KoolBa

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2,403 reviews

#21 of 2,401 Restaurants in Glasgow££ - £££, Indian, Middle Eastern, Vegetarian friendly

+44 141 552 2777+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 - 22:00

Mon

12:00 - 22:00

Tue

12:00 - 22:00

Wed

12:00 - 22:00

Thu

12:00 - 22:00

Fri

12:00 - 22:00

Sat

12:00 - 22:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

2,403 reviews

#21 of 2,401 Restaurants in Glasgow

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

£11.00 – £40.00

CUISINES

Indian, Middle Eastern

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Halal, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

109 Candleriggs Merchant City, Glasgow G1 1NP Scotland

Merchant City

+44 141 552 2777

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Is this a diner?

Yes

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About

KoolBa is a warm, modern, and inviting authentic Indian restaurant in Glasgow, located in the heart of the Merchant City. We have worked hard and KoolBa has now become synonymous with quality Indian and Persian cuisine. We have achieved this with our commitment to using the best local produce, fresh herbs, carefully selected whole spices, but above all offering genuine appreciation and care to all of our customers. We are committed to providing freshly made to order dishes to Glasgow's diners. Some customers enjoy switching between our Indian and Persian dishes with each course, and in particular, many of our regular diners recommend our homemade chicken pakora as a firm favourite, along with freshly made peshwari naan. Open for Merchant City Festival from 20/07 Monday Noon till the end of July!

PRICE RANGE

£11.00 – £40.00

CUISINES

Indian, Middle Eastern

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Halal, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

2,403 reviews

Excellent

1,859

Very good

367

Average

105

Poor

Terrible

Ann G

6 contributions

Way beyond honesty

Feb 2020 • none

After a very pleasant pre-concert meal , my dining companion left too much cash to settle the bill by mistake. Imagine our surprise nearly three hours later when we emerged from the concert along with all the other members of the audience to be approached by a Koolba staff member to return the over payment. He'd been keeping a watch to catch us. I think that is remarkable and needs to be appreciated.

Written 27 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ART3579

thank you

Written 27 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sansunseeker

87 contributions

Very Good

Aug 2021 • none

We are in Loch Lomond on our summer holiday and decided to visit Glasgow for a spot of shopping and a good Indian! Well with Koolba we certainly found it! Located in The Merchant City area of Glasgow city centre it is surrounded by good bars and restaurants and the area had a nice vibe to it - although being a bank holiday weekend it was very busy. We had booked beforehand and arrived about 20 mins earlier than expected but they were very good and seated us immediately. Food arrived quite quickly after ordering but was fresh and hot! Being Indian I wanted an authentic dish so went for the Punjabi chicken and asked for it to be hot, it was very tasty but I would have liked for it to be slightly hotter! I would definitely come again as the restaurant had a nice modern decor, the service was good and it wasn’t over priced with a curry at approx £13 I found it good value. Tip: park in the NCP on king street as it’s good value and easy walking distance to the shops and restaurant.

Written 28 August 2021

David W

Renfrew1 contribution

Lovely food

Dec 2019 • family

Went here on Christmas Eve with my wife and wee one. Very friendly and helpful staff, lovely food and chilled out atmosphere. The quality of the food was very good . However the portion size wasn’t very good for the price of the dishes compared to other restaurants of the same standards. I think you’re paying for the location you’re eating in.

Written 4 January 2020

diningout4321

Glasgow176 contributions

Overpriced

Aug 2020 • family

We went recently for the first time with family. On their website they were advertising a lunch & a pre theatre reduced menu. We went late afternoon & asked for the pre theatre menu only to be told that during August they weren't making that available due to the 'Eat out to help out' scheme. This took any benefit away from us getting a 50 % discount as we had to order from the a la carte menu which was very expensive. We had 2 main courses, 1 rice, 1 naan bread, 1 sparkling water & 1 glass of wine- total £ 52. Obviously we got the £20 govt discount making it £32 but still very overpriced & a bit unfair to customers when they are advertising a cheaper menu. The curries were nice but the rice was bland & the naan was more like a flatbread, not very good at all.

