Cafe Begum Manchester

This place is amazing! The food is super yummy and totally worth it. I loved their chaat — especially the papri chaat, malai boti, and lobster — absolute bangers! The fish and chips were pretty good too. Honestly, there wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy. The espresso martini-style drink was just okay though... kinda felt like a cold coffee. But seriously, the lobster and papri chaat are must-haves!

Ending with a dessert like kunafa cheesecake, oh yum🤤

An overall 4.5/5

I recently visited this establishment with high expectations, but unfortunately, the experience was underwhelming. The food was surprisingly tasteless despite the unbelievably high prices. While it attempts to offer a mix of Indian and Pakistani cuisine, it fails to capture the authentic flavors of either. As someone familiar with genuine Pakistani dishes, it was clear the kitchen lacks the expertise needed to deliver true authenticity.

The service was actually good — staff were polite and attentive — and the ambience is pleasant. However, the place feels more like a trendy café than a proper restaurant. This identity confusion makes it worse; if they committed to being either a café or a restaurant, the experience might feel more cohesive.

The crowd seemed largely made up of Asian diners drawn by the upscale presentation, but unfortunately, the food doesn’t match the image. It's style over substance, and anyone seeking real South Asian flavors will likely leave disappointed.

First visit to Café Begum and it certainly won’t be the last!
From the moment we walked in, the service was warm, attentive, and welcoming. The food was just as impressive — the Malai Chicken was perfectly tender and full of flavour, and the Lamb Chops were packed with a delicious, smoky taste. The naan was incredibly soft and practically melted in the mouth. A fantastic dining experience all around — can’t wait to come back!

The ambience and atmosphere are good, but waiters attend nicely, but they are insisting so much, which has made a mood off. I ordered Kebabs, Palri Chat, Malai Boti Roll, Biryani, Nehari, etc, and requested to bring all together, but the waiter refused and insisted to an extend to bring starters items before, which made my mood off, even I requested to speak to the manager, she said, I know manager will have same answer. I said, "Bring how even you want. In regards to food, we requested not to put onion in malai boti roll as my kids don't like onion, but when the order came, it was there. Nehari was nowhere near to an authentic nehari, biryani and kebabs were OK.

They have good ambience and prayer facilities, etc, but Management definitely do not have an experience of running a Pakistani restaurant, they are running it like sitting at tourist spot where they do not care about repeat customers.

We travelled from the West Midlands yesterday to Manchester to finally visit Café Begum, a restaurant that had been on my must try list since its opening. The last time we were in Manchester (late 2023/early 2024), the restaurant was still in the making. After seeing its beautiful launch online, I knew we had to come and I’m so glad we did!

We came for our anniversary meal, and the entire experience exceeded expectations. The restaurant is absolutely stunning, my kind of aesthetic. The neutral, earthy tones and minimal décor offer a calm and elegant vibe. It was refreshing to see something different from the usual flower walls and neon signs.

We started with poppadoms, lamb chops, and Lahori tenders. The lamb chops were hands down the best we’ve had in a long time tender, flavourful, and perfectly cooked. For mains, we shared the Chicken Karahi with fresh rotis. One of the staff members kindly advised us not to over-order, and she was absolutely right, the portion was generous and satisfying. Her honesty and helpfulness really stood out.

The food presentation was spot on, elegant and appetising and the flavours lived up to it. I also had the Kiwi Zephyr to drink, which was incredibly refreshing and paired perfectly with the meal.

A special thank you to Pratika and another lovely waitress (whose name we unfortunately missed) for their warm and attentive service. Their kindness made our visit even more memorable.

Overall, a solid 10/10 experience. It was well worth the trip from the Midlands, and we’re already looking forward to visiting again. Highly recommend Café Begum for anyone looking for a memorable dining experience in Manchester. 🤎

Photo Gallery for Cafe Begum Manchester