Bombay Mela in Reigate and Banstead

This restaurant has been closed for years. The site is empty and looking rather run down. We always meant to go but missed it.

Ha sido alrededor de 4 semanas que estuve en este restaurante. Tienen algunos de los auténticos platos como las chuletas de cordero, Bhalla Paitala chaat chat, mariscos moilee, Cordero Rogan Josh, y tienen algunas de las fabulosas Nan. Aunque el servicio es un poco lento, pero no a través de la punta de la comida. Yo les daría un 5 estrellas por la comida y 4 estrellas por el servicio.

Me aproveché de un especial de navidad ofrecen comida para llevar. Muy en porciones generosas y con un montón de carne, arroz era perfecta y estaba lleno completo Keema nan con cordero picada. Sin duda volveremos.

Cero estrellas si pudiera. No importa su experiencia&r increíblemente grosera. Terrible relación calidad-precio. No vayas!

No estoy seguro de qué pensar de este lugar. Buena comida, extraño. Agobiante caballero más, no dejes que el jovencito, de hacer algo. No hay ambiente. Caro para lo que era.

Really not sure what to say about our meal last night. It felt like a really strange atmosphere, a bit like a takeaway with tables. The starters were fairly good, the seekh kebab was very large for a starter. The chicken was dry and overcooked in both our mains, (meaning we both left half our meal) though the sauces and rice were tasty. Also, I'm not a lover of places who add the service charge into your bill - cheeky! New to the area and having tried the Everest a few weeks ago, we don't think we'll be coming back to Mela.

Staying down the road fancied some veg food and Bombay Mela came up in search. Having lived in India 6 years I can honestly say this is the best Indian food outside of the Desi. You must go. Very unassuming staff and unexpected deliciousness. Indian chefs, authentic......mmmmm :)

This is one of the best Indians in the area from the point of view of food. There are options on the menu you don’t find anywhere else, for example, rabbit and lamb shank curries and chicken chettinad, among others, and you can see the staff cooking, as the kitchen is sort of open plan into the dining area. They used to have a small selection of Indian spiced cocktails on the menu, and they don’t have these options anymore, which is a shame, but when I asked about it they did make my mojito cardamom flavoured, which was lovely. The service is generally pretty good. On the downside, when we visited, the restaurant was quite cold, which on a chilly night made us not want to linger. The absence of any window coverings on the big front windows didn’t help; perhaps if they got some nice curtains this would make the place cosier? My other grouse was that the garden was pretty much inaccessible as the staff didn’t know how to turn the outside lights on. This is a shame as it’s one of very few local Indians with a garden, and one its points of difference is its outdoor shed, where you can supposedly sit and have a shisha pipe. One would think they’d make a lot more of the outdoor area: perhaps have proper outdoor fairy lighting, some heaters in the shed so it can be used on a cold night, create a ‘magic garden’ kind of thing?

Dined in the evening with 3 family members. After a pleasant welcome, drinks and papadum arrived quickly while we chose our starters and mains. The food was fresh and well-presented. We made a specific request about the preparation of one dish and the chef got it spot on. Great place to eat.

Great value for money and always amazing food. Each week there are different dishes to try. Good choice of vegetarian food as well.

We visit weekly and get aways The food is excellent and is non greasy with great flavours. Fabulous vegetarian options and staff are like friends.

We came here for lunch as it had been recommended for it's choice of vegetarian dishes. They were operating a fix price lunch buffet with limited vegetarian options so we decided to order from the main menu. Wish we hadn't bothered. Poppadums were stale and chutneys were served in small catering pack plastic containers! The spinach samosas were made with the sort of claggy shortcrust-type pastry that would have my old cookery teacher turning in her grave. Baby aubergine dish was swimming in an oily sauce, which was inedible and it was far far hotter than menu described; the mixed vegetable coconut curry consisted of diced potatoes, carrots, peas & sweetcorn, i.e a bag of frozen mix veg from Iceland with dessicated coconut added. We ordered sag bhaji, which is usually fairly dry, their version was just watery slop. Even the rice tasted stale and dry. We complained to manager and all he said was that they'd had a big last minute booking, he didn't seem at all bothered about the appalling quality of food and service. Don't waste your time or money here.

had my first Indian food after landing in UK at this restaurant, my friend stayed in redhill and he took me there. we started off with some indian snacks and chaat as starter and then took the main course good options for veggies and non veggies, great ambience, good service, decent price, great Indian taste

Bombay Mela's location is not great situated as it is in a terrace just beside a roundabout on the A25 between Reigate and Redhill. But it's very close to Reigate County Court in a more ludicrous location where I found myself stranded at lunchtime awaiting a judgment. Hence the proximity of Mela proved useful. The interior is modern, prosaic and functional but comfortable enough. Diners are certainly not stuck for choice. At lunchtime in addition to the a la carte is an extraordinarily extensive Tiffin menu which features South Indian specialities such as dosas, uttapans (pizzas) and pavs (mince patties) as well as curries and rices. There are a lot of beers both on tap and bottled. I opted for a £7.95 set lunch (as did I think the majority of the other diners this Friday lunchtime). I started with chicken tikka comprising two meaty chunks of meat with a generous salad. My main was a tangy malabar fish curry accompanied not only by rice but also a large nan. This all represented excellent value. Less impressive, in all counts, were the two slightly stake poppadoms I'd ordered whilst perusing the menu. Charging an additional £1.50 for chutneys was a bit cheeky. Although espresso coffee was on the menu I was told only filter was available.

