Bees Indian restaurant & Bar in Colchester

This restaurant was phenomenal. The service was incredible with several very kind servers tending to us. We had a large group and they offered to put tables together so we could all sit together. The only thing better than the service was the delicious and succulent food. Never before have me and my friends felt so satisfied by a meal. Our mouths watered as the food came out, and now as we finish our meal, our bellies are incredibly full. Thank you to the wonderful cooks and staff at Bee’s!

Just had amazing meal and the service is above and beyond and I love the food and the service. Thank you

Really good food, excellent service and at a good price too. Will certainly be back 👍

Very nice restaurant, friendly and polite staff. Talked to the owner as I came over from France for a couple of days and just saw the restaurant in the heart of Colchester near the castle. The servings were copious, well presented and delicious with a nice pint of Indian beer to wash it all down. I ordered the chicken dansak and the peshwari naan. I needed a doggy bag for the extras. Would recommend. Indian food that I have been missing while I have been away from England.

Celebrated our daughter’s 16th birthday. Staff were amazing they have decorated table for us. Food and service was excellent. Highly recommend

Came here tonight with my partner and his parents for a birthday meal and it was Some of the best Indian food I've had, very friendly staff and just all in all a great experience! The price was reasonable and portions were good as well, will be coming here again when i get the chance.

A great place overall. Good and courteous staff, great food, nice decorations and ambience, would highly recommend trying this place.

Bees is a nice restaurant on the High Street. Food was very good and service was excellent. We were served by Shahjahan who was very courteous and helpful. I would recommend this restaurant. Prices are reasonable and portions are good

I just searching for some restaurants inbetween i saw this one and ordered the chicken rice and chicken tikka both were great and i didn’t even expect, that the taste is great and i would recommend others to give it a try.

The food is excellent and plentiful. It's small but very well presented. They have upstairs dinning and are able to do functions. Well worth a visit. If I did have any issues it is this. It would be more welcoming if after ordering a meal, they added a few Papa dams for free or perhaps a nun bread. But these days everything costs money and that may be too expensive to do.

The food is soo delicious and Ahmed helped us to try different items with more spices. He also gave us complementary items as well. I really loved it 😋.

The food was delicious! Great variety and the service was just as good. The two people that served us were very welcoming. We ordered a little too much by mistake and they immediately packed it for us to take away.

The taste was so nice and very authentic . Each and every food was so tasty .

Food was so freshly prepared, the naan bread was amazing. Generous portions and very very tasty. Attentive staff and a calm atmosphere. Will go again.

Terrible on every level. Service, hygene, toilets, food. I will stop there.

After reading the reviews We thought we would try it. The food was really good and no as greasy as some places can be. Very tasty. Thanks

First time visiting this restaurant, food was fabulous, fresh, lovely flavours and the owner very helpful and reassuring re my daughters allergies. Would recommend.

I recently dined at Bees Indian Restaurant and had a fantastic experience The food was incredibly tasty with each dish packed full of authentic flavors The staff were welcoming and the atmosphere was perfect for a relaxed meal I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and will definitely be returning Highly recommend Bees Indian Restaurant to anyone looking for great food.

Very good food, very attentive staff and a very pleasant restaurant. We loved it and will definitely be back

Great food, Great service, Great location. Highly recommend!

This is by far the best Indian restaurant I’ve been to in Colchester. Food is amazing, ambience is cozy and the staff are wonderful. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.

Eaten here loads. Always the best curry in Colchester. Chicken tikka Pathia is amazing 🤩

the biryani was flavorful, tasty, and delicious.

Went with my partner they had the classic Tikka Masala and I chose something from the chef specials which had a great range of different flavors / ingredients that are all explained on the menu. Both dishes were superb, the Tikka Masala is probably the best I've ever tasted, so if you are feeling adventurous, or just want the old faithful you won't be disjointed either way. Great chill background music, fun decor and really friendly vibe. Really highly recommend.

Thank you for a wonderful service

This small and uniquely branded (Bees?) Indian restaurant is a family operation and it shows. Great food and authentic accompaniments along with Cobra on tap make for a great evening. No tamarind chutney, but nobody is perfect! Try this place, it’s the bee’s knees.

Best chicken korma ever had! I’ve had so many over the years and have to say this is the best one I have had. The naan breads are incredible and everyone enjoyed their meal - will return for sure!

The food in the UK really isn't the best, but the Indian cuisine was excellent!

