Preem

It’s stressful trying to find a place on Brick Lane, with everyone trying to entice you in with special offers — free drinks, naan, etc. We finally picked this place just because it was the first one we came across that had this veggie coconut curry my friend really wanted — that, and some guys walked by and recommended the place. Unfortch, the quality of the food and drinks weren’t great. The vegetable samosas were good, and the vegetable curry was not bad, but the chicken tikka masala was dry. The Guinness they gave me was from a new keg, was very flat, light brown instead of the typical almost black, and was practically half foam. I didn’t complain since this was the free drink they offered, but it didn’t leave a great taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). Portions, however, were huge for the price.

Would have loved to review the food here, but the horrible customer service turned us off before we even had a seat. Two of the staff came out of the restaurant offering all types of deals for us to come in and eat for lunch. We thanked them and decided to take a look around the block, before coming back less than 10 minutes later to be seated. The same staff members then changed their tune and rudely told us that the deals had expired in the last 10 minutes after we walked away. Good customer service and manners tend to work better than preying on passersby to eat your food. Based on the reviews, it was really their loss not ours.

What a bummer. We fell victim to a touter while being hungry and thought the many accolades on the windows could be a good sign. Do not be fooled. Every curry house on Brick Lane says it’s the best and seems to have articles and certificates to prove it. I had some dal, coconut rice and roti. Just some simple veg dishes, but they were incredibly bland. The mango chutney improved things, but I had to ask the waiter to let me keep the chutneys. We were asked if we wanted pappadums and we said yes only to see we were charged two pounds for them. The onion bhajee were okay, but we’ve has better. Overall a bummer lunch choice and I wish I had taken the time to find something else on my short trip to London.

It’s surprisingly difficult to review this restaurant since the UK’s addresses read differently than the US’s addresses and there’s several Preem restaurants next to each other on Brick Lane. However, the one I’m referring to in this review is the Preem with the simple white façade.
I was very pleased with this place, having eaten lots and lots of Indian food throughout the US (Chicago, NYC, Houston, Portland, etc.) and in India itself, that’s saying something. To be fair, Preem (and most of Brick Lane) serves up Bangladeshi food. However, the two cuisines share many important similarities.
What I liked about this place was the balance of delicate flavors, the way each dish complemented the next, and the lack of oiliness (frequently a major problem in this cuisine). It was such a pleasure to eat at Preem after days of traditional British food (sorry UK, it’s good stuff and fun to eat, but sort of bland, if we’re being honest with each other).
Prices were fair, even after the exchange rate (US dollar being worth quite a bit less than the British pound at this particular point in time).
The interior was nothing to write home about and there was some downright bizarre art (?) on the walls, but, we were there for the food, not the décor. It was tidy and relatively comfortable.
They do target tourists a bit (via up sell attempts and a la cart everything), but, not as bad as many Brick Lane restaurants. I was pleased not to be chased down the street by any Preem-​associated touts (which is more than I can say for the restaurant’s neighbors).
This place came recommended by a local and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone visiting the UK who aims to enjoy an authentic Bangladeshi meal on Brick Lane. Cheers!

I’d walk past and try somewhere else on Brick Lane. We went in for lunch and were offered a starter, main, bread/​rice & a drink for £10 which is pretty standard for the area. Part way through our poppadoms we were moved into the restaurant next door as they had a full restaurant booking in the one we were sitting in. Not overly happy as I’d walked past this one and decided not to eat in it as it looked a bit grubby. Seated by an open window (it’s nice and sunny today but c’mon it’s still October!) people walking by put their heads in the window a few times and at one point a cyclist was quite blatantly looking to see if there was a mobile phone on the table he could snatch and ride off with-​waiters didn’t seem to care. New poppadoms brought over shortly followed by the starters-​onion bhajis-​they were quite nice. The mains were not of the same quality I’ve had in other much smarter but same priced restaurants in the area, the pieces of chicken in my pathia were tiny and the sauce was thick and tomatoey rather than the spicy dry dish I’m used to and the other dish (saag aloo main) was also very tomatoey and bland although we’d asked for it to be a medium spicy level. I asked for the left overs-​there was quite a bit-​to be boxed up to take home, the waiter got two takeaway boxes and dumped them on the table and walked off without a word so we spooned the leftovers into them and put the boxes and the nan bread into a carrier bag that I had in my handbag. Waited for the bill, eventually asked for the bill amazed to see that they had charged us £1 per poppadom including the two that they had told us to leave in the other restaurant. plus the cheek of adding £2 service charge!
I will not be going back there.

