Charcoals

Delicious and fresh!
I read that if you’re in the UK, the best two cities for Indian food are Glasgow and London. So I had high expectations and Charcoals didn’t disappoint.
Not only was the food outstanding, but the staff was super friendly.
Definitely recommend!

We stumbled upon Charcoals while walking through Glasgow. It was a Friday night and very busy. They asked if we had reservations and we did not. They said they had a table for us if we could be out of there within an hour. That was perfect as we were on our way to a concert.
The selection was very good. The waiter brought by a chick pea chutney (I think it was Chana Chaat). He said it was compliments of the chef. It was served with a crispy bread and delicious.
Between the two of us we ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Jaipuri. We also ordered some Chilli Cheese Naan. All of the food was great and I would say it is comparable to other good Indian food.

This is the second time that I’ve visited Charcoals and it really is one of the best Indians I’ve ever been to. Firstly make sure you book if you don’t want to be disappointed, we went on a Thursday night, and although the majority of walk in’s were being seated, on more than one occasion people had to wait.
We started with a plate of poppadoms with mango chutney, lime pickle, spiced onions and raita about half way through they brought the first of two freebies for the night, what can only be described as a burnt poppadom with a chick pea and tomato chutney. I’ll tell you something. I’ll be asking for burnt poppadoms again, it was like eating popcorn without all the kernels getting caught in your teeth.
I had salmon tikka to start (I am massive of fan of fish/​seafood and Indian spicing) it was just as you imagined a tikka to be blackened by charcoal with a fiery kick but the sweet salmon flavour still shining through enhanced by a squeeze of lemon. As we ate our starters freebie number two appeared, there is no instruction as to what it is, you just eat it and so after a bit of deliberation amongst the 3 of us we decided that it was a form of chicken chaat wing although a fair bit spicier than I usually would expect. For main I had a Chicken (annoying forgot to ask for it tikka style) Patia, a zingier version of it’s Chinese sweet and sour cousin without the spice of some of my traditional Indian favourites. The portions are huge and so my love for a peshwari nan, sweet with coconut, was plenty without the addition of rice. Bottles of Cobra come in 660ml bottles which are plenty for the time it takes you to finish your meal and avoids that awkward, should I have another pint debate.
The service is tremendous. Quick without being pushy and friendly without being overbearing. It may look the secret back room of a strippers from the outside but look past that and you’re in for a taste sensation. Will definitely be back… again!

Best Indian food again!!! Pure north indian type of food!!! Suggest you to make reservations during weekends!!!

Service here was wonderful! They kept bringing us tapas while we waited for our food, we couldnt even finish all the wonderful food we ordered. We can see why they won so many awards for their food. I would have given them 5 stars but, the place is need of a refurbishing its not fancy. But, they have nice linen napkins and silverwear, which I enjoy when going to a sit down restaurant, those little things do matter. They are also reasonably priced and provide nice size portions. We would recommend.

Best meal we have had in Scotland. Highly recommended by locals and visitors. Superb Indian cuisine. Seats about 24 max. Don’t be concerned if it does not look like much from the outside. It is a true gem. 5 minute walk from the CitizenM hotel.

Wow! Come here if you love Naan. Really spectacular I’d say. Almost like a buttermilk biscuit if I dare! The chefs specials are quite excellent as well. They have a take away window that lets you see some of their street level food first. It’s a treat!

One of the most ridiculous places I have been… rather would have preferred never been there…
Firstly when asked if any tables are available and were told that no reservations can be made today as it is full booked for the night…
Leaving the restaurant dejected, we decided to give it a try by calling and booking and immediately were told that we can come and a table will be reserved for 5 people in 30 minutes… :-o
Shocking…
Then after going inside firstly the waiters were not helpful at all…
Then we were told that according to the management policy each person has to order separate Curries!!!:@
One of the first and ridiculous decisions I have heard in ages…
Problem is not about ordering separate curries but the wastage we will be having as it’s not possible to finish the whole curry…
We just decided to Leave and the staff were not even decent enough to apologise for the same and the manager was no where to be seen…:@
Definitely will avoid it even if it’s the last place indian place in Scotland… :|

Hit this place on a Friday evening at 19:00, early I think. They asked if we had a booking, we did not but saw several empty tables. We were told no room. So we left in search of another restaurant. We were half a block away when I heard a voice calling «Miss.»
Our orders were samosas, onion bahjis for starters — both good. He had chicken biryani and me saag paneer. Both, again, were good. Naan was a huge portion. Actually all portions were a good size. All of this including beverages for 40 pounds.
Our server was pleasant and fast. As Indian restaurants go, this one is good and we were out well under an hour and very full.
We’d prolly go again but still without a booking! ;)
Atmosphere is small and cramped, but aren’t they all

Went to Charcoals on a whim the Sunday after a friends wedding. The service was some of the best I have ever seen, not to mention the fantastic food. They treated our group like royalty, pulling out all the stops for the new bride and groom. Despite the fact that it was the day after the wedding and we were a bit toasted after a day of celebrating. Beyond the service, food was excellent– well spiced, well cooked and totally authentic. Best surprise in Glasgow.

