Brunel Raj in Bristol, City of

Arrived to a zero welcome (despite booking). Glacial service to deliver menus to table. Then ignored for 20mins. Had to chase server to place drinks order. Only two of the four drinks arrived. Finally managed to flag down waiter to order food. That took 30 mins to arrive. When it did every dish was poor, watery, without flavour and zero skill or attention to detail displayed by the kitchen. It made frozen ready meal curry look good. It really was shockingly poor. We even had to chase the bill. This contained a raft of errors, including the two drinks that never arrived, naan breads and two sides we never ordered. When I asked for those to be deleted from our bill, the waiter had a melt down. He clearly does understand the concept of customer service or hospitality. In one word, "avoid".

Went to the Rai last night and was very impressed, our host was charming and the food was delicious, lovely cosy atmosphere, will definitely return when we are in Bristol again.

Lovely old-fashioned curry house - it's barely changed in the 25+ years I've been going there, but that's all part of the charm. Friendly staff, cosy and welcoming premises and a decent, varied menu with all the classics and more. Probably not the place to go if you're looking for somewhere trendy or modern, but it's got tonnes of character and always offers a warm welcome.

Old school curry house. Spicy 🥵 jalfrezi. Loved it.

Have been going to Brunel Raj for 7 years, food usually especular and it was our favourite until last visit. unfortunately the food was very disappointing but the service was shocking. New member of Staff was rude, mumbling complains and seemed annoyed that we were there ordering food. Felt rushed and unwelcoming. Such a shame our local is done.

I recently dined at Brunel raj and it was disappointing. The staff was rude and unwelcoming, and the service was slow and inattentive. The food was just okay, but the chapati was a major letdown—clearly not fresh and served in a plastic bag, likely pre-packaged. I expected much better and won’t be returning.

I’ve been going to Brunel raj since 2003 and it’s always been fantastic. My last visit I tried king prawn Kara Masala. The menu says ‘you will be delighted’. Unfortunately it was really disappointing. The sauce was very oily and had no flavour. I told the server but he was very unsympathetic, almost rude actually. He ended up taking 50% off the price of the dish but I can’t help but be disappointed given I’ve been eating in this restaurant for so long.

The Brunel Raj is easily the best Indian Restaurant in Clifton. Service and staff always friendly. Tonight I ordered Chicken Tikka Kara Masala which came with Pilau rice. My friends ordered a King Prawn Naga and a Chicken Jalfreizi, with a side order of Saag Aloo and a Peshawari Naan. We had 6 poppadoms to start, they were fresh and crispy. Our mains when they arrived were all excellent, and very generous portions. My chicken Tikka Kara Masala, had a nice thick sauce and just a hint of spice, the chicken pieces were long slithers which was nice as it gave more flavour on the chicken. We had a bottle of cold Bangala beer which went very well with the curry. Will be back soon.

Still the best traditional Indian (Bangladesh) restaurant around and served with smiles too. Tandoori mixed grill is delicious. Nov 2023, still spot on. January 2024, the best mixed grill ever. April 2024 Lamb Korai (sp) totally delicious....Madras hot might be even better?

Excellent service lovely food as always we have been coming to this restaurant for the last 20 + years and have never had a bad meal never been rushed and the staff have always been friendly and welcoming absolutely love this place and we come here as often as we can at least once or twice a week if we can highly recommend .

Food is beautiful, but attitude adjustment needed with staff. Weird experience

Excellent food and great service, highly recommend, korai gost is my favourite dish definitely visit again with friends and family, thank you Brunel raj for the excellent hospitality,

Really bad restaurant I have ever seen the manager is rude there even rude with the delivery drivers order chicken curry it was all burnt so don’t waste ur money guys

Genuinely the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. They have the most unfriendly people in Bristol working here, the atmosphere was really creepy and they got our order wrong. The food was also not good. Would give 0 stars if I could.