I have visited this restaurant 4-5 times. Sometimes food is below average and sometimes average. Consistency is not there in the food. Behavior of some staff is very good while others is very rude. It depends on your luck which one is serving you. Ambiance is very basic.

We visited this restaurant 4-5 times. Last weekend we visited this restaurant. They don't have baby nappy change room. And we asked for table or stool to manager. he rudely said no. They have charged even the onion and chutney, which is usually free in any Asian restaurant. Even they have not mention in menu that it is chargeable. Actually it is against consumer law.We have tried three punjabi subji( curry), and what we noticed that they use same gravy in all subji( curry).And waiter service is very slow. Even we were only customer in whole hotel, still each time we needed to get up and call them . We were not attended by them properly.

Since having some great meals in this restaurant, I took my family there for special occasion. The food was very average compared to previous years.What shocked me was when we claimed various discounts on Voiuchercloud and other leading deals sites, they refused saying offers had expired - which they clearly hadn't.Lucky not to be reported to Trading Standards on this occasion!

We've been visiting Mela fairly regularly over the last few years - always pleased with the meals (especially the Ragda Patties starter - our family favourite!) Restaurant slightly lacking in atmosphere but attentive, friendly service - would recommend.

Ate here for the first time and would not bother to return. The popadums tasted rather stale and the very tiny bowls of dips provided were not nearly enough.The service was slow and not attentive. The decor is cold and hard.The food was just ok. They put a 10% service charge on the bill as standard.

We went here on a saturday for lunch. Their chat menu and south indian breakfast options were tempting.. we had aloo tikki, bhel puri for starters along with salt lassi. Aloo tikki was very tasty. Next we had masala dosa and onion uttappam. Uttappam was good with coconut Chutney and samabar. Masala dosa needed some more spice and salt, it tasted more like a north indian dosa than south indian.. but overall experience was great. This is probably the only restaurant in and around redhill which serves these. Highly recommend this place.

This is my first visit here. Always went past thinking it was very quiet but didn't realise there is a large section at the back.Went for a mummies night out 16 of us. It was quite loud as there were not only us but two other largish groups. The service was a little slow. Very varied menu (spoilt for choice) I had a good old tikka masala which was very delicious. With a side of Bombay aloo. Big thumbs up for the food.

I have eaten real Indian food after long time. Remind me India back in a days.Patiala Lamp chop was just amazing. Rojan josh, Brinjal masala with roti just perfect!!And not the least good friendly service. Thank you very much guys, will definitely be coming back soon.

First time visit to this restaurant. The furnishings are quite minimalist and being a fairly large restaurant it doesn't feel terribly welcoming. The staff were friendly and the food was fine. Prices seemed a little on the high side. We had a good evening but the feel of the restaurant just lacked that X factor needed for me to visit again.

Really can't knock the quality, flavors and the portion sizes of the food. Just excellent and the menu is completely individual of other similar restaurants. Even if you cannot find that old favorite that you like, these guys will gladly prepare it for you. The staff are very friendly (maybe a tad too friendly) and very knowledgable regarding the cuisine but can be rather slow and forgetful let's say. We had to ask twice for our papadoms and when they did eventually arrive we had to send them back because they were soggy! Will definitely be back though.

The food was good but the head waiter was unfriendly Also despite being told it is included in the buffet, narn bread is extra and there is a 10% service charge that they do not tell you about Avoid and go elsewhere to a place in earls wood where £8 is £8 for Sunday buffet

Mendu Veda is really terribly, never try it in Mela pls. Not good with South Indian food. Idli is also not good also very small in size, that makes it really expensive.Go for chicken curry those are ok.

It was our first visit to Bombay Mela. We had heard great things about it but not actually made it down ourselves. We enjoyed a few cocktails (made fairly well), followed by a north and south indian choice of starters, and thereby mains. We also took our one year old with us who was looked after very well by the staff. We will be returning again fairly soon.

Three of us went for a mid-week meal out at Mela - and we all wondered why on earth we don't go more often!The food was incredibly good! I started with the lamb chops and they were melt in your mouth succulent and so delicately spiced. This was followed by a stunning Kerala Mutton Fry. We all agreed that this was in a different league than the typical CTM etc of standard curry houses!Feeling brave, we then decided to sample the shisha as two of us had just returned from trips to the Gulf where we'd sampled shisha. Whilst it was a fun experience, shisha in cold wet Redhill in December isn't quite the same as in a cafe overlooking the ocean in the Gulf!But a great meal with good service and surprisingly good value. Will definitely be back.