Ok, where do I start. How about, whipped cream and a cherry on the tikka misala. I think was to distract you away from the sweet red gloop it was served in. Korma was so sweet my 13 year old couldn't eat it, that says alot. And my biriani, about 100 cardamon seeds and star anises stalk. And some black foul tasting pan scum. The worst meal and experience I have ever had, and I did tell him. He was laughing and asked me to leave a review so here it is. So if you have any standards at all in eating, do not go here. Horrendous!

Lovley food and restaurant atmosphere is very nice & clean 10÷10

Veey good food and service ❤️❤️❤️

Had my first order with yourself with Deliveroo, I’ll be back for more. 😁

The food was incredible and very tasty, the staff were helpful and friendly highly recommended this restaurant. You can have a birthday celebration at this restaurant if you want too.

Absolutely fabulous Indian restaurant, the food is lovely and fresh. The service is friendly and welcoming. Second time here and we will back again 5*****

Incredible restaurant! Lovely food and great service! Would definitely recommend!

Got in without a booking. Food was hot and delicious. Staff attentive. Price reasonable. Clean restaurant.

Restaurant Review: Bee's Indian Cuisine During a recent visit to Bee's Indian Cuisine, I had the pleasure of trying their Chicken Biryani and Tandoori Chicken, two dishes that are often touted as the stars of the menu. Chicken Biryani: The Chicken Biryani at Bee's is an aromatic and flavorful dish that truly stands out. The rice was fluffy and perfectly seasoned, with each grain infused with the essence of traditional spices. The chicken was tender and juicy, blending seamlessly with the rice to create a harmonious mix of flavors. The spices were well-balanced, providing a gentle heat that didn't overpower the dish. The portion size was more than generous, and the accompanying raita added a refreshing contrast to the richness of the biryani. Tandoori Chicken: Bee's Tandoori Chicken is a must-try for any lover of Indian cuisine. The chicken arrived sizzling hot, with a charred exterior that was beautifully seasoned. The marinade had deeply penetrated the meat, ensuring that every bite was bursting with flavor. The smokiness from the tandoor oven was evident, adding an authentic touch to the dish. The chicken was incredibly moist and tender, far from the dryness that can sometimes plague tandoori dishes. Served with a crisp salad and tangy mint chutney, it was a perfect balance of flavors. Ambiance and Service: The restaurant itself has a cozy and welcoming ambiance, with simple yet tasteful decor that reflects the spirit of Indian culture. The service was prompt and courteous, with the staff being attentive without being overbearing. The food arrived in a timely manner, hot and fresh, making the dining experience even more enjoyable. Overall Experience: Bee's Indian Cuisine delivers on all fronts with their Chicken Biryani and Tandoori Chicken. The dishes are crafted with care, offering an authentic taste of India that is both satisfying and memorable. Whether you're a fan of Indian food or new to the cuisine, Bee's is definitely worth a visit

Great food and amazing service!

We saw great reviews, so we popped in this evening no booking. Staff welcomed us and sat us straight away. Food was a good standard. My hubby had chicken korma (to sweet for me) hubby liked it. I had chicken biriani,( it was tasty!!! Couldn't eat it all the peshawar nan was hot a delicious 😋 I can recommend Bees .

Best Indian food in Colchester 😍❤️ Highly recommend.

You might easily walk past this restaurant but if you do you will miss out on some fabulous food. All the dishes we had were beautiful, really fresh tasting, and not a single pool of oil or ghee in sight. The naan bread was perfect - thin and light, not the cardboardy stodge that is often presented. Starters, mains and side dishes were all flavoursome and succulent, and packed the right amount of heat. If we're in Colchester again we will be making a point of coming back, this was a great find.

A Little Gem, food is fantastic, best Nan bread we have had, highly recommend.

Great food, professional service, staff were really friendly and polite.

Beautiful restaurant. Friendly staff. Wonderful food. Really authentic. All my Indian friends will only come here. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you for being so hospitable

We went Colchester for work and had food from this Indian restaurant bees. What an amazing food we had quick service & relly nice staff .. I’m defo go back again..

I very much enjoyed my meal which was tasty. The waiter was very nice and discreet while having a friendly chat. I would definitely recommend that restaurant. They also have a buffet on Sundays from 2pm to 8 pm.

I barely leave reviews, but I’m making an exception for this one. Me and my partner came to Colchester for the weekend from London, we were looking for a restaurant to go to for dinner and we came across Bees. Not only was the food amazing, but the service was also top tier! ⭐️ When we come to Colchester again, we are definitely coming back to Bees 🐝😋

Went here a few weeks back for a delightful lunch. Servers very attentive and food beautifully cooked. Will bee back!

