Kebab Mahal

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £9.50 (lunch)
   £9.50 (evening meal)

• High point: Quality food and good portions at affordable prices
• Low point: Don't go expecting sophisticated surroundings
• Food served: Sun-Thu noon-midnight; Fri noon-1pm, 2pm-2am; Sat noon-2am
• Open since: 1979
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

For a place with the ambience of your average well-worn take-out establishment, Kebab Mahal does a busy trade with sit-in diners too. The reason for this is disarmingly simple: the dishes on its menu are of a quality that could easily hold their own alongside many plusher venues, yet at an affordable price that is in keeping with the modesty of the surroundings. No one will ever claim this is one of the most attractive venues in the city, but it has carved out its own niche and a well-deserved longevity (it's now in its 18th year) with those in the know. The dishes are, admittedly, of the more pedestrian type you might find on a larger restaurant's menu - pakora, samosa and bhaji to start, for example, and madras, tikka and biryani to follow - but there can be no complaints about the preparation. Each is richly sauced and the meats (or vegetables) are delicately marinated, demonstrating that the chefs know what they're doing, while the selection of Indian desserts and sweets is also of a high standard. With hearty portions served, Kebab Mahal is highly recommended for capable Indian cooking on a budget.