Tayyabs, Whitechapel, London

As a bit of a hygiene freak this place doesn’t really appeal to me. The cleanness is questionable as I had to send back a plate which was filthy. The staff seem disinterested about customer care. I do not really get the hype about this place and think it is overrated. The food is not anything special and was quite greasy. I would avoid in future.

The best Indian/Pakistani food I’ve tasted in years!!! Although very crowded you’ll definitely come back here again just for the food.

This is a great Pakistani restaurant. The best I have come across in London.

Being Asian myself I am always super cynical about Indian cuisine. But oh my the food here is impeccable.

The service is like any Asian restaurant, not the best but its what to expect. Go in with the view that the service is going to be mediocre but the food is outstanding.

Tayyabs. The legend! I’m not sure it lives up to the hype, but it sure is a yummy place - and very popular too! On my visit (accompanied by more than a dozen other food bloggers), I was whisked into the VIP Room. So, I have no clue what it’s like to queue up for a meal here. But, I can tell you the queues are long (and have been known to stretch down the street). Is it that good? I dunno. Tayyabs’ lamb chops are pretty damn tasty but …

Anyway, it’s certainly worth a visit and seems to be one of those must-do places for all Londoners to visit.

The food cannot be faulted but my experience with the service staff (a very important aspect for me is the service) brings down the rating to three stars as they have outed themselves as a greedy bunch more than once.

I have been there several times by myself, usually order the chicken tikka and a dal and it is quite bothersome to put up with the same questions every time - “What?? No rice?? No bread???”. Um, no. I’m here for some lunch, not a three-day feast.

Staff also get annoyed when you send back the papadam - i guess because they have just earned 60p less (for those who do not know, they charge you for the papadam they automatically bring to your table).

One waiter flew into a badly masked rage when, after ordering a mango lassie and not recieving it with the meal, we insisted that it be taken off the bill (he wanted us to have the lassie even though we had finished our meal and were paying). He was furious and let’s not forget that a lassie costs 2 quid, you would have thought it was 200!!

Great food but greedy, greedy, greedy staff. They should be happy that business is doing so well instead of getting in a twist about someone not wanting their 60p papadam.

And oh, if you order take away it is advisable to check you have everything - I’ve had take away three times and each time they managed to forget something or give me something i had not ordered.

Great Food & Great Value for money. Always busy so sometimes service is not the best. I would say its a great place to pop in and have an amazing meal.

I’ve been back several times now and the food is always great and at really reasonable prices. Away from the over-the-top and unpredictable Brick Lane this is a real gem. The staff are keen to move you on quickly but having started out at the back of a 20 strong queue there before I’ve been pretty grateful for that side of things in the past.
Most of the dishes are pretty spicy so beware.

I have never been the biggest fan of getting a curry down Brick Lane so scouted this place out to eat at with a few mates last Christmas. It was a great choice and the firm favourite of many (the queue is more than a testimony to this). Luckily it moved quickly and was worth the short wait. The food is really tasty - the grilled meat was my favourite. So very tender. Its BYOB so make the most of that one (shop for booze nearby Whitechapel station). As mentioned below, there is obviusly pressure on the place to keep moving people through. The service a quick but was a little too hasty for my liking. The only bad note on an otherwise superb meal out.

This is definitely the premier 'Pakistani cuisine’ restaurant in London. The service is quick and efficient and the food is 'out of this world’. They have a small limited menu and the dishes I have tried are excellent. I would definitely recommend the chicken bhoti, seekh kebab and the prawn curry as a main. The mango lassi is also great. They turn tables quite quickly so even though you may see a long queue, it moves quite quickly. Try and make a reservation especially for week nights. Best 'quiet’ times are weekend afternoons (between lunch and supper)

Excellent food, great service and good value for money.

This is by far and away the best restaurant I have ever been to in London. And although I am prone to exagerrations, this is not one of them!

Since the restaurant doubled in size and became snazzy, the number of clientele seems to have tripled in tandem. The word of mouth is extraordinary on this place. Book ahead if you can, or expect to queue for a while, but the wait is worth it. Even though the business has changed over the years, it still retains a fun, jostling mood.

The food, oh the food. Delicious tender chunks of Hallal meat, covered in strong but balanced spices and flavours. I think we have tried every dish on offer and they are all incredible.

The only down side is that the waiters ship you in and out as quickly as possible, which can be annoying. But who cares with food this good?

Fantastic restaurant. The food is incredibly good, the mixed grill is really..really..really amazing. The style is a lot different to your average high st curry, less creamy more dry and herby and a whole lot more tasty.

It’s BYO which is great, but getting a seat can be difficult so go early to queue! Prices for the area and for the quality are exceptional and top off a really great meal.

Definitely recommend steering yourself clear of brick lane and finding your way here. You won’t regret it.

This place is great. Pretty much always crowded but the queues move quickly and the food is worth the wait.

I can highly recommend the seekh kebabs which are less than £1 and have a great kick to them. The samosa’s are also good value for money. An excellent range of starters and mains makes it an ideal place for large groups which allows you to try lots of the dishes in one sitting. The chicken keema dish is particularly good with their freshly made naan. Goodness I’m just salivating at the thought of it!

