Sheba

Great curry chicken! If you call ahead and ask for a reservation they tend to offer a 15% discount. I can’t say if this is the curry spot on brick lane because in haven’t eaten at all of them yet. But you can’t go wrong getting an order or curry chicken, naan, and rice from this place.

The best thing I can say about this place was that it was alright. Service was okay, the food was good but nothing special, and it was a bit on the pricey side. We had a nice meal, but I won’t be rushing back any time soon.

Not worth the money. I asked my waiter for something flavorful and spicy. He told me he had just the thing. Right on, I thought. But what I got was bland, tasteless, and excessively greasy. The naan was not much better; neither was the saag and potatoes.
Go to Aladin down the street for better food at better prices.

Best curry I’ve had on Brick lane.
As with all patrons of Brick lane, I have my own theories. Foremost of which is that when you get a «deal» you in actuality get a smaller, worse curry. Nobody can sell you a decent curry with naan, rice, starter and two beers for £12.
We went to brick lane looking specifically for Sheba after it was highly reviewed in a thrillist article. Happily when we rocked up they didn’t pester us. I don’t think they really need to.
Expectations were met, chicken chaat puri was amazing, chicken xakuti (spelling is almost definitely wrong…) was also amazing. They do take their spice seriously though. I mean… Wow. In a good way.
I don’t know what else to say really… 4 of us with a starter and main, sharing rice and naan between two (and byob) were stuffed for less than £20 each. Definitely worth the extra few quid to get a decent curry (and yes it was bigger).
If you’re on brick lane for a curry I 100% recommend this place. But I can’t guarantee what you’ll get if you barter for a £9 curry with beers!

Amazing lamb and great curry! Affordable too! BYO (bring your own wine) accepted too!
We came by on a Sunday evening. My hubby made reservations before hand. We were greeted right away. We brought our own champagne which they accepted and quickly offered glasses for us.
We ordered the chicken tikka (4 small pieces) we were warned it was small. It was great, the sauce with it was superb. We also had a lamb shank which was fall off the bone. It was the best fish by far. The chicken curry was also very good — chicken itself was dry but the sauce was very very good. No surprise that they were voted best curry! We also ordered naan and rice. Both were delicious.
The service here is not very good and not very friendly. Coming at 6pm was very early and we were the only ones in the restauarant.
Also I got 25% off for checking into Unilocal.They accepted it gladly.

First of all, it’s an experience getting here, as you get harassed the entire walk down to the restaurant by all the other restaurants along the way. If you feel it’s important for you to eat here, take the long way around. But honestly, I would skip it and find some place better to eat.
My husband picked out this place, as he had read great reviews and it seemed to be the most popular. When we arrived (around 6 or so), there was basically no one in the place.
We sat down and ordered our meals, which came out pretty quickly. The samosas were tiny. We only got one order (mostly because we didn’t understand what the waiter was saying, which was that we should get two orders) and they were okay. The portion size was not appropriate for two people.
For dinner, we ordered the chicken korma and the chicken tikka masala. The food there is incredibly greasy for some reason. I’m not really sure why, as we had indian at a much better place earlier in the week and it was not greasy. The sauce for the korma seemed to have no real flavor whatsoever. There was a lot of sauce, but not a lot of chicken. The tikka masala was the same.
We ordered naan, which was only okay. It also had a slight taste of soap, which I couldn’t understand.
The service here wasn’t great and the waiters aren’t terribly friendly. The waiter we had didn’t know how to use the credit card machine.
All in all, probably the worst meal we ate the entire 2 weeks we were in London. I think there are probably better places to eat on Brick Lane. Don’t believe the hype.

I found Sheba on a list of Best Curry on Brick Lane. I’m glad we had a destination when we got in the neighborhood because we were immediately harassed by all of the other competitors trying to get us into their restaurants. Once seated, our waiter immediately pushed an appetizer on us (which we ordered because everyone else in the restaurant also got it) and it was not anything great. We ordered our entrees and the waiter really tried hard to up-​sell us. We declined, he was not happy, and this made him pretty rude for the rest of our stay. The food was surprisingly AWESOME. We had chicken tikka masala and a lamb dish. I would definitely go back for the food, but with my game face on, ready for the rude service.