Great food and great location. A nostalgic Indian from the 90s and a reminder why these traditional types of restaurants made curry popular. Everything about it had the retro vibes from the waiter with sandals and socks on to the frozen medley used in the vegetable curry. They used ghee which is a rare delight in curry houses today as well as serving us with hot towels and thank you chocolates after our meal. What impressed me most was the quality of the rice. Cannot fault this place and will revisit frequently.

Enjoyed the kheema roti very much...worth a try if you haven't tried yet

Popped in for the Sunday buffet before the football. Great variety of food. All freshly cooked and hot. Fantastic service. Amazing value. We will definitely be back.

Very friendly staff good service. Food was outstanding

I have been many times with various friends and have never been disappointed. I am happy to recommend this restaurant.

Brilliant food and great friendly service!

What a lovely little hidden gem food tasted amazing!... and the staff are all friendly!.. I had the tandoori mixed grill and oh my was so delicious!.. best one I've tasted in a while for sure in this area

Last minute plan for my husband 50th birthday, what can I said was absolutely 💯 amazing, food and service was excellent, we book the hold place for us upstairs was fantastic recommend

Love this restaurant, lovely staff and food is the best so far, I was going Maharani but I prefer this place.

Popped in for a quick lunch and very smooth service. Although it was quiet, food hot and very tasty.

Was craving traditional Bengali curry and spoke to the owner Ahmed , he made specially for me a lamb curry on the bone and Bengali style korma on the bone for my little one! Great service and real authentic Bengali food made to your taste will definitely be back again. Cheers

Excellent foods atmosphere and Service so good and very supportive staff as well as owner is also very good so kindly must visit for good experience.

Food was really good, normal price compare to other places and good big portions. Naan was really good and soft, almost needed more sauce for all that rice and naan as well. Meat was fine but had chewy bits on the chicken which is unpleasant to eat. Tikka masala had good sauce and bhuna was also quite taste but not the best we had locally. Nice to serve with small onion salad/pickle to make it little more fresh

DELICIOUS! By far the best lamb biryani my husband has ever had. I had the salmon and it was cooked to perfection. The spices were delectable, I was pleasantly surprised. The warm towels were a nice touch. Even the left overs were presented with care. The staff were very eager to please. Very good value for money. We're only in Colchester for a few days and will definitely go back before we leave. Thanks to the staff for making it a pleasant experience.

Such wonderful food and very attentive service! Restaurant had a lovely feel and all the staff are friendly and happy to chat! Thank you for having us! We will be back!

I barely find any good halal food in Colchester but this was so good. Ordered their mix tikka platter. Highly recommended

Had an excellent evening meal. The salmon dish was great. Friendly service and generous portions. Overall great value. We will return!!

Really lovely resturant. The staff can explain everything about dish choices and can ramp them up to your satisfaction.

Delicious food and very friendly service. Highly recommend going there for a meal!

Foodies should come here, Hundreds of flavours under one roof and taste the best food. Experience the great service.

We had a beautiful evening here. A lovely environment to sit and chat, friendly staff and absolutely delicious food. Already looking forward to coming back.

the food was fantastic and the staff are amazing 🤩

My wife has said the salmon curry was the best she has ever tasted.

Delicious meal. Satisfying portions. Friendly staff. Just a a great place!!

Delicious lamb biryani & lamb tikka! Highly recommended.

Very friendly, polite service with incredible tasting food. I have been to over 100 Indian restaurants and this is definitely in the top 5.

The place is cozy and staff friendly, prices are reasonable. We liked chilli Naan and keema Naan, their chicken dishes are yummy.

Food was amazing.. Specialy Chicken Tikka Naga. As I prefer spicy it was really good for the spice lover. Btw The Lamb satkhora was very good. And i also recommend for achari chicken.. I really like it😀

I'm surprising in bees tonight there food and service .Food was 10+10 service 100% best Indian in town We will come Back again

I’m eating bees tonight chicken tikka masala with special rice with cheese Nan it is very nice if you like Indian food try bees food

I had cheese nan and it was amazing, loved their special rice and the chicken tikka. Affordable price and a serene atmosphere.

Ate here sat evening after quite a few drinks, was absolutely delicious and extremely fresh. can't wait to go back sober 🤣 Thank u

Very welcoming atmosphere. Staff recommended me naga chicken and it was amazing. The lamb biryani is exceptionally amazing I can’t stop salivating. As an African I would highly recommend this place, spice is also there!

