+44 20 7739 2645

  Full halal menu

  Alcohol-free

  £££ out of ££££

   accepted

  Takeaway available

  Designated prayer area

  Clean restrooms

  Catering available (more info)

  Mass transit nearby

  Child-friendly premises

  Wheelchair accessible

Share via Twitter

to manage it

★★★☆☆ Where does one start with a restaurant like Mai'da. Well other reviews are always a good place, so I started here at Zabihah and try & leave it up to the reader based on what I experienced which was: when we first arrived there (on a cold & damp Jubilee Sunday) I was surprised that the place was relatively busy & occupied by a fair no. of diners. Being seated is always an experience as you may want to sit in one place & the waiters want to sit u in another, Mai’da was no exception! The next process is the ordering, do the waiters come too soon or do they leave u sitting there with the feeling that they’ve forgotten about you, surprisingly Mai’da has got this right & the waiters waited just long enough for you to decide what u wanna order. Once ordered, the food took a reasonable time to arrive. Some of it was piping hot & some of it was luke warm (which suggested that some of the dishes had been waiting while the others were being cooked/heated). As for the food itself, we ordered the Tandoori Chops & Chicken Kurgh for starters & the ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’ & Karahi Gosht as the main meal. A professional food critic recently compared the chops at Mai’da to Tayaabs chops and actually said that Mai’das chops were ‘better’. Whilst they are very good, succulent, tasty & full of flavour, they r deffo not better than Tayaabs. The Chicken Murgh was ok but nothing special & easily forgettable. The ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’ & Karahi Gosht however was very good & one cld easily taste all the different flavours infused during the cooking process (I know one reviewer complained that all they cld taste was cardamom in all the dishes). The pilau rice was acceptable & was cooked & tasted how rice should be whilst the naan was light fluffy & piping hot (smeared with just the right amount of butter). Now here come my gripes: why is it that places such as Mai’da, which charge premium prices for their dishes do not give the diner a better dining experience. I mean they’ve got the location, they’ve got reasonable good dishes yet just like most Asian restaurants they don’t have the trained staff. Yes, you know wot I’m talking about…….the waiters! These guys who are public face of the restaurant & the people that can make or break you perception of the place never smile! I mean, they never appear to be happy or enthusiastic abt their job (which, face it, is a PR position). They never make u feel that they r happy to see u as a customer & that you’re doing them the service of coming to their restaurant to spend time & money. C'mon guy's make the customer feel he made the right choice by coming (& spending good money) to yr place.......c'mon guy's just smile.......it don't cost nuffin'! Anyway, there are mixed reviews re. this place on here & by the sounds of them u either love the place or hate it........I didn't mind it! Posted on July 16, 2012

★★★★★ love it here, great food, love the chinese/thai menu. lamb chops, tandoori chicken are awesome, will definitely return. desserts great too, try the brownie sizzler :) Posted on February 14, 2012

★☆☆☆☆ Food was below average, tried some dishes from their chinese menu and couldn't finish them off because they were that bad. Service was quite slow and it took a long time to get a waiter's attention. The only good thing were the non-alcoholic cocktails, but even these I think were very overpriced for what you get (i.e. half a glass worth) Posted on January 20, 2011

★★★☆☆ Food is OK, nothing special but their non-alcholic cocktails are good. Posted on January 12, 2010

★★★☆☆ Fusion menu is quite hit and miss, so i stick to the Indian meals. They have nice milkshakes and you can watch the cooks at work through the open kitchen gallery. They also have a nice spacious group rooms downsairs which comes with ipod dock, a/c, and your own waiter. The decor is somewhat warm and chic. The food is average and can cost a fair bit if you dont watch your spending. Visit this restaurant if your in Brick Lane, and want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Brick Lane curry houses Posted on January 2, 2010

★☆☆☆☆ After reading all the positive reviews I took the plunge to eat at maida. What a disappointment!!! The lucknowi murgh biryani was not edible. We could smell the cardamoms and all we could taste was cardamoms. One bite was more than enough to put us off the rest of the meal. The murgh malia tikka (in the mix grill) also smelled and tasted of cardamoms. The Maida mixed fried rice was tasteless. The tandoori chicken was quite nice. Everything else was below average. The service was ok. The milk shakes are very nice but that alone won’t entice me back again. Posted on March 31, 2008

★★★★☆ Not a bad place at all. The pods look good for groups. Food is nice, if a little spicy at times. The naan was very tasty. There were lots of people in there when I went. Service was good, price is okay so in all well worth a visit. Posted on November 11, 2007

★★★★☆ Food was nice, mocktails were good, service was very good. I recommend. Posted on July 19, 2007

★★★★★ I went to Maida with a party of 21. The restaurant was very busy on a saturday night. We met the owner and told him we need to travel to North and would appreciate the fast service. We ordered their mocktails, Soup, starter, mains and also the desert. The service was good and on time. The food was excellent. My guest and I walked out happy and will visit again. Will recommend to others as well. Posted on June 16, 2007

★★★☆☆ Found out about Maida through word of mouth and decided to try it out with some friends. The interior and decor is excellent, so thumbs up there. Service was very slow, even though it was not busy. Most dishes arrived cold, some didnt arrive at all. Lamb chops were nice but could be better. I ordered the Khade Masala Gosht (lamb cooked in coarse spices), which was not spicy at all. The naan were nice and my friends enjoyed the milkshakes and juices. We ordered Ras Malai for desert and it tasted very off! On a positive note they have a strict no alcohol policy and the owner is friendly. Posted on June 9, 2007

★★★★★ When the brownie dessert arrived all sizzling with ice cream melting on top I thought this is a definite 5 star restaurant. Be sure to order the Manchow soup and at least one mocktail. Staff are excellent and decor is pure class. best of all, this place is HMC. This place surely sets a high standard. Had an opportunity to talk to the owners and was pleasantly surprised with their attitude. Posted on April 23, 2007

★★★★★ Price is great! A bunch of us (6) shared diff food. Food was fabulous except the Dabba Gosht - a parsi speciality. It was more like a breakfast dish and a mish mash and didnt look nice or taste at all- avoid at all cost - but other than that for the price..great food arrangement. fabulous food! Inshallah I will go again! Posted on March 11, 2007

★★★★★ Mai'da is so much more than just another Indian or halal restuarant.The tasteful decor, the varied and delectable dishes on offer; the creative Mai'da mocktails; the stunning private dining rooms; the availability of innovative technology; the excellent service and the warm, truly Islamic ambience, all mean that Mai'da is a East London's trendsetter. Its what we've all been waiting for! So, change gear, accelerate to Bethnal Green Rd and visit Mai'da today! Posted on March 6, 2007

★★★★★ Superb masha'allah! Muslim friendly environment with GREAT food. Very interesting menu with something different. Service was good. Most importantly it was clean and modern. Posted on February 18, 2007