Kakoli Restaurant — Restaurant in Tameside

Terrible. It reminded me of an episode of Faulty Towers. I could hear the staff in the kitchen being shouted at and waiters rushing around the dinning room but not doing anything productive. One waiter had more food on his tee shirt than I saw being served. I had a booking for 7pm, we arrived at 6.45. There were 3 other tables occupied one was finishing the other 2 were waiting for food. One table complained they had been there 1 and a half hours and were still waiting for their starters. The second table said they had been there an hour and only had drinks, no food yet. Another couple came in and were seated underneath the stairs, along with Henry the hoover, which was under his chair! There was food and curry sauce on the floor which had been dropped by the waiter but hadn't been cleaned up, another customer pointed it out to my partner as he nearly got it all over his coat when he hung it over the back of his chair, the waiters just kept stepping over it, no attempt was made to clean it up. I had to put my coat back on as it was so cold, and I noticed all the other customers had their coats on too. After around 25 minutes of watching complete utter chaos I told the waiter to cancel my order as we weren't staying, he asked me why, I told him it was so cold in here I wouldn't be comfortable eating and everyone else had their coats on too, he said he would sort it out, in my opinion that should have been done when they opened at 5pm. We had ordered drinks, a Beer and a coke, the coke was flat and warm, it was poured from a large bottle not individual cans or small bottles, I left £5 on the table for the drinks and left to go to another restaurant. I can't comment on the qaulity of the food as we didn't stay to eat.

If you look at the reviews a week or so previous to this one, all with 5 star reviews, it is pretty obvious they are reviews from friends or relatives of the owners as in different reviews they used the same picture of food even though they are a week apart, I find this a dishonest way way draw people in. I only wish we had spotted it before we booked. I will never be...

Important note to all: This is not an authentic Indian restaurant, but clearly a Bangladeshi one presented under the label of “Indian” to mislead customers. I visited with a friend yesterday and had one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. We ordered vegetable biryani, paneer curry, and chapati. To my shock, the paneer curry was clearly stale. As an Indian who eats fresh curries daily, I can tell immediately when something is off—and this was well beyond acceptable. When I complained about the stale curry, the staff looked visibly uncomfortable, tried to divert the argument, and seemed to deny the issue. They did eventually agree not to charge us for it, but serving stale food is simply unacceptable and can be a serious health risk. Also, they misled us about what comes with the biryani. They promised “sauce” but gave us a generic mixed vegetable curry (which they charged extra for). Authentic Indian biryani typically comes with raita (yoghurt with cucumber) at no extra cost, and you can enjoy it without any side curry at all.

Further signs of misrepresentation: • Authentic Indian places serve masala poppadoms topped with chopped onion, tomato, salt, and spices. •The entire menu is Bangladeshi cuisine adapted—poorly—to pass as Indian food.

I think this is deeply unethical. If you are a Bangladeshi restaurant, have the honesty and courage to call yourself that, rather than tricking people under the “Indian” label. Finally, I want to warn others: Stale curry isn’t just disappointing—it can lead to serious food poisoning. Local diners may not spot this because it’s not their daily food, but anyone used to proper Indian curries will notice immediately.

I have strongly advised all my friends—both British and Asian—to avoid this restaurant. They were shocked to learn how misleading the menu is and have agreed never to return. If you care about food safety and honesty in what you’re eating, please think twice before...

We do not live in Manchester but visit quite often and have been to Kakoli before but this was the first time since refurbishment. Firstly I was impressed that, after I telephoned to book but my call could not be answered because it was outside of opening hours, they called me back within half an hour. The person speaking was very polite and welcoming. I was very glad that I had booked because it was almost full - it was a Friday evening. However, not long after, by 8.15, most people had left. Our order was taken and the food arrived at a perfect speed, not too fast but neither very slowly. The menu is comprehensive and, as they state, vegetarians and vegans are catered for. The chef is happy to adjust any dish to suit your requirements and the food was delicious and served hot. He came to speak to us to ensure that we were satisfied with our meal. His and the entire staff’s ethos is that the customer is important and they want everyone to have a good meal and an enjoyable evening. The restaurant itself is quite small but you do not feel squashed in and the decor is clean and bright. You can bring your own alcohol which means that you can have your favourite drink. The cost is very reasonable - far cheaper than we pay in Essex - perhaps I shouldn’t say that or the prices might rise! We had a lovely evening, will certainly be returning - as will our son who lives in Manchester - and recommend...