Bengal Lancer in Bromley

Lovely restaurant. Tasty good. Lovely hosts. And has a grand piano, a classy, very classy place and reasonably priced. My school reunion went great there

First time eating here , came with work friends, nice clean restaurant , good atmosphere, they have a live pianist at front of restaurant, unusual for an Indian establishment. Service was a little slow, but we was chatting, so was ok. Food was nice , but most of us felt the curries were Not spicy enough, lacking that heat you expect from a curry.

Food was good but I have had better. Service was slow and poor, they was not attentive to our small table with lots of food. Seemed short staffed and to many tables with 3-4 servers.

A very saucy and flavourful prawn puree for starters, and a lamb karahi cooked to perfection! Very impressed.

We picked the Bengal Lancer for an anniversary meal after having it highly recommended by relative. The previous reviews did disturb me somewhat as it seemed a bit hit and miss but we decided to give it a try. First impressions were good, the decor is pleasant and contemporary and the Piano player is a nice touch. Sadly though that was where the positivity was to end. We were sat right next to the bar where the waiters collect the drinks , cold aircon blowing right on us and where it was right next to the piano we could barely here ourselves speak. We asked to be moved which was done somewhat begrudgingly and then we never saw a waiter for over 20 minutes to order a drink (the restaurant was busy but not packed and there appeared to be plenty of staff about). After ordering drinks they initially didn't come and I had to call a waiter across to take our food order and chase the drinks. The food then took another 30 minutes to arrive. When the food came it was OK, the sauces tasty but the chicken in my Jalfrezi was very over cooked and the bhajis soggy in the middle. At no point did anybody come to check on us, ask us if we wanted another drink. When we were finished they collected the plates quickly, we declined a desert and asked for the bill. Another miserable staff member brought us the bill and I asked him to go and have the service charge removed (something I hadn't done in donkeys years) as the service had been appalling. Still no apology, no manager coming to ask what the problems were. I'm amazed any restaurant gets away with the level of service we received. Needless to say we won't be returning.

Chose to try it on the strength of the amount of positive reviews, but honestly I was surprised with how bad the food was! …felt like the chef couldn’t be bothered!

Great good and lovely staff, but some things need to be refined. The sofas by the entrance are falling apart, it’s not the nicest thing to see when walking in. Our plates were collected on a trolley with other dirty plates already on it. Menus were also dirty. I liked that warm towels were brought out post meal. I think if the management team can bring the standard up a notch then this place will rock!

Excellent food, all dishes distinctive and tasty. Only 4 stars for atmosphere as we went on a wet Monday evening and, understandably, the restaurant was about half full.

Food was really good and the waiters were attentive. Had a lovely evening celebrating the in-laws anniversary.

Been here before and great. This time was waiting to be served for over 15+ mins. Someone else got served straight away. Shame as nice food

Had takeaway , food great except chicken in Chicken Tikka Masala, pieces too large, needs to be cut smaller, but great meal and arrived on time

Amazing restaurant with incredible food. Been multiple times and had many take aways so thought its time to review on here. The Goan Crab Bhuna is insanely good. Also the best Dal Makhani I have ever had. My go to curry - definitely worth a visit!

Went there on Father's day, first time actually! The food and service was most excellent.Would definitely recommend 👌

Fantastic restaurant,best food and spotlessly clean.

Very good and quiet restaurant 👌, the food and what we have ordered was brilliant. Very tasty. We had 2 different chicken curry with amond, coconut and cashew, aloo gobi and Pilau Rice. Service fast and welcoming. Restaurant is clean and quiet. Good choice of food and drink. I recommend 👌 👏 👍.

Had a good meal for 4. Service very good and menu choice excellent. Portion size just right. Price reasonable. Very Clean. Recommended. Noise level does get high due to open plan nature of tables, otherwise 5 star

Worst customer service ever! Would never order again. Cancelled 2 min after ordering because i saw i ordered from the wrong resturant and they wouldnt cancel. Just hung up and would not give any answers. Only cares about money, and cant make up for a mistake. Never go here, save your money for a better and more customer friendly place.

