Food took over 45 minutes to be served, and staff refused to give any explanation as to why. They offered nothing in return despite the fact we were getting up to leave by the time the food actually arrived. When it did arrive, we were underwhelmed-- the portion sizes were pretty small, and the chips were clearly pre-made. Other than that it was alright, the highlight was the garlic naan which is the only reason I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1. Overall the food is not worth the terrible wait times and customer service. read more

This was not our first time in Zouk, it was in fact one of our many date nights, we somehow end up in Zouk most of the time. So, We have tried quite a bit from their menu but there's still quite a few left to try. read more

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Zouk in Manchester is a trip to flavortown!!! It's not traditional Indian food but it is good! We started with chicken liver appetizer and the tava lamb appetizer. The chicken livers were soooo good. And I'm not a huge fan of chicken liver. The tava lamb was tender and crispy. We also had the papadums and mixed pickles. Main coarse my co workers had King prawn Masala, lamb railway curry and I had paya lamb. So tender it fell off the bone and the sauce was a rich spicy broth. Lots of fresh hot chili's in it. We also had garlic naan bread. Would Highly recommend this place if you are In Manchester UK. Service was friendly and food was very prompt! So go hit it up!!! read more

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This place had mixed reviews but obviously I caught it on a good night. I went on a Friday evening and it was mildly busy but not terrible and I was seated right away but did have a reservation. I did not experience any issue with service which I noticed as a complaint in several other reviews. I dined alone and found the waitress to be very attentive and she even helped me with my menu selection. The food was absolutely excellent and I hate that this place is so far for me because I would love to attend again. I stayed with traditional dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Panner and they were great. The mushroom rice is a must try and I really enjoyed the red velvet cocktail. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I had a great time at Zouk with the Yelp curry club. I thought the service was very friendly and welcoming and generally well organised (much better than Mughli although we had a bigger group there). Food wise I though the chicken handi had an excellent flavour although the meat itself was just a little on the dry side. Peshwari naan crumbled very easily to reveal a shocking pink interior so if you want bread to eat with I'd go with something else, the quality of the bread seemed good though. Pilau rice was brown rice I think, totally fine although not very memorable. Everybody else's food looked good too and in general the restaurant is very well presented (although PLEASE turn down the music/random beats - why are some Manchester Indian restaurants weirdly like discos? I don't understand.) Mango lassi was good, as were the poppadoms which were extra fancy with seeds. Good place for a group as it's a very big space, there's a nice outdoor area out front too. I'd safe this is a safe bet for Indian in the city centre, it's not mega cheap but nor is it outrageous and the food is good quality. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Chicken handi - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

I've been to Zouk on a slow afternoon (when I was the only customer at the restaurant for some time), and I've been to Zouk on a busy evening. Busy or slow, customer care and service is practically nonexistent at Zouk. Maybe it's just the cultural difference from the US, where wait staff work for tips, and are always at your beck and call and bend over backwards to gratify you (no, don't let your mind go there; it's a figure of speech, you perv!); the servers at Zouk just disappear for considerable lengths of time. Last night, the time between when I placed my order and when I received my food was more than an hour and a half (seriously, more than 90 minutes of just sitting at the table with an empty glass because nobody would come by even to refill my water!). Why the 4 stars, then? Why do I declare "Yay, I'm a fan!"? Because the food is just that fookin' good! I'm the guy who will gladly put up with poor service for tasty food. So now, let's talk about the food at Zouk. If you like the standard Indian / Pakistani fare, you can't go wrong with the chicken Sindhi biryani or with the chicken haleem. The biryani has a perfect balance of meat, potatoes, rice, and spices layered immaculately in the pot. It is served with a choice of raita or curry. I'd suggest opting for the raita. The haleem is slow-cooked until the shredded chicken, lentils, wheat and other grains, and the spices blend together into a pot full of perfection in terms of flavor and texture. If you (like me) have a preference for eating offal (organ meat), then start with the chicken livers, and have the maghaz (sheep brain) with naan for your main course. The maghaz is perfectly spiced, and has a creamy and fluffy consistency (think of spiced scrambled eggs, and you have visualized the appearance and texture of this dish - if you were to see it and didn't know it was sheep brain, you'd think it was a heap of scrambled eggs). The lobster Gwadari Khas is the best rendition of an Indian / Pakistani lobster dish I have ever tasted. The lobster meat is cooked in spices from the Makran coast in the province of Balochistan in Pakistan, and served on the shell with aromatic rice. The chicken khobani is a delightful blend of sweet and spicy flavors. It consists of chunks of chicken cooked with chili peppers and dried apricot. This dish pairs really well with cashew rice. Since this restaurant calls itself a tea bar, you would be remiss if you did not finish off the meal with a cup of masala chai. read more

