Al-Madina

Great freshly cooked food which actually tasted like home cooked food! We had Channay, magaz and chicken karahi along with popadums, fresh tandoori roti and naan. Thank you especially to Teymur Sb for looking after us.

Having been a devoted customer for over 20 years, I can confidently say Al Madina on Wilmslow Road is one of the best places in Manchester for truly authentic Pakistani food. Every visit feels like a trip back home, thanks to the rich, genuine flavors and traditional cooking that never compromise on quality. If you’re new to Al Madina, the lamb karahi and chicken karahi are absolute must-tries — both packed with perfectly balanced spices and tender meat that melts in your mouth. The saag here is also excellent, creamy and flavorful without being overpowering. And if you love meat, the lamb chops are simply mouth-watering, grilled to perfection with a smoky, juicy finish that keeps you coming back for more. What elevates the experience even further is the outstanding customer service. Usman’s warm and attentive approach is truly 10/10, making every visit feel personal and welcoming. For anyone craving authentic Pakistani cuisine in Manchester, Al Madina is a timeless favorite that I’ll keep returning to for many more years.

Visited 12 noon on a weekday. Friendly and helpful staff. Didn't have to wait long for food. Not very busy place at this time. Sat inside. Very nice decor. The food was spicy but tasted great. Recommended.

Starting with disappointingly the butter chicken was not at all good. It doesn’t even taste like butter chicken. Rogan josh we had was ok. When we went restaurant was too busy and was hard to find dine in space.

We have been queuing for 15 mins to get a table. Clean and small place, only have 7 tables. Simple but tasty authentic curry food. We love spicy food but be careful when you order the food as these dishes can be very spicy. Thoughtful service. £45 for 3 main courses and 2 drinks which is very good!

Can't fault this place. Was very busy, but clean inside. Service is fast, very well priced and good size portions. The chicken balti was a bit sweet for my liking but that's down to personal preference. The chicken tikka starter is very good, as is the chicken pakora. Would certainly go again if in the area.

The food is amazing, but the staff doesn’t seem to understand how to build customer relationships. As a regular who goes there every week often bringing 4-5 people with me felt really upset during my last visit. While the restaurant is a bit expensive, I still choose to dine there regularly. However, last time, they charged me £2 for a small portion of chillies, which they’d always given me as a complimentary gesture before. It wasn’t even a full salad (I know they charge for salads), but if they were going to charge for the chillies, they could have at least informed me beforehand. Even during the bill payment, I tried chatting with the owner/ manager, but he seemed more focused on justifying the £2 charge than acknowledging my loyalty as a regular customer. The £2 itself isn’t significant not for me or the restaurant but the gesture (or lack of it) made me feel like the connection I once had with this place has faded. After consistently supporting them, spending £20-£40 each visit, I’d expect a little more appreciation. Now, I’m reconsidering whether I want to return.

Respect to Al - Madina! Don’t come here expecting BIR tikka masala though this is LEGIT ASIAN FOOD. The Karahis are superb, the star of the show for me is the Nihari. You will not find a curry of such depth and complexity of flavour in the rest of Manchester. Al Madina is simply superb.

As already stated by the two reviews before mine, Al Madina is not a place where you can hope to find some greasy burger, chips and a cheesy pizza with a not so great base. It's perfect middle eastern, Asian food and well, they're awesome at what they do! I would recommend the Chicken Biryani here, which is served with some curry and salad. It will blow you away! It's so good that thinking about it is making me hungry even though I've only just had dinner! They do other curries and mainly kebabs which are also very tasty and only satiates your taste buds. They do seem to know the perfect mixture of herbs and spices and will make you happy no matter what you're used to. Thumbs up!

Thomas has hit the nail on the head here. Places that try to cater for all sorts of fast food always suffer a drop in quality of what should be their speciality. The curry mile is full of places like this, a perfect example of which is Zam Zam. Madina keeps it simple, its just kebabs. This means they get it right every time. There's not too much going on so they are sure to meet your kebab specifications and get the perfect amount of salad, the perfect amount of garlic mayo and the perfect number of chillies. The meat itself is as good as anywhere else, and the seek kebabs are among the best I've had, and are packed with beautiful herbs and spices.

Breaking away from the pack in its approach, al madina concentrates on Asian food and not gallons of pizza and burgers. The food is all of a high ranking order so singling anything out is hard. The samosas are great, the chicken flavoursome and the lamb mince moist. How it should be, for a while madina dropped under the radar, supposedly due to a drop in standards. Nowadays though madina sits at the top of the pecking order. Kebabs can be inspiring, the salads crunchy and the bread warm and fresh. Let's hope they keep it up. Long live madina!