Can’t actually review the food as we only had poppadoms and drinks before we left the restaurant. Restaurant was really cold, and after people asking they did eventually turn the heating on. Although they did say it was on already but it clearly wasn’t. The poor man playing the piano was freezing too with a coat on. Arrived at 7.50pm and the starters didn’t arrive till 9.15pm by this time we’d had enough of poor service and no one actually wanting to come forward as a manager and explain the situation. Staff didn’t seem bothered at all. So we just paid for our drinks and what we had and went to another Indian restaurant to have our main meal and carry on with our evening which was so much nicer and warmer! I would never return to this restaurant, it needs a shake up and there are far better Indian restaurants around the only thing going for this place is the location. Personally I would avoid and spend your money somewhere else.

Really poor customer service! Visited a number of times and always said will give the place 1 last chance- but no- terrible service as always. Happy to leave you at reception without acknowledging you have arrive for nearly 20 min until we decided to leave! Also would recommend somebody to work behind the bar! It’s was a right state on the weekend! Don’t let the piano player fool you! Good food, good location but sh1te service

Lovely food great service. .Good atmosphere as they had someone playing the piano.

We had a takeaway from Bengal Lancer a few weeks ago and I noticed after they have charged me twice for our meal. I have now contacted them twice to ask for a refund for one of the payments (and have proof we have been charged twice) and received no response. It completely unacceptable, would never use again.

Das Essen war nichts besonderes, geschmacklich aber ok. Sehr dreist war jedoch, dass wir keine Vorspeise bestellten, aber Papadam Brot serviert bekamen. Dies ist ein üblicher Service in indischen Restaurants. Abschließend wurde dies jedoch berechnet, ohne uns vorher zu informieren, sehr dreist. Bei der Reklamation, wurde vom Personal so getan, als würde man nicht verstehen, worum es geht. Außerdem wurden einfach pauschal 10% Servicegebühr berechnet, obwohl der Service, dass niemals gerechtfertigt hat. Ich kann nur davor abraten, dieses Restaurant zu besuchen!

Amazing service and food apart from the chicken tikka massala which was too sweet and with too much sugar. The staff and service were excellent and the restaurant was nice / we had a good time all round.

Amazing food. Excellent service. Homely vibes. Great portion size and value for money. A great place to come with all the family, any day of the week…

Top restaurant top food. Always super consistent.

I really rate this comfortable restaurant. The food is first class and the staff are very engaging. It never disappoints.

Nice atmosphere. Quiet but it was B/Hol Monday at 6pm. Nice to see a group booking there though. Food was spot on. Had Charcoal Roasted Duck, Prawn Masala, Dahl Makhni, Mushroom Bhaji, Paneer Tikka Butter Masala, and some naans. It was our first time and we definitely will be going back.

Worst curry ever! Looked horrible once I plated it and then when I reluctantly ate it, there was no taste…just bland. Beware!

Our second time Here, Parking nearby is not really a problem. Great Restaurant in a small parade of shops Tucked away up the top end of Royal parade. Service was great, Food was Great, a little bit Expensive compared to some local competitor's But worth every penny, and A very nice experience all round. Highly Recommend this Restaurant. Thank you for a great Meal.

Have been going to this restaurant on and off for 30 years but will not be rushing back. We visited 9.15pm on a Saturday night. Our food was nice. But side dishes tiny, half the size of other restaurants! Staff were not friendly. In fact I would say rude. At 11 pm we asked to order cabs. To which they said we have to order our own. No internet so couldn’t order via apps. Finally called one. To have an hours wait!!! Rubbish end to our evening.

Well what can I say. They lost our order and we sat there for two hours and all we got were a couple of drinks and some popodums. Charged £27 which they said included service charge.! Paid £20. Still very hungry. Ended up going to Macdonalds - never enjoyed a Big Mac so much!

The restaurant was quiet but it was a Wednesday. Food was ok as was service. Just a little expensive for what it was.

First time here with friends during a Christmas meet-up. Nice looking place, but I found the food a real let down. My chicken tikka masala tasted a lot like heinz cream of tomato soup!! Never experienced anything like it in my life of over 40 years eating Indian food!

Good tasting food and nice ambience. Wish the parking would not have been a hassle, but once inaide the restaurant its great!!