I was tentative about going to this restaurant, we have our favourite curry restaurants but fancied something different and I drive past Mela everyday. When we walked in the the staff were friendly and greeted us, then lead us to our table.The menu had great variation of classic curry dishes and some interesting dishes you don't normally see. Also nice to see a decent selection of vegetarian main courses. My partner, who is vegetarian, is partial to a vegetable tikka masala which wasn't on the menu but the chef was happy to oblige and made this for her. I went for a chicken biryani. The food was absolutely superb and the portion sizes were fantastic. I was literally forcing the last few mouthfuls down because I didn't want to leave a morsel. Some other reviews talk about poor service and rude staff but we didn't see that at all. I urge you to pay Mela a visit, we walked away with huge smiles and full bellies, and our wallets weren't too much lighter either!

The title summerises my experience. All the waiters don't have thank you and sorry in their dictionary. And their wifi is as slow as their service! !

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Mela with a group of 11 of us. It is just outside the town centre and there's a public car park directly opposite that's free in the evenings.The place wasn't overly busy for a Saturday night. The decor is fresh and modern and we were seated at a large table by the window. The food is excellent - freshly cooked - we could see the chefs cooking the food in the open kitchen and the flavours were amazing. We had a large selection of the dishes and everyone's plates were empty by the end!Service was mostly very good - right until the moment they cleared out main course away- for 45 mins we sat and chatted / thought about puddings or a coffee but no one came! In the end, we had to find someone to pay the bill! This only slightly tarnished what was a very enjoyable evening!

Mela had good variety of food and their non veg platter is excellent. Their service is also excellent.

Just been for the Sunday buffet. No shortcuts on the quality of the food or the service. Our party of 6 adults and 7 children (aged between 2.5 - 8) were made to feel most welcome by the attentive and engaging staff and we all enjoyed the food. Will definetly return.

Thank you to the owner who was extremely hospitable. The restaurant didn't seem to deliver during the day. However, they went out of their way to send someone to my place and have it delivered for me. Thank you for going out of your way to hep me.

My brothers and I really like Indian cuisine. We were told about this place by folks at work. We were highly impressed with the quality of the great tasting food. It was rich in flavour and taste without being hot (with chilli) As one who has been to different spice restaurants I can speak from experience that this is one stands out. There was not a huge choice on the buffet on Sunday or dessert, but again quality wins over quantity here. The richness and expert touch was noticeable in the curry dishes on offer. Also the price is reasonable and quite affordable for us to be able to go more often. We were well looked after by the attentive staff and the Manager kept in touch regularly to make sure we had all we needed. If one is looking for a nice local Indian restaurant then I would recommend giving this one a try.

Bombay Mela is a restaurant with very tasty food and excellent service. Staff is very cordial and are eager to customize the food according to the requirements of the customers. Since I work nearby, Friday lunch is always here. Very much recommended

We have been going to this restaurant as our favourite in the Redhill area for some years now. The food tonight was excellent, tender meat and gentle spices. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is good, even though it is never full in the week.

This place not to be missed serve very good quality Indian food we 6 of us went there on Saturday evening our starters were very good and mains were flavoursome and tasty which one could see as we left no wastage of food what's so ever. Came to know that they do cookery classes will be doing as office duo may be in December.wish them luck and we will definitely be back.

Mela did the catering for us in our garden. It was an excellent experience for our European/international guests. Tandoor, a traditional clay oven was set up and tandoori dishes like chicken kebabs, paneer tikka were made there and then, everyone enjoyed watching these also, naan and roti being made in live Tandoor. Food and service was excellent. Chef Kuldeep and David's team was great. Pimms was great. Murg malai tikka, hara bara kebab, amritsari fish and butter chicken were excellent. All the other dishes were very good too. On the whole a very enjoyable evening. We have food at this restaurant before and it's excellent.

Just had a meal at Mela, it was delicious, well presented food and the staff were lovely. I would highly recommend it to all. Great house special dishes too!!

Authentic Indian food, friendly staff and good service. Tried take away, delivery and eating in, all very good experience.

Popped in for a sunday late lunch and they had a buffet - fantastic choice and excellent value. Starter was either non veg or veg & we chose non veg which had 3 delicious items on the plate - all of which were tasty & fresh - the buffet is self service and there was lamb dish, chicken & fish along with 3 types of rice and several side dishes - you are also given a naan bread each which is freshly cooked. We use this restaurant alot and always have good food and great service but for the buffet absolutely fantastic value

Restaurant was not very busy for a Saturday! But we still waited 1 hour for the main course to arrive. Not much atmosphere. food average.

Takeaways from this restaurant seem to be very hit and miss. You will have one excellent one and the next two are poor as was the case with the one we have just had. I ordered a chicken jalfrazi and it wasn't spicy and had no chillies in it, you could have had one the same from the supermarket for half the price. The poppodoms tasted of cooking oil and it seems you just have to take your chances on whether it's going to be good or bad, there is no consistency and the prices aren't cheap to take this risk all the time. I love curries but am now finding my husband makes better ones at home from scratch that what we are getting from curry houses in the surrounding area. We probably won't go back here for a while as the food has been so disappointing.

I booked this for my husbands birthday. The food was amazing and we were given suggestions on what to try. We had two children who adored the chicken korma! The staff were friendly. The manager was fantastic setting riddles for the kids which keep them very entertained! We all walked away feeling well fed and with smiles on our faces having had a delightful evening. Well done Mela!!!!

