The Original Lal Qila

I was staying in a hotel nearby and popped in for a takeaway. Restaurant was empty which should have been a warning sign, however guys working there were very friendly and so I ordered a starter, main and drinks to go. Price was OK and didn’t have to wait long. Got back to hotel and OMG! Food was awful. Everything tasted cheap and uncooked throughout. My curry was meant to have «some» spinach in it, however that was almost all that was in it! Would not recommend.

I popped out to this place with son in tow for a curry. Personally, I thought the guy out front as you walk in was less than a perfect host, his expression was deadpan to say the least. Although it was around 6pm there were only 4 other tables being used by customers and it still took longer than I would have expected to be served. The food (Pompys, pickle tray, followed by a karahi and a balti) was probably the least interesting curry I’ve had served in a restaurant of this kind anywhere. The lamb balti was quite bland tasting, the karahi (as my son remarked) ‘looked like glop on the plate’, indeed it tatsed like glop on a plate. Plus points, yes, the waiter was friendly and it is a pleasant enough environment to eat in.
I wont be going back there and I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, for me personally The Scarborough Tandoori Restaurant is *still* the best one I have ever been in, but I know for a fact that there are also better all round quality currys to be had elsewhere in Manchester!

Our spicy jaunt now takes us to Deansgate, a street I don’t necessarily associate with the best of nightlife but it does have some great restaurants tucked away. What’s this I hear? Lal Qila’s in Rusholme? Well, that may be, but it’s been so successful in its original form, the owners decided they could open up one here and have also got branches in Bolton and Handforth. Nice work if you can get it.
The décor here’s a little try-​hard and slapdash at the same time, a contradiction in terms I know but it really has attempted to look like a classic 90s curry house, which it is not. It’s brand new; they have free reign. Nevertheless it’s comfy enough and it specialises in the Punjabi end of the curry spectrum, meaning plenty of naan, mountains of pakoras and a tandoori oven. Starter-​wise (and you always need a little something to warm up your tum if you’re taking on Indian cuisine) I’d highly recommend the seafood platter, it was beautifully cooked and exactly the sort of light, sweet thing I was in the mood for. The mains however let the place down a little. One of the foolproof curry tests you can employ is trying a bit of everybody’s. If everything tastes very similar, the result is somewhat disappointing. I mean, what’s the point of having rogan josh and balti as separates if they’re the same bar a bit of yoghurt?
However I am nitpicking here, because the sides were stunning. Naans, rotis and rices all get top marks, particularly with a pilau not too overlaid with that worrying array of bright pink and green and the employment of peas and cashew nuts in one of the options. It’s not too pricey either — more so than the Curry Mile, sure, but not all that pocket-​lightening. You’ve got entertainment in the form of waiters who can do magic, excellent and attentive service and a really friendly atmosphere. What Lal Qila essentially does is offer the Rusholme experience on Deansgate, so it’s been very clever. It’s jacked up the price but the food is basically the same, not quite extending to the highbrow likes of Shimla Pinks or the mid-​range Akbar’s, the kind of Indian restaurants you’d expect to find in such an area.
Still, samey mains aside, I really enjoyed my night at Lal Qila. It’s great for groups and the magic tricks offer something a little different — you’ll find this sort of thing on the Curry Mile but on an increasingly bereft-​looking Deansgate places like this are a godsend.

So Lal Qila opens up to replace the boarded up ugly I had to face on a daily basis. I slowly watched an empty space being remoulded and transformed and wondered, what next for Deansgate? Better be a good one.
So it was a curry house or an Indian restaurant if you like and I believe there’s an existing Lal Qila on the curry mile. I’m not fan of what it looks like from the outside, very curry mile esque with its blingness projecting from the inside onto Deansgate. You can’t ignore Lal Qila that’s for sure.
Not to be superficial, don’t judge a book by it’s cover as they’ve always said, me and my flatmate decided on a curry filled evening. Curry isn’t one of my top fave meals but I do like a well made rogan josh and some naan once in a while. My flatmate goes for the korma and we went for some pilau rice each. We both agreed, not as nice as we’ve had before, and for me Sangams is better. The naans were generous and there was leftovers but overall an alright curry experience in what is lacking in the city centre.
A vibrant, try hard place with excellent service and a decent curry meal to match. There’s even a lunch time buffet at £7.95 from noon (not sure when until) to sample if you want to check out Lal Qila’s potential. It was pretty busy when we were even though there was two floors to the place. Perhaps book to avoid disappointment.

This is a younger relation of the Lal Qila on Manchester’s curry mile, however I am much more of a fan of this one! I am a choosy girl when it comes to my ruby murrays and having eaten many times at the Rusholme branch (love the food, hate the paper tablecloths), I went along with my other half on a Thursday night.
We hadn’t booked but this was not a problem, as although it was quite busy, the excellent Ahmed greeted us as though we were Posh and Becks and ushered us in. We sat in the bar area and soaked up the crimson surroundings. Décor is sophisticated: bling crystal drop chandeliers and a spacious two level dining area. You can actually pop along for just a drink in the bar if you choose but after smelling the gastronomic delights we were not going anywhere!
As I am a hot chick, I went straight for the lamb madras and I was pleased to discover that it was full of spice as opposed to heat. There was just the right blend of chillies and I polished it off. Hubby, always the showoff, had a sizzler dish and he ate it caveman– style as though he had not eaten for a week!
Main dish prices range from approximately £6.50 up to £14.50 for the king prawn meals, they do takeaways AND THEY DELIVER!!! Lal Qila is open from noon to midnight Sunday to Thursday, noon to 1am on Friday and Saturday and they even stay open on Bank holidays, bless them. I would suggest making a reservation on weekends though.
I will certainly dine here again as the food was scrumptious, the staff ever so friendly, and Ahmed was a ray of sunshine in a oftentimes rainy city.

This is a recently opened curry house and on friday evening I tried it. I was not very impressed. The waiters were very inexperienced or just not very good. I had to ask twice for a jug of water but they were very keen to serve more alcohol. My baby lamb starter was not baby lamb and very chewy. I loved curry but will not be coming back here in a hurry. Its location on Deansgate is pretty good but next time I am in that area I will go to Dimitries as I know I will enjoy my meal.

Lal Qila Deansgate has opened only in the past few months. For me it defeats the Lal Qila Rusholme (with which I doubt it is affiliated) with ease.
Lal Qila is situated seconds from Deansgate station, and is the only Indian restaurant in the area. Upon entering you will be greeted by a hilarious man with spiky hair and glasses (I promise) who is literally the most attentive waiter in Manchester, for better or worse.
It’s a modern restaurant with smart décor, which immediately marks it apart from the majority of Rusholme curry places. Its got a pleasant little bar area at the front and the seating on a raised platform behind.
They’re always recommending specials and rare dishes so ask for advice if you’re not sure what to have. If you love your curries spicy or mild but like the sound of the flavours on one that doesn’t fit your taste buds preferred chilli levels, ask them to make you a less spicy or more spicy version, and they’ll be only too happy to do so.
They’ve got a selection of Indian beers and a decent house red as well. The prawn curries are excellent and the helpings are extremely gernerous. One rice between two is plenty.
They also have phenomenal… hand towels. Their hand towels to wash your curried hands, actually grow. No joke. Go and see for yourself.