We had a table for 6 at 19.30. When we arrived the table wasn’t ready, so we seated 15 mins late at 19.45. No welcome, hello or apology for the late seating. One person’s drink took 25 minutes to arrive after the rest of the party was served - when we very politely asked about the remaining drink (1x Coca Cola!) there was no apology from the waiter who said ‘the bar is busy’ in an extremely defensive tone which implied we were out of order for even asking! Our mains weren’t then served until 21.00 and arrived luke warm (no apologies from staff). Half an hour later, the manager and his staff started circling the table and clearing our glasses away and making it very obvious they wanted us to leave - even though most of us had full drinks still left to finish. We were not offered dessert or coffee. They were glaring at us and making us feel so unwelcome - before the manager told us he needed the table back as we only had the table until 21.30 and new customers were waiting. No where on the website does it say you only have the table for one hour. Even so, with the late food service, they only gave us half an hour to eat our mains, pay and leave! When we pointed this out, the manager was not apologetic and was rude, and blamed us for staying over the booked slot. We left due to feeling so unwelcome and shocked at the staff behaviour and how we were being treated. It totally ruined our evening. We have been coming here for around 20 years but will never return. It is clear the restaurant has lost its way in terms of service and food quality. My advice for the restaurant would be to take a long hard look at the current manager and the culture he is fostering amongst staff at this once welcoming, trusty and reliable Indian restaurant.

We turned up at 733 for a table at 730 and they have given the table away and did not offer us another table. Awful service.

Told that we HAD to order a main each due to company policy! We (2 adults & 2 kids) went out for dinner around 5:30pm. Ordered 3 mains, rice, 2 naans, 4 popadom & dips, to then be told we haven’t ordered enough!! Great food and service, however your rude policy spoilt the meal. Would have received 5 stars if this was not the case.

Had a reservation, arrived on time, we were seated 40 minutes late- staff blamed "the customers". Both of the toilets were broken, you were allowed to use the gents if you didn't flush- staff blamed the customers. Food took an hour to arrive. When we came to pay £25 of extra costs appeared, initially argued buly the staff, then were excused as a different table when queried? Been here 4 times before. Will never return.

Not sure what has occurred as this used to be a really good restaurant . Food was not to the usual standard shame really as now put off coming again. Wasn’t until later that our complete party was in complete agreement.

Gave us our drinks after a 20 min wait then refuse Pomadoms until our last guest arrived terrible service avoid like The plague

We had a family meal here when visiting Bristol, I used to live nearby about 10 years ago and I was delighted to find the food, service and decor was exactly as I remember it! We were a group of 8 and everyone enjoyed their meals, excellent food and service in the restaurant. Would definitely recommend and will visit again when I’m next in bristol!

Good reliable Indian restaurant that had been in Clifton, Bristol for many years

We are not usually the negative review writing type, but having visited the Brunel Raj tonight, I felt strongly that this was one time that I would. Myself, my partner and a couple of our friends, visited this restaurant at 6.30pm tonight. My partner is visually impaired and as such, has an impeccably behaved, assistance guide dog. As we came through the door, one of the staff asked that the dog be kept outside? Even though the dog was wearing the high visibility guide dog harness, I politely informed the staff member that it was an assistance dog, and that it should therefore be accepted onto the premises. The staff member, who claimed to be the manager, then said that he knew guide dogs were permitted into restaurants but as his restaurant was small and busy, he would be refusing us entry, even though we had booked. As we have experienced this situation on a number of occasions previously, we are quite used to restaurant owners being unsure of the Equality Act in the UK. But this situation was different. We have not previously been met with such a lack of common decency, rudeness, or any compassion for the feelings of the person using the assistance dog. The complete absence of any respect or understanding from all of the 4 staff present and during this situation, has now led me to write this review and to follow this up further via other channels, in order to prevent others from experiencing this again in the future. Oh.. And by the way, the restaurant was virtually empty.