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Big, BIG fan of Zouk. I came to the Yelp event here last year and liked what I saw (and ate) so I thought it about time to try it for a full meal and see if it still lived up to my expectations. The staff here were immediately very friendly as we were politely shown to our seats and drinks orders taken. The menu is very well designed and extensive, with plenty to choose from. Neil and I tried the popadum sharing box as a pre-starter then I had the spicy prawn cakes and Neil tried the lamb chops. Both were excellent. For main course I tried the Zouk Special Kahari with pilau rice and a naan bread. It was flavoursome, spicy without being too hot, and not a dash of coriander in sight. Beautiful. I would most definitely order it again. Neil had the lamb railway curry and said it was nice also, but may have needed to be a little spicer! All in all, an excellent Indian meal. I'll be back. read more

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People of Manchester, hear ye, hear ye - if you want the best Indian curry house in town make sure you visit Zouk. I've lost track of the amount of times I've been now, but the quality of the food is the real bonus that keeps drawing us back time and time again. Set just off of Oxford road - Font is a great bar to have a couple of pre-dinner drinks before heading around the corner to fill up (and believe me, you'll struggle to walk when leaving due to over indulgence!) My tops tips for Zouk are: 1. It's busy every night but try to go early to mid week, or early on the weekend - the service and speed of delivery drop due to large parties so make sure you go when you can actually enjoy all their is to offer. 2. It's all about the Lamb Nihari - I mean it is so good and spicy that you will literally want to meet the chef afterwards and ask him for the mystical secret sauce that he creates to take home! 3. Load up on extras - Cheese naans and rhoomali rotis are both as good as each other and great for mopping up all the sauce. 4. The pre dinner pickle trays (although not free like most average curry houses) are definitely worth buying as the homemade chutneys and sauces are on a different level. 5. If you're going to Zouk, please send me an invite and I'll be there in a flash to join you :-) read more

What a place this is! Bravo Zouk you hit curry supremacy! The decor, the service, the food all exceptional and I'm struggling to think of anything that went wrong! We started with some Cobras (obviously) and some Popadom trays which tied us over adequately until our mains came out! I went for the Chicken Tikka Masala with pilau rice, garlic naan and gun powder chips, it was as good as it sounds (and looks if you've seen my photos). Now key part to the review, I went for Medium spice and noting that normally I opt for Korma at Indian restaurants this is a big step for. Now then consider I absolutely loved my curry, and you get the message about bloody good Zouk is! Albeit, my mouth was on fire but nothing a Mango Lassi can't solve! read more

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How have I not reviewed this place!! If you have not met me then you won't know but Im a curry and indian cuisine lover, Bhuna over bruschetta every single day of the year! Zouk has just turned 7 , thats seven years of serving food to Mancunians that is not only tasty, fresh and lip smackingly delicious! Even though the location is down Oxford road and may be a small walk away from your bar that you might be in within the NQ then I'll tell you this, you will burn calories for a worthy cause!!!! The main atmosphere in Zouk is one that makes you remember the special reason you go out for food and enjoy your time out. Firstly the layout is cool as you can sit either upstairs in lovely booths or downstairs with a view of the busy open kitchen. Having taken a Zouk cookery class at Zouk I can tell you that kitchen is of an amazing standard and there is another kitchen behind it to prep most of the food! One of the BBQ chefs there told me that on Christmas Eve 2015 they went through nearly 25Kg of Seekh kebabs , so they are delicious and I actually have the recipe ;) The mains are varied and what is great is that they have there own unique texture and taste. I have a particular fancy for Railway curry or Chicken Imlee so if anybody wants to treat me...... Worth a visit as not only a great restaurant but also a great bar and outdoor shish area with interesting flavours Go on try a Zouk and Enjoy! read more

