Alma in Aberdeenshire

Beautiful takeaway for two on Saturday night. I recommend the Chicken Korma (mild and sweet) and Chicken Madras (fairly hot) with Naan bread and steamed rice. Lovely onion and mango chutney with papadams too.

Had a carry out last night and it was the worst Indian I’ve ever had. Pasanda looked like sick, no colour and no flavour, watery sauce. I’m not from the area and wouldn’t come back if I was visiting again. £35 for two main courses and naans for the quality is overpriced

Ordered a takeaway of chicken tikka masala ,onion rice and keema naan bread, when it arrived it was chicken tikka starter, plain rice ,plain naan and a small tub of sauce of some kind.most of it went in bin. Messaged the Alma but still waiting on a reply. Not good business

Been a few times over the years to the restaurant and takeaway. Never a disappointment and food is delicious! Staff are always friendly too.

Food high quality- and throughly enjoyed by all. Friendly service We are regular customers and always look forward to an Alma

Happy return to enjoying spicy food.Ding Dong - hello it's been a long time since I enjoyed spicy food! It's been a while since I enjoyed "Indian" food. The hubster has it every Wed night at home (Northumberland) but sadly I seem to be a bit sensitive to certain ingredients .I was intrigued by the menu section called "Chef's Own Creations". I was absolutely blown away by how much I enjoyed my food. I had the venison (Harin Jury Fry). Excellent value and taste. Hubster had the Shajani treat and was equally impressed. The rice was excellent. The hubster's chip portion was epic! The guys who took our orders/served drinks were lovely. I def recommend Alma.

lovely food a must to visit. the food was great and even has a bar you can sit and have a drink while you wait for your food being cooked.

As soon as you walk in the door aroma of magic being created in the kitchen is like a dream come true. I only need to wait a few moments as I ordered by phone. The staff are pleasent and approachable. The meal is delishish and plenty for me tea a second evening were the herbs and spices permutatetheir flavours (in the fridge) and taste even nicer. Ally ghost, korma, pasanda are among our favorets. I intend to work through their menu.

Had a family takeaway from here on the 24th February which was tasty, well presented, timely and at a reasonable cost. Thanks to the staff for the timely preparation. Highly recommend. I have previously sat in on a number of occasions and it is superb.

Brilliant meal booked tabel for 7 o'clock had to wait for an hour and a half for our meal. Missed train at 9 o'clock had to wait for the next one home disappointed with the service

Good mix of different curry’s and while You don’t get much (small balti dish size) and constant reminding on facemasks it’s still good good and smily waiters (how did we know that?). Although the constant pestering for more drinks or food did put some guests off (not me, I’ve been a few times). The Young barman was always helping out behind and in front of bar so well done laddie.

Had the most FANTASTIC meal tonight at Alma , Food was absolutely amazing service was brilliant.Very attentive polite service.I think this was the best ever Indian Meal we have ever eaten .Thank you we will be back next time we are in the area

Wonderful food, excellent service, would highly recommend visiting this restaurant. Had a superb meal.

Great food as always and the usual lovely staff. By far the best Indian Restaurant in the area. We will be returning soon. All our friends love it.

Superb Take Away.... Glad to see this restaurant is fighting through this extended lockdown and providing a much needed treat for us locals. Under normal circumstances this restaurant dishes up really tasty meals, so last night we thought we'd try a carry out. Ordered two King Prawn Baltis and vegetable side dishes. We enjoyed these very much and there was so much food that we also enjoyed again tonight. Well done Alma very much appreciated👍

I had a friend visiting at the weekend and we decided to try The Alma for a take away. I phoned my order in and was told it would be ready in 40 minutes. When I arrived, I only had to wait a few minutes. The gentlemen serving were very smart in white shirts and ties. They were very friendly and professional.We both enjoyed our meals. Portions were very generous and the chicken in both dishes was delicious.I will now be a regular.

