Smithfield Tandoori

Fantastic restaurant great food and service
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helen
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, January 30, 2010

As a resident in this area of the city i know both of these Restaurants well.

Not taking away anything from the Restaurant mentioned by your last reviewer but they cant compare it to Smithfield Tandoori. ST is far more superior.

The Quality of the food is second to none. The service is always very attentive and every time i visit i thoroughly enjoy myself.
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margrit
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, January 21, 2010

What a let down, the service average at best, the food nothing special. The price a right rip off!! I would much more reccomend the Barbican Tandoori just a 5 minute walk away, much better food and value, and the atmosphere is not as cold and uncomfortable
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Sunday, January 03, 2010

We were introduced to this restaurant by friends who work in the area and believe we have found a gem.

The restaurant appeared very well run, very good service and the food was excellent.

Find it hard to swollow some of the comments written here.

My view is that alot of people visit Indian restaurants and expect them to accommodate every request but would not expect this of any other type of restaurant. ie French or English especialy at the top end as some put it.

It is certainly not a vegetarian place to eat but if you enjoy your meat and fish there is no other place that will match it.

Coupled with the fact that they are located directly opposit the meat market would explain the quality of their products.

My favourite dish is Nahari Goht, the meat just melts in your mouth and the Naan breads are simply perfect, cispy at the bottom and light and fluffy at the top.

I cant recommend this place enough.
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John Abel
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 13, 2009

Vegetarians beware! I would be interested to know what Ash A managed to get in the way of vegetarian dishes in November (unless you count fish / seafood).

I have been going to this restaurant occasionally for a few years now, mostly due to convenience of location for me rather than anything else. I am normally a meat eater and have generally found the place OK although nothing special and a bit overpriced.

However, last night when I went with a group of friends I really didn't fancy a meat dish, and the fish/seafood . I then noticed that there were zero vegetarian options on the menu for main courses. I asked the waiter for one of the main courses with the meat swapped for veg, and was told this was not possible. How about any of the main courses with the meat swapped for any veg of the chef's choosing, I asked. No, miss. When I commented that there were no vegetarian options, I was told this was incorrect and pointed to the vegetable side dishes! (For the starters, there was little more than onion bhajis on the vegetarian front.)

I find it astounding that a restaurant, serving food from a country where a large proportion of the locals are vegetarian, could treat vegetarians so badly. Imagine going into a standard English restaurant and being told that the vegetarian option was a side portion of peas! I know that vegetarians generally can't expect lots of choice, but there is usually at least one proper option...

Because I was with a group of friends, I didn't want to make too much of a scene. But I can't think of any good reason why a restaurant which prices itself at the upper end of this market couldn't have accommodated my wishes. In retrospect, I should have asked the obvious question - is the reason that all the dishes are ready-made? Anyway, that night I ended up with a whole plate of spinach and potato. Bland, uninspiring. Had I been just with my boyfriend, I would have immediately left and gone somewhere else.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Saturday, March 07, 2009

Had a really good meal here last night. We both had (different) king prawn curries and shared a rice and peshwari naan. Both curries were good, not greasy at all and both had very distinct flavours, and really enjoyed the naan to. Service was friendly and there were nice hot towels after dinner. When we arrived there was a table of loud, drunk, obnoxious diners but the staff spoke to them and they left shortly after.

Certainly not cheap (shared three poppadums, chutneys and two cobras as well as the items above) - came to £26 each (although the curries we chose were about the most expensive on the menu at £12.50 each). But if you're in the area and fancy a curry, certainly not a bad place to choose.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, November 07, 2008

I went to this restaurant last night with my friend. We were two of 6 people (but it was a Wednesday night). We had two vegetarian dishes and some nan. Both very nice.

However, when we asked for an extra nan we were told that they will not serve us as we should have ordered everything in one go. We argued that we were essentially asking for food and they were refusing to serve us. Naturally, they disagreed.

We were then charged the Service Charge. After my previous experience I opted not to pay for it but was told I had to. We argued again but it was a stale mate and we paid and left.

Overall, great food but no flexibility and arrogant staff. Also, that night, there were 6 customers and 5 staff and they refused to bring out the extra nan due to the work it will add for the chef. Ridiculous!
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Ash A
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Thursday, November 06, 2008

this is an excellent restaurant with extremely friendly staff, excellent fresh food and good portions.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Monday, November 03, 2008

Went with a group of 10 on Friday night and was pleasantly surprised.

Food was pretty good with a good choice of dishes and the place had a decent wine list as well.

Service was okay and we felt a bit rushed towards the end but all in all not a bad place for a curry. Prices were a little high, mains around the £10 mark + £6 for rice and sides.

Not as good as some of my favorite haunts in the east end but far better than anything you can get down Brick Lane.
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, October 27, 2008

As someone who has enjoyed dining at ST countless times over the last 10+ years, I am utterly confused by some of the reviews here. If you think that the food is unremarkable or the service poor, you must be on a different planet from the one I'm on. I eat a lot of Indian food and this is among the very best. All the staff take great pride in what they do and always try to look after you. The premises might not be the smartest around, but the warmth of the welcome and the lovely white table cloths and place settings more than make up for that. The food is fabulous - fresh and very tasty. Top quality meat is sourced from Smithfield Market. Give it a try, making sure to ask Mr Khan for his recommendations. But don't go if you are a fan of the usual lowest-common-denominator British high street Indian restaurant. You will not find 20 different curry sauces with a choice of chicken, lamb, prawn (or "meat") at this place. All the dishes are distinctive and are made and presented with love. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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JohnBoy - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, July 30, 2008