I returned to Charcoals for an early dinner this week with my boyfriend on Wednesday. We had booked a table for 5.30.This was my 3^rd visit to Charcoals. I was here previously on a pakora sampling trip. The last time I was here, I discovered Charcoals do a pre-​theatre menu (from 2−6pm) for £9.95 and i was keen to try it.
When we entered we were warmly greeted and seated in a bright window seat.
On offer as well as the pre-​theatre menu, there was a huge selection of dishes to choose from their a la carte menu.
The pre-​theatre you get a choice of starters, mains and a choice of either nan or rice.
J decided to choose the pre-​theatre menu and I on the other hand decided to take from the a la carte, so we could «mix and match» (I also secretly had my eye on the mango chicken tikka)
Starters as always first. J choose the chicken poori and I choose the veg pakora.
While we were waiting we were offered poppadoms which came with a selection of dips and spiced onions, which we quickly polished off !
Pakora arrived and also poori both of which were very tasty.
For mains J chose chicken balti which was well balanced spice wise it had a good «kick» to it !
I chose the mango chicken tikka. surprisingly (or not). which came beautifully presented on sizzling hot griddle with onions and a slice of lemon and with a bowl of it’s own sauce. We were warned that the dish would take about 20mins to prepare.
The chicken was out of this world !! Spiced mild to medium. tangy slightly sweet and very very succulent indeed .Not the slightest bit dry as is sometimes often the case. totally delicious !!
We had a nan and rice as accompaniments. Nan was cut up into pieces (my only complaint) I prefer to rip it apart as I do like a bit of drama with my meal !
We didn’t get a chance to sample desserts as we were totally and utterly stuffed, but there was a good selection of western dishes and also kulfi’s.
One last note. I couldn’t believe how quickly this restaurant filled up while we were there — always a good sign. Staff were extremely polite and attentive.
I will definitely be back for visit no 4…5.

Very nice place to eat. Good flavors with just the right amount of heat. Not too weak but not enough to catch your stomach on fire either. Friendly staff but small spot. Good for curing allergies.

Thanks to Unilocal for our dinner suggestion to check out an Indian place in Scotland. Who would have thought instead of trying haggis instead that we would choose an Indian restaurant being it our first time visiting Scotland?
We were seated immediately around 630pm on a Saturday night. It got more crowded as the time passed. I would rate the service as 3 stars. I had a water bottle on the table that I’ve been carrying to drink from touring the city all day and one of the servers told me to put it away and not on the table. What’s up with that? I’d understand if I brought another restaurants take out drink into the restaurant but a water bottle?
Anyways we ordered garlic naan (super greasy!) which was served fresh and hot. The sauce that came with the naan was a tad sweet. We also got the chicken tikka masala which is their most popular dish and chicken biryani. The chicken pieces in the biryani was dry so I had to compensate by adding more curry from the masala onto it. We ordered both dishes in medium spicy which was the perfect amount our taste buds could handle.
Everything was very flavorful and it was overall a great meal and hit our Indian cravings. Our waiter didn’t really check up on us often and kept wanting to take away my plate when I wasn’t finished.
Don’t be fooled, it may look like there’s no bathroom when you go to the back but it’s kind if hidden by the wall that makes an illusion that there is just a wall depending on what angle you’re coming from. The bathroom also leads you downstairs so it’s quite an adventure, it may feel scary sounds good first but you’ll end up at the women to men’s stall all the way at the bottom.

Stumbled in here quite tipsy with my cousin after a few beers down the street. We ordered the tandoori chicken and veggie skewers to share with some rice, garlic naan and curries on the side.
Everything was delicious! Tons of food and lots of leftovers. The naan was soft and well made. The flavor of the curries was amazing. Indian food in the UK is so much better than the restaurants I’ve tried in Texas.

I ordered the Korma, which is great for those that aren’t good with spicy food and don’t want to risk ordering something that is too spicy. Really yummy with boiled rice.
My boyfriend and I also ordered the pakoras, garlic naan, paneer tikka, mango lassis, and he ordered a separate curry for himself.
Everything was really yummy, and we had enough to take some home.
The servers were very nice as well.

