Balaka in Woking

Not sure why TripAdvisor removed my last review which was legitimate but was claimed not to be? We booked a table for last Sunday for Balaka on their website. When we arrived the restaurant was closed. We had 2 notifications in the days prior to the booking reminding us to turn up for our booking. We were a group of 5 and 3 of the group travelled 30 minutes to get there. When I rang the restaurant on Monday they said "sorry we were closed". Yeah thanks we got that... no decent apology at all.

Sadly, I can only conclude that both the management and chefs have changed here. For years, since they opened, we have always been more than happy with the high quality of their food and service. But this time, a take-away was appalling. My wife's ordered chicken dish had become beef! And the meat for both hers and my lamb was tough and tasteless to such a degree that we could not finish it. Because of our long and happy relationship I did not "go public" but sent a private email which said much as this one. Not even any answer, let alone any reasoning or apology. So here it is!

Oil floating on top of the dahl. Poured it off and still soaking in oil. Generic curry sauce. Selected 3 curries they all had the same taste. Won't be going back for a takeaway. Friendly staff though. And I didn't have to wait long.

I ordered a takeaway for my family ( x 4 curries) I had lamb pathia which was excellent, my wife had chicken korma also excellent ,1 son had a chicken phal , again excellent and very hot, other son had garlic chicken with extra 🌶 and also very pleased. We will visit the restaurant next week and will leave another review.

We had a great meal here about six months ago, I don’t know if it’s under new management or what is going on but tonight was a disaster. First of all the drinks order was wrong, then the poppadoms arrived covered in grease, they were stale and had clearly just been heated up by a quick dip in the fryer. The replacements they brought out were even worse. I have never felt the need to walk out of a restaurant in my life, we went to the Cricketers down the road instead.

Food is good but too many ordering mix ups lately. Something isn’t right. Last three orders have been either late, an hour early or as tonight not totally correct. Plus tonight I had to pay cash as their online system for card payment “wasn’t working” despite taking the money in the first place! Sad as this has always been my “go to” curry house. I’m going to look elsewhere and hope that I can find another restaurant where the food is as good but importantly service is more reliable.

After a long day at work we couldn't be bothered to cook, so decided on a cheeky takeaway.. we love a good curry but this wasn't one of those! The chicken tikka masala was good, but the Lamb Sag was plain, no spice, no flavour... just plain lamb and spinach. The pilau rice was cold and lifeless. Have they changed the chef, or just having an off day? We were hoping to pop in at some point for a nice evening out but I'm worried that the meal would be just as disappointing

I’ve been coming to you guys for years as love your food but tonight you had a shocker! Have you got a new chef or something? Basically we ordered a lamb tikka mool - the meat was tough and fatty and my wife found a bone in it. The bhajis were overdone and one literally crumbled to pieces in my hands. What’s going on? Would have emailed rather than leaving a review but no facility for it…

My wife and myself decided that as we had not had a curry from Bilaka for a while we would treat ourselves to a takeaway Biriyani. Normally we enjoy a meal from Balaka, but on this occasion the meal was absolutely tasteless. Now I know that a Biriyani is not the most spicy of curries, but this was the blandest thing i have ever tasted. Even the accompanying veg curry was tasteless. If we were not so hungry I would have called and sent the meal back. I'm not sure why this meal was so bland, new chef? Hope they do better in future

Ordered a takeaway for the first time last night. Best Indian takeaway I have had in a long time. Fast delivery and great food. Definitely recommend . Will be ordering again soon.

Wow. So glad I ordered from here last night, it was the best curry I’ve had in years. The chicken tikka biryani was really good and the Lamb Tikka Shatkora was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try some other dishes.

Great local Gem , we regually book here for special family celebrations. Food and service is always great. Have supported and ordered a delivery through out lock dowm and they have been great at handling the restrictions.

delicious meal as always. Thanks again for keeping me fed through this difficult time. See you again soon

Unfortunately I can't rate the food as despite ordering 2 hours ago, and 2 phone calls to see where it is, our takeaway still hasn't arrived. Definitely don't order a takeaway if you plan to eat it within a couple of hours.

Been ordering from here for years and it is my go to curry house. Food is always good and the staff are great.

The food at Balaka is always tasty, I’ve ordered from Justeat a couple of times recently but ordered direct this evening. I ordered a starter, main course and Pilau rice. It all turned up together with a popadom, onion and salad and a plane rice. I order from Balaka because the food is so much better than elsewhere IMHO. Recommended.

quiet soft music great delicious food not very busy midweek ..shame about the entrance carpets..but nice staff

This is my local curry house and I want it to be good. Have just started using it again after a long break due to very poor service. Ate in the restaurant last night and the food was really good, as usual. Service is much improved but we were in early before the 18 ‘team night out’ arrived. In fairness service is better but I’ve only ‘ate in’ recently. I think it’s expensive: ingredients are cheap so I’m not sure how they justify the prices. But it is tasty.