OK/​Average food that would have warranted three stars if not for the awful décor that is run down and dilapidated and in need of paint.
Went with party of four and staff outside were not as pushy as the other eateries on the walk. Anyone who knows Brick Lane will know where I am coming from with that one. Service once in and sat is alarming with staff not understanding you and you not being able to figure out what they have said and your left wondering what will actually come to the table. They are friendly enough, but, for example when asked if we could have two separate bills, he said to us that he would bring the bill and we could split it once the meal was over, no questions asked.
Starter of king prawn chaat was nicely flavoured and salad was fresh that accompanied it. Main course of Korahi Chicken was OK if a little heavy on the onion. Coconut Rice was delicious with plenty of coconut. Peshwari Nan was nice and soft and would have been nicer if we didnt spot the waiter pick something off the nan whilst approaching the table with our meals. Dessert was declined as we’d had enough by this point.
I would give this four stars for the food but feel a point needs to come off for the awful service and a point off for the fact that place was in serious need of some DIY renovating.
Also don’t assume that the 4 star Evening Standard review poster that is outside the venue makes a definite visit.

Moved to London a few months ago and checked out all the reviews for places on Brick Lane to get an idea of where other people have rated. Was surprised to find the few reviews on here were so low given that other websites rate this highly. Have been twice in the last few months and it has delivered without a doubt! Firstly it’s owned by the same guys who run the place next door Preem and Prithi, but they openly admit that this branch has the better chef, and it’s probably true as the other place gives more of a discount. Preem will go down to a tenner for starter, main and a free half pint, but no seafood dishes. That’s still a massive choice on the menu, and both times the starters and curries were delicious, with a good amount of hotness if required. Service was top notch and the décor is understated cool with the odd abstract bit of art on the wall type thing. Not your usual garish indian wallpaper. This place is a winner in my book and I’ll be going back here above several of the other places on Brick Lane!

Just back from eating here, fairly early on a Saturday night.
Food was absolutely unexceptional, although apparently the breads were reasonable. Service was acceptable, if not a little bit militant/​unpolished– slightly too much confused shouting and pointing around patrons!
Bill came to around £65 for 5 of us without drinks.
Given the vast number of similar establishments on Brick Lane, we wont be going back here.

possibly the worst curry house on brick lane although it has a lot of close contenders. appauling service, semi average food and the worst drinks in the world. it seems to be a theme on brick lane to serve coke flat. if u must go here bring your own drinks otherwise you will be left disapointed as the beer was also flat!

I ended up in Preem a few weeks ago with a group of friends and, well, it wasn’t the worst place we could have eaten. If it was down to me we’d have sussed out a quality eaterie before heading out but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
On the one hand, if you turn up to a place at 9pm on a Saturday night you shouldn’t expect the best service, but on the other that should be the best gauge of how smoothly a place runs under pressure. About an hour later our food arrived and was fine but nothing special. As a veggie I missed out on the dodgy side effects mentioned by previous reviewers but I was quite badly affected by the décor, devoid as it was of any charm or character.
I won’t be rushing back to Preem any time soon, however many free poppadoms the man on the street hustles me with!

With décor like the site canteen, waiters like a curry house version of Escape to Victory and downstairs toilets straight outta Resident Evil I was hoping the food would be the saviour. Alas it wasn’t, although it did bring with some dodgy side effects.

What’s better than a curry and a pint? I’ll tell you what. A curry and a pint at 2am on a Thursday, after all the pubs and bars have shut up shop but before you’re ready to stop drinking and succumb to deep sleep and the inevitable Friday morning hangover of doom. Of the myriad curry houses on Brick Lane offering the opportunity for such foolhardy early morning decisions, Preem is certainly one of the top choices [yes, I make this decision far too often. No, I will not ever learn from my mistakes].
Admittedly my review for Preem is somewhat influenced by my level of intoxication upon entrance; however, having previously decided to enter solely for more drinks and perhaps a few poppadums, the sight and smell of the other diner’s meals soon persuaded my friends and I to go for a full on curry feast. Dips and sundries were great quality, meats in the curries were tender and good quality, and the sauces all tasted different rather than being the generic curry sauces one too often finds in curry houses in the UK.
The service was efficient and friendly, and the next day there were no ill effects. I wish I could tell you in more detail about Preem, but when I asked my friend how he would describe his experience there, he simply responded ‘it was goooooooood’. Glowing praise indeed, and really, what more do you need to know?

This Indian restaurant is located along Brick Lane. There are lots of similar restaurants on the same street, many with lots of good reviews displayed on their windows and with hustlers trying to get customers into their restaurants. However, the first time we managed to try Preem was because there were no hustlers and we took our time deciding whether to enter the restaurant or not. It turned out to be great and it became our usual place to visit whenever we are up for Indian. My usual orders are tandoori chicken, madras chicken and garlic naan! The food is delicious and bills always turn out about £10 per person.
The atmosphere is very informal, unfussy, ‘coffee shop’ like. Very down-​to-​earth and nothing fancy, great for a casual night-​out.