Nice atmosphere, clean and great food, although a lot of it Lovely flavours, able to see chef's cooking .Beautiful Indian drapes and silks hanging from the walls

From the moment my friend and I set foot through the door, we were greeted with warm smiles, and friendly staff. The food was truly sublime. Each dish tasted fresh and different. It really surpassed many Indian restaurants that I have frequented. My only regret is that I don't live closer.

If you are looking for more than just the usual british version of Indian food like korma/madras/tikka masala/vindaloo etc, this is just the place- although the above mentioned were all available too. We were a group of 10 including 2 kids and I have to say we were more than impressed! Great service and there was nothing we could fault with the food either! We will definitely be back for more soon.

Mela is a well rated place, so my family and I decided to get a takeaway, we ordered onion bahji, butter chicken and mushroom bahji both with mushroom rice. All of the food was extremely spicy, which is all usually mild, sadly we couldn't eat it and had to throw it away,- it was like a vindaloo!

A lot of Surrey Indian restaurants seem Bengali owned. Hence the food is not what we are looking for. This place has Taj group trained kitchen staff and the food is (finally) what we were searching for. With a shisha garden in the back what more could one ask for! I just had the seekh kebab starter tonight with my shisha and both were great. Will definitely come back for more.

Found this restaurant by sheer luck as the one we intended to go to was closed had a drive around and found this. Food was delicious, service excellentVery good buffet on Sunday & extremely good value. Highly recommend the Mela.Have been back several times now & each time the same pleasant service & excellent food.

I had heard that Mela served authentic North Indian Cuisine (Delhi food) so drove with my family 40 minutes to try it on a Sunday. They had a buffet but we decided to try the 'Delhi street food' off the a la carte menu. WOW! The dishes were brilliant, especially the Chaat. For mains we went for the buffet. We enjoyed excellent fish, chicken and tender lamb curries along with an array of vegetarian dishes. Naans, Rotis and Parathas were brought freshly cooked to our table. The manager, David and his staff were most attentive and efficient.Great meal!

The owner himself served us. We arrived late but he had kept the chef back to make sure the food in the buffet was fresh. He was extremely accommodating with most of what we requested not dishes that were on the menu. Strongly recommend the pani puri, chaat and bhel puri.

The service at this restaurant is terrible and the food is mediocre. No one gave us any menus so after a good 10 minutes we got them ourselves. We didn't get out starters for a whole hour and 15 minutes, appalling! No one bothered to tell us that we needed to change our order since there was no rabbit until my partner called the waiter, only then did he bother to tell us. Within the hour of waiting for our starters we asked the manager why service was slow and he simply said 'starters are being cooked almost halfway', and then walked off without an apology, what a joker! Not impressed, we will not be coming back.

Visited Mela last night for the first time in years. Outside looked much the same but inside the decor is very nice and I liked that there was plenty of room between tables. I was expecting something average but in fact the food was a notch above average. We had the tandoori mixed grill which was excellent with lots of meat, fish and seafood, as was the gobi aloo and rice...very filling, nicely presented and good value for money. The starter of calamari was lovely too....fresh tasting in a sauce rather than being fried. I thought the service was good too, pleasant and attentive but not pushy. Unlike another redhill curry house where they are constantly clearing dishes throughout the meal and asking if you want anything else, which I hate as it feels rushed. Did not feel this at all at Mela. The prices may be slightly higher but in the end you get what you pay for. A cheap place usually results in a lot of sauce and little else. I thought it was well priced for the quality, I liked the varied menu and will definitely go back to try some of their other dishes.

I brought ten 7th grader Girl Scouts here to participate in preparing an Indian meal and it was a superb experience. The chef was very kind and patient. The food was good too! Thanks to The entire staff for an unforgettable experience:-)

The food in general is superb, the lamb chops is well worth a mention. Very nearly a five star however the decor seems a bit tired, table a bit sticky and since it's definitely not on the cheap side, I would've expected more on cleanliness.

The moment grabs you, you are hungry and want to eat without worrying if the meal is going to be great, good value and served in a relaxing but efficient / friendly environment.Answer...Mela Redhill. No oily superspiced Brit-Indo "authentics". Only great ingredients cooked beautifully: authentic and characteristic of India rather than something reminiscent of a tin foil encased classic that gets splashed up with the free big crisps that approximate poppadums.

Being a family of 4 with a pair of toddler boys, finding child friendly venues can be difficult. Couldn't recommend Mela highly enough. The management and staff are so welcoming, none of cold unwelcoming stares that greet you at less child friendly restaurants. They made us and our boys feel welcome from the outset, giving our 1.5 yr old his own little spoon to play with. There is an outdoor area where the boys can stretch their legs while food is being prepared rather than being chained to a table.Food is great, very flavoursome, I'm a fan of deep rich flavours so right up my alley. But lots of mild child friendly dishes as well and both my boys gobbled up their curries as well. As you would expect some food did miss mouth and land on floor, once again management didn't bat an eyelid, so relaxed about the whole thing.