Written 20 August 2020

ART3579

thanks you for your Visit. firstly In our digital marking & social media Clearly mentioned that during the "Eat out & help out" only we have ONE fix menu NOT other menus, clear you have booked for this condition therefore the chose is yours.. Second we offer Quality produce not quantity product.... if you think we still over price despite we offered the 50% OFF ... I think you better cook your own food and don't damage other people's business

Written 21 August 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

YeeHaa

416 contributions

Persian & Indian

Dec 2019 • none

We went with an assortment of Persian entrees and Indian main dishes - excellent choice. The dips served with naan bread were really delicious and the tandoori prawns, to follow, were outstanding and generous in quantity. We recommend this place for lunch without hesitation.

Written 5 January 2020

bhoAlba

Glasgow1 contribution

Rip Off Drink Prices Spoiled an Average Dinner Experience

Feb 2020 • friends

As the title states, the meal was average for the price paid. This was my first time trying the restaurant and I would probably have returned had it not been for the fact I was charged £6.70 for a bottle of Kingfisher beer. I found this to be an absolute rip off and will not be returning for this reason. There are plenty of better Indian restaurants in Glasgow which provide better quality food and do not take advantage of their customers by charging extortionate prices for alcoholic drinks.

Written 21 February 2020

ART3579

I think you need to make it clear it is extra large bottle of beer 660ml for £6.70 for Candleriggs Glasgow is value for money, you can always settle with tap water free of charge to save money.

Written 24 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jordana

Dundee9 contributions

Bland Food

Apr 2021 • none

Visited Koolba today, was really looking forward to dinner with reading the reviews. Starters came which were ok, not the best but not the worst I have had. However the main courses which was two curries were very very bland, there was just no taste to them at all! The nan was covered in butter which made it very difficult and greasy to eat. My partners meal got forgot about and we had to ask where it was, 15 minutes later main course turned up. The staff apologised however we were still charged full price for everything. We had to ask for the bill a couple times which eventually came 25 minutes later, the restaurants was not busy at the time we were there. The man is lovely to talk to, very friendly however the food is nothing to rave about.

Written 30 April 2021

John C

Edinburgh148 contributions

A wonderful experience

Sept 2020 • none

We went on a Friday and had the pre-theatre menu. The service is excellent. The waitresses are so attentive and careful to make sure everything is perfect. The place is spotlessly clean and I noticed that the waitresses brushed up under every table after people left. My wife asked about food suitable for her allergy and the waitress got the manager who knew exactly what was in every dish and recommended two meals that we could share. Both meals were delicious. The Naan bread was amazing, the best I’ve ever tasted. Our overall impression is that this is one of the best Indian restaurants we have ever been to. We will be back as we had such a good experience.

Written 26 September 2020

fhamil87

Glasgow12 contributions

Full marks, as always!

Jun 2020 • couples

Have been missing Koolba during lockdown as it is one of our favourites. The quality is consistently top notch. We have visited both restaurants in Glasgow on numerous occasions and have never been disappointed. Decided to order takeaway recently - absolutely brilliant! We were allowed to pre-order for a convenient time, the food was hot, fresh and delicious. Would certainly recommend and will be back in the near future. We look forward to visiting again as soon as restrictions allow us to do so!

Written 14 June 2020

Allison G

21 contributions

Hidden Gem in Merchant City

Aug 2021 • none

Koolba is my favourite restaurant in Merchant City whether your ordering from the extensive a la carte menu or choosing from the lunch or pre theatre set menus you will not be disappointed. Staff are attentive without being overly obtrusive. The food is served piping hot with fresh ingredients and in a timely manner and at no point do you feel rushed whether you order from the set menus unlike some other establishments. Koolba offers great value for money, great food, friendly and professional staff and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to others.

