Great Kathmandu Tandoori Restaurant

In need of somewhere offering crowd-​pleasing cuisine after a few hours at a wine tasting evening (oh aren’t *we* fancy?!), seven of us piled in to GK late on a Friday night.
After a short wait they had a table prepped for us and menus distributed. They were comprehensive to say the least; and I was in a «Give me your equivalent of butter chicken» kind of a mind set. I prefer the sauce and the breads when it comes to curry, I can take or leave the meat and rice!
A few of us wanted the poppadums and chutney tray to start — it was nice to have some seeded popps for a change.
Helpfully, I can’t remember for the life of me what the name of my dish was, but it came with plenty of sauce that’s for sure, which I lovingly swept up with my nan bread. It was good. Granted not the best curry I’ve had in Manchester, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Accompanied with a bottle of Riesling (which a couple of the table found to be too sweet, but the rest of us enjoyed), our bill came to roughly £20 each which I thought was rather reasonable. Glad I got to try here and I’d return if the suggestion was made.

I had a lovely meal at the Great Kathmandu recently. The staff are very accommodating and friendly. We ordered poppadums to start which were nice and fresh and the chutneys that accompanied them were of a high quality. For main I ordered the paneer tikka masala. It was a bit more spicy than most masalas I have had but was full of flavour and I really enjoyed it. The nan was good too. The restaurant was very busy which is a good sign. I’d definitely go back.

Friday after work drinks got a little larger than usual this week, and we ended up in the Great Kathmandu after several rounds at the Met in search of sustenance.
We were seated immediately, and poppadoms were ordered. The chutney selection was okay, but would have liked a few more spicy options. The menu was pretty vast, I ended up sharing a curried kidney dish and a spicier lamb curry main, whilst the non-​chilli lovers picked tandoori and house special curries.
Overall the food arrived quickly, and was tasty, but it’s not my favourite curry house. Good for your standard curry, but nothing exceptional. Would definitely use for take out though, but lacked ambiance for a sit down meal.

A little disappointing… Sorry. May be my expectations were a little high for my first visit to the Great Kathmandu.
I love Indian food (3^rd on the list of go to meals) and I have dedicated a considerable amount of time and resources to locating the best Indian restaurant in Manchester
Specifics. I attended as part of a group of 10 at 20:30 on a Saturday night. It was absolutely pack and had a great atmosphere (although the décor needs a little bit of an update — it felt very tacky in comparison to some of the other Indian restaurants I’ve been to).
Unfortunately didn’t get to order a starter as the group decided on mains only (why do I go out for meals with these people???).
So we had some poppadum’s with the chutney tray which as a staple of any Indian meal you would have thought would you could not go wrong; however, strangely we received a combination of undercooked /​stale poppadums. The chutney tray was also a bit watery and tasteless (so underwhelming that even without a starter some went back (and hopefully ended up in the bin).
Main course: I went for the Lamb Handi of the chef’s recommendations. It was okay.
The sauce was a bit tasteless (had the right level of spicy); it seemed to be missing something. The lamb pieces were good. So as I said it was ‘okay’.
Usual side of pilau rice and naan — nothing special.
Honestly this was average takeaway quality at restaurant prices. I can’t recommend it. But saying that if I ever get invited to another meal here I wouldn’t avoid it.
Oh… nearly forgot. They don’t seem to like providing water unless you buy a drink first. The 2 of us on the water because we were driving had to ask several times before anyone took any notice (poor service).

Just a quick update to let the Unilocaldom know that the matrix is running without any glitches.
My wife and I planned to go to Pi for lunch yesterday, after a leisurely swim. But traffic, combined with the mighty United kick-​off just minutes away meant we had to turn back and get to Great Kathmandu to pick up food.
We rang them as we drove (I was driving, the wife was on the phone… in case you’re getting the wrong idea) and placed our order just before the kitchen closed. The food was delicious and was in line with their consistent quality and the service was friendly, polite and felt familiar.
So, my dear Unilocal folks, all is well at Great Kathmandu. Let’s hope it continues to be so, for a long time to come.

I was told a lot of marvellous things about this place previous to dinning which is rather a dangerous thing. Thats not to say it was awful because it certainly wasn’t, the food was all very nice, maybe only somewhat pricy, but the place was so busy and loud when we went it just ruined the experience a little, it just doesn’t compare to some of the other more intimate curry houses i’ve been to, such as Moon in Withington. but overall it was meh, fine.