I went with a group of friends one Thursday and had a really excellent meal. All the dishes we tried were very tasty and slightly different. Certainly much better than your average Indian restaurant. Service was good and I would happily go again.

Had a get together at mela on 27Sept 2014. Very well organised. Good authentic Indian food. Probably only one in Redhill. Friendly staff. Well ventilated hall.Manager went out of the way to make this meet success.Very good outdoor hall. Will go again and again.

We have used Mela for take-away curries for a long time, and without fail find them to be very good, always each dish is so different from the next one. There is an excellent variety of vegetarian dishes, not often on offer everywhere. One thing I particularly like is that you never get your curry bulked out with very nearly raw onions as is often the case in lots of curry restaurants. Take-away portions are very generous and we always make use of the 25% off coupon - reading the recent review where the gentleman went back to give Mela another chance and left after words with the manager, reading between the lines I somehow seem to detect a clash of characters?We did visit Mela for a meal-in, on a Monday which is a very good deal, all food apart from sea food being 50% discounted, so we made good use of this. My one little quibble was that the chicken curry I had - the chicken had obviously been cooked earlier and was quite tough, unlike my take-alway chicken curry which has always been succulent. This is why I have given 4 stars not 5.The gentleman who I assume is the manager, OK, he is not super smiley, but pleasant and certainly not rude. There was also a young man serving who was very pleasant and answered our questions knowledgeably.We will certainly continue to have our occasional "takeaways" from Mela, making sure to get a new coupon for the next time in advance for the £5 off.

After my bad experience at Mela,I got response from the manager to try it again,guess what?i visited this place tonight and wanted to try take away, on my arrival I was greeted with half hearted simile by the manager himself, I asked for a take away Menu where I noticed there was £5 off if you spend £25 or more, so I said to the manager can I use this offer? He replied you have to bring coupon in.,, what??? What a joker !!!! How can I bring the coupon in if I don't have the menu at home??So I said to the manager leave it and I walked out, he tried to call me in and said I can use it.. But I just left the place and that's it no more , I gave this place a chance after the response from the manager him self but I feel he doesn't know what and who is he replying to, so all the replied people got here it's pure Lip service., keep away from this place , I will never go back to Mela again what a joke and run by a joker..,

I have been going to Mela since the place has opened,I have known staff and managers plus cooks really well,the new manager runs this place with a lady,they both are very rude,and not welcoming,order time let me tell you this manager is the worst person you could wish for when you are ready to order, he is very rude,makes you feel uneasy and he is very annoying with his fake smile,the food well the quality is gone down my rating for food at mela used to be 100% but after these 2 have taken over it's Big Zero,Kerala Mutton fry filled with coconuts and runny sauce,my lamb Bhoona tasted like eating plain lamb with dry tom ketchup,kids food well very hot they left it, naan covered with butter and tiny in size,I am Indian food lover my self but this place is gone down rapid,I used to advertised this place to my friends and family but now I tell them to keep away ,I won't visit this place again not even takeaway , price has gone up and food quality is gone down to zero, very rude leader so be warn,

Brilliant restaurant! We went there today for their Sunday buffet to celebrate my father's birthday. The food was varied and delicious. Three of us had the buffet and one ordered off the main menu. The buffet was £7.95/person for starters and main courses). My mother, who ordered off the main menu picked the king prawns. They were huge! That was a little more expensive at £11.95 but still very reasonable. All the food was great. I also had a mango lassi which was freshly made and very tasty.They also do cooking classes which look really interesting. I highly recommend this place and would definitely go back.

I'd spotted Mela a while ago and been meaning to try it. Finally got around to doing so last weekend with my sister. We'd had a big day out at Thorpe Park and were tired, hungry and somewhat glaringly dressed-down for dining out, but nonetheless were immediately made welcome and shown to a table. The restaurant isn't large and décor is modern/very white, perhaps rather brittle as there are no soft furnishings but certainly smart and seems deliberately atypical of your traditional neighbourhood Indian. I'd say this is also reflected in the food, which was above average. It's not the cheapest either but I don't mind paying a bit more if the quality is reflected in that, and in this case I feel it was. It's also hotter (spice-wise) than many Indian restaurants I've been to so be warned if you choose a hot dish! We're both in the medium range for curries and were happy with ours but our starters (chicken achari and lamb sheekh) were pretty fiery and got the ears ringing! They were also delicious and generously-sized. I had the chicken murgh tawa for my main course with garlic rice; good flavours but some enormous chunks of tomato and pepper as well as the meat, perhaps a bit excessive. My sister had butter chicken but asked for it to be medium-spiced as it is traditionally a mild dish. This was no problem and she was very happy with the end result. We also shared a heavenly peshwari naan, lovely and moist and covered in sesame seeds which was a tasty variation. Service was excellent throughout and we enjoyed watching the action in the open kitchen. The takeaway service also seemed to be doing well and we saw various orders departing. All in all I was very pleased to have tried this restaurant and will definitely return in future.