Terrible service. We booked a table at 7pm so that my grandad, who is diabetic, wasn’t eating too late - food didn’t arrive until gone 9pm. The length of time it took the food to come meant that we were all extremely hungry by the time it arrived, wolfing it down, and also meant that more alcohol was drunk than intended because we ordered drinks to have with the meal, except the meal never came. At one point we asked the waitress (who was lovely and doing the best she could) where our food was - she said it was on its way out. I think it took another 20 mins after this to arrive. No one came over to apologise for the wait, and when my mum complained to the manager after the meal he said ‘I saw you had been waiting a while and asked the kitchen to be quicker’ - but again, hadn’t bothered to do us the courtesy of an update. Other ridiculous things: - the air con made the restaurant too cold, to the point where I was sitting with two jumpers on. When we asked them to turn it off, they said that other tables complained the heating was too warm, we’re saying the aircon is too cold, and they didn’t know what to do … maybe turn it off and don’t have any air con or heat on? - they were so slow getting drinks, but also refused to bring jugs of water - we could only order water by the glass. Small issue but with their speed of getting drinks, slightly frustrating. - the restaurant was barely half full, so it was ridiculous that we had to wait so long for food. The food itself tasted okay, but wasn’t worth waiting so long for.

Avoid. Awful lamb curry. Miserable waiter/Manager.

What has happened! This used to be consistently good! All the food was nice but the chicken in the tikka masala was tough and the creamy sauce was liquid! I've had better curries from Marks & Spencers. I won't be returning........

Food very very bland with no flavour. Ordered hot so expected some heat to it. When I phoned the restaurant they said this is the first complaint they've had about the food... Reading from reviews I think you're lying...

Warm welcome upon arrival. Comfortable relaxing atmosphere. Varied menu for all taste buds.

Excellent food, first class service in spotless surroundings. We had a wonderful evening and were thankful for the air conditioning which was efficient but not fierce, today has been very hot! I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough if you are looking for authentic, high quality Indian food.

Food great, service good. When we went, the toilet refurbishment was incomplete and things were a bit dicey in there !

After tonight I would only get a takeaway from here ! The service leaves a lot to be desired.... the waiter who took our wine order I had to show him twice on the list, but he still brought the wrong bottle to the table ! The food was fine but with the poor level of service when you asked for anything really makes you wonder why anyone would return there ! They made you feel as if they couldn’t wait to get the shift over with !

Food arrived nearly an hour late and luke warm, when I called to ask where the food was, I was told ‘hopefully it will be there soon - bye’. Also had 3 naan breads missing. When we called to complain we were told we did not order them, which I know we did as I had emailed receipt in-front of me and was charged for them. Continued denying. Eventually when I said we would not return, they managed to get them to me in 5 minutes. Not even enough time to get back to the restaurant, so the driver had obviously left them in the car! Call handler was rude and dismissive twice, food was disappointing and late and even after second delivery, another Naan bread still missing. Not impressed, we’ve eaten here for years in our family. This used to be my nan and Grandads favourite Indian restaurant. Even last year the service was great. However, after this experience, I’m not sure I’ll be returning.

This is the best curry you will ever have but this is the worst service you will ever have. The comments are 100% right here. Whether it is being over charged or treated like you can’t communicate the staff are just awful. Simply awful.

Best curry in the area! never disappoints and we get it every week

Ordered a take away. Two dishes the starter and main course were cooked in identical sauces. For an Asian restaurant the fish tikka was extremely bland. Will never order here again. A massive disservice to the cuisine they are cooking and quality is pathetic.

Good choice on menu,some dishes not seen before

Food was good, when it eventually came out. For three of us to have a starter and main it took over 3hrs. We were not asked if we wanted drinks or to order until 45 minutes after arriving, which was only instigated by one of us going up to the front, as not a single waiter walked to us or looked at us. The drinks order came out wrong, the starters were incorrect and a side dish was forgotten. It wasn't even full in the restaurant but they were obviously taking too many takeaway orders and prioritising these, lots of disgruntled customers, many complaining. After all of this, they charged us service and rather than applying the governments eat out to help out scheme, which in our case should have taken £30 in total, as we did not split our bill, and as our bill surpased 60£ with no alcoholic drinks ordered, they applied the governments eat out scheme of £30 and took service divided by 3 off this?!?! What sort of vodoo maths is that. Therefore removing 26.50 instead of £30. Obviously profiting from the governments scheme buy another 3.50. I hate to think of how many drunk customers they have done this to. We talked to 3 different waiters until eventually the manager came over and changed the bill to the correct amount. All in all a very memorable evening, for not the right reasons.

