Diwana Bhel Poori House

Went to this place or lunch on Monday, the 29th of April '13 for lunch and the service was horrendous. We decided to opt for the buffet but by the time we started serving ourselves we noticed most of the food was over. On asking the waiters for replenishments I was told they are not sure of whether they have more food. I then approached the cashier who I thought was the manager. He told me "we are clearing the buffet, it's now time to go". This was barely 10 minutes into my meal. The food was quite poor as well. The chapatis (Indian flat breads) were out of a packet. They should not have seated us if they were closing which was at 2pm in the afternoon. I don't know of any restaurant that closes this early after lunch. Before I left I told the cashier that the service was appalling and I would mention this in the review. He did not care and asked me to send him a copy of it. If you want poor service and unauthentic food then this is a good choice. It was clear that the place is run by a bunch of incompetent... well, I was going to type apes, but I think apes could do a better job.
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Monday, May 13, 2013

I have been eating here for 15 years and it is still the best value for food in London, I don't know how they put on their magnificent spread for the price. I recommend it to everyone I know.
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Sue Sussman
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, December 29, 2012

I ate in this restaurant tonight for the second time in a month and totally love it but I agree it doesn't suit everyone. The quality and portion sizes of the food is great value and tastes superb. I am not vegetarian but would convert tomorrow if I could eat here every day. On the downside, you are not paying for flash surroundings and the waiters don't flock to your table instantly - but if you don't have a train to catch and enjoy great food at a great price, this place definitely comes up trumps.
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7 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Just had a great meal here, delicious fresh crispy dosa. Service was fine - perfectly attentive even though the waiters weren't overly communicative to start with, but if you're friendly as a customer you get a good response back also. True, the interior is not particularly flash, but for a simple and delicious Indian meal it's a great option.
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8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, September 07, 2012

Tasteless food, not served hot enough either. Appallingly rude witers and careless service. They actually began throwing furniture around, banging cutlery near us and talking as loudly as they could to let us know they were about to close! Definitely a place I would warn friends to avoid and never go again myself.
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meret - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What a disappointment!! I grew up with Diwana, it was the best place to eat in the '60's and 70's and even '80's but now, sadly, it is run-down, the buffet is pathetic. went for lunch yesterday, waiters lazy, no signs on dishes to tell you what they are, a lot of salads (where's the Indian food?) coleslaw!! corn salad. it was appalling and so so disappointing unlike Sakonis in Harrow. Wow, now that is pure authentic vegetarian food just like Diwana used to be but alas not anymore. the place is neglected and again, i repeat, the food was awful. we got there at 3. buffet ends at 4. food was cold, if bowls were empty they did not replenish. waiters made sure we knew they were shutting buffet at 4. just really awful stuff.
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Rachel Born
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, July 02, 2012

I have been going to Diwana regularly for lunch for four years and cannot imagine that there is anywhere that serves better food at such an incredibly modest price. The service is good, and waiters very friendly and attentive. If you want Ritz style service, go to the Ritz. It is definitely my favourite restaurant in London. I recommend it to all my friends and none of them have been disappointed.
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Justin Coldwell
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 10, 2011

Just to add my own experience to the mix: I first started going to the Diwana on Westbourne Grove, back in 1988 - which my girlfriend and I loved. The atmosphere, service, and the food were terrific.

I have since been to the Drummond Street restaurant on several occasions with my family.

My last visit was in April 2010. I had arranged to meet uncles and aunts there in the late afternoon - two of whom had just got off the train after a three hour journey. The waiters were, frankly, rude and unhelpful in every respect - to the extent that we relocated to the restaurant two doors down, and had a very convivial time. It was not remotely embarrassing for us to walk out, because we had been waiting for twenty five minutes without anyone taking our order, or even so much as offering us a glass of water.

I'm sure that the attitude there is: well, there'll be no shortage of customers, so why put ourselves out for people we don't know?

It's a pity, because the food has always been good. But they'd do well to look at the training they give to their staff. I have worked in the service industry on and off for much of my life. In my opinion, there is never any worthwhile excuse for making customers feel unwelcome.
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Eric Colvin
3 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I have been going to this restaurant since 1970, albeit not regularly. This week I took six guests. Food was good but serivce was mediocre and not too attentive.

Whilst we were waiting for a table to be arranged for 7 people, we was the waiter take left over cutleries from previous guests and put it back in the tray for reuse.

What irritated me most was the fact when the bill arrived and I wished to pay by credit card, one of the waiters brought the handheld creditcard machine to thr table.

I looked at the amount and inserted my card and entered my pin. A message came up to hand the machine back to the waiter. This I did . Then he gave it back to me and he asked me to put in my pin number again.. As I was about to do so that I noticed that the amount had gone up considerably. On inspection, I found that he has entered 50% tip. This I call cheating as he did not say a word to me.. Normally I would have put the pin in. There was an option to change the amount from 50% to 25%,15% and 10%. I chose 10% as the service was not that great. No one asked us if the food was OK. I understand that the owners are not ' hands on' but they should have been involved in setting up the card machine. Tips are optional and shouls reflect the service received and not a matter of right. I shall visit again in the near future and if that same problem arises, I shall report it the Office of Fair Trading and the press. It is high time the owners took action and not just profits.
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4 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 04, 2011

I dined at Diwana for their lunch buffet last Tuesday 08-08-2011 while on "holiday" from the United States. The quality of the food was outstanding, perhaps the best I have ever had. However, the service was poor. I was parched from sightseeing throughout the city and asked for a class of water. The wait staff reluctantly brought me a shot of water in the smallest glass I had ever seen. Even though I was earlier than the majority of the lunch crowd, I failed to get the waiters attention to replenish my water which had remained empty for the majority of my lunch.

Upon receiving the check, the waiter who had refused to replenish my water informed me that they did not accept American Express and pointed to a laminated note that said "service charge not included." I paid with Visa and when he brought my receipt he again pointed to the little "service charge not included" sign. Firstly, this being the first restaurant on my trip I was under the false impression that there was no tipping in Europe. Secondly, had he been nearly as attentive with refilling my water I may have deigned to leave a tip but after the pushiness and the poor service I opted against it.

While leaving the restaurant, one of the older men said under his breath, "cheap bastard, next time don't come in."

The food was excellent, dont get me wrong but Drummond Street has three other indian buffets that looked equally as nice and likely more polite staff. If you expect attentive service or have any degree of sensitivity to being called a bastard, then I recommend trying one of the many nearby establishments.
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David
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, August 13, 2011