Great curry every time I’ve been here. One of the best curry houses in Manchester. Amazing food and a really good variety of dishes to choose from.

We are lovers of dining out and a weekly trip for a curry is a must, trouble is a lot of places are same old same old, the vast majority in fact. But we tried out the Great Katmandu for a family occasion .14 of us enjoyed a lovely early Sunday evening meal here, food was excellent, of most importance to us, service was excellent, and so was the price, what more can you ask.Recommended.

The place itself is definitely okay: the meals are reasonsbly priced and well cooked. The service is also on par, nothing to complain about.
There is only one thing that I did not like: the management is too obviously trying to sell alcoholic drinks. It is really hard to find non-​alcoholic drinks in the menu and, besides, they don’t offer traditional indian non-​alcoholic drinks, which is a shame.

Rubbish service BUT the food totally makes up for that. Some of the best Nepalese and Indian food I’ve ever had. We took my in laws there and they’re still raving about it now. I can’t wait to go again.

Got a take-​away from here recently (no delivery so you’ll have to pick it up). I was really rather impressed, this was a decent hearty curry, with some excellent starters.
It worked out a little pricier than some other options, but was worth it. Our bag came with (free?) poppadoms, and the naan was also decent. All the dishes were well spiced, with some complex and subtle things going on. I’m bemused by some of the comments here: this is most definitely above average.
On the downside the chicken in one of the starters was a little tough. And, as I discovered after eating here, its kitchen does not have a great hygiene rating from the council (Update: they’ve sorted it out, as you’ll see below)

Went here for my friends birthday on Saturday.
Never had Nepalese food before but it seems just like Indian food with all the curries, naans and poppadoms.
Some of the dishes were very spicy but overall were a fairly comfortable spicy-​ness. It would have been useful if the menu had some indication of how hot each dish was. For example, some restaurants different number of chilli symbols to indicate spicyness.
There was lots of choice, lots of dishes. In a way too many really and if you dont know too much about curries they all sound the same.
Also, they had a chef recommended section. You would expect a handful of dishes which the chef cooks really well etc. However, there were about 30 dishes!
The quality of the food was Ok. Food tasted nice but nothing extra special.

Went here for a pal’s birthday the other day. Food was pretty darn good but portion sizes were a bit hit and miss — some of the starters were massive (and big enough for at least two to share) and others were more your standard starter size. We were gobsmacked at the bill though — the price of alcoholic drinks is obviously where this place makes a big profit (over £4 for a bottle of beer!) and this hiked it up massively. I’d think twice about going back based on this experience because feeling ripped off is my abiding memory of the evening, which is a shame when the food and service were decent.

I’ve never had anything other than a very good curry from the Great Kathmandu, which has grown as its reputation has spread (along with the boundaries of what is considered ‘Didsbury’!).
I’ve probably eaten in or out of here a hundred times and the meals are consistently excellent. I usually order from the Chef’s Special menu, which is superb. I heartily recommend the Nepalese Mixed Masala, which you can have with a choice of sauce (the Madras sauce is to die for). There’s a decent choice of drinks and both Kingfisher and Cobra are served on draft.
It’s a cliché, but I have Indian friends who swear by this place and anyone I’ve taken there has always enjoyed the food. The restaurant is fairly basic (you’re there for the food, not the carpet), but its clean and friendly and the service is always excellent. The proprietor is almost always on the floor and his wife is usually there too, which illustrates the pride they have in this excellent establishment. The only slight criticism is the takeaway service, which very occasionally breaks down (missing or incorrect dishes), but that’s nitpicking. Prices are reasonable and the food is fantastic. Beats anything on the Curry Mile, hands down.