Just excellent Indian food reasonably priced.

Don’t be fooled by this posh address First time for us travelling up from Maidstone to meet friends . We were walked to our table to be seated 6 of us they expected me to sit on this chair (shown in photo) I said I’m not sitting on that her reply was (oh we can’t do much about it it’s the children when we have family dining) 🤷‍♂️ I wanted to change the chair but she insisted on putting a white napkin on it . Ordered our food - pompadoms tasted like they’d been sitting in the kitchen for several days. Then after a further 55 minutes I asked what looked like the manager how long will our food be as we have been waiting an hour nearly, he just looked at me and said (m3 words (it’s being cooked) So Rude . Finally got the food absolutely tasteless I asked for salt 🧂 (first time I’ve ever had to put my own salt in a curry). Got the bill and they had the cheek to charge 10 service charge for no service. Awful place needs complete refurbishment Looks okay from the front in the fancy road with the white piano in the window but when you get in there it’s different . Not a touch on what I’ve been used to at my local Shamrat in Maidstone (maybe I’ve been spoilt going there for the past 30 years with the same owner running it )

We arrived at 10.30 in which they were ok with. The service we received was appalling.We had to ask for cutlery which was then almost thrown at us. Then we asked for napkins, for this we was given a handful from another table to distribute ourselves. The wine we gave back as it was awful. The food was average. The waiters had such an attitude that we felt that they didn't want us there. This restaurant is absolutely terrible and we will not be returning.. If they didn't want us there then they should have said they were closing and not let us in.

What a lovely place with a live music ❤

The food and condiments were artificially sweet, The sauces/curry in 2 different items ( Rajasthani aloo dum and paneer butter masala) were almost identical. The portions were small.

Eating here twice recently both work Christmas meals, service was really good and the food is fantastic. There is always a nice atmosphere and the staff do all they can for you.

We ordered paneer tikka butter masala and Rajasthani dum aloo and they were both as sweet as a desert. The sauces/ condiments with the poppadoms were also sickly sweet. As a warning, if you're diabetic, keep away.

We spent our son’s birthday meal there and enjoyed the attention, lovely food and nice ambience, the pianist started to play just after 8 pm which helped the quell the noise made by the other customers. This being the pre Christmas week, it was a very busy restaurant. Our son had a tasty Chicken Tikka , I had a dumpukt biriany and hubby an unusual lamb curry tasting of orange and tamarind, very tasty. We loved the nan, rice, raita, onion bahjis and papadoms in particular.

Disappointing. Lack of customer service - felt like they just couldn’t care a less. Far better Indian restaurants nearby.

Would go back,liked the piano being played too,dont know if this is a regular thing

We live near to the Bengal Lancer and go there fairly often. There is always a lovely peaceful atmosphere and there service is very attentive. We have always found the food to be good, and last night my chicken tikka masala was perfect. Really surprised at some of the reviews as we've never experienced poor service or food. Had been here a while ago whenI lived in the area but this time back for work and in need of early and late suppers.May have been the first time I've had evening meals here. Anyway both pretty good, starters and mains fresh and nicely spiced. Efficient service, decemt value. Will return.

I order a chicken tikka a it the first time I every had it come with out a salad, when I ask where’s the salad he said that come as an extra and brought me a small plate of white cabbage tiny bit of cucumber and red pepper. When I was ask how my meal was I was told I should of ask for a green salad ...

It's ok, not as good as used to be, went in there last night, we was the only ones in there 😩

Went for a meal on a busy Friday night. Both food and service was very good. Booked a table on line which didn't seem to make it to the restaurant, worth double checking with the restaurant your booking has been received.