Last reviewed here in 2016. Stated then that it used to be great but had dropped its standards ... and only gave 3 stars. Sadly now only 2 stars. In a nutshell the food was ok, not bad at all but wasn’t exactly great. But the big issue was the bill. Over charged by 20 pounds. Luckily we spotted it...was told staff had mixed up 6’s and 9’s whilst doing the adding up. Then we noticed they had over charged us for drinks too. They stated they mixed us up with another table. Both mix ups in the restaurants favour. Left a sour taste.

When I first used this take-away, it was very good, but that has changed. We rarely have a take-away but occasionally fancy one so the last time I ordered, was firstly shocked at the prices but decided to go ahead based on previous enjoyable meal. Staff really couldn't be bothered when we arrived to collect our order. Still had to wait nearly 20 minutes for it and the food was greasy and not at all tasty. Wouldn't bother using Balaka again.

We live locally in Horsell and we love this restaurant. The team are so nice and the food is always fresh tasting and delicious. The chicken Shashlk is my favourite and my partner loves the chicken Korai. It's so important to support local restaurants or one day they'll be gone. There's nothing better to us than wandering down on a weekday night. It's cosy and makes you feel so much better!

Loved this curry house did enjoy my experience it nice to try different restaurant how currys are made differently

We were very disappointed by the food last night. It was bland, unappealing and slow to arrive. The restaurant seemed keener to send the take away deliveries out than serve customers in the restaurant. I ordered a Balti for a main course, dry chicken in a thick, bland sauce. A million miles away from a good curry. None of our friends enjoyed their meal, will not be returning ever again. Served with an expensive bill at the end of it all. Could have cooked a far nicer curry at home. Go elsewhere!

Booked up Balaka to cook for a birthday party for 70 guests. Two days before the event they cancelled. Don't know why but used them again for an order. They advised was ready and then waited 30 minutes for the food to arrive. Completely useless place, especially as they are quite expensive. I would take your business elsewhere.

We were here for a family get together before Christmas.

We were the first to arrive at 6.45 on Sat evening but didn’t receive our food until after 7.45! Our drinks were also very slow to arrive. The food was below average. We noticed alot of takeaway orders being carried through the restaurant by the waiter who was also waiting on the tables. I do feel those in the restaurant should have priority over the takeaway orders, after all we are spending more! The elderly waiter who was doing all the work didn’t seem to be getting much help from the other, younger waiters. We won’t be going here again.

An impromptu visit as afire do called in unexpected and we went for a curry, fantastic choice lovely Pasanda and the service was excellent, polite timely and engaging. Perfect eve meal with a friend. Thank you

My husband and I just popped to the Balaka for a curry tonight. We went early and it wasn’t busy. The waiter took his time show us to our table and seated us by the kitchen doors. All evening my eyes were watering due to the oil that was emitting through the doors. It was so strong it was all over my clothes.

Family meal out, we arrived at a not so busy time and the staff were very attentive asking for drinks as soon as we had arrived, also placed poppadoms and sauces to go with them while we decided what we wanted.

Been ordering from this curry house for years. Went there on a date Saturday night food was spot on staff were excellent.

First time in months treated ourselves to a take away. Greeted so warmly by all staff. As have extreme dietary needs now wasn’t sure I’d be okay but they adapted my dishes and offered alternatives. Food delicious and tasted so fresh. Thank you

Visit here at least once a month on date night and thought we should leave a review. Never fails to impress us, food always amazing and service is great. When they are busy, service can take slightly longer which we actually quite like to enjoy the experience but if in a rush, they always seem to cater. Love it! Fantastic local restaurant!!

As always greeted warmly and asked which table we’d like. Had prawn puri to start. So yummy totally recommend Main course chicken saag so lovely lots of chicken.

I ordered 8 popadoms with my order and only received 1!! It’s only after picking up the food and taking it home I realised! So I called them to try and resolve the issue and they said “next time you can have free popadoms”. AFTER THEY REFUSED TO DELIVER THEM!!! There won’t be a next time!! The lamb biryani is no more than a 4/10. NOT IMPRESSED, absolutely sloppiness

My first visit here and to be honest it was ok and I mean just ok. Staff helpful but food not that great ordered chicken tikka masala and when I got home realised I'd been given korma restaurant empty and on a Friday night not a good indicator. This restaurant is perfectly located so should he busy but unfortunately balaka is lost

As always great food and tasty. Adapted dish to meet dietary needs. Staff friendly. Amount of meat in dishes could be more.