Sadly after a couple of years enjoying the Brunel Raj I've had to revise the rating down to two stars. On the last visit the music was punctuated by regular adverts and even more annoyingly, loud phone notifications (presumably takeaway orders). There was also a damp smell throughout the restaurant. I couldn't comment on the food as we left before ordering, having paid for the drinks. The manager didn't seem bothered and we went round the corner to Nutmeg which was very good.

Always a good meal, good atmosphere and quick service.

We walked by earlier in the day, the aromas smelt wonderful, so we decided to go for a meal that evening with friends. Really enjoyed the food & staff were friendly, we would certainly recommend it & would visit if in the area again. The only downside was that the lighting was very poor, my partner had to use his torch on his phone to read the menu!

Was visiting Bath to see old friends whom we had both lived in Clifton during the 70,s And Made A Return Visit Yesterday Friday , Ordered A Take away for 3 Of Us 3 Mains and Side Dishes & Nans , Arrived Home in Anticipation Of A Eagerly Awaited Supper To Be The Most Disappointed I Think I Have Ever Been More So For My Embarrassed Hosts Whom Had Purchased The Meal , It Was Lacking Any Taste, Spice Or Hint Of An Indian Meal , Only Colour !!! I Could Have Been Eating An Irish Stew , Did The Chef have Covid ? No Smell & Definitely NO TASTE, So A Catastrophic End To Out Day , Never To Venture Into The Establishment Again Give It A Miss Walk By And Save A Big Let Down, The Photos Taken This Morning After Retrieving From Waste Bin !!!!!

Really enjoyed the food the prawn puree was one of the best iv had and the mains did not disappoint service was good and friendly staff

Always great food, equally good service. We usually get a takeaway but this week a large group of us went to the restaurant. Same great food, great fast service and reasonable pricing. Quite noisy because of the low ceiling. Still our favourite Indian restaurant in Clifton.

The food was nice. Nice chana masala. Big collection of stuff to have with popodoms. The service was expediant and the staff were nice.

Had not been for years really enjoyed the food and Great location

Food was good but they were rude apart from a very lovely girl , a guy that looked like he was the manager kept staring at us bc they needed the table making us feel uncomfortable we couldn’t even enjoy the food properly

The best Indian I've had in Bristol by far! Lovely inside as well! I had the chicken tikka honey and it was absolutely delicious!

If you are having a curry in Clifton you have simply got to go to the Raj Brunel. The food is amazing. This is someone from Birmingham saying it is brilliant. Trust me. It is.

A very traditional Indian restaurant, and this is a wonderful thing. The best dansak for years. Great atmosphere that reminds me of times gone by. Excellent service. I'd recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a real curry rather something "improved for modern tastes".

Worst service in all my years of going for a curry. Starters came when we were only half way through our poppadums. The bill came without us asking for it, within about a minute of the last person in our group finishing their main - no option of even looking at the dessert menu. Is there even one? The credit card machine came before we'd even had chance to look at the bill. The napkins and empty glasses were taken immediately the last drink was finished. Never felt so rushed and unwelcome in any restaurant ever. In and out in 70 minutes, so it's not as though we were particularly slow eating!

I visited a friend in Bristol and they recommended this restaurant. British Indian Restaurant (BIR) food is my favourite cuisine and I have eaten in various BIR restaurants around the country, so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about a good BIR when I go to one. The food was very authentic and reasonably priced too. I ordered a chicken tikka pathia which was beautifully cooked and full of flavour. The peshwari naan was also very delicious if you like a sweet coconut-filled naan, and was a generous size. I also had a taste of my friend's butter chicken sauce which was rich in flavour and very delicious. I would add that the service was quick and the staff were also welcoming and friendly. Overall, I was very impressed with this restaurant and would come back again when I'm in Bristol. Give it a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Very good curry house. Attentive service and the biggest prawns I've seen in the chefs prawn special. Hope to return soon.

Excellent food served by friendly and welcoming staff with a cosy ambience of soft lighting and comfortable seating .On street parking available close by.