Written 17 August 2021

Food Traveller

146 contributions

Standard has dropped

Nov 2021 • couples

Went for dinner on Sunday evening restaurant wasn’t busy luckily as we hadn’t booked. We started with spiced onions and pompadoms. And vegetable pakora. The spiced onions were brought straight from the fridge should be served at room temperature. The pakora was over cooked and hard. We both had chicken dishes and both agreed the chicken was tough and unpleasant the Nan bread was over done. This was my favourite Indian restaurant in Glasgow unfortunately there standards have slipped very badly. The restaurant was cold as well. Big improvements required before l return again. 4 out of 10

Written 18 November 2021

Ali 3579

Thank you very much for providing us the feedback and giving us your opinion, but we are really surprised to see your review now, despite you mentioning us "This was my favourite Indian restaurant in Glasgow ".... Everything we prepare in restaurant is fresh and cooked on the same moment from scratch.. All our staff are present on the floor all the time and ask each and every customer about their meal. If you had raised the issue with one of our team member at the same time, we would have been more than happy to explain you the way we prepare our food and would have been more than happy to solve your issue at the same time, rather you going to public and mentioning this in social media.. We have 8 heaters on place all over the restaurant and all of them was on at that time, because you were not only the customers present at the restaurant, there were other customers as well and none of them had complained us about the restaurant being cold. We will improve what we need to improve in future but please before you go to social media platform to write a feedback about the place whether its bad or good, try to improve your communication with the team member first than only do what you think is right...

Written 19 November 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Alan C

7 contributions

Poor and over-priced

Jul 2020 • none

I didn't enjoy this experience. They didn't offer madras on the menu (no deductions made for this), but the waitress said that it was 'on the system' so could be ordered. Great I thought, ordered a chicken one. What was presented was actually a Jalfrazi, which was on the menu. Whilst I like that, it wasn't what I wanted. That aside, the chicken wasn't nice...too tough. I don't know whether it was just the chicken or having been overcooked, but I couldn't eat it. Had a garlic naan...that was one of the best I have had. The service was average. Even before ordering and having seen the menu, it seemed over-priced...for what I ended up, it certainly was.

Written 18 July 2020

bunnyofdarkness

Glasgow529 contributions

Carry Out Luck

Oct 2020 • none

We have had a couple of takeaways since March and the first couple were really good. Koolba has always been a more expensive option when it comes to takeaways but as we really love the food in the restaurant we were keen to help support while they couldn't be open. The first couple were excellent, really flavourful and packed with good ingredients. The last one we have had, since the restaurant has been able to open again was disappointing, very little meat in the curries and just no where near the same class as the previous. Imagine this is because their efforts were pointed elsewhere but a shame, none the less, for us.

Written 13 October 2020

Ray W

Liverpool507 contributions

This place came highly recommended

Jul 2020 • family

This place came highly recommended by a friend and reviews on Trip advisor concurred. The place had a good ambience the staff were friendly and appropriately tentative. In our party of four one really enjoyed their meal one described it as bland and.for two of us bland would have been ok! There clearly had been an issue in blending spices and lemon as unfortunately our dishes tasted of vinegar - I’m sure this is a one off given the review history so hopefully next my time a 5* review will be forthcoming

Written 31 July 2020

John C

2 contributions

Birthday treat at the Koolba.

Apr 2022 • couples

We stumbled across this Indian restaurant in the Merchant city area of Glasgow and from experience I know well that these things can go both ways, we had tried to visit another restaurant thats web site had stated opened Monday nights to find it closed. Thankfully for us the Koolba was very much open, and was busy for a Monday evening. The restaurant was busy which gave it a good vibe and we were seated pretty quickly and had our drinks in front of us in minutes, we ordered and waited as stated with fingers crossed hoping that we had made the right decision, well luck was on our side as i can not remember enjoying a meal as much in a long time. The chicken chat and Indian mezzi that we ordered for starters where despatched quickly and followed with our main courses of tikka masalada and netara chicken and king prawn. Beautifully cooked and nicely presented it deserved high praise, portion sizes are good and i felt in hindsight it was definitely value for money, our servers Ella and Sadie must have overheard my wife mention it was my birthday and instead of presenting me with the bill they brought some cake adorned with candles and a rendition of Happy Birthday, always a nice touch when in a restaurant. I suppose the best thing i can say about the plsce is i cant wait to get back. This place is definitely worth z visit should you find yourself in the area.

Written 11 April 2022

Abdul

Dear John C We really appreciate your positive feedback. Koolba pride ourselves in providing the best service and fresh quality food. We don't use any food colouring or any food additives in our food. We look forward to see you again in future. Thank You for visiting us..

Written 15 May 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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