Awful service. The website ordering has no relation to when you can expect your order. Dont display timing on the website if it is meaningless. Dont mislead customers. I will not be using again. When I ordered it said 55 mins for delivery. Might as well have been a promise from a builder - they took my money and didnt deliver for over an hour and a half. No update. No apology.

We always enjoy coming here, lovely ambience and really good advice on menu. Very friendly and lovely food.

Waited over an hour and a half for a takeaway. When it arrived it really wasn’t worth the wait. One of the worst takeaways I’ve had in a long time. Such a shame as it used to be a reliably good restaurant and takeaway. I won’t be using again.

very good will be using you more often.

very good will be using you more often.

very good will be using you more often.

Food didn't taste great actually and the meat was dry.

Food didn't taste great actually and the meat was dry.

The food was excellent...service was brilliant...we were staying at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel... I would definitely order again and would recommend Balaka to family and friends who come stay at the hotel. Staff are very friendly too.

The food was excellent...service was brilliant...we were staying at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel... I would definitely order again and would recommend Balaka to family and friends who come stay at the hotel. Staff are very friendly too.

korma was nice madras could have been better

Reservamos una mesa temprano aquí, no había nadie más en hasta mucho más tarde.

korma was nice madras could have been better

Food is always to a good quality, but every time they are incapable of providing the correct amount of poppadoms, ordered 4 got two. Not fussed about being charged for them and not receiving them, more the fact I ordered four as we wanted four. Apart from that annoyance, very good

Food is always to a good quality, but every time they are incapable of providing the correct amount of poppadoms, ordered 4 got two. Not fussed about being charged for them and not receiving them, more the fact I ordered four as we wanted four. Apart from that annoyance, very good

Ordered at 18.05, delivered at 18.25 - brilliant!

Ordered at 18.05, delivered at 18.25 - brilliant!

Excellent food, on time, really impressed, will be using again. Both our main dishes, sides and rice were really good

Este lugar es uno de nuestros indios a un precio razonable por, con énfasis en la cocina de Bangladesh que no todas las favoritas, pero tienen algunos normal platos bastante inusual que vale la pena explorar - el plato de fruta con cordero es una bangladesíes favorito. . . tipo de fruta amarga citrus con textura de almidón. El servicio es amable, los precios son buenos - recomendado

Great food, only problem was we ordered 4 popadoms and received 2. Small matter but annoying. Otherwise great as usual.

Great food, only problem was we ordered 4 popadoms and received 2. Small matter but annoying. Otherwise great as usual.

Asjed for vegetarian. Sent meat. Tarka dahl was ok. Salad tasted of dishwater - chucked that away!

Asjed for vegetarian. Sent meat. Tarka dahl was ok. Salad tasted of dishwater - chucked that away!

Food was 20 minutes late and starters were cold.... not happy

Food was 20 minutes late and starters were cold.... not happy

De todos los restaurantes indios en el REINO UNIDO, tuve la desgracia de probar su tarde sol Balaka "buffet" (como se anuncia). Debería de haber convertido, entonces cuando vi el lugar vacío, guarde para mí y la Sra.. Llegamos un poco después de las 1 pm con un tiempo de parada de 2 de la tarde. Cuando pregunté a mi 'encargado', aún tenemos tiempo para comer, que por supuesto dijo "No hay problema".

Disfrutamos de una cena temprano sábado en este pequeño restaurante. La comida era de una calidad excelente y estaba buenísimo. El servicio no puede ser criticada.

Very slow and very late. Estimated time on JustEat completely incorrect. Order stated "delivered" at 21:05 but order did not actually arrive until 21:30. Nice way to cheat the system and annoy customers. Very poor.

Food was good and service good but the byriani I had was just rice mixed with the meat not alll cooked together like an authentic one and for the price there are better restaurants

We've ordered from here many times and the food and service tend to be good. However, we always leave a note on the system saying "please deliver to back door: baby sleeping". Tonight and a few other nights we got a knock on the front door. Also, tonight I requested the assorted starters be vegetarian (it specifies on the menu that you can have vegetarian ones if so desired). They turned up as meat starters. Rating would be higher if the notes were consistently read.

Outstanding food with excellent portions, as ever.

Excelente servicio, no me puedo quejar. Uno de los platos era tan experimentados, tuve que enviar de regreso. Primera vez que he hecho eso en cualquier restaurante de los que he visitado. Aparte de eso, todo estaba bien.

