Shimla Spice

Visited Shimla a couple of weeks ago as a pre mother’s day treat for my mum.
We went on a Thursday but the place was really busy which is always a good sign. We three got a sharing starter which came with your standard Indian starters, and was actually really nice.
We then ordered mains, I went for lamb rogan josh. The curry was really nice, meat was tender rather than being tough as you can get at many curry houses. Staff were lovely.
The place could do with a décor upgrade and that is really the only downside for me.

The main 2 in Shipley are aagrah and shimla — shimla has it for the attentive staff and willingness to give a customer what they want.
We, as business customers need vat receipts — both do vat receipts but with aagrah it’s as if they are doing you a favour and the atmosphere when asking is unpaleatable.
Shimla are willing able and happy to do so.
The food is delicious the staff are brilliant and the naan bread is jaw dropping.
They provide takeaway too and have an app — but the price of mushroom pilau on the app is way off — it doesn’t cost that much.
I can see why they are award winning and I truly hope this doesn’t go to their heads like aagrah — award winning can spoil what gave the award to begin with — customers!
Shimla is customer focused and the food is delicious and not too expensive.
Tip — don’t order a naan to yourself — you will be defeated at first glance — you do have to look twice at it — huge!

We happened to be passing by while looking for a place for dinner. This place had banners up pointing out that it was voted the best curry in the region by readers of the local newspaper. «Best curry in Bradford?» we thought: must be worth a try.
And it was.
Service was exemplary. Not just good — outstanding. Very polite, without being grovelling. Attentive and engaging.
The food was superb. Each curry tasted really very distinctive and quite special. Plenty.
The one odd thing was that, due to the fact that no alcohol was served, people were turning up with clinking carrier bags, full of bottles and cans. One enterprising table had brought a box of wine, which they’d set up for easy access. It was all a bit bizarre, but actually very pragmatic. Everyone seemed happy.
Thoroughly recommend. Would be there every couple of weeks if we lived closer!

I actually used to live in a first floor flat just above Shimla Spice between January-​November 2008 and I could always smell the curries and cuisine there. The quality of their meals are excellent and the décor is extensively delightful.
Hands down an excellent place to go for a meal.

Well, Shimla has won enough awards to sink a ship, and yes the food does taste amazing! However, the service on the night i went was way below par.
We arrived to find it was byob, which is my favourite kind of place and we were sat in a waiting area and left to wait for 40 minutes… YES 40 MINS!
Needless to say seeing people being sat in far larger groups than our own who had arrived half an hour after us was infuriating!
When we were seated, we were quickly pressed to make an order by a gent who was rude and abrupt to start with. Add to this him being rude to my mum when she couldnt hear him (she is deaf) sent me over the edge!
Add to this a further 40 mins before the main was brought to the table.
Believe me when i say i kicked up a stink!
The manager couldnt have acted in a better way about the problem and apologised profusely and got the rude twerp to apologise too and we got the meal for free!
Honestly some of the best curry iv ever eaten in my life, but i will not be returning to have my mother taking rubbish from some jumped up idiot!
Delicious food, atrocious service.

It would appear from the other reviews that i am in the minority, but i would not recommend Shimla Spice under any circumstances. Myself and 7 others visited Shimla Spice on a Sunday evening. In short, the restaurant was cold, badly lit, dirty with staff that had little interest in our requirements. The cutlery and crockery were dirty, the menu’s had old food stuck to them and the tables could have done with cleaning. The food was poor, unless you class prawns that take 10 minutes to chew, acceptable. Whilst the overall bill was not excessive, i would rather pay more and enjoy the evening. Definitely would not visit again or recommend

Having heard so much about Shimla spice and having a penchant for a good curry, me and my OH were very keen to try the place.
It was reasonably busy when we arrived at 8.30 on a Saturday night, but I guess it probably fills up when the pubs close like most Indian restaurants.
We had forgotten it was BYO so a quick dash to Asda was needed before we could sit down.
On a first visit we always order onion bhajees — it’s one of our tester dishes. They arrived in the shape of huge onion rings, under spiced and a little greasy, not the best. I had asked the waiter for his recommendation — the best vegetarian dish, he was clueless so again I ordered a couple of side dishes that I consider to be tester dishes. Aloo Gobi and Tarka Daal. Unfortunately, neither dish met the grade in my opinion. The Daal was ok but the Aloo Gobi was just dreadful — it certainly wasn’t fresh that day, probably not that week either! OH had Achari Chicken which he said was ok but under spiced. So we left disappointed and will stick with the Aagrah in future!

Bring your own beer, order a fantastic curry from an incredible menu and enjoy!!! I lived in Shipley for 20 years and Shimla opened towards the end of that time. Now, whenever I go home, this is one of my first stops. Last time I literally stepped off the train and walked to Shimla with my suitcases before I even went home to see my parents. It’s family friendly, group friendly, a group of mates friendly, a lively meal for 2 friendly… can’t fault the place.
If there’s a birthday in your group, let the waiters know and you get a sparkler in a cake with a suitably cheesy jingle… a winner every time!

Less than average food, service and ambience

Nice quiet curry house, Good service.
No longer have a licence to sell beer, but you can take your own alcohol.
Good prices too

Shimla Spice is fantastic!!! I love it here. The Shipley restaurant is now definitely better than the Keighley one. Does great food, service is excellent and it’s a bring your own bottle place so you can enjoy a nice glass or two of your favourite wine by taking it along with you.
Usually very very busy — especially at weekends so well worth booking!!!

A lovely, friendly indian restraunt with a very welcoming atmosphere. With a very diverse and exciting menu. A large room that is often very busy, it does not have a liscenced bar, but you can take your own alchohol, which I think is a very good idea and cost saving too.
Shimla Spice also have a restraunt in Keighley, but this is the newer one of the two and is really good value for money, that myself and my wife have been to on numerous occasions.
This is now the best indian restraunt in Shipley.