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I was not impressed with this weird little place. It's a relatively new addition to the already crowded Indian restaurant scene in Manchester. We went one night because me and my boyfriend both love curry. Mmmmmmmmm curry. We were also going to the Dancehouse theatre which is just around the corner. Anyway, we booked but we needn't have, it wasn't very busy even for a Friday at peak time. We were seated at an incredibly small table but we didn't complain as most tables either seemed to be for 2 of twenty. We were jumped on by a waiter as soon as we sat down to order drinks. Within about 30 seconds of ordering drinks we were pounced on by another waiter asking if we wanted poppadoms. We ordered those to be pounced on by another, third waiter, asking if we were ready to order. We weren't, but you can't fault the service. The menu was vast, a huge amount of choice. The pudding menu was amazing!!!! Which is really unusual for an Indian restaurant but we were impressed...at first. Anyway, within a minute we were asked to order again so we did, my boyfriend had his usual of chicken tikka masala that he has EVERYTIME but he loves it, I had a fish curry. The poppadoms came as soon as our menus were taken away (before our drinks had come) so we dived straight in to find them the greasiest things ever. Bleugh. They were coated in a weird film of oil...not very good. And there was no onion chutney...the one dip everyone seems to fight over. But hey-ho, we'd heard great things so we thought it'd just get better. We were brought our main courses within 10 minutes of ordering them...impressive...except they weren't our main courses. Our the table next to ours. Our the next nearest one. We watched as the waiters offered this food to six separate tables before heading back to the kitchen and checking where they were supposed to go. Our actual food came within 15 minutes which was good. I have to say, mine was amazing. The flavour, the spices and the fish was perfect. It was gorgeous. Expertly cooked. However, my boyfriend's was not. He get's chicken tikka masala because...and he'll beat me up for this...he's a wuss. He doesn't like anything too hot. At Zouk, the chicken tikka masala was as hot as a vindaloo. Stupidly hot. And pretty oily again. It was a shame because you almost feel guilty for enjoying your meal when the person you with isn't enjoying theirs. A real shame. We then moved onto the eagerly anticipated dessert. I love pudding, it's my favourite and I had pretty much already decided I wanted the chocolate roulade I'd seen on the menu earlier but I was contemplating getting the cheesecake too...! Imagine my dismay when we were told by the waiter that they weren't serving those desserts! He instead read some out of the back of his pad, none of which sounded particularly interesting. He must have noticed my crestfallen face as he then decided we had to follow him, we were taken to the kitchen and introduced to an American girl who would talk us through the desserts available...this really was as weird as it sounds. Especially as the American girl was completely blunt and honest about whether each pudding was good or not. A very weird experience. Anyway, all in all it wasn't half as good as Akbar's and I will never be able to get my boyfriend to come back with me but the fish was very very good. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Decided to try this place out after several recommendations from Yelpers and I wasn't disappointed. On arrival we were greeted with popadoms and we all opted to try the King Cobra lager. I had never had this before and it comes in a 750ml bottle weighing in at 7.5%. Not a good idea to have too many of them! The food was of a good standard, however when they ask how you would like your curry then I would advise against hot as it is extremely hot!! I was practically in tears! The service was fantastic, he was never far away and offered good advice on the menu. The only issue I had was that they automatically charge a service charge which really winds me up. When we finished we tried the shisha on the terrace at the front. This was different for us and we didn't really know what we were doing but it was enjoyable none the less! Another minor issue I had was they didn't list the whiskey prices and when we asked the waiter originally said £3.50 for a single, however he then came back and said it was £7 for a single! I would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants a meal and then a couple of chilled beers or a shisha afterwards. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Shisha and Cobra, curry earlier - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

It hurts me to say this, as I know so many of my esteemed colleagues are fans of Zouk - but I just didn't like it. Service was scattered and the food was just ok, it really didn't wow me. We had a booking but our table wasn't ready when we arrived. So that was annoying. We had a drink in the bar while we waited. I could actually see that our table was empty, it just needed re-setting which took them longer than it should once we arrived. Once we were seated, I had a good look at the menu. It is LONG. Too long, for me but I guess that's what this place wants to offer. Ok sure. I decided to have chicken biryani and a side of daal and cheese naan. In the meantime we were munching on the poppadoms and sauces which I quite liked - although why a bunch of them were served as broken little pieces, I don't know. While we were waiting for food, we ordered a few more drinks. Booze was delivered quickly to the table, but trying to get water? Nearly impossible. We asked 3 different waiters for water before any arrived, and then it was just one jug. That really frustrated me as I really need lots of water when I'm having a curry! The food arrived and I was pleased with mine - the biryani was nicely flavoured but a bit stingy on the chicken, and the cheese naan was lovely. I tried my friends butter chicken and all I could taste was tomato puree - definitely out of whack in terms of flavour. For me, this place just didn't deliver on flavour like I was expecting. I don't want to be *that* person but the curries in Glasgow (at Mother India) are a lot more flavoursome than this and I just wasn't impressed. So yeh, service was frustrating and the food was just ok - so that's a 3 for me. (I do need to point out that most of our group has given this place 4/5 stars!) read more

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A quick little review to rave about how great zouk tea bar and grill is for an Indian meal in Manchester. Its situated off Oxford road, which is not really an end of the city I head to for food, but decided to give this place a go due to its excellent reputation. For a Wednesday night is was incredibly busy, yet all the staff were very attentive and welcoming, managing the amount of bookings efficiently. I asked for a bottle of white wine, and for them to bring me a recommendation, in which they brought the loveliest Sauvignon which went well with the food. We had a tray of popadoms and chutneys waiting on our table, whilst we browsed the extensive menu. They was soooo much choice- it literally took me a good ten minutes studying it in silence to make some choices! I went for a starter of marinated chicken with peppers tomatoes and a rich spicy sauce. It was delicious with a real kick to it. As for the main, I was that blown away with the vegetarian and fish options that I actually chose a curried haddock dish which was unusual for me, and I have to say it was one of the nicest Indian dishes ever tried. We even finished the meal with s lovely cheesecake and pistachio ice cream. Amazing service and a great vibe in the restaurant. We stayed there for around 2 hours and wasn't rushed at any point. 5 stars! read more

