The Calabash African Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Scotland

If I could give this 0 stars then I would. Moving from south london to Glasgow and I have never ever experienced the worst jellof in my life, I’ve had white people make better jellof than this in London and that should have already been a sign. I had things missing from my order and when calling up to tell them nicely not expecting to receive it I had one of their staff being so rude and aggressive over the phone and when I came into the restaurant to speak to them face to face they didn’t have the same attitude and even were trying to offer me complimentary things which I declined. I decided to try something else one more time thinking they had a bad day and I tried the jerk chicken with rice and peas and Jesus this was the worst thing I have ever tried in my life. The chicken seemed liked it was marinated in sea water the way it tasted and the rice… I don’t even have words for the rice, I don’t think a dog would even eat it and once again had missing things so once again called up and encountered the same thing except this time I got told that they are from Africa and they will chief me up but that definitely wasn’t the case once I came there and once again was offered complimentary food which I would not take even if I was offered £1 million. For someone who’s coming from London or anywhere I would not recommend this place as there places in Glasgow that do the same food 10x better for example taste of homes restaurants is honestly 10/10 the food makes you feel like at home. Shame this place has bad attitude staff and the food is extremely bad for the price as it could be better but it’s really not, each time the food is just...

Just came from this place, it’s so horrible that I don’t even know where to start. A simple advice: AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! First, the customer service is a foreign concept to them. Food took 1 hour to come. As if that was not enough, the food was just inedible. The most horrible food I’ve had in my life. We had katogo and the matooke was not well cooked nor fully peeled, and the lamb stew was just tomato purée mixed with lamb. The meat seemed old and dark. Don’t order the tilapia too, a grave mistake I regret now. I’ve got stomach issues after eating there. Plus, it was soo noisy, besides the horrible music. there was a kids birthday happening, them screaming, crying, blowing balloons, running everywhere. Everything from the moment I entered to the time I left was pure catastrophe. We asked for a refund 45 min after ordering and without getting food, but to no avail. All in all, it’s the most horrible experience I’ve had in a restaurant in general. And I wasn’t the only one having this problem. Just save your money and avoid this place. Also, white people got better treatment, got served before us even though they came after us, and they got table service while we were told to go order at the bar. What a disaster that place is. If it was up to me, it should be closed and open when they know how to run a restaurant at good standards. One star seems too generous. A...

I tried the Mama Special, which was a good dish overall, but the sadza was a bit flakey, almost like it had been defrosted, and it wasn’t very warm. The service during the meal was nice, the Indian brother was polite, and the girl with glasses behind the bar was also friendly. I also liked the aesthetic of the place.

The main reason for my 2-star rating is what happened afterwards. My friend forgot his bag there and when he called, he was told it was safe. A few days later I drove 40 miles to collect it, but when I arrived, the experience was really disappointing. Instead of helping me find it, the staff directed me to check some cardboard. When I couldn’t find it, I asked if they could call the manager. The girl behind the bar got rude and said she didn’t have his number, and told me to just come back on Friday. I asked a lady working in the kitchen for help, but she was even ruder.

I did step into the bar area myself because I felt like I was getting no help. When I finally returned on Friday, the manager was there and gave me the bag. He mentioned he had left a note where the bag was, and while I apologized for entering the bar earlier, he still seemed upset.

Overall, I wouldn’t return to this place, not because of the food or atmosphere, but because of how poorly the staff handled the situation. Honestly, how can employees not have their...