We have been going to the Alma since it opened and have never been disappointed. Last night was one of the best ever. Fresh decor, really attentive staff, and superb curry. We have been visiting curry restaurants since 1970 (the first one being in Aberdeen as students at £1.50 for a full meal!) Now really happy that the best experience is with our local one. Thank you to all at the Alma.

In the last month we have had the Alma twice at the weekend ( Saturday and Friday). Both times we have ordered at the normal 6/half 6 time, both times being told our meal would be ready in 45 mins. Tonight iam only just eating my meal, it is 10:00. We waited 2.5 hours in the takeaway area of the restaurant. Shocking service. Will not return.

The Alma was an unexpected find, we were visiting nearby and stumbled across The Alma by accident. We live in Manchester and have a wide choice of good restaurants nearby. We had starters of Monkfish + Scallops- both spiced and cooked perfectly. We had 3 main courses, all were well presented, plenty of flavour, the staff were very friendly and informative. A top notch restaurant with food quality to match any restaurant in Manchester / Bradford or Leeds

We were fairly early on in our journey from Elgin to London when we decided to stop for dinner. We were passing the Alma and thought we would stop there and I’m so pleased we did! The menu was one of the most extensive menus I’ve ever seen, we eat curries a lot and it was really refreshing to see some dishes and we hadn’t heard of before.The service was fab, friendly, attentive, happy to make suggestions from the menu for us and willing to entertain our 2 year role - what more could you want? The food was delicious, so much flavour and our son loved his children’s korma! If only we lived closer we would visit every week :)

Food was delicious, staff very friendly and helpful, from a birthday celebration experience, the food, staff and environment great , well done , thank you

Great location, great meal and great service. First time I’ve been to the Alma Indian Restaurant, but it won’t be the last

Tasty food at realistic prices. Varied menu that will suit everyone’s pallet. The quality and quantity are always good.

Me and my partner came here for dinner as I had been before and raved about it, first time was amazing, 2nd time service was terrible but food was great. And this is the 3rd time I have been. We booked a table for 7:30, advised them we would be running behind 10 minutes which they were happy enough with. Upon arrival we were told to wait and then was seated a 4 seater table which we were happy with. We didn’t even get given menus or asked if we wanted drinks (we were there for about 10/15 minutes before my partner then had to ask them for one) they handed them to us without an apology and then told us we had to move table (no problem). We sat down at the new table and were then asked if we wanted drinks and popadoms. We already knew what we were ordering as they had left us so long. After we got drinks they then took our order, which came in decent enough time. The food was alright, nothing how it was the time before though. They took our plates away and asked if wanted dessert. We got given a menu and had to wait another 15 minutes before we gave up trying to order dessert and had to go to the bar to pay as we were not being served. Only then were we given an apology that a big table had turned up and they were too busy. Pretty shocking considering we were booked customers. This is the 2nd time service has been dreadful. I won’t be returning anytime soon. If anyone is wanting to go I would not recommend a weekend.

The last place you'd expect a top quality Indian restaurant good food great value Well worth a visit

Fantastic food, drink and friendly staff. Having moved to Laurencekirk in October, this became our regular very quickly. As others have said in their reviews, it needs some serious work on the decor, but luckily this does not affect the food at all. !

Excellent meal here, coped admirably with a huge group, getting food out promptly all together. Great service and food, really enjoyable evening.

Five of us enjoyed a lovely meal here. The service was very good, the staff welcoming, friendly and attentive. Couldn't fault the restaurant - the lamb I had was very well cooked and tender - and tasty - but the building itself could do with some attention - broken seat in the lady's loo etc. - bit shoddy overall. The restaurant (and clients) deserve better.

A late review, I'm sorry! Always happy to visit this wee gem in Laurencekirk. My plate is always empty and my stomach is full! Highly recommended!