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So I have been savouring this moment for so long to come here....and now that time has finally come! The open kitchen is a fantastic idea with great swish white leather sofas surrounding it! The minute we walked in the staff were very attentive, and kept topping up our drinks all night (I think they were trying to get us drunk) Right for the food....wow..I am a lover of seafood and to have something other than king prawns and salmon was refreshing.. the menu opened up like Japanese a fan..and it took us a while to decide what we wanted.. While we perused , poppodoms were served with some very non cliche sauces...a nice spinach and chilli one and ok I guess mango chutney and cut up onions..which are cliche but were well made. Eventually I settled for the scallops and homous dish to share for a starter...well I say share but those scallops didn't touch the table...these were huge succulent tika style ones, which were worth the £6! The homous I let everyone share, it was well made with home made pitta bread... Right on to the mains...I honestly found it difficult to decide between the red snapper, halibut, lobster , ocean platter and..everything else. I chose the red snapper curry...I'm so glad i did! For 11.99 this fish was huge, cooked to perfection with yummy spices. The rice was served in cute wooden pots and the Naan bread was light and airy ..we chose the peshwari, garlic and plain.. For those that eat meat..wow honestly I heard nothing but praises about the lamb dishes...there was more Meat than sauce...it was nice to be unable to count the amount of meat chunks in your curry for once! Overall this place blew my socks off, the open kitchen with its glistening meats turning in the artificial sun, the constant care of the Waiters from beginning to end, the diversity of the food and the quality of it... My only slight gripe was the waiter snatched up the £10 tip and shoved it in his back pocket, much quicker than I had eaten the scallops! I hope he was going to share that! Oh and they have a shisha bar at the front under heated lamps read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Ocean selection - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Everytime I go for a curry I end up thinking why have I left it so long! Its always something i really enjoy but just don't do enough. Last night we tried out Zouk in Manchester. The restaurant is modern and contemporary with an open kitchen which is always a nice touch. As we walked in I could see the chefs preparing the food which instantly made me even more excited to eat. Note to self....when I think it's a good idea to have salad for lunch it more than likely is not.... We started the meal with popadoms and dips moving onto a selection of curries rice and naan bread. All of the dishes were perfectly cooked and had just the right amount of heat. It was that kind of chilli that sneaks up on you after you finish eating which is always a welcome thing with me. A great experience and one I would go back for if I am ever back in the city. It's great to see curry houses breaking away from the old school traditions of being places you dive into at 3am with a group of mates after a few pints. This is somewhere I would be happy to take friends I was visiting Manchester with and even the parents :) read more

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I had chicken steak with some traditional Indian starter called papar. The starter was good with some seasoning. the steak was good but the vegetables with it weren't cooked so well. the drinks were good too. Loved the ambient. read more

For a fantastic curry in a sleek setting with excellent presentation, look no further than Zouk. It literally took my breath away (due mainly to immense portion sizes, thankfully not spiciness). I was reliably informed that they were generous dishes, so decided against a starter and just enjoyed destroying a few poppadoms and the pickle tray first. For mains, it was the somewhat plainly entitled 'Chicken & Spinach' (aka Saag) with a sizeable peshwari naan. Both of which were the tastiest I'd had in a hell of a long time. The sweetness of the naan went really well with the not-so-sweet spinach and nuttiness of the fenugreek in the curry. All this was washed down with a bottle of Black Sheep Ale. Perfick. The place is huge and was pretty busy for a Wednesday night, but we at no point felt rushed to finish and the staff were very warm and friendly. A curry restaurant which is firmly on my bookmark list for repeat visits. Tip: unless you want to be 'serenaded' by one of the staff with an interesting (and immensely loud) rendition of Happy Birthday, perhaps don't mention it's your special day :) read more

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I love Zouk. It's my joint favourite curry in the city centre alongside East z East. I think what's so great about it is that it offers standard curries alongside more exotic nosh and an awesome grill menu. This place is particularly fun for groups and parties. It caters to everyone and the staff are great. I went recently on a STAG and had a real mix of lager and curry fun with spoil yourself trimmings. Like a MEGA Cobra lager and a Curried lamb shank. It also offers a cheap lunch menu and therefore caters to all budgets as well as tastes. I'd book in advance for a weekend! It gets mega busy! read more

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Came here for a uni course meal so fair play to them, there was a lot of us! But unfortunately there were a few things that irritated me! Okay so starting off... The hosts and waiters were all lovely and very accommodating however their drinks prices are very bizarre! I bought a mango mocktail and tasty as it was.... It was £5.50!!!!!! That is more expensive than some cocktails with actual alcohol in them!! So definitely would not be going back for the cocktails goodness knows how much they cost! As I am currently vegetarian there is always less choice :( I chose the vegetable tikka which was rather disappointing. It came in parts... So spicy veg like aubergines, courgettes etcs which were (too) spicy for me! Then a separate tikka sauce which had peas and broccoli in (???) which there wasn't enough of And bizarrely a cucumber tomato And lettuce salad on the side:( Apart from being too spicy, not enough sauce to go with the boiled rice (I wanted pilau) it wasn't actually that tasty or flavourful! I do expect to be wowed at a curry place with something I couldn't make myself but sadly this was not meant to be! I have heard good things about the shisha here so perhaps I will give it a second chance to redeem themselves.... read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Bizarre do-it-yourself curry - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Highly recommended! This lovely curry house is a hidden gem just off Oxford road and delivers in food, service and atmosphere! The food is delicious, it's great value for money and the staff are super polite and attentive. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Celebrating the 7th birthday a couple of free drinks - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