The mango lassi is huge - definitely couldn’t finish it myself, and the bring your own policy is a good way of ensuring you pay less than a tenner.

There is always a queue to get in to Tayyabs but when you get in there the food is worth it. Unfortunately the only reason for not giving this place 5 stars is how busy it is - with so many people waiting for a table you often feel like they are trying to convince you to move on. I felt hurried as I ate my meal and it turned into more of a Oxford Circus Macdonalds experience. Still - great food and there is a reason so many people know this place. Definitely one to visit.

Was lucky enough not to wait to long to get a table here last week. Its amazing how long the queue can be at this. The food is amazing here especially the mix grill and i always enjoy the mango lassi. Only downside is the noise but i’m sure people don’t come here for a romantic dinner but some good quality curry.

Have been to this place a few times, food is amazing and as a Pakistani, i can say it is the closest thing you can get to a home-made curry. The biggest drawbacks however were the level of noise there - end up spending most of the evening shouting, the lengthy queues (a sign of its popularity) and the fact that they rush you out as soon as they sense you’re finishing your meal. I like to sit for 5-10 minutes at the end of a meal and just chill for a bit but here they began taking my plate even when there was still some food on it. But overall, the quality of the food compensates for these drawbacks.

Absolutely beautiful food - the Zagat rating was not wrong. There can be no doubting this is one of the best curry houses in England. But the queuing system is rubbish. We booked a table and still had to queue for over an hour. Also, due to the vast numbers of people waiting for tables, the restaurant is just a tad cramped. Could its success be its downfall?

Best Curry in London, no doubt. Try the weekdays instead of weekend as it gets intolerably busy.

Went there for a friend’s birthday not too long ago, found the food to be fairly nice and offered a fair range. It was a good thing my friend had booked in advanced - by the time we arrived, they were about to offer our table to another group!

The servings are generous so it is good value for money. Not sure I can personally say the same about the desserts though - possibly just not to my liking (opinion shared with my friends - our tip would be to order one and possible share it out first).

I first went to Tayyabs a good ten years ago with a friend while I was at university in Mile End. We sat at formica tables and snacked on katlamas with tap water in what seemed like a smallish local kebab place. The only other diners were either local gents or doctors from the nearby Whitechapel hospital.
The modern Tayyabs is a world apart operating as a slick high volume pakistani restaurant.
Clearly this place has enjoyed a popularity explosion but one thing stays the same - the quality of the food served.
Everything is hot spicy and heartily seasoned. Don’t bring friends who are chilli averse. Its the kind of cooking that has the homely touch and always leaves you bloated and happy with a slightly burnt tongue!
The restaurant I have visited the most in London by a country mile.
Top drawer.

cj

I can join in the consensus that the food at Tayyabs is excellent and it is super cheap (especially when you factor in byo). I especially loved the lamb chops and the prawns. The only hitch is that Tayyabs is a victim of its own success - we waited an hour to get a table.

Full review at www.gourmet-chick.blogspot.com

After traveling in India for three months I found that the India food here is no way as good as it was there!!! not surprising really. I was blown away but the food at tayyabs. I am going back very soon and I will be taking all my friends. The menu you is simple and easy to understand that the prices are fantastic. I really think that I will not be going to any other Indian restaurant in London ever again! I would recommend booking before you go the que can get hours long! if you do book make it 30 min before you want to eat. even when you book there is normally a que for the booked people as well. The food come very fast so no waiting around at the table. and as mentioned a few time below its a BYO they do NOT sell alcohol!

Tayyabs seems to instigate very strong reactions in people who know of its existence, either really liking it, or disliking it. Their offerings are really simple and clear - a selection of Pakistani and North Indian appetisers mostly served on a sizzling platter, a variety of different curries, standard bread and rice and a small selection of drinks including a very generous sized lassi (I highly recommend the Mango one).

They don’t sell alcohol, instead opting for a Bring Your Own (BYO) licence so if you want wine or beer, you can really have whatever you want.

Service for food tends to be very prompt, almost on the side of excessive eagerness and pressure to both order and clean up at the end. This is completely understandable when you look at the long queue of people inside, and often outside. One of the diners I was with found it a little on the rude side, although I think it just comes with the territory of the restaurant wanting to please all and is a way for them to keep the prices down.

This restaurant is easily accessible from both Algate East and Whitechapel tubes, and just a small walk away from Brick Lane. I reckon it offers much better foods than many of the other places on Brick Lane, and made much better without the constant harassing or pressure to come and dine. This place knows what niche it fills, and that it doesn’t need any more advertisement.

Their prices are extremely reasonable and I’ve found their quality consistent enough to want to recommend to people who don’t mind walking just that little bit further away from brick lane.

An absolutely fantastic restaurant with the most delicious curry in London. 100% authentic Pakistani/North Indian fare, this place far surpasses not only the tourist traps on Brick Lane, but other authentic curry houses in the same area.