Was looking forward to this meal, decor was sparse, not a big problem, I know it sounds pickey but window ledges had sticky glass marks.Onto the food and service... There were 3 of us, one ordered a paneer cheese in a chilli sauce, shami kebab which was a minced lamb, I had a trio of samosa s, which ended up being 2 vegetarian and a meat as the seafood one was not available. Main course a tandoori mix of lamb, lamb cutlets, king prawn, kebab, salmon. None of the courses were memorable, all tasted over spiced and actually lamb cutlets tasted tainted. It was then I noticed who I assume was the manager in amongst his cooks . They were in their chef whites with hats , he was wearing his outdoor clothes without chef hat dishing up rice, sorting through take away dishes etc.. Having not washed his hands on entering the kitchen . The meal was expensive at about £33.00 a head for two courses, 2 drinks each. Although the service wasn't awful I left feeling the meal was poor value for the money and I don t feel the urge to come back

Nice place but food need to improve. My chicken Tandoori was not hot and the rise need more salt. The curry was pleasant. I will try again in a little while.....

£5.75 is acceptable here apparently. When I queried this I was given no justification, the receipt was simply thrust in my face confirming my disbelief. The food is good, I can't argue with that but there is no need to rip the customer off with sky high prices for beer.

This maybe a tad more expensive than other local curry houses but the quality is worth paying for as you can taste it in the food.

Visited this place as we were passing, It does not look very inviting from the outside and it looked empty. The guys I was with did not fancy it but as it was raining I just walked in. We were taken to a table at the rear where it was reasonably busy. The setting was nice and the restaurant well decorated. To our surprise the food was lovely and the service just right. We will definately return.

I have been the restaurant on Sunday with my friends. We was seven people at the corner table. The food we have ordered was good but shank rogan josh was really a fantastic dish from the menu which I have enjoyed the most and the cocktails stress buster . Hope I will be back soon .... Highly recommended @ mela redhill.

We ordered a takeaway from this restaurant and after being passed from person to person, our order arrived without rice and naan bread. After calling the restaurant, they refused to accept any responsibility of fault on their part and wouldn't give any discount on the rice ordered afterwards, the food was cold by the time we got our rice. Very poor service indeed.

Mela is one of the best restaurant in redhill as per my opinion. i have been to mela so many times but their food is really excellent in comparison to other restaurant in redhill. Service is very good and their starter lamb chops is nice and curry butter chicken, i like the most.

The food at Mela is really good, although there were more meat and fish dishes on the menu than I remembered. I'm sure it used to be mainly vegetarian. Couldn't fault the food at all though. However, the service was a bit slow to start with and the front restaurant, where we sat, was a bit cafe-like and could do with a lick of paint. With a laminated floor and bare walls, it was very noisy at times.

Very impressed with the quality and variety of food on the menu. Service was quicy and the staff friendly and attentive. Will certainly go again

Mela used to be my favourite local curry house, the first few times I ate there the food was excellent. The last time I went the service was incredibly slow ( I think it took over an hour for our main course to arrive), the poppodoms were soggy, and the food tasteless. I intially put it down to it being a Saturday night and the fact they were very busy. I ordered take aways a few more times afterwards, but was very dissapointed - the chef must have changed?! The last time I ordered takeaway the chicken madras came with three small pieces of chicken in a watery tastless sauce, and the vegetable curry was made with frozen vegetables...not impressed and as the prices here are not cheap decided that I would not return!

Just had a delicious meal at Mela, I like that the food here differs from a standard takeaway curry because when you take a bite you can taste all the lovely fresh flavours. The Meen Pappas - a lovely fish curry with coconut milk - was my favourite. If you prefer more 'traditional' curries like a balti or a bhoona they will prepare them to order. The staff are really friendly and the service was excellent so I would highly recommend a visit.

Contrast to the earlier reviews we had a wonderful dinner at the reasonable price..!!!! Usually had the delivery!!!!Highly Recommended to any one...

Really a good food. I liked the food and staff. They have got variety if food with restaurant in two sections, seems nice. I have ordered paneer butter masala and tandoori chkn which was lovely, at reasonable price. And their cocktails the gulab was very nice. I liked the service and staff of mela. Visiting soon again. Keep it up mela.

Till last year this restaurant had been our favorite as the taste was amazing. We recently have visited this place and realized that management and chef has changed which definitely was not for good as the food served was very bad. The new staff are under trained so no element of customer service. Waste of money and food is expensive. Sadly I have taken it off my list.

Don't care what people say this is the best Indian I have ever visited!! True taste of India , biriyani must,lamb bhuna madras hot wow!!

We had a very tasty curry, lamb shank was very good and a bit different. The veggie side dish was amazing. Service was good but it wasnt that busy.

What a fantastic place! Really authentic fresh Indian food at a good price. They grind their spices daily so the food tastes amazing. I have eaten in well over 100 Indian restaurants and this is the best in my opinion. The staff were really friendly and polite, we will be going here again

Food very flavourful!!! Staff friendly! Service great!My husband and I had a delightful evening and greatly enjoyed our meal! We live near this restaurant and will definitely visit again soon!

