Caspian

Having a delivery service after midnight whilst working nights is great! Out of the few which would deliver to my office I decided to try here based on the just eat reviews… it was not a bad decision.
The food arrived still piping hot within 45 minutes — not bad at all.
I tried out with a starter of Kashk O‘Bodorgan served with an excellent nann bread.
For main I ordered a chicken schwarma kebab — this was one of the best I’ve had in England… Excellently spiced with super flavour. My friend had a chicken kebab which looked pretty good.
A plus is they automatically send kebabs with separate salad and sauce — great as you don’t end up with soggy bread!
Will definitely try out the sit in when I’m next on wilmslow Road.

Loved it when I was a student at the University visited it 10 years later a couple of years ago and Maz was still there and more remarkably he still remembered my order

Caspian appears to be under new management.
The portions are smaller and everything I tried was not as tasty as it used to be.
Won’t be going here again.
(It’s disappointing after 19 years of amazing food by the previous management)

I came here due the great reviews but I should have followed my gut feeling (it told me that the food won’t be great).
However, since I often go to Al-​Jazeera or Jaffa it was time to try Caspian.
My boyfriend ordered the Shish Kebab on rice and I had the Chicken Shewarma on rice. For starters we ordered Falafel on salad.
Hmm… I am quite disappointed of Caspian — the Falafel were dry and not well seasoned at all! I had one Falafel which was hollow and I’ve asked politely for another one but the response was a bit weird: «Oh, we don’t make those Falafel. We buy them and so sometimes it can happen that they won’t be perfect.» Errrrr, yeah. You shouldn’t have said that, mate.
Anyway, I don’t want to complain a lot. In the end he replaced it with 2 new dry Falafel.
The only positive thing I can say about this place is that my chicken Shewarma was lovely seasoned, moist and delicious. Nevertheless, I expected more. There was no yogurt sauce included with my dish, only after asking several times the staff if it were possible to get some.
Sorry guys, I prefer Jaffa and Al-​Jazeera (which is just across the street).
Cheeers and Khodafes!
(I would rate it 2.5*)

We ended up in Caspian late on Sat night — well more like Sunday morning (2am)… and to be honest like most reviews for late night takeaways and kebab houses my memory of the whole experience was probably slightly foggy!
One thing I’ll say is that Amir R has been talking about this place being kick ass for Persian food for a long time and it really didn’t let me down one bit — I took his advice and ordered this big rice and lamb dish that was fragrant and tasty — with a giant garlic naan to wipe it all up. Just what I was after when a heavy night of pint drinking was happening — yum!
I really need to get back here sometime soon — the menu was interesting and exciting and next time I’ll definitely be eating it as messily as I did this time — elbows deep is just the way I roll!

Proper good Iranian food, the Gormeh Sabzi is just like my Nana makes and the kebabs are pretty much perfect, ‘special’ sauce is special & loads of Sumac on your rice.
I’ve had problems in the past with poor delivery, but always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, or a short trip to pick up.
There’s nothing elegant about any of the places in Rusholme (with the possible exception of the brilliant Mughli), put aside any preconceptions of the area because the food has really picked up, especially from places like Caspian

I don’t understand the two negative reviews, but I do understand all the good reviews. I went there with my student son this week and, after a fantastic spinach starter, we had the best kebabs we have ever eaten. Very generous portions and all, including three soft drinks, for £12. Lovely and clean (including toilet) too.

I’ve eaten a lot of kebabs all over the world but the Caspian chicken schwarma is EASILY the best I’ve ever tried anywhere in the UK. Not only do you get a perfectly cooked naan the size of two dinner plates (most curry houses should buy get their breads from here) but you also get a massive plate of meat and some salad all for a paltry £3.90. Incredible. EDIT: Went back a year later and it’s still fantastic. Prices exactly the same, smokey flavourful chicken and a twice as big as any plate I’ve every seen.