Outstanding food and service. After our late evening New Year stroll around beautiful Clifton we were drawn in by the lovely aromas. A young lady greeted us warmly and showed us to a cosy table. She advised us perfectly on the menu. The food was made with fresh vegetables and succulent meat. The coconut pickle was a treat and a first for us - we’re not young!! Our lovely experience was topped off with a conversation with the owner about the family history of the place and a complimentary whiskey. We will definately go back when we are in Clifton, be telling all our family, friends and colleagues who travel here, and in the meantime highly recommend to readers!! We had (excuse the spelling!) popadoms including masala pops, pickle tray, prawn purée, salmon fish starter, garlic chicken, chicken karahi, pilau rice, garlic naan, peshwari naan (these were soooo FRESH!!) French fires. 5 star plus for this little gem 💎 💎💎💎💎 Nearly forgot to mention they were happy to box what we couldn’t eat to take away back to West Yorkshire!! 🙏💕💫

Food is amazing!!! Never had a bad curry here. Staff are very friendly and always ready to accommodate. This is the BEST curry restaurant in Bristol!!!

Delicious food and great ambience. Well recommended 👌

Looks to me like the Brunel has been trolled on trip advisor and anyone who knows and loves this place please share why. I’ve been going to this restaurant for decades, the food is always excellent and the team are efficient, hardworking and committed. Over the last few years as I love some distance away it’s mainly takeaway. Every fortnight, always a large order. Never a bad meal and never a mistake. I always enjoy a pint when I pick up. Top restaurant and lovely team. Thank you for decades of excellence

Food was delicious. Quite a small place so recommend booking a table. Very good prices. 3 of us had starters, mains, sides, nibbles and drinks and was £77.

Got recommended this restaurant by a friend. Will definitely be going back, great food ,service was excellent and staff very friendly. Food was superb and very reasonable prices. If you like Indian food give this restaurant a go,you won't be disappointed.

Disgusting food rude staff and even after being told I was diabetic and need insulin at my hotel left myself and two children in an unfamiliar street after refusing to order a taxi !!! AVOID

After a terrible meal (starter unbeatable and damn right rude service ) the staff was advised I needed insulin at my hotel but refused to order a taxi and left myself and young family in an area we had never been with everything closed. Where in the rain for 45 minutes until a taxi was located by a kind person after falling ill ! Disgusting people !!!

What a fabulous meal. Really lovely. Really authentic. A classic Indian meal that was just out of this world. Thank you guys.

This place used to have some of the best takeaway food. They have got so busy they have let their standards drop. Our meal for 4 people, was missing one item, and also not good. no spice to some of the dishes and others just tasteless. Onion baji's that we could almost not cut. I will not be back

We didn’t receive the dish we expected but there was no wish from staff or management to resolve the issue . Have been visiting this restaurant for many years and this was my worst experience to date. The prawns described were tiny shrimps and not fully cooked so we left them. There was no interest from staff in whether we were happy with the dish. Overpriced and underwhelming

Excellent food, always try and visit when in town

Always our choice for a ‘traditional’ curry in Clifton but the staff are quite brusque so it was great to see a female member of staff that was welcoming and appreciative of your visit, the owners could learn a lot about customer service from her.

My absolute fave in Bristol. Hidden old school curry house. Cosy and friendly. Lovely staff - Mustapha super helpful and courteous. Prawn dansak and fluffy peshwari naan superb!

Unbelievable food, the best service (thank you Mustafa). Came here for a friends birthday and would 100% come again!

We have been coming here for years as the food is nice, however on the last 3 occasions the service is poor from one particular staff member. Before you even finish your meal they are clearing your plates and asking you to leave quickly due to needing the table back! We were only in there 45 minutes on one occasion! When I spoke to the staff he became confrontational in front of my young children. Unfortunately I will use a different restaurant in future where they have manners.

Fantastic food and great service. Delicious and will definitely go back when next in Bristol. Thanks to the chef's for making such good food. We had all veggie and it was the best!!

I like this Indian restaurant. We often dine inside and also have takeaways. The reason I give 4 stars is because the take away quality is inconsistent.