Have to say meal is absolutely lovely will recommend to anyone please give it a go, best in the area

Everthing fabulous ... great meal

Excellent food, service sometimes a bit slow. Booking advisable, particularly at weekends

Great quality Indian foods. I'll come again.

Interesting menu, excellent food, friendly + attentive service. We will be back!

Fantastic food - especially the wide selection of vegetarian dishes

Amazing Food. Excellent service

We have come here several times over many years and tonight came with our two adult children for their birthday. Two of us ordered chicken tikka masala, the chicken was fine but the masala sauce tasted of tinned tomato soup, no hint of any spices. We mentioned it to the waiter who said it was supposed to be a mild dish .. well we’ve had many of these curries before and know exactly what they’re supposed to taste like !!! He didn’t take any more notice of us. Maybe the chef was having an off night .... What a shame !

This place seems to be resting on it’s laurels by relying on it’s location. The food is good but the service was poor. Most of the waiters were just about doing enough to be described as a waiter. They seemed to be bored.

Had been here a while ago whenI lived in the area but this time back for work and in need of early and late suppers.May have been the first time I've had evening meals here. Anyway both pretty good, starters and mains fresh and nicely spiced. Efficient service, decemt value. Will return.

I always like going to the Bengal Lancer as the food and service is usually great. However, this evening they disappointed me. We waited 15 mins for our drinks order to be taken. When our food turned up, the surly waiter practically slammed the food on our table. We then waited over 20 mins with empty plates still on the table and I had to ask for the table to be cleared. Considering we paid over £150 for 4 people I would have expected better. Such a shame!

There's a pianist at weekends, and the staff wear smart uniforms. This is all a bit wasted on me, because the service is slow and the food is absolutely average. I would prefer the staff dressed in a more relaxed fashion, and focused more on the food experience (it's a restaurant, after all). I would suggest hiring more staff, and maybe try hiring from the diverse local community, rather than being a homogeneous employer. This restaurant has the potential to be excellent, but it's not there yet.

Interesting menu and nicely presented food. A bit pricey.

We live near to the Bengal Lancer and go there fairly often. There is always a lovely peaceful atmosphere and there service is very attentive. We have always found the food to be good, and last night my chicken tikka masala was perfect. Really surprised at some of the reviews as we've never experienced poor service or food.

Awful food quality. The lamb was covered in fat and overpriced. Food tasted ok overpriced. The next day the husband had bad diarrhoea and i had awful wind and burps whilst working with patients. The food may have been from another day and had poor hygiene. Staff always look miserable. As an indian i know what good indian food is and this was bad.

This restaurant was highly recommend by friends. We were not dissappointed . Foods was delicious. Service was excellent and prompt.

Superb restaurant with excellent decor. Their foods highly recommend and we were not dissappointed. Delicious foods. Service was excellent and prompt service.

After years of frequenting the BL with good service & food, last nights visit was just awful, literally walked out after 45 minutes of NO service apart from getting our wine 20 minutes in, plus sat in mango chutney that was over the seat with no compensation or an apology, just dreadful.

Food was greasy considering you are paying a premium for good well cook Indian food. The attitude and rudeness of the staff waiters was absolutely shocking. They had this air of you being beneath them, clearly forgetting that they are just waiter in a restaurant who are meant to be giving their customers, at the very least, good customer service. Not pushing you to make an order, or rolling there eyes, making you feel that you are bothering them. Hurrying you up to finish your food. Very poor service and food.

I was visiting Chiselhurst with my wife and we decided to call in last Friday at 7.20. At 7.35 we were finally asked if we would like a drink this took another 10 mins to arrive. We could sense something wasn’t right so ordered our meal at same time as our drinks arrived. By 8.30 I enquired as to where our meal was and was told 5 minutes. At 8.45 we decided to leave paid for our drinks, they also had the cheek to put the service charge on which we knocked off.

My family and I all really enjoy Indian food and we have been to many of the Indian restaurants in the area, but never again since visiting the Bengal Lancer! We have already visited a few times this year and am looking forward to coming back. The atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant is very relaxing, even with a pianist playing in the evenings. But the main reason we go here is obviously for the food. It is the best Indian I have had with an extensive menu with lots of options for everyone. The drinks are also very good whether that be cocktails like their Long Island Iced tea or wine. The prices are more expensive than other Indian restaurants but the food is definitely worth it and I would recommend a visit.