Caspian is another good choice for vegetarians looking for fresh Arab food in Rusholme. Flavours of Manchester tip Caspian along with Jaffa for doing things their own (more authentic) way, rather than following the generic Rusholme formula. Caspian’s menu uses Iranian names, although some of the dishes turn out to be, for example, mutabal/​baba ganoush under another name. I was also intrigued by their September window advert for Ash Reshteh (see photos) a thick soup traditionally served during Ramadan, and prepared fresh every day at Caspian during the Muslim holy month.
This is a small takeaway and café-​restaurant with about twenty covers. See photos for the décor, which makes some attempts at elegance — this place could even work for an early evening date venue before the takeaway crowd start arriving in numbers. When I’ve visited during the day, there is a strong feeling of Caspian being a one-​man operation, with everything being done by the owner. Speed of service is dependent on other demands on the owner at the time of your visit. He may not initially be visible at the counter, so give a polite shout — and don’t try pulling any fast moves as he has CCTV!
On hearing that I am vegetarian, the owner decided that a falafel sandwich was in order. This comes as naan bread fresh from the tandoor on one plate, with falafel, hummus, salad and sauce on another plate (see photos). Although a wholesome and tasty meal, I found the falafel a bit dry and crusty, and ordered an additional portion of hummus — which did the trick, and still under £5 all in. I enjoyed some good food banter with the owner, and he let me have a taste of Borani, which he makes from fresh spinach and homemade yoghurt. Next time, I would tend to skip the falafel and go for Caspian’s more unique vegetarian offerings such as Borani and their take on mutabal to name but two examples.
Note: I am assuming Caspian takes its name from the Caspian Sea, described by Wikipedia as ‘the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area’, and bordered by Russian, Iran and several ‘stans.

We’ve lived in Rusholme for two years, and visited Caspian for the first time this evening. I feel like I’ve been wasting my time with the other food outlets in the area.
Caspian offers HUGE portions at decent prices. The food is freshly cooked, great quality and has bags of flavour. We both had the falafel — incredible and could easily be a main course. A bargain at £3! I had Qabili Pilau with a piece of lamb neck the size of a baby, and my husband had the Caspian Mixed Grill which featured more meat than a butcher’s window display.
The staff are friendly, and the restaurant is clean with minimal fuss. Well, minimal fuss — except for the disco lights.

Best place on curry mile, The owner is very nice and friendly. A+++++

Caspian’s reputation is legendary. Held as one of the best I was once dragged to this elusive institute, wowsa. You can see why everyone says it’s awesome, it is frankly. great big warm nans, hummus base etc etc, tender meats, gallons of sexy sauce (no that isn’t an adjective, that’s what its called). If you find yourself on the mile pondering what to soak up the booze sloshing round in you at 3 in the morning, this place will make it feel like you never went out. You shouldn’t have to read this review, you should have heard of it. «Clean», fast food as well if you know what I mean, hint hint wink wink.

One time, in third year, I was so drunk that I decided I could not handle the bus home from the Union Bar. The fear that I might be sick or pass out and end up in Wythenshawe was too much for me, so off I set down Rusholme. Now, although this story could possibly hinge on the whole «Becca, what on earth were you thinking, wandering home alone drunk at night?» I would like to set the record straight. It was 8pm on a weekday. Don’t judge, I’d just finished my last exam. Anyway, now that’s out of the way, let me tell you about Caspian.
About halfway down Rusholme I decided that I was not going to be sick. In fact I was very very hungry. I fell into the first takeaway that caught my eye. It was Caspian. After loudly ordering some confection of meat and chips, I engaged in a conversation with a member of staff that went thusly:
Me: what’s this place called?
He: Caspian.
Me: KASABIAN? I love Kasabian! I can’t believe you love Kasabian too!
He: Caspian, it’s called Caspian.
Me: Yes. What is your favourite Kasabian song?
He: I do not know what that is.
Me: But you called your shop Kasabian.
He: I don’t know what you’re saying, love.
Me: What?
He: Here’s your doner and chips.
Me: THANK YOU MISTER KASABIAN
Now, you might ask, if I was so drunk as to confuse a takeaway with a (not actually very good) indie band, how can I remember this conversation? Well, I am glad you asked. Luckily I had accidentally called Classy Friend, whose voicemail picked up the entire conversation.
You might also ask, how on earth would I remember the quality of food from this establishment? Well, I am glad you asked. Luckily, I called Classy Friend again, and left a voicemail that went thusly:
Me: Hi, hi. HI! So, I was just in a takeaway called Kasabian, and ohmygoddd it is awesome! Like seriously the man gave me a Vimto lolly and I have loads of chips and there’s mango chutney too! Where are you anyway? Are we going to the party because if we are we should go to Kasabian first.
These voicemails have become folklore among my friends, and I am glad to have shared them with you, dear Unilocalers. Let us ignore my early-​evening drunkenness, and instead focus on the facts: Caspian is staffed by lovely people who are patient in the face of drunkards, and kind. They also obviously serve very good doner and chips, with delicious mango chutney. At least, I was impressed.
One thing you must remember, though, should you ever visit Caspian, is that they are in no way affiliated with Kasabian.