Great food, good atmosphere and good service - definitely well worth a visit. The king prawns are massive

I booked a table tonight for 6.30pm..The staff were friendly and the food was good. However the dishes were cleared away and before I had finished my drink the bill was presented.We were not asked if we wanted a dessert or coffee just made to feel they wanted us to get out…I appreciate Friday is busy but even so .. the meal was spoiled by this rush to get the table ready for the next customers. Will not return

Have used this place for several years and always had good service and great traditional food, but has obviously been taken over because the food is appalling, lack of flavour and definitely not traditional, and soggy onion bhaji 's, oh and no draught beers, just more expensive bottled one's that were warm.

Nice meal in a pleasant atmosphere

Been to this place for dinner. The service was good and the food was nice. Parking is not available right in front during busy hours.

The smells from outside were enticing but sadly-having enjoyed Indian cuisine for more than 40 yrs this was by far the worst I have ever experienced. The Vegetable Masala was so sweet it was almost inedible- so much sugar - it was like a weird dessert and hardly any veg below the sugar. I also had the first and ONLY bad Sag Paneer- a dish I adore normally- in my entire life. I said yes to the offer of 2 papadoms which came with pickles and therefore with a price tag of £3.50 again hardly transparent. This is a trap many try sadly but is still one to be aware of! When I complained about the sugar content - it must have been an accident- it was suggested that I had chosen the wrong thing!!! Very odd customer service! No recompense! No apology! Very disappointing and I adore Indian food and you can hardly ever go wrong! Well here you can!

We had a really nice meal for our friends birthday. The restaurant was very clean,the food and the service was excellent. We had a fabulous time. We would definitely recommend.

I loved absolutely everything about this restaurant.the food was fantastic. The staff were really friendly and all made a big fuss it being my birthday meal. The Brunel Raj restaurant is also really cosy, it’s got a really lovely atmosphere and aesthetic. Would 100% recommend,

Another fantastic meal from brunal raj fabulous food and great customer experience lovely staff.would highly recommend!

My friend recommended Brunel Raj. The Food was really good and wonderful service. Definitely would come again.

Myself and 3 friends have previously been to Brunel Raj a couple of years ago and had a lovely time and decided to book a table for a catch up and curry on Friday 13th may. We were all so disappointed with the service we...

Had another lovely curry tonight staff are always amazingly friendly and helpful we have been coming here for years and Brunel Raj catered for my husbands birthday party last week we probably eat here on average twice a week and that won’t be changing any...

Staff and restaurant very nice and polite it was very busy on 29th January but they managed to get food on time Great service

I have been a big fan of the Fish Tikka from the Brunel for many years. However, recently, the orders have been disappointing with elements missing. A couple of times the tomato (which makes the sauce) was missing. Once it was chicken. Last night it...

We have been to the restaurant a few times and the service has been fine. But it’s my husbands local favourite for take-out, as he says the meat dishes are delicious. The prawn puri starter is yummy. But I don’t eat meat and have really...

I’m not usually the person to write a review for anything despite traveling a lot.But I had to write this because, I was travelling to uk to study amidst covid, so to avoid feeling lonely my sisters decided to follow and even arranged a surprise...

Amazing food, Amazing staff. Will definitely recommend to other people. Ate both veg and non veg dishes and they were both equally good. Must visit.

Food average but the service was horrendous!!!!Rude waiter that rushed us to order, rushed us to eat, rushed us to pay and then said get out quick we have people waiting for your order! If you were that busy you shouldn't have let us in!!!!

Excellent food madras was to die for price ok

Food was great. Booking adviseable

Excellent cooking, even the dips that come with the poppadoms are top notch !

Good standard curry, it can be busy due to it's location so be sure to book!

Lamb rogan gosht and chicken shishlik fantastic, naan as it should be, fluffy rice and poppadums brilliant. Well looked after, pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff. Nothing but praise to all the staff

These guys do the best curries in Bristol. We go there pretty much every week, always friendly service. The menu is extensive but they are willing to cook special dishes for you if you want your dish a bit different.

