Tayyabs, Whitechapel, London

What a great place!!!! I always enjoy going there! You can bring your own drinks, since they have no licence to serve alcoholic drinks. If you don’t book a table you end up queuing for at least an hour while chatting with your friends and enjoying a glass of wine.. Definetly a must-go!!!

Was in the area and decided to try Tayyabs tonight with my boyfriend after reading all the good reviews online. We got a bottle of wine for the BYOB policy. We arrived at 7pm and were sent to queue as we hadn’t booked a table and it was already pretty busy. We waited for about 20 min. People in the queue seemed quite happy to wait so we decided to stick with it. When we finally got to seat the whole experience was definitely worthwhile. Despite the occasional ‘sharpness’ of the waiting staff, the food arrived quickly and everything tasted fantastic. The chicken tandoori starter was moist and flavorsome, the tikka paneer was extra tasty. My highlight has to be the dish of the day (they change depending on the day of the week) we had the Karahi Prawn and it was cooked with fresh tomatoes. The mango lassi we ended up sharing (it was quite big) was delicious. I think the house speciality are lamb dishes but not being too much into lamb we didn’t try them. Still we agreed that what we ordered was probably one of the best curries we’ve had in a long time. The bustly atmosphere was fun and the bill came to a very respectable amount which was a great way to end our meal. On our way out I have to say the air was getting a bit spicy and a little hard to breathe and the queue a lot busier but I’m pretty confident we will be back for sure (with a reservation!) and recommend.

The food taste ok for East London, however definitely not worth the price or the wait.

Service is a bit choppy sometimes but I would rate it in the top 10 places in Tower Hamlets.

If you have reserved and turned up on time, you should be seated straight away. I would make a fuss if I wasn’t!

It was a year ago we went there with friends visiting London who were adamant they wanted to go on a busy sat night. We waited over 3hrs, yes 3hrs to get in the door! It was obvious that if you openly bride the staff, or speak Urdu, you move up the queue quicker!

Once in, the food was ok, but not outstanding. Very noisy with tables & chairs jammed in every corner. Staff rude & orders forgotten. They brought meals we hadnt asked for & tried charging us for them.Maybe on a quieter time, the food & ambience is better, but I’m not in a hurry to return.

Our supper club was 10 strong on Tuesday night when we arrived at Tayyabs around 7.30pm to find a queue of hungry punters stretching down the road. The lamb chops that I had been looking forward to sampling looked like they might have to wait for another occasion and talk turned to other establishments in the area that could possibly accommodate a large group at short notice. Fortunately we had the diminutive, but pretty scary, Priya in our party who marched to the head of the queue and had a quiet word with the staff in Hindi. Five minutes later we were all seated and cracking open the first of many Cobra beers.

The restaurant itself is big, bustling and very vibrant. There are a couple of large rooms upstairs and another one in the basement. A wonderful, pungent aroma of meat and spices hits you as soon as you walk through the front door; great for getting the taste buds salivating but be warned that you will be making a trip to the dry cleaners the next day.

After Priya’s amazing success in getting us all in at the drop of a hat we decided that we would leave ourselves in her hands and let her order for the whole table. Popadoms and the usual accompaniments were first up; all very tasty but nothing to write home about. Things started to move up a gear with the arrival of plates laden with a section of nan breads which looked divine and tasted even better.

To start with we had the mixed grill which is highly recommended. The succulent chicken tikka came sporting a lovely char, the sheekh kababs were full of flavour and the lamb chops took this meal to whole new level. I was beginning to understand why there was such a big queue of hungry punters happy to wait for an hour to get a taste of this delicious cooking.

I’m struggling to remember everything that we had for the main courses but stand out dishes were the lamb chop curry, which was the special of the day, and the karhi keema. Despite our best efforts a couple of hours later we still had a mountain of food left which seemed a waste to leave uneaten; not a problem said our friendly waiter and few minutes later her returned with our food and nan bread beautifully package for us to take home.

As Tayyabs is a bring your own booze place and charges no corkage fee the bill for this amazing Pakistani Punjabi feast came to an incredibly reasonable £16 a head. A very small price to pay for what was one of my favourite meals this year.

I have one final top tip which I picked up from my good friend Mr Sudra; if you give the restaurant a call the day or so before you wish to eat you may find that you are able to book a table in advance.

