Bombay Express Balti House in Portsmouth

We have loved this restaurant for over 20 years , Babual was a true restaurateur, and the staff , who are stil with the new owners are friendly and truly welcoming. We have eaten in once and ordered out once in the last month and it is not the same , the food has changed not sure how exactly but the taste is different and the reaction of my stomach not good shortly after both meals , I had the same dish on both occasions. But the biggest problem was that we ordered over the phone only to be phoned back to be told prices had gone up and our meal went from £55 to £65 and then when I questioned this and looked online my order would only have been £43 if I had placed it online , a figure was then plucked from the air as the amount payable , I firmly agreed to pay the original price only . So it’s the end of an era for us to not use /eat at this restaurant as we have done twice a month . Such a shame for us locals that a business that Babual and his team had worked so hard for has gone down hill so quickly with no dialogue from the current owners .

Ended up going for a curry after a stag night at about 12 ish when most other places were shutting. Place could do with a makeover, but whatever. Staff were super. Food was lovely and served food fast. Also allowed to take in your own drinks. I wasn’t drinking so was only sober one out of all of us, and I thought food was very good. Will definitely go back and use for my takeaways

Always excellent food and service. Fantastic quality, just a little dark inside hence the 4 stars. I would still go though!

Amazing curry house with great food and very nice place to eat in

We have been here many times over the years and have never been disappointed. This time was even better. We did not recognise any of the staff so maybe it has changed hands. The staff were warm, friendly and welcoming. I had the duck chilli masala. Lots of meat in a rich, spicy sauce. Delicious! Gabrielle, my wife, had the lamb mint gosht which was very tasty. Overall an excellent visit. We took our own wine saving us some expense.

Food was okay only. Service was pathetic. One server was good and friendly but the other one was not a good one not friendly or courteous at all. Out of three tables that we had only two were having cutlery the third table persons had to help themselves. Menu pricing outside and pricing inside is different. Our only complaint, about not fizzy Coke was not taken in a healthy manner and store commented that we had tantrums. Will not recommend this place to anyone as they do not like to serve in a nice manner.

Third class food, they are not indians or they don't know how to cook indian food, wrong prices shown out side the shop menu, not at all recommended to anyone.

The paratha corners was not cooked properly, the tadka for the paneer curry and chicken curry was not cooked properly, it was very roughly chopped and cooked. Not a good place to have a desi food in Portsmouth. Total waste of money.

Friday 19th July. Great food great service. Completely spoiled by the scammer cashier refusing to give me a receipt for cash payment, but no problem if the bill was paid by card... so I paid by card to prevent him pocketing the cash. Babu, you better fire this little sh#t.

Bring your own wine....and loved the madras.

The definition of a keema naan, is to include some keema. And more than 5 grams of it. The rest is sauce.

The staff were rude, the food bland, and the atmosphere nonexistent. I've never been more disappointed with a restaurant. I severely regret not going to the excellent Akash restaurant just up the road.

Had the beans on toast for starters and the roast chicken for a main gravy was spot on.

Great place atmosphere food was delicious 😋🤤🤤

Incredible and affordable Indian food in a spacious restaurant with a great atmosphere and lovely staff. Highly, highly recommend!

I was hungry and thirsty after a tiresome walk in my first visit to Portsmouth, I decided to drop by this restaurant. the staff is very rude. I decided to order some snacks and tea but staff became rude. he bluffed me by saying I ought to order something big since the restaurant is mostly booked and such a cheap order would not be entertained (although half of it was empty). to make matters worst the staff came on to my table and removed every bits of glasses from my table as a gesture of frustration (since my order made them angry). I don't recommend this ever. never ever will I again come to this restaurant if I happen to come to Portsmouth again.

A lovely evening with my husband and niece the food was outstanding and very tasty but the only trouble was is that they rushed the service

The best chicken tikka patia I have ever tasted. Flavours were outstanding. Quantity, plentiful. Mixed veg rice was equally as good and there was so much. Onion bhajis are freshly cooked although a little small. Definitely coming back

Its not indian/paki food its Bangladeshi food🥲. Waste of money for us. That biryani hahaha

We go there last night. The staf are much polite and the food was good. We ordered two Currys one was much better than other resturents and the other what was chicken tikka massala it’s not much good so that i carry it in my home and my chef uncle try that he also said it was not very good maybe the grave was much older or the souse was much burned. Thank you

Looking for somewhere to eat before a concert. Hadnt been here before and was pleasantly surprised. Food, service etc was brill and at £50 for 3 people was extremèly good value.