I don’t know what’s going on at the moment; I seem to be running into loads of great little places that I can’t really fault. It’s not nearly as much fun writing a review about places that live up to and exceed expectations, but it is nice visiting them. Caspian is yet another place like that.
I was walking home tonight when I was overtaken by the pangs of hunger, as so often happens after partaking of the Devil’s brew, and decided to find somewhere I hadn’t been before in the Curry Mile. That may seem like a simple task, but after having lived here for so long I spent a good twenty minutes wandering aimlessly in circles before I spotted Caspian. At first I could have sworn it simply appeared from the aether, but then I realised I simply hadn’t noticed it, wedged as it is between two dominating curry houses either side.
From the outside it looked clean and smart, from the inside, even better. It looked more like a café than a takeaway, which makes a nice change. Beyond this I expected nothing more than a basic Donner kebab for the £3.10 they were charging. Average sort of price, and I didn’t have high hopes.
Man, was I wrong.
I think I first realised I’d have to reconsider when the guy called out my order, presented me with a plate with a massive naan on, another plate laden with salad, tomato, onions and Donner meat, and said ‘Knives and forks are over there’. I hadn’t expected to actually be eating in properly, and wasn’t quite sure what to do. Did I spoon the Donner onto the naan, or use the naan to pick up the Donner? Then what was the purpose of the knife and fork? After several messy attempts in a variety of methods, most of which involved some sequence of throwing Donner meat on me, the plate, the table or the floor, I decided to just eat it the way I was used to i.e. spoon everything onto the naan in a massive bundle and try and get most of it into my mouth.
It felt slightly like I was desecrating this nice establishment, especially as the group of men next to me seemed to be having a polite conversation about… something. However, the food was delicious. And I mean delicious in the proper sense. As in, I would actually eat this when I’m sober. And I was! It makes no sense to me how a Donner kebab could be transformed into some kind of café snack, but who needs logic when you experience it for yourself?
Just pay this place a visit, really. If the Donner tastes that good, and there’s so much of it for such a simple price, then who knows what other delights lie in wait.

this is the best kebab i have ever consumed… and i have consumed many. We visit on a fortnightly basis and always use a chillo as the basis but add another meat form to it as well. tonight i believe it is the turn of chicken. a rice base, grilled tomato and onion, fresh salad and a boat of sexy sauce. mango rubicon to act as a lubricating agent. rather than take a freshly baked naan and their own hummus as a starter, it’s better to enjoy the full kebab first and then wind down with the naan.
it’s quite frankly the best food in my cannon right now and Maz is legendary.

Clearly a lot of takeaways it;s in competition with. However this one really does stand out. The kebabs are first rate and use naan, not pitta, which is freshly cooked. Great sauces and fresh salad and cheap. You can sit in but it’s so much nicer taking the hot squashy parcel home and devouring it

I had never really eaten Kebab until I went to Caspians. Of course I had tried the slop they serve you at your average late night stodge-​parlour in London but whether drunk or sober, one can really appreciate Persian food at its best at Caspians. Fit for the Ayatollah himself. If only Xerxes hadn’t been so inept at tactical and strategic planning at Salamis then perhaps all food in the bloated West could be this good. Yes, as you’re sinking your chops into the tender kobodeh, curse those oily, highly-​trained Greeks.
At one point a certain friend of mine would dine at Caspians at least 3 times a day. Even when he wasn’t hungry.
Recommended dishes: Kobodeh with rice/​naan, Chillo with rice/​naan, Hummus with naan, Khos Mekham (that’s one’s not on the menu but if you ask nicely I’m sure Maz, the owner, will sort you out)

One night in Manchester, we set out from the now defunct Jubilee Hall, part of Hulme Hall, and began a life-​changing journey. That journey is only 3 minutes, but the destination was that significant. We took out. I got back, and was confounded by what lay in my hands. How to eat a creation of such wonder? As it turns out, that kind of expertise comes with time. I got sauce all my hands and face. But was probably happier then than at many other times in my life. Caspians.

I’ve just had a kebab from Caspians — the first in a year or so. Maz was there, still dishing out his «sexy sauce», and the place is still one of the best kebab houses in the UK. Is that a high enough recommendation for you?

I will always remember my first lemon chicken kebab at caspians. It was definitely the most amazing kebab experience of my life. The amazing soft bread made right in front of my eyes, and the delicious chunks of grilled chicken, which had been marinated beforehand. Since then caspians has provided me with thousands of meals and basically fed me through university. It did go downhill a bit in recent years, and i’ve not been back there for a while, but I hear it’s still really good. Definitely worth a trip, and say hello to Maz, the slightly eccentric owner, who will tell you all about the magic ‘sexy sauce’ he uses on the kebabs.