We did not do our research and ended up choosing this restaurant for a late lunch. The service was quick to get us seated, but the attention ended as soon as we had placed our order. Our food arrived in spurts, so our rice was 5 mins after the rest. The veggie side dishes were mediocre, and the rice tasted like it had been sitting out. The sizzling prawns were delicious, I must admit. We had to be almost aggressive in order to pay. Staff was also quite rude to a table next to us, and we experienced other clients asking repeatedly for their checks or parts of their order. Would not recommend this place nor would I return.

So I was in London and was told that there’s really good Indian food in Brick Lane (London’s Murray Hill, basically). I was kind of lazy and didn’t do my research and decided to just find the place with the most people/​longest line (which usually works). Unfortunately, we got there around 6pm and it was too early and no one was really eating yet… there were also lots of hawkers standing outside each restaurant harassing people into trying their resto (offering «special menus» and free drinks… all of which I later learned are scams). Anyway… we decided on Sheba (after walking up and down Brick Lane 3x) because they had the most occupied tables.
Random anecdote: there was a 20-​something Indian guy eating with his dad next to us who interrupted my order to complain about his food. It was pretty uncomfortable as the guy was really sarcastic and angry. He basically said the food was too greasy and that he’s Indian so obviously he knows what the food should taste. When asked by the server how the food was, he curtly replied, «It’s awful.» I actually started laughing and thought he was joking, but he was dead serious. They ate quickly and left. But before he left, he started instigating the server saying stuff like «you talk a lot for a waiter. do you want me to make a scene? I can make a scene, do you want me to make a scene now? When you were trained, didn’t they teach you to smile.» It was rather bizarre, but still, we had high hopes for our dinner.
So the food is bad. Like REALLY SALTY and watery curry bad. I think any place in Murray Hill would be way better than this AND MUCH CHEAPER. We’re talking British Pounds here, people. Two mains, a beer and a mango lassi turned out to be like $ 80 USD. WTF.
Afterwards, I found this Thrillist article that raved about Sheba:
(more WTF sentiment).
Just don’t come here. It sucks.

Went as a group of 5 on Sat night with out of town visitors. The only positive from the whole experience were the meat dishes and the fact I have a great story to tell my friends about one of the worst service experiences in my life. 15GBP/​pp was barely worth it given the value one can get on brick Lane otherwise. Sadly we heard the table next to us similarly complaining of how immensely bad service it was — — so I know it’s not a one off.
Reasons I am assigning one star:
–Took one hour to get water after 5 requests
–Waiter argued back when they gave my vegetarian friend LAMB samosa (repeatedly claiming it was Veggie)?! Only After we put the Plate 1 inch from his nose, he finally brought a replacement …
–They simply decided never to bring one of our naans and no paradox we ordered. Upon asking about the paradox, they claimed «sorry we are out, kitchen forgot to mention earlier. We wont charge you». Well guess what– it was part of the prix fix ???
–Nonveg dishes were C– grade (channa, aloo saag, bhindi)
–They added an optional 10% service charge)(I understand this is becoming more common in London now) and we saw the waiters arguing over who had to bring the check over (nobody wanted to do it)
— to top it off, The ceiling started to DRIP on our table right after we paid the bill. A few minutes earlier and our food would have been contaminated…
«ONLY SAVING GRACE»
+The chicken jalfrezi and lamb gosht dishes were DELICIOUS, B+ grade
The owner prides himself on great food. the few meat dishes are truly great… However running a business, you need to treat your customers right. And the current status is beyond acceptable in my eyes.
I’ve been to 5 different brick Lane houses and would recommend you take your money elsewhere.

Had a mango lasee and the chicken Tikka pathina which was fantastic, a perfect blend of spicy and sweet. Cassie had the Tikka Korma which was also really good. Great little place, definitely worth checking out.

I love indian food, and of the hundreds of times I’ve eaten at indian restaurants in the UK this was the worst.
CERTAINLY NOT the best of 9000 restaurants in the UK in 2013. Don’t be mislead by the apparent awards and accolades displayed in the window.
I’m really not sure if the lamb was lamb, but anyway even one bite wasn’t edible. The beer had a horrible pungent smell as though it had been poured through pipes that had never been cleaned, and the house White was so awful we couldn’t stomach more than 1 sip.
Don’t let the tout stop you, walk straight on by.

