Balbir’s

I’ve been to Balbir’s once for a special occasion and was highly impressed. It’s possibly the fanciest Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to. Large banquet style tables in a huge open plan restaurant.
When you go, I’d reccomend the banquet option, which is a selection of different items the chef/​server would think you would like. After asking a few questions to the group, the server had made up a good mix of starters and curries for us all to try. Starters were very good and varied, spicy salmon was my favourite, well seasoned.
The mains were a great mix of different curries and meats, chicken, lamb, fish and paneer. Some mild and creamy ones which had quite a lot of flavour to them (can sometimes find creamy curries just tasting of well… cream!). The spicier options on offer were absolutely brilliant, lot of spice and flavour. Was impressed that all the curries were distinctly different. The first time I’d tried a fish curry, and it was very tasty!
The service was very efficient and attentive throughout, the jugs of water were served with thin slices of cucumber, a nice touch I thought.
A very good meal and the layout of the restaurant was great too. Slightly on the pricy side for an Indian but I felt it seemed reasonable for the quality and service

So Balbirs has been on my list for a while, I’ve often passed by their Kilmarnock restaurant and when they had the Tiffin rooms I loved that place so I was keen to try.
As much as I love traditional style Indian food I’m also a sucker for British influenced Indian food. And yes sometimes you will catch me ordering a Korma however it will only be once in a blue moon.
We had a table booked and on arrival we waited for what seemed like ages (I was hungry) before anyone even greeted us. We were taken to our seat and ordered drinks. Using our favourite app we got a free glad of cava when we checked in.
We decided to go with the banquet which was just what the chef would think we would like.
Starters…
Popadoms and a spice dip… very nice.
Mini potato flatbread with chickpeas… Personally my favourite.
Spicy salmon very well seasoned.
Deep fried chills… Burnt the mouth right off me.
Mains
2 chicken 2 lamb and 1 paneer. All very nice.
The chicken ones where nice very similar to each other and quite creamy. If I didn’t eat the deep fried chilli I would say that the chicken dishes were very mild. The lamb ones nice also but again very similar to each other.
Paneer was tasty to.
At this point I am completely stuffed no more food can go into my mouth. White flag!!! I opted for an espresso for finish!
All in all a good meal. Very modern inside I’d have no problems going back.

The free glass of cava is only applicable if you sit in and set menu (takeaway) finishes at 7.30pm.
Just in case you get caught out.

I had heard great things about Balbir’s and was very excited to be trying it for the first time last night. Indian food is not my favourite cuisine when eating out so I tend to be a quite a harsh critic and although there is lots to love about Balbir’s, it just was not as good as it should be at the most important point.
First the good stuff. This is very fancy inside it’s not a traditional curry house at all. The staff are really friendly and looked after us very well. It’s huge inside as well which is a surprise as it looks small from the outside. Thanks to the power of checking in on Unilocal we were lucky enough to get a free cava each which was a great way to start the meal.
We went with the sharing banquet and the food started rolling out. We had a mixed dip which I guess is their version of spicy onions (but far better) and it of course came with popadoms. Then we had some more mini flat breads with chickpeas. Again beautiful and started to build up the picture of a great meal ahead. This was the followed by my favourite thing of the night which was the salmon starter, crumbly and spicy it tasted great.
By this point I was very pleased with my meal as we waited for the mains. We got two chicken dishes, two lamb and one paneer. The paneer was far to bitter and tasted really bad to be honest. We actually ended up leaving it which is very unusual for me! The Chasni was nice enough but plain and the other three were all very ordinary. By that I mean they all tasted pretty much the same. For nan we got mixed peshwari and garlic. I don’t like the former, but the latter was fine although I have had much better (fluffier, tastier) flatbreads elsewhere.
It’s a shame really as the starters were so good, the place itself is fancy, the staff are friendly and the cinnamon ice cream crème brûlée I had for dessert was amazing, but sadly they dropped the ball on the most important part, the mains. I can only give this place three stars. I would go back but I would perhaps try a different curry for main course.

I don’t like foreign food.

First proper Indian restaurant I tried representing a welcome change in regards to all that take-​away Indian stuff you can get. The atmosphere is nice, the staff is very forthcoming; haven’t been treated that royally in a long time. The menu is extensive and I went with the lamb biryani which interestingly came wrapped in tin-​foil which reminded me of the various take-​away experiences — not the best first impression. However, the food was of high quality and very enjoyable. I have to say though, I am not a fan of Indian food and haven’t been convinced otherwise — not even at Balbir’s.
The prices are mid-​range and just worth what you get — but I wouldn’t want to pay more.
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, however, considering that the prices, service and atmosphere promised a little more than they delivered I only give 3 stars with strong tendency to more — I just didn’t leave the place feeling «surprised».