The starters are lovely and smokey and cooked to absolute sizzling perfection. Our samosas weren’t too greasy and stuffed absolutely full of delicious, herby meat. The chutneys provided on the table are a great variety and wonderfully made (taste so fresh!). We also got a starter of paneer tikka (I’ve heard the chicken tikka is die for, but I wasn’t in the mood for chicken that night), which SO smokey and delicious…obviously marinated in delicious spices and then freshly grilled, it was the best paneer I’ve ever had.

The curries did not disappoint. After reading raving reviews, I ordered the dry meat & my husband got karahi lamb gosht. The dry meat curry is something everyone MUST try - absolutely nothing like your traditional “British” curry that is greasy and watery. The dry meat is called such because they cook the lamb in lovely juices and sauces so slowly and for so long that the lamb positively absorbs all that wonderfullness, leaving very little sauce behind (but infusing the lamb with SUCH flavour). It was absolutely divine and probably the best curry I’ve ever eaten.

Next time, I am going to try some of those lovely sizzling starters I keep seeing described, but I am definitely ordering the dry meat dish again. Tayyabs also serve their trademark creamy sweet/salty lassi, which I hear is quite popular for cooling tongue unused-to spicy curries.

Meal for 2 with 2 curries, 2 naan, 2 samosas, 1 starter: an UNBELIEVABLE £19! Tayyabs is BYOB for drinks, so this helps keep the prices down a lot.

Either get there early or be prepared to queue - this place is popular. Also, don’t expect to linger over your food - with prices so cheap, they need a huge turnover of customers to make money, so don’t be rude and stick around. Eat quickly, enjoy it, then leave so the next dinner can be blessed with some great food,

This place is a real find - my housemates took me here for my birthday meal and I was well impressed. It’s down a side-street behind the East London Mosque in Whitechapel.

Inside it’s small, busy and noisy, and the air is full of the spices. The food is what stands out, the nicest, spiciest dishes, sizzling as they are brought to your table. You can bring your own wine, and the prices are excellent - you can have a satisfying meal for well under £10.

Note, you may have to wait in a queue to get a table as it never seems to be quiet there!

I absolutely LOVE this place. I was lucky enough to live nearby and to be able to have regular curry evenings here with my friends. It’s tucked away in Whitechapel & is about 5 minutes walk from Brick Lane, it might as well be on a different planet as far as the quality of food is concerned!

It’s a bring your own bottle (no corkage charge!) place & the food is truly wonderful & remarkably cheap for what you get.

The place is always full, I’ve never seen it empty, even at lunchtime. It is a truly very bustly place with waiters running around at top speed. You do feel a little bit rushed but you can’t hog the table all night I suppose.

I’ve taken lots of my friends here & it has always been an excellent choice.

It’s one of London’s best kept secrets & blows away any of the Brick Lane Imposters!

Last night, six of us gathered in the smokey, spicy brilliance of the infamous Tayyabs. And the infamy, I’ve decided, is seriously well earned.

I’m a real beer and curry girl so I know a good sizzle when I see one and this, my friends is the real deal. This is food you’d kill your granny for. The tandoor starter got us off to a screaming start. And then, mouths atingling, tastebuds ajumping, the mains dazzled us senseless. Everyone should add their dry meat to one of the things you have to do in London before you die or leave.

I proclaimed mid-meal that it was a gazillion times better than the michelin starred Indian place I’d been to in Mayfair a couple of months ago. When the bill arrived (a mere £80 for six adults - one of them pregnant - all of us eating for two) I loved that it was one gazillionth of the price too. Eat that!

Fantastic pakistani food: lamb chops, masala fish, karahi chicken, dry meat (yes! but it’s good), dal, there’s something for everyone here. Be prepared to queue every day of the week, if you’re clever you can book the day before. Fabulous mango lassis.

Ridiculously cheap - starters £4.50 (that’s for 4 lamb chops or 3 pieces of masal fish) and mains on average £6 for small. Trust me, that’s all you need! Does it get better? Yes! It’s BYO and there’s no corkage.

What are you waiting for? Get down there!

This Pakistani diner is always packed and you’ll be sure to enjoy every bite you take. The lamb chops and sheekh kebabs are tasty and leaves you wanting for more. Do not forget to order the thick creamy mango and the delectably soft and fluffy naans too. An experience you’ll always remember!

A high-quality, fast-turnaround eatery, Tayyabs is a nice change from the nearby Brick Lane curry houses & their tiresome touts. Queues form outside for the powerfully spiced sizzling grilled meats from the tandoor – chicken tikka, seekh kebab & the legendary deep-marinated lamb chops. Traditional Punjabi mains of dry-meat curries served in a karahi (small wok) receive praise too, & rather than rice, opt for a buttery naan or big freshly made roti from the open kitchen. The big portions are ‘cheap as chips’ & ‘always hit the spot’ & costs are further cut by the BYO policy. Service from rushed-off-their-feet waiters is hyper-efficient, most diners understanding that this isn’t a place for lingering, & thus not taking offence at the swift table-turning.