This place was full… I don’t know why?
I have been for a curry on brick lane before and it was MUCH better. The starter was TINY! My brother got samosas and it was latterly ONE tiny samosa. We were sharing starters between for of us and we hardly go a mouth full each. The waiter was no friendly at all. The main was okay, I had veg Korma but i would go else where. I have been to the place on the corner with the British theme (Drawings of Prince Harry) and it was much better value for money.

Never had Indian before and I’m not too impressed with the food.
Best curry in London? I’m not sure about that. If you have Indians right outside trying to convince people to come in then that’s already a bad sign.
The waiter seem rude and suggesting other items on the menu instead what my friends wanted to order. I tried the naan and I thought that’s probably the best item I ate from dinner. That’s about it.

Good but not the best in Brick Lane, let alone the UK.
We went in with very high expectations, Sheba having recently been voted the best curry house in the UK. The first thing to say is that the prices are high, particularly against the backdrop of Brick Lane prices. £17 for a two course meal with one beer is at least 50% more than a lot of competitors are charging for a three course meal.
I ordered onion bhaji, pilau rice, garlic naan and a Begun Tomato Jhool. The Tomato Jhool was excellent, the rice and naan typical Brick Lane fayre and the bhaji, to be frank, extremely bland and didn’t taste particularly fresh.
My dining companions complained that the food was quite bland.
The worst thing to be honest was the service. Generally in Brick Lane this is exceptionally good. Sheba’s staff spoke extremely poor English, to the point where even asking for the bill took repeated efforts to find someone who could understand us. Then the bill arrived with the cursory 10% service charge slapped on. We opted not to pay this and were made to feel extremely uncomfortable by the waiter asking us why now, followed by conversations with the manager in their mother tongue but which were extremely easy to figure out were about our table.
Overall I frequent Brick Lane every week or two but this place probably won’t be on my list to return to any time soon.

The worst!!! Complete Liars!!!
I dined there tonight. As soon as we walked in, I asked the waiter whether it was BYO because I already bought a bottle of wine. The waiter immediately said «No, we are fully licensed», I mentioned that I bought a bottle but he said we had to buy alcohol from their menu. I ordered a glass of wine which was totally watered down– I had to complain and order a different glass of wine. Only then, did he pour a glass in front of us (the first one came from downstairs which I would never know what he did with it).
Then, a group came in with their own wine and beer. I asked the waiter: Why was it NOT OK for me to bring my own bottle, and it’s ok for them? He goes and says, «we are fully licensed but we allow bottles» or something like that. I did not have to order their water down filthy wine to begin with!
We decided that they don’t deserve any tips but guess what? They automatically add their service charge. Total thieves!!!
May I also mention, the restaurant (and I glanced at their kitchen) is absolutely filthy. I’m not even sure who gives all these nice reviews for this restaurant but I am sure it is the people who work for the restaurant reviewed.
Food wise, it is absolutely mediocre (I would definitely go somewhere better in bricklane). There are many places on the same street with far better food and service and far far better price (and definitely do not lie right to the face of their customers).
Guys, WALK AWAY! These people rip you off!

I prefer the Indian food from the Bay Area. Lamb curry was not salty enough, Tandoori chicken tasted OK but was mushy like it was a really old or bad quality chicken, the portions weren’t large enough for my inflated American belly, and the naan wasn’t soft and chewy enough for my taste.
Maybe I should have gone somewhere else, but it was a totally random choice when I stumbled upon this street.

One of the many solid curries I’ve had on Brick Lane. Def go if you have one of their offers (ViewLondon, TasteCard, etc.). It’s BYO so don’t hesitate to bring in some Cobras.
–Lamb Lucknow — Worth coming here just for this. Falls of the bone and oh so tasty.
–Chicken Tikka Masala — Good, but not the best I’ve had.
The staff are friendly, but they try to get more money out of you so just be strong (par for the course for Brick Lane). They were hesitant for us to do BYO, but when we said we really wanted to, he took us to the corner store and gave us a discount. I also came with a voucher for 50% but they only gave us 25%. After pointing it out they did correct it, but I’m not sure if it was really an accident or not…

I have been to London an few times now and every time I come I head straight for Sheba on Brick Lane. Unfortunately in the states we do not have Indian food like this… =(
Everything I have ever ordered here is amazing and I wish I could transport this little gem to San Francisco! Love you Sheba and love you London can’t wait to come back!