My first visit here was brilliant! The menu is extensive and very interesting. I was dismayed to find that Kingfisher beer wasn't available on tap, but this was remedied quickly bythe provision of bottled Cobra. Our group enjoyed popadums with excellent pickles, mango chutney and a 'different' riata. After much debate among our group, 2 decided easily (lamb shank and seafood) and the other 2 were very ably guided by our waiter who was happy to allow us to make slight changes to the menu and order our favorites (Pasanda Paneer and a Chicken and Prawn slightly off menu dish).When the food arrived we tucked in immediately so there are no photos. The food was fantastic! Flavoursome and delicately spiced to our preferences. We were very impressed by both the flavors and textures of our meals. Our Rice and Naan orders were brilliant too! Our hosts are clearly proud of what they produce and rightly so! Overall, we were very pleased with our meal and the 1/2 point of is only because of the Kingfisher tap being off.

We have had many meals and take aways at The Alma and they never fail to dissapoint. The food is fantastic and the staff are very friendly.

This place was such an amazing experience for me and my family! We went here on our holiday and was hands down the best restaurant we visited. The food was excellent and our server, Hamid, provided the best service. Hamid was very kind and was more than happy to explain anything we had questions on and recommended us a lovely Indian beer. He was so friendly and was extremely kind to us, showing genuine interest when he asked about how our time was as well as engaging in other interesting conversation. The venue is quaint but has a beautiful set up upstairs. I would highly recommend this place if you are new to Indian food, are a regular lover of Indian food or anything in between. It was better than the Indian restaurants we have back in America! Very authentic food, wonderful taste, great service. My brother lost his phone charger and Hamid’s uncle went to go check if he had one we could have. How nice of him! They did not rush us to leave at all and the whole experience felt relaxed and fun. On our way out the kitchen staff waved and shook our hands and wished us a good night. If we were staying in Aberdeenshire longer we would definitely come again. Make sure to make this a stop for dinner on your trip!

Just a delight! The staff was very hospitable and friendly throughout the evening and the food was just amazing! Definitely recommend it, we had a wonderful time!

What a hidden gem of an Indian restaurant. My brother and wife suggested we go for a meal here last night and I don't normally like Indian food but I loved it. The staff couldn't be more friendly or welcoming and the food was to die for. Was a brilliant start to my wife's birthday celebration. We will definitely be back and we are from up in the Highlands "Inverness" . Thanks again for a lovely meal and night.

Very attentive but not obtrusive service. They made very good suggestions and fulfilled all our wishes to satisfaction. The food was delicious and the quantity perfect. Place to come back again.

We visited the Alma for the first time and certainly will not be our last. The service was fantastic, food was delicious and it was great value for money. Nothing was too much trouble for the team

While our daughter was away to dance practice, we decided to go for a curry. Been a while since we' ve been to the Alma for a sit- in meal but it was just as good as we remembered it.

Delicious food, really nice (but not cloying) staff and very reasonably priced. Great for vegetarians and vegans. Very professional (linen table cloths, warmed plates, beautifully presented food, all the food comes together) and consistent over many years. Our favourite place for lunch and a great place to take visitors. Highly recommended.

Sehr zu empfehlendes indisches Restaurant. Alles frisch und authentisch zubereitet. Gutes Preis-, Leistungsverhältnis, freundliche Bedienung durch Mohammed. Wir kommen wieder, danke!

One of the best Indian restaurants in this region. The menu has much more variety than most. Staff are very friendly. The food is very good and portion sizes are sensible. Nan bread is superb. Popadoms, starter, main course, rice, nan bread, and drinks comes to around £25 per person and is great value for such a good meal.

Being local we visit here quite a lot and it never disappoints. Service is brilliant and the food is always fresh and extremely good. The only reason I don’t rate it a 5 is because the decor badly needs upgrading.

Regularly eat at the Alma. Always delicious food and quality service at reasonable prices. Pleasingly there are also some dishes that are specific to the restaurant

We went on Sunday and had a lovely meal. I arrived at 4:57 and was told ‘we don’t open until 5pm’ by a rude gentleman and he was nearly told that once the other 7 arrive we will head to the Shimla in Brechin.

Nice indian restaurant in laurencekirk, very friendly, nice food. Nice cheese nan, and the quantity of food is great

Been regularly coming here for carry out or sit in and the staff as well as the food are both excellent. I had the southern garlic chilli chicken masala and fully recommend it if you like a hot and spicy dish. Nice atmosphere and quite busy on a Friday so encourage you to book. We had vegetarian friend in our group with us and she fully enjoyed the choices and food too.