Me and a group of friends went here tonight for my friends birthday, when we arrived all seemed well until our food started to arrive. At first there was a black hair in my friends chips so we called a member of staff over and informed him of the hair, he then proceeded to take the plate of chips handle all them with his bare hands and take the hair out and accuse us of lying. We ignored that and waited for the rest of our food, halfway through eating my friend found a chunk of raw chicken in his curry, once the staff were informed they just told us to chuck it into the bin and then once we expressed we didn’t think it was acceptable they then got confrontational and started arguing and shouting at us in the middle of the restaurant infront of all the other customers, if I could give them 0 stars I would.

Making fool to customer I recommend you guys if you wish to eat Indian food find another restaurant instead of this don't waste your money in this restaurant I asked for whole meel chapati and they gave me maida chapati I did make sure before give order but the guy who running front he making fool people I recommend you to make sure before order test was very bad . Recommend you guys to please make sure before they try to make you fool .chapati was half raw totally unhappy with the test also ate one byte and found I am eating rubber chapati very disappoint with this restaurant.going to through it in bin.for more information see the photos

A bit shabby but the food is amazing

Best and the original restaurant in Portsmouth

Unfortunately the service tonight was awful! Waiter very miserable and rude! Food wasn't all that either! We still managed to have agood time though !

Been going here for years and was so disappointed last night. Booked ages ago for 6 and asked for window table. On arrival we were told we could only have this table for a limited time as someone else wanted it. As we were meeting friends for a catch up agreed to move and we were put on a table at back of restaurant. Not what we were expecting. Food was average and surly waiter. Owner who always comes over to say hello was not around otherwise would have told him. Sadly not retuning here again.

Upon arrival I really liked the ambience and the staff were so helpful. However the food was sadly disappointing. The actual curry itself was good but I didn't like the chicken. It was either thigh meat which I never ever eat or something wasn't quite right. It was very rubbery. Also the garlic naan bread didn't have any garlic in it and I thought it was a plain naan at first. I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy my meal. Staff were wonderful though.

First time used, will never use again, ordered a takeaway, which took over an hour to get here, the food was stone cold, no taste to the dansak, onion bhaji was soggy and samoas were not crispy, I have to say the worst Indian takeaway I have ever had, lucky to get one star.

Came to dine in this evening, around 7 pm with 4 adults and a child. There was a lot of empty spaces in the restaurant but still we had been offered a very tiny space. We couldn’t sit properly and finding no space kept our bags on the floor. Later we had been told to take our jackets n bags on our laps because they needed more spaces!!! Then we left the restaurant and had our dinner in Desi old indian cafe. We had our food and took with us for our other friends in less than £100!

Service and atmosphere is very bad. We came from London and were very hungry but the staff was very impolite and rude that we had to leave the restaurant. In fact, it seemed that we were unwanted guest for them. They will leave the restaurant empty but will not give any place to sit. Racist.

I am very sorry of all of the restaurants I have ever been too around the world this is by far the worst ever Meal experience I have ever had.

As we've become to expect, great food, never been dissapointed in taste portion size always delighted.

Food was bad and very expensive for such a small dish ( I’ve had bigger microwave meal curry’s) .. curry tasted like ketchup , rice was hard , left here and went for more food I was starving

Gorgeous food, reasonable prices and good portion sizes. The bring your own booze is a wonderful addition and the staff were great with our large group.

Fantastic meal. So fresh and full of flavour. It never disappoints. Great value and rapid service. Update Oct 23. : Still great food and service. The problem is so many people know now, so book your table! However, we were happy to wait 20 mins for a table. Definitely worth waiting for. No photos again, we just scoffed it 😅

I recently visited Ambience and was disappointed with my experience. The ambience was disgusting , and the food was not up to the mark and the taste is awful . However, the worst part of my visit was the staff. They were unprofessional and inattentive. To top it off, I found plastic in my food which was unacceptable. Moreover, I was shocked to witness a fight between the staff and other guests who were also disappointed with their experience.

Pathetic service, disgusting staff found a piece of glass in the chicken curry

It’s was worst experience in the town. I found a mosquito inside my tandoori roti. When I complained to the staff, they started screaming and did not agree that I found it in the tandoori roti. When I complained to the manager, all staff came together and said that I did not want to pay the bill, which is why I was making such claims. The restaurant is Bangladeshi-owned, and the staff are really bad at everything.

I recently visited the restaurant and was extremely disappointed with my experience. The food was not good and the staff were unprofessional and they are abusing . To make matters worse, I found a piece of glass in my food which was unacceptable.

I only ever had takeaway but it was always good, staff are friendly and prices are very reasonable

Love the Balti house, great food & bring your own drinks

Food lovely, service from older men were polite but would've been nice if the young lad serving would smile now & again tho & a thank you occasionly wouldn't go amiss !