Why Why Why cant there be amazing UK curry in the bay area? Out of our 3 nights in London we spent two dinners on brick lane. This was our first night, and the restaurant was chosen by one of our London friends. We had so much yummy food! Starting with pompadoms, and bhaji. We also had the Chicken Xacuti and the Bollywood Blast. Both were so good! Cant wait to go back!
Taxis and the tube are close by!

While in London a little more than a year ago, a friend and I seriously could not decide on where to eat while walking up and down Brick Lane, despite all the relentless hawkers, award-​winning chefs in every kitchen, and «free drinks» being thrown our way. I can’t remember what it took to get us to plop down in this place, but damn, I’m glad it worked.
The place was reasonably packed for such a late hour of the night but the level of service hadn’t diminished in the least. The menu was larger than life and not being a novice in ordering Indian food, I ordered whatever sounded best. And Butter Chicken sounded best. Damn, can I pick some winners.
My friend and I raved about this dish for months following our trip. This thing was awesome in every sense of the word. Rich, hot, and buttery greatness. I honestly don’t remember what else we ordered because this was the only thing on my mind. I completely forgot about it until a few months ago when I was in Little India (Artesia, CA) and ran through the aisles looking for some gulab jamun to make at home. Lo and behold, I found some butter chicken mix on the shelf that jogged my memory and brought me back to Sheeba.
I’m sure you can’t go wrong with any of the Indian joints on the block and there can’t be too much variance in what everyone’s cooking, but if you’re splitting hairs, check these guys out. You may find something you like.

Très bon restaurant, on y mange très bien et la qualité des plats est excellente. Les produits sont frais et les quantités sont très correctes. De plus, il y a une très grande quantité de choix sur le menu qui satisferont tous les goûts. Pour ceux qui aime le sucré-​salé je recommande fortement le pain Peshwari Naan et en plat le Modhucash Murgh qui est délicieux. Celui-​ci accompagné d’un Pilau Rice. Les serveurs sont accueillant et si vous né savez pas quoi choisir ils pourront vous conseiller. Pour finir le cadre du restaurant est très agréable. C’est un des meilleurs restaurants indien dans lesquels j’ai pu manger.

I told my London hosts that I absolutely had to have Indian food while I was visiting. They were more than happy to oblige and to Brick Lane we went. The customary thing to do, according to my friends, is to walk up and down the Lane in search of the best deal. Deals come in the way of men standing outside the door of each restaurant calling to us «friends» and offering 20, 25 and even 30% off the bill, no service charge, and a round of drinks for free. Hell, one guy even offered us two rounds of free drinks. But we moved on.
We eventually ended up at Sheba. I usually order the Chicken Vindaloo when I’m stateside, but my friend had warned me that the Vindaloo in these parts was very very spicy, as the menu indicated. So I settled on the Chicken Ceylan instead. My friends, believe me when I tell you that «Fairly Spicy» on Sheba’s menu really translates to «burn the shiz out of your mouth and make your upper lip and brow sweat» hot hot hot! I’m no stranger to spicy food, but this… this was beyond bearable. I just couldn’t enjoy the meal.
The naan was good, but the saag paneer we had on the side was just what I’d call okay. A couple of the other dishes I tried on the table were tasty, but lacked the heat I had wanted. Our waiters were kinda rude — like one rolled his eyes at me when I asked for a straw kind of rude. But according to my friends, that’s just par for the course with most service in London. So I chose not to take the eye-​rolling to heart.
One big upside to this place — the table wine we ordered was really very tasty. Even the Italians sitting at our table liked it and ordered a second round. That says a lot! I’d like to try Indian food again while I’m in town, but for the safety of my taste buds, I’ll probably take my business elsewhere.