One of Glasgow’s better curry houses. The standard does vary though, from excellent to humdrum. Thursday seems to be a better bet than Saturday for some reason,

After an afternoon of light mountaineering is there a more heavenly sight than a lovely pint of Kingfisher and platter of delicious vegetable pakora?
My gang of intrepid explorers and I thought not and headed over to Balbir’s in Glasgow’s West End.
Balbir’s offers a more formal dining experience than many other Indian restaurants in the city, I was certainly glad I’d nipped home to cast off my hiking boots and rather ‘alluring’ anorak.
The décor is sleek, the lighting dim and on weekends a pianist can be heard tinkling the ivories. It all creates a very pleasant atmosphere.
After a good look through the varied menu my friend and I decided to share the Paneer Palak and the Daal Makhani. Both were fantastic but the Daal won it for me — a black lentil based dish as smooth as it was creamy with a nice kick of spice. Perfect.
We all left suitably satisfied and ready for a curry induced snooze.

Had a family meal here on Saturday night and was fairly impressed with the set up. Food was good and the staff very attentive and pleasant. I wasn’t blown away with the banquet option that four of us opted for. Comes in at £19 a head but the 5 dishes seemed a bit on the small side and I ended up wishing I’d followed a couple of others and ordered from the menu.
The place is huge but doesn’t feel like a factory floor and the pianist was a nice touch. Overall a good, safe bet.

Now this is a tough one. I’ve been walking past this place for years now. Years of stoating past thinking ‘Hmmm, I should really check that place out at some point’. Well, the ‘some point’ was Friday and verdict is positive, if not mind blowing.
First thing to note about this place is the sheer vastness of the dining area. With the blinds in the window, it’s always been kinda hard to get a good look at the inside without pressing yer nose against the window and gawping in. So, when we first walked in, I kinda had a wee Tardis moment about the joint. If I’m being honest (which I am) the vastness of a restaurant is really not my thing. I’m much more of a cosy wee eatery type person, so in walking in here I was instantly put off a bit.
But hey, who cares about the venue if the grub is top notch eh? Well aye, but for all the good things said, all the splendid descriptions in the menu, I can’t help but feel like expectations of awsomeness were not met. Was the grub tasty? Aye. Was it enough to make me go ‘woooft’? Nah, not really.
Service, price etc are all fairly reasonable. Just not feeling the love as much as I do for other Indian restaurants/​take aways in Glasgow.

I will admit up front that we’re from Ottawa which is not renowned for its Indian food. But I must say that Balbir’s served us the best Indian cuisine I have ever had! We started with bhel poori, an interesting mixture of salad ingredients served on pappadams. The aubergine pakoras were more subtle than anything By the same name offered in Otttawa with a delicious but mild sauce. The lamb biryani was the best I have tasted and a new dish for us, malai kofta, was also delicious. The food was not as spicy as most Indian dishes I have known, but that, for me, was good as it allowed more complex flavours to come through. Very good wine list by the bottle or glass. Classy décor and excellent service. Dinner for two with wine and dessert was £50.

We were a group of 7 people, i had read some of the previous reviews and decided to give this place a go.
The setting and décor inside was very nice, Sadly the food served up was at the very best average and very overpriced.
Normally we dine at the Mother India Café or Restaurant but this time were deterred by the waiting times for tables. Next time i will definitely wait as i know their food offering is far far superior.

I have to concur wholeheartedly with Andrew C on this one.
The food here is adequate enough, if also unnecessarily expensive, and if it were situated in another city I would probably look at it in a slightly more positive light… but its in Glasgow and Glasgow has, in my opnion, 3 or 4 of the best curry houses in Britain.
Pleasent enough but when I’m there it feels like Im doing myself an injustice by not being at the true crème de la crème.
It’s probably unfar to name these places…
Oh sod it — Mother India Café and Restaurent and The Wee Curry Shop!

Oh, poor Balbir’s.
Any other city in the UK (except for Bradford) this place would be up there as the top. The pinnacle of curryhood.
Unfortunately, this is Glasgow and there are some Curry Heavyweights so close to this location. Located at the bottom of Byres, look east and the expanse of Argyle begins to provide some idea of what you can have.
Balbir’s is lovely inside but it seems more attention was paid to the interior than the food and it is not a bargain. This could all be forgiven if there were not some major Indian players breathing its your neck. The worst part, they are really close.
If you are desperate for a curry, keep walking. Across the street from the big red building is Mother India Café and just next to it — Dining In, better food and better price.