You know what my opinion of Zouk has evolved much like the restaurant and bloomed into something rather special!! Infact it is fast becoming something of an establishment, being ushered into a very special company of word of mouth jewels in Manchester. You see these are the true. Word of mouth restaurants destroy those who spend tons of money on advertising. Amongst the cool kids in Manchester these days this place is topsy turvy. Chester street for me as become a golden goose of a street!! Nandos, Rice and now Zouk!!! The quadrangle is a rich conveyor belt of custom which is making this street flourish. With Odder, Font and a plethora of other bars nestled around the place this particular spot is fast becoming a beehive!!!! Funny thing is it is fantastic for Manchester, I mean can you imagine people coming into Manchester from oxford road will hit this spot first and think.....wow this is just the start????? INfact five minutes from Zouk there is everything you need for a quality night out...Happy days for all those living in the Quadrangle or all the other shmoozy town flats around the place. The place was absolutely teaming tonight, and no its wasn't Friday or Saturday, it was Thursday!!!!!! read more

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I was here on Monday for their Tiffin Lunch Special which is £7.95 for 2 curries, rice, some chicken kebab and roti. So it's quite decent value. The restaurant is fairly large and felt quite empty on a Monday afternoon, the lunch special obviously being offered to draw in customers. There is a sheesha smoking area out the front of the restaurant which is a nice touch but I suspect used less over the coming Winter months. Our orders were taking very quickly which is something you want when you are grabbing lunch in your work hour and the food arrived within 5 minutes of ordering. A very generous sized meal in fact for the money. We had 2 meat curries and on inspection these appeared to be the exact same dish which was a little disappointing. I can only assume they had run out of the other dish and we ere unfortunate enough to have ordered before more was ready but this wasn't mentioned by the waiter so it is indeed only an assumption. My friend and I had tap water as well so I wasn't expecting any further charge but when I paid I did note that I was charged £8.75 was this for the benefit of a few cubes of ice in my water? If they do charge for water again it's something you would hope would be pointed out to you. Hidden charges are something I'm not a fan of anywhere let alone in restaurants. They should be up front if they add a service fee or charge for corkage etc. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Visited here previously 3 years ago for a friends birthday. Looking at my review, the food was good but nothing "special". The thing which let it down a bit was the service. It was busy and it was a large group of us so possible excuse/reason. Anyway, I went last night and it was great! Being a Wednesday, it was not crazy busy. In fact, the top level didn't appear to have anyone there (until later on in the evening). A waiter came pretty quickly to ask if we wanted any drinks and if we wanted poppadoms/pickle tray - which of course we did. I was the only one to have a starter and was asked if it was OK if it came at the same time as everything else - no problem. The starter I had was Punjabi Lollipops - have a look at the photo I uploaded. Its basically chicken wings marinated in pomegranite and cooked over charcoal. It was lovely and sweet. For the mains I chose the Lamb Karahi (with some pilau rice). It tasted really good and a pretty big portion. I actually couldn't finish it after the combination of my starter and a couple large drinks. In hindsight, I didn't need the starter (and probably should have been sensible with smaller drinks). I was happy but completely stuffed! Recommended. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Lamb Karihi mains. - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

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We went to Zouk last weekend, Saturday, to be precise, because some of the other places we had in mind were fully booked. So looks like is the place to go, if you're a bit lazy. Good things first. I am a sucker for watermelon. So, as soon as I saw watermelon crush on their menu, I wanted a few. I asked them if they could make it with gin (cos I am not a fan of the bitter aftertaste that vodka leaves you with) and they obliged! In fact I think I had about 3 or 4 (I don't even remember). Next up, the starters... it was a bit of a mixed bag. I had seekh kebab, my wife had a tokri chaat (I think), our friends had aloo paratha and palak tikka. I loved my seekh kebab but my only gripe was, I could still taste raw ginger, which was a bad thing. Our friends loved the palak tikka and aloo paratha. Palak is the hindi name for spinach, by the way. aloo (potato) paratha is a spicy indian potato cake. The tokri chaat was a bit of a disappointment. Tokri in hindi means a basket. chaat is specifically a variety of Mumbai (Bombay) street food. True to it's name, the tokri chaat arrived in a basket with a poppadum acting as an edible bowl, It looked like a bhelpuri (puffed rice with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, chilli and masala) but tasted nothing like it. We won't be ordering it again. For the main course, we ordered a mili-jhuli sabzi, which literally (yes I am certain I have put the word 'literally' to correct use) translates to mixed vegetable, a butter chicken (more about it in a bit), a chicken sukha (dry chiken) and I think a lamb dish. To go with them we ordered rumali rotis (more about that too, later), naan and pilau rice. The mixed veggie, the dry chicken and the lamb were very well made. The star of the show for me, was the rumali roti. I may have mentioned this before but, making a rumali roti is an intricate process and an art form. Rumal in hindi means a very thin handkerchief. So a rumali roti is essentially a roti that's stretched until it's as thin as a handkerchief and cooked. This rumali roti,is by far the best I've eaten outside India. Now, if the rumali roti had me flying in seventh heaven, the butter chicken brought me crashing right back onto earth. The description on their menu very clearly says the chicken pieces are barbecued and served with a creamy sauce with cashewnuts. The chicken pieces were not barbecued, to begin with, but instead of cooking them in a creamy sauce with cashewnuts, they were cooked in Heinz (or equivalent) tomato soup. I have heard of people using this as a base for cooking butter chicken in the past, but on that night I experienced it first hand. So, here is a hot tip: do not order the butter chicken. Overall we had a decent experience, but given the fact that two starters were so-so and the butter chicken was a disaster, for a restaurant that specialises in sub-continent cuisine I can't give it more than 3 stars and justify it to that voice in my head. read more

