Paro Indian - Covent Garden & Strand

Review summary

1. A

   Aman

   London

   9 reviews

   2.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   I really wanted to like Paro, but unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in London. My girlfriend and I went yesterday at 4pm, and from the food to the service, it fell flat at every turn. The tandoori paneer looked promising with its bright red colour and grilled onions, but it was completely bland—no seasoning, no flavour. The bang bang chicken was essentially tandoor-cooked chicken with a sauce slathered on top. Again, it was flavourless, but worse, the chicken was overcooked to the point of being dry, which made me think it was either reheated or left in the tandoor far too long. We were served two fried poppadums. The top one was stale, which was disappointing. The second was better, but the chutneys didn’t help—the tamarind sauce was overly runny, the coconut chutney was almost raw, and the chunky salad garnish added nothing. The mango chickpeas sounded exciting, but the dish was absolutely overwhelmed with garlic. Even as someone who likes garlic, it was way over the top. For the mains, we tried to keep an open mind despite being put off by the starters. The dhaal was underwhelming—runny, mushy, and without much flavour. It doesn’t hold a candle to Dishoom’s rich, hearty version. The naan was thick and doughy, lacking the fluffy texture and light char you’d expect. The service was unprofessional and inattentive. The waitstaff just put drinks and food down without a word—no smile, no “enjoy your meal,” nothing. They spent most of their time chatting near the entrance instead of checking on guests. Every time I needed something, I had to call them over. When we first sat down, the restaurant wasn’t busy, yet we weren’t even approached for drinks. We’ve been to a lot of restaurants in London, and sadly, Paro ranks among the poorest. It’s particularly disappointing because I was really rooting for this place to be good.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. S

   Steve

   Montreal

   25 reviews

   4.0

   25 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Really delicious meal, tough to go wrong on the menu. Good service and atmosphere
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. M

   Mirco

   London

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Average food for ok prices. Service was ok too. Overall fair value.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. R

   Richa

   London

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Vegetarian food was horrible and tasteless . We ordered black dal and said it is made for 48 slow cooked with black lentils but instead of black lentils they added mung dal n felt like it was made in 15 mins was not creamy at all ….worst black dal ever eaten and panner also was hard and less gravy and cheese naan had no cheese and it was hard and thick .Everything was horrible .We had guest from India and it was embarrassing to take them to this restaurant after tasting the food
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
5. F

   Fang-Fang

   London

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wow! The food was amazing, staff very attentive and professional. Thank you!
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. D

   David

   VIP

   London

   129 reviews

   2.0

   129 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   We arrived at Paro at our table booking time of 19:45. We were left standing for five minutes wondering what was going on. Then shown to a table right in the middle of the dining area that we weren't very happy with, but no other options available. The restaurant was very busy. We requested some drinks. I asked for a Grey Goose and some orange juice. There was hardly any vodka in the juice. We also asked for a glass of Merlot, the waiter brought a bottle of Merlot, he was clearly not listening to our request. To be fair the starters and main courses that we ordered were excellent. We certainly enjoyed the food. When requesting for the bill one of the waiters came to the table with a card machine. We did not see a copy of the bill beforehand. This was really very unprofessional. The food at the restaurant is really good, but it is sadly let down by the poor service. Having said all of this, we would certainly like to go back to the restaurant again in the near future. Hopefully, when we dine there again we will have an improved experience. With thanks.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. M

   Muzza

   London

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   A really excellent lunch (only served from 3pm ... at least on a Monday. The choice of food is modest but really interesting and tasty. Service was warm and swift. The lamb dish (Rogan Josh?) was succulent and delicious. Make sure to book.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. c

   claire

   Oxford

   4 reviews

   1.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 1

   Shabby restaurant. Filthy smelly toilets. Bland boring vaguely Indian food. Lamb tough and chewy. Would not return nor recommend anyone to else to go. Had to go somewhere else afterwards to save the evening.
   

   1 person found this helpful

   Report
9. R

   Rhonda

   Leicestershire

   9 reviews

   4.0

   9 reviews

   Dined on December 13, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Had an amazing meal in Paro , best indian food we have had in a long time,the staff were really lovely too
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. C

    Calum

    Manchester

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 13, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Really great food, quality atmosphere! Very good value for money
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report