So this was the fourth time I’ve eaten here, and only now am I reviewing it… better late than never though?
Chacoals has transformed itself from a takeaway with a couple of tables at the rear to proper small restaurant. Despite it’s takeaway appearance from outside, the décor inside is warm and welcoming. The restaurant is split between the front and back, with the waiter’s station and drinks serving area in between. As a result, it can feel like the waiters are perched, watching over your every move!
This visit was with a bunch of fellow pakora-​obsessed Unilocalers as we strive to uncover Glasgow’s tastiest indian fried snack. Despite a large group of 14, and several other tables occupied with diners, service was efficient and the food was out quickly.
My spiced fish pakora was excellent. Five long pieces of delicate but meaty white fish encased in a very light spiced batter. Served with a red spicy sauce the large portion size easily justified the £5 price.
The chicken tikka marinated in green spices was flavoursome and generous, served with a small portion of raita. A bit of a protein overload, so maybe accompany it with samosa or bread?
I tried a piece of Briony’s veg pakora which was very crispy — but didn’t regret my own menu choice.
On this occasion I didn’t have a main course curry. On previous visits I have and found them delicious. A great thing with Charcoals is they ask how hot you want your curry, so you can order anything on the menu, to your own taste.
Not the cheapest restaurant by any means, but they do offer a sub-£10 pre theatre deal with starter, main and bread/​rice, but only up to 6PM.
Looking forward to trying their new venture on the Trongate.

Pakora Passport night out & my first visit to Charcoals.
Great to meet new Unilocalers there like myself, getting into the Pakora spirit (or spice more appropriately!) :-D
Didn’t have to wait anywhere near as long as our previous outing experience. Opted for Vegetable Pakora, Chicken Pakora & Veg Samosa. Veg pakora was lovely, crispy and rustic. One of my chicken pakoras was really chewy, but then the others were fine. Can only put that down to pushing out a table of 14 – 16 peoples starters out at once. Great flavours. Veg Samosa was just ‘okay’ — yet to be bowled over by any places samosa to date.
Went for a main course for a change of tikka masala and roti. Tikka masala was absolutely devine. no questions about it. Only criticism, stop cutting up my roti! lol. It’s meant to be whole or folded up, not cut into triangles :-D
Would I come back here to try out more of their dishes? Absolutely. It might not look the most inviting given location, but it is indeed one of the Indian restaurants in Glasgow you have to put on your list to eat at.
You Gotta Eat Here — For Sure! :-D

I had never been here before till Tuesday night when the chance came I wasn’t going to say no, I arrived at 7pm to meet up with the group as a table of 14 was booked.
When I got to the restaurant the server at the door informed me that there was no table of 14 booked and he never heard of the name before, so off l went across the road to a bar and checked my details to find that l had the right place and the right time all along it was the server who did not have a clue.
On entering the restaurant l ordered a main course so not to delay the other guests.
The table had been set as if they had 30 seconds notice, I did spot tea lights on some of the tables but they where not lit, the dining room felt a little characterless, with the staff tended to shout out the food orders than remember who they took the order from.
The food was really god and would happily rate it 5 stars.
The service could have been better with the communication very poor
Hence a generous 3 stars.

Booking here was a little bit of a faff as the original person who answered the phone didn’t seem to want to take responsibility for taking a booking for 14 people. I eventually got passed onto someone who could, and that was all sorted.
It’s a small restaurant, smaller than I realised but Martin R filled me in on the history that it used to be predominantly a takeaway, which makes sense. They have also opened on Trongate now which I’m yet to visit but assume/​hope this would be a bigger space. We had a strange table set up in an L-​shape but it seemed to work ok unless you wanted to get in/​out of the bench seating!
The menu was good, lots of dishes and some interesting ones I’d never heard of. I went for veggie pakora and chicken tikka jhatpat (chicken, green herbs and cheese). The pakora was lovely, a big portion of 4 large pieces which were really tasty. I also got to sample the fish pakora (thanks Martin!) which I really liked, the batter had a real spice hit to it. My only pakora criticism was that it was served with the red, spicy sauce rather than the pink, mild sauce. So I made my own concoction from raita and the red sauce.
I liked my main but I really struggled to eat much of it, I was pretty full from just the pakora! It was really tasty chicken and unusual with the cheese but in a good way. I had asked for it mild and it seemed pretty hot to me but maybe my tastebuds were being overly sensitive. The naan with it was also pleasant although nothing to rave about.
Our lovely Edinburgh guests (Caz & Dave) were having mango lassis so I thought I’d get one as well. Being lactose intolerant I tried to explain that I only wanted it with full fat yoghurt and milk but I’m not sure that was passed on as it really didn’t agree with me. That being said the taste was lovely. I also forgot to request my food gluten free (I’m probably the worst person at dining out with intolerances) so I’m sure that didn’t help.
Service was fine. I didn’t think it was overly friendly or helpful and often people seemed to need to shout to get the waiter to stop to take a drinks order. All up it was a great meal with a bunch of lovely Unilocalers and I would definitely pop back in for a meal (and remember the GF request!).

Cannot be faulted: freshly made food using their own spices, the flavours are vibrant and linger on the palate. They rightly display their many awards on the wall. Find it, try it and enjoy it!