And so endeth the tour…
Balbir’s brings me to the end of my unintentional curry tour of Britain and my goodness, what a brilliant end it was. The smells on entering the restaurant are amazing, enough to make one start foaming at the mouth! We partook of the banquet meal which, although not cheap, leaves you in the hands of the chef’s, where they bring you a range of starters and main courses to your tastes (ie mild/​hot, chicken/​lamb/​veggie etc) and it was absolutely fabulous — excellent service and fabulous meals, particularly the lamb dishes.
Highly recommended!

A-​OK for me, but Woohoo! As good as it gets! for the boyfriend. So 4-​stars between the two of us.
Having grown up without any Indian influence in the tropical climate of Arizona, discovering Indian cuisine came with the territory of moving to the UK and having the majority of my classmates straight from Mumbai, etc. I could handle Mexican spicy, but for some reason Indian food just blows my head off, not to mention gives me a serious case of touchy tummy.
Balbir’s atmosphere is clean and classy with a touch of smooooth jazz. Service was great, and the server gave great suggestions, especially taking consideration of my nut allergy :-) We ordered the banquet for two. Great selection of food, and pretty tasty.
Overall pretty good… but not really my first choice of cuisine.

I have a love affair going on with Balbir’s.
The mere mention of the place makes me well up with pride and passion, not to mention making my stomach grumble. Oh, God, it’s so good. I can’t say anything remotely educated or informative about Balbir’s, I love it too much.
No question, this is the best curry house in the city. It’s classy, it’s authentic, it’s contemporary, clean, just brilliant! The staff are so helpful, curries are so well priced for their phenomenal taste! With their banquet options and the attentive waiters, you feel as though your curries are tailor made. none of your pre-​prepared stuff here — it’s made to order.
There’s a large variety of curries varying from very mild and veggie to «blow your head off» hot. But for me, it’s always lamb rogan josh, peshwari naan and a doggy bag since you won’t be able to finish the massive portion! So that’s breakfast for next day sorted. They use healthy ingredients too, so you don’t even feel bagged up after you’ve eaten your meal!
Astounding. I cried the night I was in Toronto and had a curry that was substandard to King Balbir. I genuinely did cry. I wasn’t even that homesick, I just wanted a Balbir’s. It’s perfect.

Glasgow has approximately one million first class curry houses all with glowing reputations and loyal clientele. So when a new Indian restaurant opens in the city it has to offer something unique in order to make an impression in a saturated market.
Balbir’s tactic was to introduce a «banquet» concept; a menu tailor made to each individual customer’s tastes following a few questions about their curry preferences; i.e. mild or spicy, chicken or lamb, vegetables or paneer. It was an interesting idea which ensured press publicity and a stream of customers through the door.
Every time I have visited Balbir’s, which has been many, the banquet menu has been exactly the same which makes me wonder how «tailored» it is. However, the food is excellent. My favourite is the very first course; chickpeas, grains and nuts, a light and tasty dish I haven’t seen in any other curry house I have been to in Glasgow.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Balbir’s. Its huge space means you are also in with a good chance of bagging a table at the last minute.

When designing this curry house, Balbir and co paid careful attention to making the surroundings as authentic as possible. Rather than the «cram as many in as you can» mantra of most Glaswegian Indian establishments, this place is vast but densely populated with tables. The result is probably the most traditional curry hall in the city, combined with contemporary and modern décor, particularly following a reason rennovation.
Thankfully this is not simply an all style and no substance kind of place and as much care has been taken with the menu as with the aesthetics. While it’s always a risk proclaiming a Glaswegian curry house the best in the city, Balbir’s is without question in the upper tier along with the likes of Mother India’s Café, Shish Mahal and Dhabba.
The banquet, in which staff tailor make a meal for your party depending on your dietary requirements and taste preferences, has gained a reputation as being the choice of the city’s true curry connoisseurs, with friendly, affable staff rarely getting it wrong with their recommendations.
However what perhaps makes Balbir’s stand out more than anything is the fact all dishes are cooked only with cholesterol-​free rapeseed oil and minus artificial food colourings. The result is probably the healthiest tasting curry in the city and one which leaves you feeling guilty free the following morning. Well, relatively speaking.

Balbir’s is superb.
Ditching the traditional method, and perhaps paving the way for the future, waiters lend an ear to your likes and dislikes, then serve dishes they believe will correspond.
Almost every single time, they’re spot on.
The restaurant itself is vast and wide, with a large bar by the entrance and grand toilets upstairs.
Let the staff do the thinking for you, but make sure to try their divine flat-​bread, paratha.