Mâncarea a fost comestibila dar nu pe gustul meu, ceilalți cu care am luat masa au fost incantați de mâncare. Probabil am alte gusturi culinare. Personalul politicos și amabil. Prețurile nu mi s-au părut exagerate. Localul îți oferă posibilitatea să-ți aduci băutura de acasă, ceea ce pana acolo nu am mai întâlnit. Recomand!

A Portsmouth institution. On moving to Portsmouth in the 90s I heard stories of "Bob's" - the curry house that offered famed and reliably delicious dishes (e.g. the meat nawabi) whilst being relatively inexpensive, and even allowed you to take your own beer. Naturally it gained favour with a younger more frugal crowd. 25 years on a new generations have adopted the place and it's still as popular as ever (although the nawabi recipe is different now)!

I love this place. We called up about 30 mins before we wanted to come with a group of 18 and they found a place for us to sit downstairs. The service is relatively quick and is very good. The food is really lovely. BYOB. What more could you want?

I'm sorry to say but truly awful food. Like hot water with curry powder in it. Daal that was yellow water. Naan that was awful. Not many on Albert Road are great but this is, sadly, one of the worst.

Very average food, ate in a big group so maybe that affected the quality. Great naan bread, otherwise disappointing - overcooked onion bhaji, oily jalfrezi and bland pilau rice. Friendly service

Lamb biriyani tastes dry and the lamb was definitely not fresh. Wouldn’t recommend anyone for an Indian experience.

thought i'd left a review or maybe it was on tripadvisor. yep few weeks ago we slipped in last minute, they kept the place open for us, only people in. asked for minimal spice and mate was fretting it might have chilli in but it was mild and delicious, beautifully prepared. staff were charming, i'd definitely go back again soon!

this place has restored my faith in curry places, last couple served really hot food but the dishes were beautiful here, would def go again and they stayed open late for us too, really smashing place and nice deco, attentive staff, wonderful! thank you :)

Have visited over the years with family and work. Good venue for groups. Bring your own alcohol. Very nice tikka korma and dhansak. Service can suffer a little when busy.

Bad experience of my life very bad food bad hospitality

Food is extremely worse and the customer service is third class the staff who works there doesn’t know how to treat customers ì personally do not recommend a anyone to go there unfortunately google doesn’t give me an option to rate them in - (minus) otherwise i will do that as well I would personally give them -10 ⭐️ worse restaurant experience in my life

The food was really good. The chicken tikka masala seemed a bit bland, but I was there with friends and all of their dishes were really good. So it's a mater of preference I guess, don't expect anything spicy from the chicken tikka masala.

Service is excellent, great hospitality

Friendly stuff with a variety of options for vegans. I usually take lamb karahi cooked with vegetables. The meat is good, but not fully cooked sometimes.

What can I say other than this being the greatest curry house in the Uk. Karaoke on a Thursday brings a great atmosphere and I can feel the curry bouncing off my skin!!! Curry is love , curry is power. The curry they serve is a delight to my tastebuds. Weird guy In the toilets didn’t stop though.

Great food, really friendly staff.

Great food at affordable prices and amazing staff, very friendly.

Great service, even better people

Very friendly staff & good quality food

It was truly lovely, staff were friendly too.

I love this little curry house. We have been going for years and the food is always tasty. I’m busy periods the food is always served in ample time and comes out piping hot. It’s a BYOB establishment which makes it a little cheaper, and is a lovely touch. They do have a bar with a selection of drinks, I would just check your receipt when leaving as twice now when we have gone they have forgotten to give us a dish we ordered only to be charged for it. Easily rectify-able and the staff were friendly enough to remove the items in question. Highly recommend this place for anyone in the area

Went for a takeaway- gave up waiting it took so long

This place was one of my favourite places years ago. Me and my partner went last night . The staff was brilliant. The food was excellent again. Made us feel very welcome.we won't leave it so so long next time. Thanks for a lovely evening.

Fancy a fantastic curry and in a hurry? Don't be shy give them a try you won't be dissatisfied trust me

Extremely noisy and the food is very salty.

Love this place! Been going there for years. The staff are lovely. Service is great. Food is really good. Just love it here! You can even take your own drinks with you! 🥂🍻🍷

Lovely food excellent service by the waiter thank you Micky keller's and friends ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First timer in Portsmouth eating Indian Food and was a good experience like it service was good very polite staff and well mannered Restaurant was clean as the facilities Food was good very tasty and and single portions. Prices are good Do I recommend well I think don’t need it as alway looks full up but looks like always have tables so yes check it out Do I return definitely I will I did like .

Food was excellent, the restaurant was packed by 6pm.

We always enjoy the welcome and the food. I have been eating there for more than 10 years. I don't think I have come across better value anywhere and the green sauce is the best!

Really good food enjoyed it a lot

Friendly staff and good food. Lost a star for late clearing up tables after diners had left.

Come on, we all love a Balti House? This is a long time family favourite. Bring your own wine too!