Firs time eating at this restaurant last Saturday night, we are not book table we see from out side restaurant was fully busy then we jump in restaurant & asking for space for 8 people they offering 1st floor 1st floor also busy then we look menu and order some foods panner and Biryani some curry dish all food was fantastic 10+10 we really enjoyed we will comeback again

Don't really quite understand all the amazing reviews. I really was looking forward to us coming there but oh boy what a disappointment. We were a group of 4 so tried a few dishes and only garlic naan and mint dip were worth any attention 😂 1. Paneer - tasty but very dry, also first time ever I was served just fried cheese no sauce whatsoever? Even outside of no sauce the cheese itself was dry so didn't really enjoy it 2. Tandoori mixed grill - meats esp chicken were also dry 3. Onion bhajis were also a disappointment I'm afraid, didn't have much taste to them. Also with 3 out of 4 of the main dishes ordered we were meant to get mint dip, was told by the server that it doesn't come with it so I double checked their menu and there we are, it clearly says served with mint dip. He brought it and all good but he also said that mixed grill doesn't come with king prawn when it clearly states that in the menu. But he was nice and quick so that's good. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the worst but it was just mid at best. Not what I'm expecting when I go to a nice restaurant with so many amazing reviews.

They are absolutely amazing. From food, drinks, best customer service and a serene environment. I really love their dishes especially, the Nan and chicken biryani.

Excellent food and service. The chicken biriyani was delicious. My African people go and give it a try and you will love it.

A friend recommended this place to me. Their food and services are amazing. Try them and you will love it 👍

Much nicer than expected will return, lovely fresh buffet

Me and my partner had the £15 all you can eat buffet only on Sundays. The good was amazing and the staff were nice. The place was clean. The place was cute and small with cool neon lights.

Bees was recommended by a friend. Tried it and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. Service was good and the price was very reasonable.

Tikka biriyani,👍very delicious And the service here is absolutely first-rate

Hi Guys, I'm from Punjab India. I live in Colchester and it's difficult to find a vegetarian food then I saw one of the India restaurant I went there ask for a vegetarian food they made a delicious veg food for me so I recommend you to visit once and enjoy the food. Thank you🙏

Awful service. The manager on shift was caught charging extra when asked for the receipt. When confronted, he said it was the language barrier. Also managed to sneak in extra items on the bill and only took them off when challenged. Be careful when the person is working. He is the bald Bangladeshi guy who stays on the front.

Seems to be the theme with a lot of restaurants in Colchester. Cold and unwelcoming staff, to the point of actually being rude. Don’t waste your money. There is a lovely Indian restaurant with friendly and helpful staff just a few doors away.

Walking around Colchester we decided we fancied an Indian lunch and popped into Bees which is close to the Castle and has good reviews. We had poppadoms, samosas, chicken Jalfrazi, Dahl and rice. Tasty food and good portions. Service was friendly and efficient.

We were a table of three visiting on a Friday night. The place is clean however a little chilly and felt a little sterile. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, however it was so bland, tasted and looked like a cheap bottle from a corner shop. Food was very average, the naan bread was tasty but the meat parts of our dishes were tasteless and dry despite being advertised as 'barbecued' they definitely were not. Unfortunately, service was what let our meal down. The waiter didn't smile once and kept interrupting our conversation, which came across as rude. Starters arrived at different times. No one came to take our payment for the bill so we had to ask a barman to take a payment instead. Overall, we were disappointed and confused as had read the good reviews on here for amazing food but it did not match what we experienced, so wouldn't visit again.

First time eating at this restaurant. A party of three ladies.We were very much looking forward giving it a try.The interior is nice and bright.A little on the cramped side.Service was prompt. The food was really a let down. The Tandoori mixed grill was a poor affair. The lamb pieces were extremely tough and dry.The kofta was cold and dry. The chicken also dry and tough. No nice charred crispy pieces to be seen.Everything but everything on the fellow diners plates was the same, same bright orange looking sauce. My daughter requested her main chicken dish was not garnished with green chilli.Made no difference, it came just the same with big green chilli. I was unable to eat the lamb or chicken and I left the cold kofta. I did complain to the waiter. I'm not sure this complaint was dealt with in a very professional manner.Five pound was deducted from the £100 pound bill. Miserable experience overall and we won't return Pah! In reply to the response from the restaurant.See their reply.The poor food WAS mentioned to the staff and five pound was deducted at the time of paying.No free drinks etc.Just saying.

Had an amazing time her. One of the best restaurant in town if not the best. I really appreciate their effort for making such a decent dine in experience for us. I highty recommend everyone to check these guys out. These guys are not messing and are here to serve anyone.

We visit Indian restaurants to get the similar taste what we get back home. We ordered 3 dishes and asked them to make it spicy. Unfortunately none of the dishes were even close to Indian food. I guess either it's not an Indian outlet or they don't have an Indian chef.

Fantastic food great wine reasonably priced

Good food , great service by mr Ron .