A first visit and I will certainly return , reading other reviews I was concerned it might be hit and miss but for a midweek change it was certainly a hit Bangla beer which is not always available with a couple of poppadoms whilst I looked at the specials , I opted for the duck dish with coconut rice , it was full of flavour without being too salty or having too much chilli added My friend who eats here regularly has good rapport with the friendly waiting staff and is being encouraged to be more adventurous , so I was also intrigued to try his shaktora , which again was very tasty I would have reservations on eating in on a busy Saturday night with takeaways flying out the door , but on my own experience it was very good .

The food was very greasy, chicken was dry, onion bhajis were not crispy, naan was chewy. Won't order from them again.

Really amazing, generous portions and plenty of meat! Love this place

Over an hour late but tasty when it arrived.

Food was bland and not agreeable

Excellent food quality!! First time I've ordered from here and have tried most other Indian takeaways in the area. Would definitely recommend. You've earned yourself a new customer.... Thanks Balaka!

Always good food and friendly. On this occasion they hadn't seen the request to deliver to the back door (sleeping baby) but normally they do.

We thought we would try a different takeaway this evening and I must say the food was very good. It took a while to come, but to be fair they were very clear it was going to be over an hour and they delivered within a few minutes of the confirmed time (if we live on a better lit road they would have probably been on time).My chicken sag was bang on, the lamb kebabs for starter were really tasty and portions were of a good size (but more importantly the quality of the food was excellent).

Two happy people. Great food. Great service.

Excellent food, delivered on time

First time we used them. Nice food.

Food only lukewarm warm so disappointing - quality not as high as it used to be on the last couple of orders/visits which is a shame. Would still try again though because it used to be better so hopefully they sort it out soon.

Food was bland and my korma was dry. Nann bread was good and my partners madras was ok. Would probably order again just to see if it was a one off

The meal arrived on time (if not a bit earlier) was hot and very tasty! Only the second time I've ordered but would do so again 👌🏼

We didn't actually eat in the restaurant, although I have done in the past. We ordered a take away. After 1 hour the food hadn't arrived, so we called and were told that it was on its way. 20 mins later it still hadn't arrived. When it FINALLY arrived (and after another very terse phone call) part of the order was missing. We called again to complain and the man we spoke to started arguing on the phone, suggesting that wasn't the case. We persisted until they said they'd bring the missing part of the meal. When the driver arrived he was very aggressive and called my Father a liar, saying that they had delivered the whole order the first time.There are so many wrong parts to this whole saga - not accepting responsibility for being at fault, being aggressive and then calling my father a liar. And THAT is why we'll never order from Balaka again.Also, my Dad called again to complain about how hostile the driver had been and asked to speak to the manager, only to be told that he was unavailable. REALLY disappointing turn of events and now none of my family or friends will be ordering from them again!

Foods good but don't try to get a timed delivery have tryed twice and they cook and send as soon as they get the order tried ordering for when my wife finishes work at 8 food turned up at 645 and delivery driver just told me to keep it warm in oven !

Top Notch Curry as always. Local Favourite!

Said it had been delivered when it had not. Over half an hour late when we called to be told it was ready just waiting for a driver. An hour later still no food! Will not use again. The response to us asking was they are busy.

We got poppadoms instead of Naan, but perfect apart from that.

Takeaway arrived an hour late,, food was very good standard as usual except the Lamb in the Dansak was extremely tough.

A little too cold- best Indian around here by some distance.

Have ordered plenty if times before but this is the last time. What a disappointment. Delivery was 40 mins late with an item missing. Called restaurant who were going to send out item straight away. 1 hour later still no delivery. In the end I cancelled the item and had to phone just eat for a refund. What was delivered was very oily. I had to drain the cartons before serving. Very disappointed, restaurant's excuse was "they were busy"

Food was pretty good, but it arrived with all the boxes covered in sauce which was a real nightmare to deal with.

Ordered mango chutney but got onion salad.

They clearly forgot our order It was exceptionally late and cold on arrival Normally excellent They didn't follow up to even apologise

Has many excellent meals here over the years. It never let us down and was consistently good. But last two meals have dropped down to mediocre. Which is both surprising and concerning! Making us wonder wether we need to find a new Indian to chose from. Genuinely concerned, as a good curry house is a string in the bow of any village. Fingers crossed that things get back to where they were with the taste of the food here.

Not quite up to the usual high standards this time.

Usually very tasty food and generous portions. Delivery was about 15-20 mins later than specified and driver struggled to find change which was a bit awkward. One of the curries had oil floating on the top and lamb seemed slightly old a chewy. The other curry was delicious and much much better quality. The rest of the food was yum too!

Great takeaway, as ever. Never been disappointed from here!

hour and half for delivery food a bit cold

Continue to provide great food with very friendly delivery drivers.

Great place and the staff were very friendly. Food was good, great selection and tasty. Beer was good as well. A great solid Indian - can't go far wrong.