After hearing so much about Tayyabs from lots of people, my wife and I finally went here. The food was ok, nothing out of the ordinary. I have had much better in Harrow, Southall, and most areas with a sizable Asian population. The service was atrocious. Firstly they made us wait for 45 minutes despite having a reservation. It was a Friday, so it was busy, but what is the point of reservations if they cannot stick to them? The food was slow to come, and did not come at the right time. Ordering an extra coke, for example took about 20 minutes. The food was very average, and not much choice.

Sunday 7pm: Very crowded and very busy. Staff gave me the feeling the sooner we are finished and are leaving the better. They were not exactly unfriendly but also not really welcoming. Food was decent but I still I cannot understand the hype about this place. In my opinion it is not worth to wait for a table. There are plenty of alternatives in this area.

With such a mixture of reviews I though I must give this a try to see for myself. We visited early to avoid the long waits. It was about 17:30 and the place was just about empty, so we had a good table by the window. I have to admit I am a bit of a hygiene freak when it comes to food preparation, here you will find the toilets not far from the food preparation area and a bit smelly. (there may be other toilets, but these were the ones I used). Staff were sampling the food behind the open buffet counter, I dread to think how many times the spoon was used between each bowl.

When our popadoms were served they came on a small plate and were held in place by bare hands. I do hate other peoples fingers in my food. I can see why some reviewers have complained about the poor standard of these popadoms to me they were the prepacked ones you cook under the grill and there were a large quantity just stacked in front of the buffet serving area.

The saving grace were the chops, as all previous reviewers have raved about, yes they are good, but that was as far as it goes. It is a small menu if you leave out the vegetarian section, and the portion size (unless you go for the large) is nothing to write home about.

I think the price for the meal is a psychological thing, yes it seems reasonable, but considering you bring your own drinks with you, if you add the price of a couple of bottles of kingfisher at restaurant prices and have the large meals, the bill is about on par.

Having said all that we were not disapppointed. I like a restaurant where you take your own drinks and there is no cork charge. Take screw tops just in case, and your own wine glasses. We left about 19:20 as queues were srarting to form and we felt a bit guilty.

Ok, so you have to queue quite a bit and you do get hurried along throughout your whole meal BUT once you tuck into your food you seem to forget about all that: it’s amazing Pakistani food for very little money We had 3 different starters, mains and a variety of naans and rice…all beautiful.

The queue is never-ending so get there early.

This place is seemingly famous for being famous. Its certainly not famous for it’s food or service. It’s now so busy you have to queue for a long time to be seated. They want you in and out and no care is given to much else. My pregnant friend asked for a jug of tap water and was told she couldn’t have it because we were seated downstairs and tap water was only available upstairs. She is 8 months pregnant! I am pretty certain the law states that tap water can’t be refused, especially to a pregnant woman. After A LOT of arguing with the waiters/manager she was given glass and told that only she could have it refilled – by going upstairs to receive it! The food was average at best – I tried their ‘signature’ dry lamb chops which were overcooked and grisly and not nice at all. The music would burst loudly and at times was more like a disco. Main dishes were served 15 minutes before the rice and breads. I am really disappointed in this place. I’ve had far better asian food up Brick Lane and FAR better service.

I only ever write reviews when I love a place or hate it and this is a mixture of the two. the food is great, I love it.. but I hate the atmosphere the hustle and bussle doesn’t suit me.. so what’s a nice way around this. get a take away! twice i’ve ordered a take away, first time i bought a small curry, rice and roti, which in my calculations was about £12, they charged me £16 when questioning this it was corrected, the second time I was in a rush and ordering for a few so I ordered one large curry (twice the price £12 instead of £6) and rice and roti, luckily they charged me correctly but they only gave me a small curry in the same sized tub i got previously as I was in a rush I couldn’t go back as I only noticed when I was on the train going back to kent taking the food to my mum for her birthday, we went hungry and my mum loved her food. calling them they were too busy to even care about my problem and offered no form of refund or compensation. not happy, there are plenty of great curry houses around this area, try tayyabs for sure as the foods great but I’m not going back there and I’ll enjoy finding somewhere with great food and hopefully less mistakes when it comes to taking my money.