I too went to Mela on an evening when they had taken on a large party, and they clearly couldn't cope. It seemed at the time that there far too few staff on, and our party of 5 together with the other 3 tables of customers were left waiting, with no explanations for the delay. I have been to Mela before and have found the food in the past to have been very good. On this occasion we were actually leaving (after a 90 minute wait) only for some of the food to miraculously appear. We were left with one of our party with no food at all, and the food that we had was of poor quality. Further signs, that the restaurant and kitchen couldn't cope. There was no manager on duty, and all the waiter could do when we voiced our complaint was to smile and shrug! To cap it all, and to add insult to injury they said that they wouldn't charge us for the food which didn't appear! Absolutely farcical. We told the waiter not to add the service charge because of the appalling performance, and yet it was still added on! Needless to say we did not pay for this. I think in the circumstances we were extremely patient, but we will not be returning. A week later we went to Le Raj in Epsom and the contrast couldn't have been greater. Not cheap, I know, but then neither is Mela. I also agree with the previous comments regarding the heating/air conditioning and would urge the Mela management to take some urgent remedial action.

I still regard the food highly, have been using this restaurant since it opened and it is different from the standard Indian restaurant menu. The service. Whilst not busy there were 3 tables out of 4 who were complaining about the wait for food, and when it did eventually arrive, only part orders arrived. 90 minutes from arrival to the main course is too long; and that was for those lucky enough to get their main course.My advice to the restaurant is:1) Understand why the service is so poor, much better in London Mela, although we were advised they have more staff. Could bench mark against popular local restaurants.2) Fix the problem, will involve training, and may mean staggering tables and take away meals, but I am sure you can work this out.3) Finally once fixed, start contacting ex customers about new service offering, could even do piece in local paper. Could invite poor reviewers back to do another review.It would be a shame to lose Mela from Redhill, but the service must become consistent and good.I also note comments on temperature in back part of restaurant, we have also suffered this one in the past, this also needs sorting out, customers in coats is not a good sign.One final thought, do not add an automatic service charge to menu whilst service remains so poor, at least 2 tables last night removed this.Good luck Mela, I really hope you succeed, but you must match the good food with good service.

We received an email offering us 50% off our bill during the month of August, as a 'thank you' for attending a cookery demo [Groupon] and for being a previous customer. It said to mention the offer when booking - this I did. Four of us had an acceptable dinner, but nothing special and the service was slow. We were seated by the window with a view of the terrace with its grubby tables and chairs and garden junk. It could have been lovely if cleaned up.When we received the bill there was no discount shown and my husband pointed this out. Our waiter said he knew nothing of any emails, or any discounts and where was our proof ? This was all very embarrassing, as we had taken friends and didn't want to make a fuss. I explained that it hadn't said to bring a hard copy, but the staff were not happy at all. They said they would have to phone someone to make sure we were telling the truth. This they did and we were eventually given a bill showing a 25% discount. By this time we had attracted a bit of attention from other diners and, not wanting to make a fuss, decided to pay and sort it out the next day. We were trying to be diplomatic.When I contacted the manager he said the fault was ours. We had no proof and the waiters have to decide if you have made a 'believable case' to qualify for the discount. I pointed out that his staff knew nothing of ANY discounts and I wouldn't have thought he'd want us loudly demanding 50% off when others were paying the full price. If he'd wanted proof of the offer he should have said so on the email. It seems the man who took my booking - and would therefore have known that I asked for the offer, had left. How very convenient.I pointed out that we didn't want something for nothing - just what we were offered. This cut no ice at all - they couldn't care less.Be aware, if you receive an offer, that you'll probably have to argue to get it - or take a copy with you. Personally, I won't be returning - it's not that great and 'special offers' that aren't are really just a con.I did tell the manager that if I didn't get a refund I would warn people, with an honest report on Trip Advisor and he actually told me not to threaten him. Every word I have written is true - had we not been confident that they would have honoured their offer we wouldn't have paid in the first place. We were trying to save them from embarrassment - what a waste of time that was !!

We decided to take some friends and family with us for dinner at Mela in Redhill tonight. 1. The restaurant was absolutely boiling hot and not a portable fan to be seen, they were all at the front of the restaurant with the large party.2. They had a party of 40 people in the front part of the restaurant and so rarely came to the rear where we were.3. There were only two other tables occupied in the main restaurant at the same time as us and yet it took 2 hours for us to get our food. Some of the dishes were cold and some of the food we had ordered failed to arrive at all. The rice was cold and hard as was the naan bread. The goan chicken curry looked and tasted like water - not good!4. We watched iwith interest as the guests at a neighbouring table (5 people) had their main courses brought to the table in 'shifts' over a period of 45 minutes. They waited 2 1/2 hours for their main course and some of their party never recieved their food, some of the food they recieved was wrong.5. The staff seemed intent on ensuring the large party of 40 had everything they wanted on a continual basis, it was blatently obvious that other customers were not considered important enough to serve in a timely fashion or attempt to deliver all of the items ordered and ensure they are correct! We had to keep leaving our table to find a waiter at the front of the restaurant (serving the large group) and ask for drinks and cutlery etc., and all the waiters kept saying was 'sorry but we are busy. Which was funny because only two other tables were occupied in the main restaurant. Frankly, eating at Mela is not cheap and their prices are not that competitive, but I have always felt the food was good. Not so tonight.6. We were deeply disapointed and told the waiting staff that we felt like walking out of the restaurant in disgust. They did not offer any discount by way of apologies and we were told 'they would not charge us for the saag chicken' which was very generous, especially as it never arrived!!!We gave them a voucher for 20% discount from the bill and they forgot to include it.7. We and the other guests suggested that in the future they close the main restaurant if they have a private function, as they clearly cannot cope, either service wise or food preparation wise. Perhaps they should visit Le Raj in Epsom and take note how to maintain high standards of food and service when the restaurant is packed to the rafters.I accept that a party of 40 is more profotable than a table of 6, however, the party of 40 won't be in once a month as we generally are.We won't go there again, can't risk taking others again in case it is just as bad. Now on the hunt for an alternative indian restaurant within a 5 mile radius of Redhill.