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Just been here for some lunch with friends, was really nice inside had a good layout. The lunch menu was really nice and the staff were helpful in explaining what to order, really enjoyed our meal is good if you want a curry or a nice lunch will definitely be returning. read more

Zouk Tea Bar & Grill - Indian Near Me - Manchester, XGM

Despite its North African name, Zouk is very much an Indian restaurant. I sat outside in the hookah section which was very casual and fun. I started with a Coffee martini (at the suggestion of my very helpful waiter) and had the chicken liver starter that others on here have already raved about. Very good: arrived in its own little cast iron skillet, in a spicy tomato-based sauce with onions. I had the Chicken Khabani as my main. I asked for, and received, a nice spicy hot dish. Once again a tomato-based spicy curry with the addition of apricots. I ordered a dish of plain rice and a garlic naan to accompany. Also a beer from the drinks menu. Service was very good. My waiter was cheerful and attentive and answered all my questions. Bear in mind that the outside area is really the shisha bar, but you can still order food and drinks outside. My bill came to £45.00 altogether, which was again a little more than I had planned to spend, so be mindful that looking at the menu ahead of time is FAR more reliable than going by the $$ ratings on Yelp, which are really just a starting point and don't account for drinks or appetizers. Highly recommended. Easy to find, and very authentic. read more

Really really good food and fantastic service! We got full descriptions of each dish and their background which was lovely and all the waiting staff were friendly and professional. It's not just a typical Indian restaurant, they offer a range of dishes from Bangladesh and Nepal that combine that Indian spice with sweet tones taken from Asian traditions. I'd highly reccommend starting off with the mango mojitos - very refreshing and a perfect way to start the meal. read more

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The service was terrible. Clearly the waiter had a problem with Americans. The food was good, no complaints there. But, in the US we are a tipping culture. We had every intention of tipping our waiter but were going to leave it in cash, as we split the total check 4 ways using our credit cards. But then the waiter has the nerve to stand there and ask "where is the rest?" I asked was the bill paid in full? Yes. Wow. You just screwed yourself buddy. What an awkward moment. read more

This is probably the best Indian I have ever had. The service is very nice, the food is excellent, and the restaurant is beautiful. I recommend!! read more

I should really stop reviewing Indian restaurants or should I say Asian restaurants because I can never give most of them more than 3 stars. I have been to Zouk a few times over the span of 3 years that I have been living in Manchester. They have a sister cafe Kukoo's and to be fair I prefer that more. Things to look out for: Outdoor Sheesha-- The only one on Oxford Road, though it could be not the best idea during winters or when its pouring down (which is most of the time, we live in Manchester love) Mango Lassi - They definitely know how to make a good and fresh Mango lassi and thank god they don't use pulps! Aloo Paratha - They nailed this one as well and it was well tasty and I don't usually say that. Things to beware of: Extremely slow service - omg I am not kidding when I say this, we had to wait for 50 minutes to get our food on a weekday afternoon when it was not even busy! Not so friendly staff - Firstly they are under staffed, and on top of that the staff think they own the world so they have this attitude where they couldn't care less. Burning Tongue - I am Indian and I can handle my spices but even then I was in tears after having a few bites of the chicken we ordered *phew*. Yes the food is supremely spicy here and that is not exactly my thing. I like my spices just enough so that I can enjoy the flavors and the taste! Verdict : Good in terms of British standards but not for people who have tasted the real deal! read more