Good value (£15/head for plenty), no license, but no corkage for BYO. Tasty grilled meats and flavoursome curries.

i have visited Tayyabs and enjoyed the food. After a week, I searched on internet but They did not deliver. I really did not want to leave the house and wanted Tayyabs. When i checked on some web sites I saw that they had different menu to what tayyabs had in the restaurant. But then my friend told me about MySalivation – My Salivation Delivers. I ordered food from them for delivery from tayyabs and it was just what I wanted. :) very happy I can order now, given the weather has been so bad. ;)

Love the lamb chops!Hate waiting for them.

pop by for some photos:
http://hungryinlondon.com/2011/06/tayabs-whitechapel/

Tayyabs is a real London institution as it is the case for few other cheap ethnic haunts. Not far from Whitechapel Tube Station, this inconspicouus restaurant is tucked away in a little backstreet. That said, Tayyabs would be inconspicuous, if it wasn’t for the hordes of people patiently waiting in front for their share of Punjabi Pakistani food.

Tayyabs was founded more than 30 years ago and has been growing from a local cafe to one of the places you have to visit in London before you die (or before you leave, which some people might argue is the same). It does not have an alcohol license and what adds to its incredible value is there is no corkage charge for bringing a bottle or two.

Finally it was my time to pay Tayyabs a visit. When you are disorganised enough to go on a Saturday evening like yours truly, be prepared to queue at least 30 minutes. Even though the turnover is high, there are a lot of people queuing too…

As soon as we were seated we got served poppadoms with raw cucumber, onion and tomato and a selection of very tasty chutneys (mango, rajita and a tomato chili one), and this for free! I The menu is small and easily fits on one double-page – there is selection of tandoori dishes, some meat and fish curries and some vegetable dishes. Apparently the lamb chops (6) are a must at Tayyabs. They came sizzling hot (a portion consists of 4 chops) and full of wonderful flavours from the tandoori grill, unfortunately they were borderline to completely overdone. While I was not fully convinced about the reason for Tayyabs cult status after these chops, I was fully taken by the wonderful garlic naan (2) which was light, soft and fluffy with just the right amount of garlic.

I thought the Karahi Chicken (6.50), tender chicken immersed in a rich tomato based spicy sauce, was merely nice. The Karahi Mixed Vegetables (5.20) however, were among the most delicious curries I have ever tasted. Vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, peppers, aubergine and potatoes were cooked far beyond al dente in a flavourful gravy of Indian spices. Yes it was greasy but I loved even the grease on this rare occasion.
lamb chops (6)
garlic naan (2)
Karahi Chicken (6.50)
Karahi Mixed Vegetables (5.20)

The atmosphere is reminiscent of a canteen but well, so are the prices, one can’t complain really! The value for money ratio at Tayyabs is hard to beat. I didn’t have Indian food this tasty for that ridiculously small amount of money anywhere else in London. I don’t say it doesn’t exist, just that I haven’t found it yet. Open for suggestion though!

Food is good, but the restaurant was cramped and noisy and the waiters uninterested.

If you've never been here I urge you to try it, it's perfection. The lamb chops, and the breads are amazing. I'm beyond excited about my next visit! I always go at quiet periods so the service is great.

Tayyabs is famous amongst East London locals and is ALWAYS full to the brim on weekends - get there early or book ahead of schedule to avoid lengthy queues. If you are looking for a quiet, romantic place then Tayyabs probably isn't for you - expect a chaotic bustling atmosphere, a great place for a boozy meal with friends!
The lamb dishes are amazing here and if your feeling for something different why not try the pumpkin curry which always comes highly recommended by all.

If you want to avoid the queuing and hassle, make sure you arrive before 7.30, don't go in a large gorup, and try and aim for a weeknight. If you can live with these limitations then you will not have to wait hours for a table and the entire experience will be that much better.

I love the food here, I don't bother ordering curries, instead I just get grilled meat, naan and rice. The naan is amaaazing! It's really buttery and tasty and I happily stuff my face with it. Obviously, the lamb chops are amazing. I don't know why I like them so much, because there's barely any meat on them and they vary from being painfully spicy to being virtually mild, but I love them! They're truely addictive, though I haven't gone as far as some who only ever order the lamb. I also like the tandoori chicken, which is much better than the dry flavourless stuff you get in most places, and the tandoori fish is also amazing.

If going for a lassi, get the mango or sweet. I accidently was given the sour one last time, and it is disgusting. They put in whole seeds (coriander? I don't know) and it's just rank. Stick with sweet, or bring your own.

Btw, don't come here on a first date. Wait until you've been together long another to be comfortable shouting across a table and gnawing on bones. Also, if you're with a companion who only ever orders korma at Indian restaurants, maybe avoid here and head for somewhere on Brick Lane instead. Apart from that, go for it!