Quite simply amazing. This is one of the best curry houses in manchester. A wide range of unusual, mouthwatering indian delicious food and curries. yummmmm

A friend of mine decided to have his birthday gathering in this place tonight, so I cleverly realised it would be the perfect opportunity to mix business and pleasure, enjoying the company whilst critically appraising everything around me. Instead I spent most of the time making ‘your mum’ jokes and spilling coke on the table, but I believe I noticed enough.
The food was fine; it did not set my mouth ablaze with a taste sensation, but neither did it paralyse me down one side, so it’s was, in essence, perfectly average. The prices were good for food, and annoyingly inconsistent for drinks. The beer cost £3, which was strangely the same price as a pint of coke, so they must apparently serve extra special, carefully brewed coke from a vintage keg in the basement, or they are just overpricing it. And it didn’t taste that good.
The strangest thing though was the décor. The browny-​beige wallpaper and abstract selection of furnishings made it feel like I was in my Grandma’s house after she had developed a curious obsession with Nepal. Although slightly unnerving, it wasn’t exactly distracting or terrible, so I’ll neither mark it up nor down.
All in all, it was just fine. I wouldn’t go again because it’s a trek and I balk at the drink prices, but I can’t say it’s one to avoid either.

I agree with the review below this. The food is ace at the Great Kathmandu, but the service can be awful! Still, it’s much cheaper than the other restaurants around the Burton Road area, so it’s great if you just fancy popping out for something to eat. However, if you’re planning to go out for a special occasion, I’d reccommend the Gurkha Grill just down the road — a little more pricey, but a better experience.

I went here a few weeks ago with a few friends that live locally I failed to see why people rave about this place. To be fair, I did not have a bad experience, but the food was average in my humble opinion. I had the bhaktapur chicken — £7.10 which is cooked using Nepalese spices, and while I did relish the fact I was eating an authentic Nepalese dish… I was not blown away by the meat which for me was a little tough! The staff were very friendly though, and all our needs were met in good time. I did go on a busy Saturday night, and the place was packed… so maybe it was just me having an off night?!
I would say this place is pretty good for going out with a group of mates though, not so much if you are looking for a romantic venue to dine in though as the tables are very close together!

There is no doubt that this is the best Nepalese restaurant in Manchester. You have to look past the no-​frills décor, because the main focus is on the quality of the cuisine here.
Some of the best dishes I’ve had here are Bhotowan Chicken, Chicken Khorsani and Fish Tikka. What I love about a lot of the dishes are that they’re spiced correctly — in other words, they’re hot! If you’re suffering you can always order yourself a Tiger beer or a Mango lassi though. The staff are always smiling and friendly, and have never, to date, got the bill wrong. Comes highly recommended, and voted but Harden’s as one of the best of its kind in the country.

I have been visiting this restaurant for the past few years now and have yet to leave disappointed.
According to the restaurant history, the Nepalese chef Gopal Dangol came over to the North West from Nepal to help open a new restaurant right here in South Manchester. After the first business (the Kathmandu) expired (I’m led to believe by internal politics) out of the bread oven’s charcoal ashes sprang forth the ‘Great Kathmandu Tandoori Restaurant’ opened in 1987.
By 2000 the restaurant were the winners of the coveted readers award for best Indian restaurant in the UK.
We took a neighbour for a meal here last week and being a hard to please guy (when it comes to Indian food at least) was suitably impressed (and he doesn’t curry lamb mince his words).
There are two main menu’s; Chefs Specials (concentrating on the Nepalese elements) and the Main Menu (the Indian recipes).
I usually stick with the Nepalese (there are enough Indian/​Pakistani restaurants up in the Curry Mile in Rusholme to satiate that end of your culinary spectrum).
For a starter we tried the Chicken Pakoda Fritters delicious pocket pillows of spring boneless chicken in a ‘special batter’. Knowing how much food you’re served in these restaurants we shared a starter (after all top notch pappadums and fine sauces are also served).
For a main I bolstered my capsicum credentials with the feisty Chicken Korsani (claimed in ink to be ‘exceptionally hot’). I’ll be honest and it was pretty damn fiery… but the strength of the other flavours managed to nest themselves next to the green chillies upon my tongue bit too.
Lubricating the throat and stomach lining with Tiger beer on draft capped this fantastic meal off. I may try the desserts next time… perhaps skipping the starters in order to make room.
The décor is set in a… certain ‘age’ but you don’t always have to wink at the mantelpiece when your poking the samosa do you?
There are a raft of restaurants in West Didsbury these days (including another Nepalese restaurant; a Thai restaurant; Simon Rimmer’s Greens restaurant and many, many more). However, or the price and quality you can’t go wrong here.
Highly recommended.