I have been back to the Alma many times and the food is consistently excellent! The staff are very pleasant, offer a warm welcome, and are polite and professional throughout the evening. I would recommend the Alma to everyone from family's, group booking's to individual visits.

Never faults to be found with food or service love to visit again and again Lots of dishes to choose to choose from

My husband and myself had a carry out from here recently. As always it was amazing! The flavours were immense, cooked perfectly. The staff are so friendly and professional. Love this place!

Was so busy but the food and service beyond expectations as usual. Lovely balloons up for Valentines and all the ladies got a single red rose and Lindt chocolates. Amazing job Alma!!

We always bring friends here when having a catch up! Been twice in one week and both times we came home having loved it!. Tried something different from menu this time and was yummy. Mohammed and staff always pleased to serve you. Back again next week!

Service and Food is always exceptional. Every visit they recommend something new and it is always perfect. Great atmosphere, friendly and always look forward to going back!

This was our second time at the Alma as our first time there was very good and we wanted to go back with relatives. Once again the food was excellent and we couldn't fault it. Like our first time there the restaurant was very busy when we arrived and got busier as the night went on. The menu has a lot of choices and there's something for everyone with generous portion sizes. The staff are polite and will see that you enjoy yourself and we will definitely be back again in the very near future. Fantastic curry house.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. We've been there many times with our children and they're always treated with some extra poppadoms, which they love.

Brilliant Indian restaurant. Extensive menu, friendlly but not over attentative staff. Azad and his team really produce the goods and guess what not at stupid city prices. Been going there for years, gets better every time, In fact going this weekend, canna wait!

Wide ranging menu, and all kooked superbly. Great staff - always very attentive and helpful. We've never had a bad meal here, and we have had some superlative ones!

Visited for an Anniversary meal and was GREAT as usual. Peaceful surroundings where you can actually have a conversation with your partner. Food served quickly and verty tasty. Great value for money.Best Indian in the region.

Very friendly, busy restaurant. Food was amazing and service fantastic. Will definitely be back soon. Highly recommend.

Alma is a great place to go for a meal. Great service and the Staff are great and make you very welcome.

Had my 26th birthday meal with my family here after hearing good things and we were not disappointed. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the staff were great. The place could probably do with being decorated but can not fault the food.

Love their dansak. All the food i have had here, take away and sit down has been delicious. Can wait quite a while for carry out, so phone in your order.

Este restaurante se encuentra en esta pequeña localidad. Tiene dos zonas separadas una para tipo pub y otra en la parte superior tipo restaurante. El sabor de la comida es muy bueno y no muy picante. Sin duda un sitio recomendable para ir si te encuentras cerca.

Love this place to bits. Been going to the alma for years, it's where I fell in love with curry! Only problem with starting to like curry in the alma is that it sets your standards awfully high as the food there is delicious.

Visit regularly for take away. Food and service always amazing and although you may have to wait a few minutes in the public bar it is not intimidating.

Visited here because we share the same name. Wasnt disappointed, good service,excellent meal couldnt finish it all.

Meant to review this place last month when me and my Girlfriend went but forgot, went again tonight and was simply amazing, really well cooked food and great selection on menu, well priced, really attentive service, nice music and beautiful restaurant! Will definitely be back again soon!

I've only ordered from Alma for takeaway and have never sat in the restaurant, but the takeaway food is always excellent. Delicious, fresh, and hot. Portions are large and very reasonably priced.

Thank heavens for this restaurant in Laurencekirk! We love it! The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Best Indian I’ve ever had.