July 2022 update - still as good if not better than as below: Always a superb takeaway (eat-in equally as good). Please do try the "front of house" curry selection. Cooked more to a traditional style than the standard menu. Limited amounts, so be early as it is amazing.. if you are happy to pick out a few whole spices to experience the true flavours of Indian cooking (cheaper than the set menus too). Sag Aloo side dish is also probably one of the best in the town to my pallet. Customer service.....spot on, nice welcome, great service and a cheery good bye when you leave, even if you are a little tipsy! Highly recommended as one of the best value/quality curry houses on Albert Road in Southsea.

Where do I start, great bar with a selection of drinks and a bubbly group of staff who go above and beyond to give me beer. However weird fella in the toilet wouldn’t stop . Their Friday karaoke night is a sight to be seen and a highlight of my week . Would definitely recommend the student meal ( only for students) .

Don’t waste your time and money. This was truly the worst restaurant I have ever had the misfortune to enter. Cutlery was not clean and when they took the starter (which I am not sure what it contained) away the cutlery I had used was dumped back on the table for the next course! Mains came and this was supposed to be chicken but I’m still unsure what meat it was. The best thing I can hope for is that it was ‘chopped and shaped’ chicken as it was very strange so I only ate a couple of pieces then just had the sauce with an odd piece of raw cucumber and tomato that had been bunged on top. The temperature of everything indicated it had probably been microwaved and the naan was dried out round the edges. Was charged £50 for utter rubbish. So stunned that I haven’t been able to think how to review this until the next day.

Friendly. Good for groups. Great food with lots of choices. Reasonable prices. You can bring your own wine. Good vegetarian options. Child friendly. Best to book ahead for groups. Local parking at weekends can take a while.

Good food, bring your own drink, good service.

Food was great,had a Vindaloo,had a few Cobra's and very reasonably priced.

Went there for a Curry Club United gathering. It was quite a good selection of dishes that I had, the meat free option.

Just eaten my curry and it was absolutely gorgeous as always thank u 🙂

This curry house has been my husband's favourite place for many years. The staff are polite and friendly, the owner works there too! Since Corona virus pandemic, we ordered meals from them more often and anyhow, pilau rice was forgotten twice in the recent past months alone. It is a shame.

Fantastic hospitality ..we had a table for 18 ..and was brilliantly organised... Highly recomended 3 or 4th time for our family get togethers.. 👍

Tough call great food great service but don't forget to put the toilet roll in the freezer before you visit

Delicious food and you can take your own drink, which makes eating out so much more affordable.

We don't visit a lot not living in Portsmouth, but Balti House is our preferred choice when we do visit city. The staff are so attentive, very relaxed atmosphere. Food has never been bad, portions are just right for us and the benefits of taking your own drink is cool. On this visit we purchased a bottle of good brand wine for £9.95p great value. You never have to wait long for your food, which we think is very tasty.

Good curry House. Staff are very friendly.

Rice was not cooked properly and the butter chicken was fatty and watery.

Good food, good service, fair prices. Recommended.

Had tandoori chicken, paneer masala and naan. Tandoori chicken had red food coloring added to it. A bit overcooked. Decent taste though. Paneer masala was really good. If have the Indian palate, ask for "Indian"medium spice. Naan was average, although fresh, but a bit undercooked and more like bread and less like naan

Food is good. Bread/Naan not up to the mark. Polite and quick service though

Overall it was ok staff was good and helpful .the most disappointing part was aloo chat you CANNOT serve bombay aloo as aloo chat .. google it all away the most basic and easiest version will have curd in it along with chutneys and some type of crunchy bits be it crisp or potato it self for the price it was really disappointing and also onion bhajji was soggy and cold could do a lot to improve.i have added aloo chat pic

Food was ok, really liked the Garlic Nan and mixed balti curry, it was nicely cooked and less spicy. They need to upgrade the decor, it was too dark inside and bit smelly if one sits downstairs. Other items that we ordered for starter was not as expected , Aalu Chat was completely dry and we can not actually say its Chat, they need to be aware of how indian chat is made, the onion bhajji was soggy and and chutney was tasteless. Bit disappointing. Its completely based on my experience, might be they are good in other dishes. However, The staff was quick and helpful with the order and other requests.

Appalling Service. Inedible food seems like they just don't care. Oh and don't complain they don't want your opinion. Nasty people.

Student common room quality seating, Totally inedible meal. I ordered the chiken thali. It was pappy in texture and tasteless. A thali has so many elements - almost all of them were bad!!! Quite and achievement. No one asked me if the food was OK and why I left most of it behind with my cash. No problem, I won't be back. Great restaurant to avoid.

Great food and service as always. So good to be back after eighteen months!

Love this place, always a firm favourite