I visited the restaurant today to collect a takeaway today and was treated with such contempt and rudeness. When I entered the restaurant there was no one at the reception desk and when I asked the gentleman at the kitchen desk about my order he rudely said to me 'well go over there then'. I appreciate it was empty but expected better service than to be told to get out of his area as he implied. When the reception man arrived and I told him how shocked I was he told me 'Well that's why he works over there' - I was so shocked by his response and thought he would apologise and he just looked down at his feet and refused to apologise on behalf of the restaurant. I asked him twice if I would apologise and he told me to wait and spoke to the man in the kitchen. They argued with each other. This went on for another 5 minutes and he still refused to come out of the kitchen to apologise and neither did the man at reception. What a rude restaurant which does not know or understand good customer service. How arrogant to feel they do not need to either. I would not recommend women going to the restaurant as they obviously felt insulted apologising to a woman !

We decided to get a last minute takeaway. Mela is our local. Wow! The food was delicious, affordable and very tasty. We placed our order. The food was ready to collect on time. The staff were friendly, and efficient. A great local. Give it a try. Value for money.

The food is always bought to the table hot (even had takeaway & plenty hot enough after 3 mile journey home). The staff & extremely friendly , the choice is vast & the meals very tasty. The meat is so tender & plentiful .Not been disappointed.

Great Indian Restaurant with a different style of cooking. Very good service, very good food. Just go and try it.

We've had three friends who live in the area tell us how good the place is - it's actually a bit embarrassing, because we tried it out this evening and to be perfectly frank, it was one of the worst Indian meals we've ever eaten. The sag paneer was tasteless, the nan was oily, the sauces with the popadoms were not great and served in little tiny plastic pots. The main courses were terrible. The chicken tikka dansak was very watery and totally bland and tasteless. But by far the worst was the salmon tikka. Firstly, it tasted of way too much salt. Secondly, it looked like it had been sitting in a dish for a few days and reheated. Usually at Indian restaurants, dishes come sizzling to the table on dishes kept on hot trays - everything feels freshly prepared. They don't bother with that here. Everything looks and feels limp, old and tasteless. Also, the place looked depressing and the toilet smelt sort of musty/mouldy. We used a discount card - it still wasn't cheap. I think it's incredibly expensive for what you get. We're never going back - it was really bad.

Tonight we ate at Mela and found that some of food was good but other dishes were average and all of it took quite a long time to arrive especially as it wasn't busy. The menu has lots of different items on it that you won't find at other restaurants.The restaurant was very warm and we needed to ask to have a window opened - only the third waiter we asked could actually open one!

What can I say, other than the venue is nice, very cold if your seated in the main dining area at the back - had to keep our coats on throughout the meal.Food is mediocre at best, no flavour and the meat dishes we ordered all tasted the same but looked slightly different. In my opinion, you can get better flavoured food from a local takeaway - the only thing is you get a restaurant feel at this place but not for the taste of the food.

Went to Mela somewhat apprehensively, having only read reviews after booking, but was pleasantly surprised. There was some confusion over the dishes we'd selected from the set menu, but they quickly brought the right ones, and left the others as well, so we ended up with so much food we couldn't eat it all. The leftovers were packed up for us to take away without us asking for that, and we weren't charged any extra. Our Tesco clubcard vouchers were accepted without question, and the staff were attentive and helpful. The food was very tasty & seemed freshly cooked. Would recommend.

We ate at this restaurant with a taste card which should give you 50% off food. The food we ordered was really nice and to a top standard - you could tell that it was made fresh. My problem with this restaurant came with the bill. We gave them our taste card and when they gave us the bill they had not taken 50% off. When we enquired they went away, took one of the meals off and added £5 extra on for popadums and chutneys(between 2 of us!!!!). I have to say they are the most expensive popadums I've ever had and seems they only added it on once we queried the bill. On top of the that they don't include side dishes in their '50% off food' offer and add a 12.5% service charge, it makes for a very expensive meal.

I cannot remember the last time I ate such a bad curry. It's lucky I had a chef's speciality dish, anything else would have been unpalatable. Undercooked rice and the tender mutton was as tough as old boots. The pickles were served by the thimbleful, but charged as if they were frankincense or something similarly expensive. I would not return here to eat.

A good place for a quick lunch if you like Indian food.. It was cold however as there is no central heating.