My partner and I have had many a great night at The Bengal Lancer. The ambience is both friendly and courteous. The menu is varied and quite comprehensive. We visit many restaurants in the area and to be honest you will go a long way to beat the food which is reasonably priced. The staff are most courteous and friendly. At the weekend there is a piano player quietly tinkling away on a grand piano which adds to the evenings festivities. All in all we have always have always had a very pleasant evening.

I was tempted to order Broccoli Masala as on the menu it said ‘the art of vegetable cooking is found in every (Indian) household.’ It tasted like frozen broccoli cooked in a tinned curry sauce. Horrid.

Every time my family and I want Indian food we come here. Incredibly attentive and friendly service with the best food. We’ve never had a bad experience here and have endlessly recommended to all of our friends and family. Serves a great range of dishes and all food comes out fresh, hot and usually quickly! Will always be a favourite spot for us and can’t recommend it enough! Very well done.

Food and staff are fantastic and it's much larger than it looks from the front

Food was unreal. Service great. Can’t go wrong here. The food really is different class. Not really sure why you would go anywhere else

Good food and service ,very nice

waited nearly 90minutes for food then we tried to pay the bill for the drinks we had before leaving, they offer to cook us our food if we can wait another 30 minutes!! The resteraunt was half empty with deliveries continuing out the door. Then they admitted the order hadn’t gone through but STILL tried to charge us for the food!!! Down hill very fast!!! Used to be a nice place- wish I believed the other recent reviews before we went in

Been going for years. 6 of us dined tonight, freezing cold, indifferent service, average and expensive food What a shame used to be brilliant.

I have lived in Chislehurst for many years and frequented the Bengal Lancer for over 10 years with friends and family at least twice a month most months. The only complaint that I have had the past year is the slow service and maybe orders taken wrongly. But tonight I went with 5 friends .... They had trouble with the heating a few tables customers were complaining and kept coats on when I complained the new manager told me abruptly (you picked that table?) then all drink orders wrong after an hour ask for wine ignored a further 45 minutes till food arrived cold. No apology and plates slammed on table finally wine arrived but at end of meal we just had a glass each...... Told manager of my disappointment that I ruined my friends evening by bringing them here he said what else is wrong......paid bill ( no tip left) and does he realise that he is really getting bad reviews locally I will make sure that all my friends and family are aware of my experience and the indifference of the Manager. Lots of new competition locally can the Bengal Lancer afford to lose good local customers.....

The first inkling of how the evening would go was the absolutely filthy seats at our table, there is no other way to say or describe it other than it was what looked like a line of bottom juice across the seat, the replacements came, all still filthy, finally a 'cleanish' one was found....then the 'service' commenced, shocking, we were advised the waiter was new and asked to forgive his mistakes, the food eventually arrived served with the charisma of an army ant, no offence to ants intended!

I have eaten here many times and come back because of the quality of the food. They are usually welcoming and while the service has never been great, it has been ok.

Have been here 3 times in the last 3 weeks and had 2 positive experiences, one less so. On one occasion the service was very poor (for a nearly empty restaurant) - a slow and fairly disinterested waiter and not a great attitude from the manager when we complained. However we have had a far better time on the other two visits. The food can be a bit variable, but on the whole is good. Would have given it a 4 if it wasn’t for the occasion when we got poor service. Good restaurants are all about being consistent and if this can be re-established then it should be a ‘go to’ venue as it was in its early years.

Decent Indian food with nice ambience

We visited midweek. It looked completely empty from outside but there were quite a few people tucked away in alcoves and at the back. The food was quite nice but it would have made a big difference if the staff were more cheerful and personable.

This used to be our favourite local Indian restaurant but we stopped visiting a few years ago because it wasn’t as good as it had been. I persuaded a group of friends to try it again last night. They weren’t impressed!

On a Sunday night in a restaurant that can comfortably seat 80 people we arrived around 7:15.

Great restaurant, super ambience, helpful pleasant staff and super food