Paro Indian - Covent Garden & Strand

Review summary

1. A

   Aashima

   London

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Below average food unfortunately. Bar seating area is very underwhelming.
   

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2. J

   Joanna

   London

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Food excellent, staff and service friendly and wonderful. Ambience very nice and good value for money.
   

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3. C

   Carleigh

   VIP

   Washington DC

   7 reviews

   3.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We came here for Christmas Day as they were one of the few restaurants open in London on the holiday. The food was good not the best Indian cuisine. We liked the onion bhaji. The butter chicken and naan were just ok. The staff circled our table like hawks to clean up plates and asked if we were done even though we weren’t.
   

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4. C

   Chloe

   Yorkshire

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

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

   The lamb shank is definitely the best meal. If you want to eat something sweet but still full of flavour then go for the Nani-jaan chicken!
   

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5. A

   Aman

   London

   9 reviews

   2.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 6 days 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.
   

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6. S

   Steve

   Montreal

   25 reviews

   4.0

   25 reviews

   Dined 7 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
   

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7. M

   Mirco

   London

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 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.
   

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8. R

   Richa

   London

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 18 December 2024

   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
   

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9. F

   Fang-Fang

   London

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on 18 December 2024

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

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

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10. D

    David

    VIP

    London

    129 reviews

    2.0

    129 reviews

    Dined on 17 December 2024

    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.
    

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