Good food, but a bit expensive for what we had. £57 for two curries, two starters, a beer and a bottle of water was a bit steep even if it was well cooked and quite tasty.

I came to the restaurant on my own without reservation to ask for a table for 4 and been offered a table straight away with condition to leave within one and half hour as the restaurant was busy. After my partner arrived with two young...

Family meal at this restaurant.....have not been here for some time. Food did not disappoint, quality of the dishes is very good and portions are of a good size. All meals and drinks are reasonably priced . Only downsides are the lack of toilet facilities...

okay curry, not amazing. the mains came out very quickly after our starters. cant complain too much but often i like more than 5 minutes between courses! okay service too.

Lovely food. Friendly service. Fair prices.

I’ve been coming to this fantastic restaurant for decades and it’s my favourite restaurant not just favourite curry restaurant… but favourite restaurant full stop !.. I try and eat here at least once a week the food is absolutely delicious and served by a very...

If you’re looking for a great curry,friendly staff and a location near several of Clifton’s best pubs then you can’t beat the Brunel Raj. I’ve been dining here for many many years usually on a ‘boyz’ mid week night out and I honestly believe the Raj produce some of the best curries in Bristol! We’ve tried the majority of other Indian restaurants around Bristol and although a few others are pretty good we still gravitate back to our favourite! The guys there know us by name and usually what we’re going to order and always make time for a chat. All in all a place worth trying!

A fantastic restaurant which we visit every week with friends! Actually we have done so for many years. The welcome from the wonderful staff always makes a fantastic evening and the quality of the dishes is simply the best. Without a doubt the best Indian...

Second time visiting this restaurant meal ok not as good as first time around very tuff chicken... we were put off by a group of 5 men coming in sat down very drunk swearing arguing and dint get to once... there is a time and place for that behaviour... .P.S wount rush back

Had to negotiate overflowing bins on way in and rubbish in doorway. Rather put me off the food, so we made our apologies and left.

Hate leaving negative reviews. Quite possibly the worst curry I have had. The staff were not interested in being polite either. Not what it used to be :-( maybe changed ownership/management since I ate there a few years back?

I don’t often write such negative reviews but these guys have earned one. Arrived for early dinner with wife and 15 year old daughter at about 18:30. Restaurant about a third full at most. Ordered a main curry, 2 sides, rice, nan and poppadoms, a...

Customer service real bad. Staff are rude 😑.

Found this place after an evening walk in Clifton to visit the bridge. Was not too busy & were seated despite not having a booking. The Achari chicken was really tasty and the sag paneer full of lots of fresh spinach. Food tasted fresh &...

Really good, working in Bristol, got a takeaway the chicken tikka was mouth watering, definitely recommended , would love to try sit down menu

Clearly focussed on table turnover. I went with a date who had been before. She said sometimes they can be very pushy, and get you to order your main at the same time as your starter, and then bring your main out even before you've finished your starter. Low and behold they asked us FOUR times during starters to order the mains but my date wouldn't because she knew what they would do. Around us other tables were being given their mains while the starters were still being eaten. Finally towards the end of starters my date was happy to give the main order, but still the mains came before we had finished the starters. At the end after paying, they asked us to not take too long because they want the table, and that they had to turn two other tables away because we took so long. This really made us feel unwelcome, if they want to operate like this they should at least should tell you when you book, like some places do. then people know the situation. It's a shame because the food is really good, but won't be returning. The Nutmeg next door with get my business from now on.

Good food excellent service highly recommend Brunel Raj best Indian restaurant in Bristol . Very friendly staff we’ll return to Brunel Raj soon,

Brunel Raj is an enduringly great restaurant. Always good quality food, good quality service and very reasonable pricing. Love the place. Will always recommend a visit.

Extremely good food and accommodating staff. Great pricing and an extensive menu. The Raj is consistent in it's quality and delivery. Always a safe prospect for quality food and an enjoyable evening