Restaurant: The service was spot on and the food was delicious. My friend had mentioned some specific dietary needs when making the online reservation and hoped that she would still be able to have a curry dish, unfortunately this wasn't the case and she had to have a shawarma wrap instead. This was slightly disappointing for her although she enjoyed her meal nonetheless. We shared poppadoms and a pickle tray which was very tasty. The poppadoms themselves were spiced which was a nice touch. The pickle tray featured mango chutney, a spicy mint dip, and an onion and tomato sauce - all delicious. For a main I ordered paneer palak which was Indian cheese with spinach. This was really tasty, with plenty of large pieces of firm paneer and a richly spiced spinach sauce. I had a garlic naan on the side which was buttery, soft, and delicious. Staff were attentive and friendly throughout the meal. For poppadoms, main, naan and a large beer I paid around £20 with tip. Shisha bar: Reasonably priced but shambolic service. After the meal we went outside to the shisha bar. Things got less impressive from here. The table was so wobbly I was concerned about putting my drink down on it. The staff couldn't seem to comprehend anything we were saying to them. It didn't seem like this was a language issue, they just seemed totally out of it. When they asked what shisha flavour we wanted we responded that we hadn't seen a menu. He gestured towards the drinks menu saying "that's the whole shisha menu". We were really confused and eventually he pointed to a list of shisha flavours hidden away on the front page of the menu in small print. We then ordered a pomegranate shisha and it took him a really long time to understand what we were saying, even with pointing at the exact word in the menu, before he eventually said "Oh, yes, pomegranate!" as though we had been using a different word entirely. Another struggle came in the form of trying to order a beer. "A small Cobra please" was met with blank stares. I pointed at my friend's large Cobra and said I wanted one of them, but the small one. "A large Cobra?" he asked. After much to-ing and fro-ing he went away to get me a beer. Then came back to ask "a small Corona?" No. "A small Peroni?" No. Arghhh! Eventually got my beer and was able to pay. Between three people a shisha and some beer and tea was £30. Overall I would return for food in the restaurant but would only go for shisha if I was feeling very patient. read more

They are a few times I have been eaten a good lamb but the Lamb at Zouk was far beyond perfection and planned that is nothing short of a genius. The dish was expertly prepared. It was Grilled, Juicy and Fresh. read more

Zouk Zouk Zouk! I just want to sing it from the rooftops. I literally cannot speak higher of the food in this place! I've been going now for around 4 years and have never had a negative experience. The layout and atmosphere just screams relaxed, authentic and laid back and when you walk into the restaurant you are literally hit in the face with an amazing aroma of spice and authenticity. We were greeted at the door and politely asked to grab a drink and wait in the bar whilst they prepared our table - obviously more than happy to do so knowing this food is so worth the wait. Once sat we quickly (and excitedly) ordered our dishes - 4 of us decided to share 4 different dishes, 2 vegetable sides, rice, chips and nan. YES, we were going all out! We were also asked how hot we would like the curries (mild, medium or spicy), for me this shows straight off that the curries are cooked fresh and that care is taken And then the poppadoms arrived! YEY. I love the way the poppadoms are set out in a box and already pre cracked, making them perfect for sharing and of course dipping into the all important chutneys. For me, the green chutney (not sure of the name) is just delightful - a sharp taste among the cooling mango. Now to the curries - the stand outs were: Butter Chicken - it was my first time having this dish (yes, I know I know, how is it the first time but it was so let's move on!). The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce was creamy, buttery loveliness! Very flavoursome and definitely not a disappointment. Goan Fish Curry - this was actually a really pleasant surprise! I'm not usually a big fan of fish in a curry but the fish literally melted in the mouth and the sauce that accompanied it was just bursting with flavour! It's hard to explain a curry sauce but what I can say is that it was a thick tomatoey sauce, beautifully spiced and just bloody delicious! and last but not least: Lamb Nihari: for me this has been a constant stand out for the last 4 years. GET IT! You will never taste lamb curry like it again - GET IT! GET IT now! I also want to give a shout out to the peshwari nan - this sweet nan is just that sweet both in and out! I could go on and on but I'll save it for my next visit - all I can say is that I will continue to visit here and bring family and friends here forever more! TIP: The staff can be busy and grumpy but I don't think they're being intentionally rude. This may not be the case BUT to be hones I'm so obsessed with the food that I don't care! read more

Will the argument over the best curry house in Manchester ever be resolved? Doubtful. But surely Zouk is top tier, even if some would argue it isn't top of the pile. What raises Zouk about the masses is simply the quality of the flavours available - the spicing is more subtle and effective than most curry houses, to say nothing of the variety. This is not varying heats of a generic spice mix, the menu runs a wide gamut of distinctive tastes. And the food can be punchy or very subtle, with several dishes being more aromatic than spicy (the roast lamb leg is a particularly delicious example, and the chillo kebab whilst hotter is also very cleverly flavoured). The portions are pretty solid, and Zouk is certainly a good value evening out - foodwise at least. You could probably share two curries between three people, and the prices aren't particularly dear. The exceptions to this are the sundries (rice/naan portions are modest, which winds me up in truth - we all know it wouldn't cost much to be generous with this stuff) and the booze. The wine and cocktails are very good in fairness, but priced more like restaurant in London than Manchester. There is the odd fly in the ointment, most notably the tables are packed a bit close together and the acoustics mean a loud background noise quickly builds up. Additionally, I recently ordered a meal only to be told both my starter and main were out of stock and I had to choose again. But by and large this is all overshadowed by how good the food tastes. The core of this restaurant is as good as it gets, and the issues with it never become serious enough to distract from that. The fact is that I didn't notice the noise after 5 minutes and both my second choice dishes were delicious. In one sentence? With Zouk around there is no excuse to visit the Curry Mile. read more