My partner and I had a delicious meal here on Saturday evening. We were warmly greeted on entering. The menu was extensive with something for all tastes (from very mild to fiery). We shared a starter, rice, a naan bread and a side which was recommended by the waiter. My partner has a HUGE appetite and wasn’t sure about sharing but the portions are so large he was full when finished his main. Both curries tasted amazing with the hot plates ensuring they remained hot. We finished with dessert, but these were nothing special, just standard frozen desserts and I probably wouldn’t bother again. The service was great. It was at a relaxed pace, but by this I don’t mean slow. The waiter was very friendly - attentive but unobtrusive. We shall definitely be back again, thank you.

Staff very friend and accommodating; we have some very particular dietary requirements and they were able to deal with them all and produce 4 very tasty dishes. Would thoroughly recommend.

There as part of a charity social night out (no discount offered/asked) after visiting the superb 6 degrees north beer house. Fast service (although my mixed kebab was warm ish). Wide selection is good and everyone enjoyed; this is just off the laurencekirk high street. Careful, bottles of King Cobra is £12 while a pint of Cobra is £3 - so watch out or you will be stung

The restaurant is high quality. Perfect service. Perfect traditional foods and heavenly tastes. Highly recommended.

Our Son and Daughter in law treated us to a meal out. Authentic atmosphere,great food and service. Extensive range on menu. I don't do meat or spicy foods but was able to consume a few dishes!

The takeaway from here is superb, you can tell all the ingredients are fresh and the food is well made. They have a good range of dishes and are always friendly when you order/collect. Highly recommend here, give it a try!

Visited this establishment with friends. The service was excellent and friendly and helped by the the fact that my friend and I could speak a few words to the waiters in their local dialect. The food was well presented and excellent. All in all a great experience.

Twenty three of us attended the Alma for our Christmas night out. The staff were very attentive from the minute we arrived ensuring we were well fed and watered. The food was excellent from the fresh crispy popadoms , through the succulent mixed pakora starter and ending with a hot, spicy and flavourful Jalfrazi. Great night and thanks to all at the Alma for looking after us.

Very good food,staff also very good nice resaurant,bar also good always busy would recommend it to every one.👍

We've been to The Alma a few times, and always found it excellent, frequently helpful staff and high quality food. The lamb shank in particular is excellent! Highly recommend.

Scumptious food and Granny Perera says scrumptious waiter Mohammed. Looked after mum very well. Not just a traditional indian nice to have different dishes but you can also get your favourites. 2016 Scottish Indian Restaurant of the year , worthy of this award. Highly recommend. Good portions

We had a meal here with friends at the weekend and it was just perfect there was not one bad thing that I could say about it. The staff are all friendly and the food was really really good ! Favourite was the chicken chatt it was really tasty. So good we will go back next week !

My family has been getting carry out food here for 5 years now but we have never used the Restaurant upstairs, until tonight....we are delighted with the quality of food and first class no pretence service, we had two mains with rice & Nan bread, bottle of wine for under £17per head. Well done team Alma!

The Alma was always one of our favourite places to eat with superb Indian cuisine. Having move from the area 4 years ago we don't visit often, but 9 of us had a fabulous meal there last night.

Regular customer, take away food tastes great, good portion size and reasonably priced. Good vegetarian choices.

Recently visited for the first time for a friend's birthday. Have heard good things from people locally and it didn't dissapoint. Great tasting delicious dishes. The rice and nan were superb. Very reasonable too. As other reviewers have mentioned the decor is need of a refresh but all adds to the charachter, the food more than makes up for it!

Meal here with family and as normal not disappointed. Staff are friendly and helpful - good banter with the locals too! The Korma I had wasn't as good as I have had at other indian restaurants but it was still yummy. Madras and Bhuna also good too. Portions super size and plenty to take home in a doggy bag for later!

Staying in the area and restaurant says it is open 12.00-2.00 so called for lunch. Restaurant not open and sat in bar which needed a makeover. Huge TV over table blaring out. Not able to order naan bread at lunchtimes (!!??) and poppodoms were damp.Starters and mains were lovely; great meat and sauces. Friendly staff.Not sure why they say they're open at lunch then sit you in a run down bar but the food was nice, despite the lack of naan bread.

best place i've been ever would drag my balls through a mile of broken glass for one more chicken korma

This is our local Indian restaurant and we use it often. Nice enough atmosphere to sit in for a meal (although the decor is a bit dated) with attentive waiters. We usually opt for take away and it's been consistently good, perhaps just the once it's fallen short of our expectations. I really enjoy the Amly ghost, it's a personal favourite of mine. The bar is well stocked and the menu is varied catering for everyone. I'd recommend the Alma!

