What to order at Shimlas Bradford on a first visit

The Shimlas menu on Great Horton Road is long, so a first visit goes more smoothly if you take one item from each of four groups: a grill, a donner, a karahi and a bread. This guide uses only the collection prices recorded from the restaurant’s official ordering menu in November 2026. It is a way to narrow a long list, not a ranking, and the official site at shimlas.uk always has the current menu.

Why start with four groups?

The ordering menu has more than a dozen sections, from starters and fried wings to desserts and mocktails. Four of them describe what the restaurant says it does best. The menu says its barbecue starters are cooked on a charcoal conveyor grill, that donners are what it is best known for, and it lists karahi dishes alongside curries and biryani.

Picking one thing from each keeps the order varied without ending up with five similar plates.

Which grill should you try first?

The grilled starters are the place to begin if you like smoky, dry-cooked meat. A few examples with prices:

• Tandoori Meat Chops, £7.99
• 2 Pieces Chicken Seekh Kebab, £5.49
• 2 Pieces Meat Seekh Kabab, £5.49
• Chicken Tikka, £6.30
• Mix Grill, £18.99, described as a mixed platter of grilled meats

A group of three or four can share the Mix Grill. One or two diners can pick the chops or a pair of seekh kebabs. The menu does not say how many people the Mix Grill feeds.

Which donner suits a first order?

Donners are the signature section. The menu says the restaurant uses fresh mutton for its meat products, but it gives almost no description of each donner, so the names are the main guide.

The Naga Meat Donner is listed as a donner with naga chilli, so expect heat. What each donner is served in or with is not recorded, so check on the ordering page or ask the restaurant.

Which karahi should you choose?

Karahi dishes are cooked and served as a main, and the menu gives some of them by weight. The options recorded are:

• Karahi, £11.49 (the menu says curries can be made with a choice of meats)
• Shinwari Lamb Karahi, £17.49
• Desi Lamb Karahi, £17.49
• Shinwari Chicken Karahi, £23.49
• Desi Chicken Karahi 1kg, £23.49

For a first visit with two or more people, a single karahi to share is the usual idea. Chicken Biryani at £11.49 and Meat Biryani at £12.49 are the rice alternatives, and the menu says biryanis come with raita.

Which bread or side goes with it?

Breads on the menu are Plain Nan at £2.20, Garlic Nan at £3.20 and Tandoori Roti at £1.50. Boiled Rice is £2.20, Raitha is £1.99, Salad is £1.20 and Mango Chutney is £1.49. A karahi is usually scooped up with bread, so one bread per person is a sensible starting point.

What might a first order look like?

Here is one way to combine the four groups for two people, using only recorded prices.

That is an illustration made from the listed collection prices, not a quote. Dine-in and delivery app prices can differ.

What should you check before you go?

Opening hours differ between sources. Google Maps shows 11 AM to 2 AM every day, while the ordering page shows 12:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 03:00, so call 01274 723992 first. The restaurant lists no alcohol on its menu. The full recorded list is on the menu page, and times and directions are on the hours and location page. This guide takes no orders or bookings: use shimlas.uk for those.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Shimlas Great Horton Road itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.