We went here on a Tuesday night on a recommendation from Manchester CM Jonny Q. It's in a great location in town so really handy if you're shopping or visiting the city like we were. It has a lovely outdoor space where you can get shisha for £10, although we went straight inside for our meal as we didn't have too much time before our gig. The space is huge - inside is very modern and open plan, there is a slightly raised level of seating on the ground floor that looked nice but was full, so were were seated in front of the open kitchen. Always reassuring to be able to see the kitchen! Also that it was busy at 6pm on a Tuesday night is a good sign. We ordered a poppadoms and chutneys to start with, followed by chicken kerahi (prob not spelt that way) for me, and a lamb thing for scott, which I helpfully can't remember the name of. We shared pilau rice and peshwari naan, both of which were delicious. The curries were fabulously cooked, and really flavoursome. I'm really glad we didn't get a bigger starter, because the portions are really generous. I'm not really a huge lamb fan so I only tried the sauce of the other dish, which was really tasty and I'm told the lamb was cooked to perfection. If you're more of an adventurous type, they serve things like sheep's brain and sheep's trotters, although there are also the usual kormas etc. for those who like to be safe. I am unashamedly a huge korma fan, although I am glad I tried something different this time, and I'd really recommend the kerahi. You can choose how spicy you want it also. The only reason it doesn't get a 5 star review is that another table of 2 came in and were seated right next to us, at a table about a foot away, despite there being lots of room on the downstairs level. Also the large space makes for a slightly weird atmosphere, but overall, a great find, and really reasonable. Our bill came to £20 each including drinks. read more

TL;DR - Possibly one of the best curries in Manchester? We came here for a birthday treat and were not disappointed. The building is very modern with a trendy looking bar area to wait for your table, and a huge open kitchen where you can see everything the chefs are getting up to - quite the spectacle. We came on a Saturday evening and were glad we had booked - it was heaving, and people were being turned away at the door. We had poppadoms and dips to start, followed by a lamb curry for me and chicken for Mark. Both were delicious, but Mark actually thinks his curry may have been the best he ever had. We had rice and naan to accompany which were also both very nice. The staff also scored brownie points for not just providing great service, but also keeping us topped up with table water throughout - something simple which many other places neglect! read more

Despite the high regards for this restaurant, I was quite disappointed with the quantity and flavor. I ordered the Vegetable Tikka with garlic naan and vegetable rice. The naan was very big and flavorful, and the vegetable rice was lacking in flavor but did have color and vegetables, but the biggest disappointment was the vegetable tikka. For the amount of rice they give you, the quantity of the vegetable tikka was minimal to none. There was a line of char-grilled vegetables that had been marinated with masala across the plate, and a small, small bowl of gravy on the side. While a different concept, I don't think the deconstructed vegetable tikka worked because you look forward to tasting the delicate pairing of the sweet and spicy gravy with the par cooked vegetable chunks. I ended up having half the rice left with no pairing. Maybe it was the dish, but this experience did not leave me wanting for more. Hopefully another visit will prove better! read more

Having lived near by I first went into Zouk in it's opening week, and then went back three times in the second week. I've been to Zouk practically every week since, have tried pretty much everything on the menu and have never been dissapointed. In my opinion anybody eating at Zouk should definately order the Lamb Nihari (and make sure they give you the little dishes of ginger, chilli, corriander and garam masala). This place is the best indian restaurant in the North West; you'll soon forget about Akbars and EastZEast once you've been to Zouk. read more

I used to live right next to the quadrangle and was excited when all these new places kept opening. For chinese, there was already the amazing Blue Ginger and the OK-ish Nando's, but then Rice and ZoUK opened and gave us more flavours to try. The food on my first visit was far above what I was expecting. I had heard it was expensive, though it seemed quite fairly priced and was amazing quality, at similar prices to some of the Rusholme/Curry Mile restaurants that are no where near as good as this. If Indian isn't your thing, you are spoiled for choice in terms of styles. I've tried Moroccan and traditionally British style items already from here, and they are just as fantastic. The bad sides to Zouk are mainly due to its success. In the evenings, particular at weekends, the place is overbooked, with the outside seating all taken by the Shisha bar users, and the bar area taken up by those waiting for a table. The size of the place and the open kitchen make this a very noisy restaurant. The service is a further issue. Although everyone is very friendly, due to its busyness, staff can seem overrun and stressed and takeaway order waiting times vary considerably (15 minutes on one occasion to 1 & 1/4 hours when they forgot about my order). The food is worth the wait however, and the staff and owner quite often will talk to you and genuinely seem to value your custom. +Fantastic food +Fusion of variety of styles, so suits groups very well +10% Takeaway discount +Full bar for drinks/starters whilst waiting +Friendly service and makes you feel valued +Stylish, modern interior -Maybe some more staff would help at busy times -Greater care could be taken with takeaway orders -They don't deliver yet :( read more