a menu with them all. The same was with the desserts, there were 3 to choose from but you could have things like chocolate fudge cake, again which weren’t on the menu. I just can’t comprehend why you wouldn’t allow customers to see what’s on offer, I’ve had takeaways from here and the menu is massive.

During the meal we had the wrong mains come out. We ordered deserts. Someone in our party ordered a double nougat wafer, everyone else got their desserts and had started eating, then the waitress came out while everyone else was eating and said they had run out.

Just to solidify the evening, as we were leaving the staff were in the hallway having their staff meal which just highlighted the lack of professionalism in this restaurant, when you are paying these types of prices, you really do expect better.

All in all, a very poorly organised restaurant, staff didn’t have a clue what was going on, non existent and downright rude management. Decent food but completely ruined by the overall experience. Would...

My first visit to Mother India was on a Tuesday around 10.15pm. Being midweek and late in the working hours it wasn't busy and I was shown to a table for one by a staff member with an overly casual attitude. He made no attempt to seat me in the tight space by moving out the table to allow me to sit and disappeared. Once I'd squeezed myself into the seat he returned with menus.

I'd been assured that this restaurant had one of the best reputations in Glasgow. An initial look at the menu suggested exclusivity with its prices, short content and unusual titled dishes not generally found on standard Indian restaurant menus.

I ordered something described as a slow cooked chicken curry that is apparently made by hours and hours of slow simmering. After some considerable wait, the dish arrived in a smart covered pot. It contained a pleasantly sharp, spicy tomato based sauce and pieces of chicken breast. Anyone who knows anything remotely about cooking would have realised at that point that these pieces of chicken couldn't possibly have been cooking for hours as they would have disintegrated and as with most restaurants only met the sauce some short time before it was served to me. The accompanying rice was savoury and matched the dish well.

All in all, not a bad eating experience, but I found the staff less attentive than they should be and the menu possibly not as impressive as it would have you believe, although I'd need to try other dishes to be sure. I'm not sure my pockets are deep...