Amazing food! Never had a bad order. Staff are friendly and even at peak times are food is ready to collect in 40 minutes tops.

I'm really not good with spicy food so I normally avoid Indian restaurants altogether. But I'm so glad I decided to stop by this one. We explained to the waiter that we were newbies, and he was extremely helpful. The menu is also fantastic because it explains what everything is. I went for an extra mile dish while my son opted for a medium one. Both were delicious, and I was so surprised the medium one didn't blow my head off (yes, I really am that bad). The food was very flavoursome and the waiters were exceptionally attentive. From the moment I stepped into the restaurant until the time I left was a very pleasant experience. And the prices are very very reasonable. Would highly recommend to anyone.

We make a point of coming here now when we visit. I used to live in Auchenblae, but now live in The Netherlands where the Indian food just isn't the same as Alma's!Beautiful and generous portions that leave us full every time. I think we have only had take out from here once, but I prefer to sit in the restaurant purely for the atmosphere and excellent service.See you next time!

Visit the Alma once per month with a group of friends. Always a good feast and leave feeling full with it being value money too. Great range of food, curries and naan breads to choose from, Chicken Tikka Dansak the winner every time for me. Highly recommended Indian spot.

Always a great curry! Been here many times and never been disappointed. Its a bit tired looking but dont let that put you off. The waiters are polite and actually leave you to eat your meal with asking if its ok a thousand time.

It's not the first time we as a family have been to the Alma and it certainly won't be the last.Staff very friendly, however not stupidly over attentative. Good atmosphere and surroundings.The food, well fantastic and worth every penny.

Great food, good beer and good service. Decor a bit tired looking but don't let that put you off. Kingfisher on tap so what more do you need ;)

My wife and I went to the Alma on a Friday night around 5 ish. We hadn't booked but managed to get a table although were informed by the waiter that we'd only have it for a limited time as it had been reserved for 7.30. I had the vegetable pakora for a starter then the chicken kashmiri, my wife had poppadums and the vegetable dansak. The restaurant filled up with customers but despite being busy, we didn't have to wait long for our food. The food was good and the customer service excellent. My wife asked for the dansak to be made medium hot and thst's exactly what she got. With a bottle of cobra and a mineral water, the price came to £36.50 which was pretty reasonable. Best to book a table as it is a popular restaurant especially at weekends. They've also won best Indian restaurant north of Scotland 2016.

Enjoyed an evening meal on a Friday at this place - food was excellent and prices were very reasonable. All staff were very helpful.

If you are heading to the Alma at the weekend it is best to reserve a table as they are always busy. The staff are very friendly and the food is delicious. The restaurant has a great atmosphere. We have often had a takeaway from the Alma and the food is first class whether you eat in or takeaway. They never disappoint. Definitely worth a visit.

We actually had a carry out meal from the Alma and it was delicious - set meal for two which was great value for money. We had a drink in the bar while waiting, the girl who served us was very welcoming and friendly. The premises are very tired and in need of a revamp but acceptable. Well worth a visit for a very tasty treat

This is a firm favourite within my family. We did reserve in advance but they were very busy so we had to wait for around 10 minutes or so. We were seated and ordered our drinks and poppadoms and then the starters and mains. As mentioned before, the restaurant was very busy so service was slightly slower than usual but good food is always worth waiting for, and we were not disappointed with the generous portions of each course. We were too full for dessert unfortunately but we were offered a shot of amaretto after the meal. A good dinner as always.

After years of eating here I decided to change from my usual chicken tikka masala or Akbori special and try the Shehrani Lamb Tabah Chops. I was not disappointed.. This dish is a hiddden gem on the menu. It was perfect in every sense, heat, flavour and surprises.