Curry Leaf Cafe in Brighton and Hove

Incredible service , lovely space location and interiors. The food was incredible! Best nan I have tasted in UK! I took the chef specials , I will def go back if in Brighton . Amazing portions too! Good price for value

I had to mark down on value as it’s been a couple of years since I have visited having visited once a month in the past. The rating is based on the portion size has decreased by a lot as the serving dishes are smaller. The food at Curry Leaf isn’t meant to be huge portions and I’ve always found them to be absolutely filling but not to the point of being bloated and full, just right. This time however I left feeling still hungry and had some more food on the way home and I’m not a big eater at all.

Superb food and lovely drinks The Goan Chicken was delicious. I slight kick of spice but not too much for me. Really nice Peshwari naan, prepared with sultanas as it should be but often isn't! Portion sizes weren't big but that's only compared to other Indian restaurants who provide massive portions. I had a mango flavoured gin which was fantastic. Staff were a pleasure and the place is very cosy. It definitely lived up to it's strong reputation.

The Goan Chicken was delicious. I slight kick of spice but not too much for me. Really nice Peshwari naan, prepared with sultanas as it should be but often isn't! Portion sizes weren't big but that's only compared to other Indian restaurants who provide massive portions. I had a mango flavoured gin which was fantastic. Staff were a pleasure and the place is very cosy. It definitely lived up to it's strong reputation.

Small simple restaurant with some amazing flavours. Fantastic staff who were so accommodating when I ordered something that was too spicy for me. The chef cooked me something milder that wasn't on the menu. Couldn't ask for more. Not your run of the mill Indian food, this is so much better.

Firstly, I must say staff here are great. No complaints there. However, that's where the compliments stop. The food was really not what I would call authentic Indian food and considering the cost the portion sizes are tiny. I ordered the tandoori chicken and my husband a Lamb dish. The tandoori dish had no taste of india at all but was more of an overly seasoned chicken piece. It is really difficult to describe what the flavour actually was but it was not Indian. The tiny portion of lamb served to my husband was tender, but a bland small portion that was served floating in what can only he decribed as brown water. The nan bread was not a nan bread. It wasn't even a chapati. It was crispy and as thin as tracing paper not lovely, soft and puffy. We did complain to the waitress on duty who was very understanding and we were given a discount- which we did not ask for - however it was a real disappointment and we would rather have had a nice meal than money off.

This was easily the nicest curry I've ever had! The atmosphere is amazing and the staff are so friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this to anyone in Brighton. The only downside is that it's not particularly accessible so you might struggle In a wheelchair.

Great little Indian restaurant in the Lanes with fantastic renditions of traditional Indian dishes.. Great ambiance and friendly/knowledgeable staff make this a great stop while in Brighton..

Really really good such a lovely place with even better food 10/10 would recommend

Fantastic food and service. Thanks to all the staff. Highly recommend

Indian restaurant with no Indian taste. An unhappy meal. By the way customer service is very good but the food is worst. Won’t recommend to anyone. Food is not worth for money.

Cool and modern venue with friendly vibrant atmosphere. Food was delicious with fast service. Staff were great. Highly recommend.

1st time here and certainly won’t be my last time. Extremely good food absolutely loves it. Very nice place nice and clean very good vibe. Definitely not your normal curry house which makes an excellent change from the norm. Staff are perfect nice and friendly and don’t bug you all the time. Will be booking here again very soon.

I had a meal out with my wife and a couple of friends at The Curry Leaf Cafe on Saturday night. The ambience was great, the food and service excellent and it was good value for the quality - highly recommended.

Our first visit to the Curry Leaf and we will definitely go again. The food was fantastic, flavoursome and hot. The service was fab and attentive without being over the top. Good seats in the window so we could chat and watch people as well. Really enjoyed our night and hope to book again next month. Excellent

Delicious food, superb craft ale and very easy going friendly service. I’d thoroughly recommend.

The only place I’ve found that does chicken hariyali so 6*s from me. The rest is also great

The food was good. The fried things had a lot of batter around them. Large selection of beers.

A beautiful find. Lovely food. Great staff. And most importantly extremely helpful when it comes to a gluten free diet. Plenty of options. The food is lovely and tasty. Great atmosphere and a good selection of craft beers and ciders and gf beers. Perfect. Thank you 💕

Really enjoyed our meal here. Mixed street food platter and a Pulled pork bav although the pork was a little fatty for my taste. Chai spritz very good and a nice selection of beers. Service great and ambience also good. Looking forward to returning and trying some other dishes.

Three of us visited this establishment, ordered 3 main courses at a cost of £13-16 and a pitcher of beer. The portions were small, my lamb geelafi seekh consisted of three short fingers of meat and a dip. For £15.95. This would pass for a starter in any Asian establishment and the same can be said for my two friend's portions. The nan was small and the rice dish also, one of each shared would normally suffice for us. We understand that food is not only about portions and to be fair everything was tasty, but to part with my hard earned money I expect to come out of a restaurant not feeling hungry. £30 a head for a starter and a pint, I suggest if you want to visit here then have a healthy bank account and a bag of chips beforehand. On the subject of being disingenuous, the lamb dish I highlighted was a lamb and chicken dish, not just lamb. I appreciate just like everybody else that lamb and food cost has increased but bread and rice are still relatively low-cost ingredients and these portions were also miserly . I appreciate that your business and it’s tough, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that cannot be denied, your portions are too small.

Took 14 of my colleagues from across Europe to hold a dinner for a symposium, plus mum and baby. The staff were excellent; the sharing feast platters were delicious and worked perfectly to accommodate different diets and preferences - and came out quickly too. Perfect for a large, hungry group. Sam and his team run a great establishment.

The worst thali I have ever had. Soft papads, lamb or mutton chunks had to be fished out of a non identifiable curry, a few dry potatoes and the rice was a dirty yellow and instead of sitting in the centre of the tray, where it should be, was at the side. The best thing was the onion bhaji. Then they added a 10% service charge to the bill without asking.

First visit and won't be our last. Amazing food, well presented, very tasty and lovely staff. Highly recommended.

I've been to a lot of Indian restaurants and this is my favorite so far. Amazing food, good selection of drinks and welcoming service. Also the location is nicely decorated, as I often find Indian restaurants a little bit dull. The prize is reasonable too, and the place lays in the city centre area.

A really nice Indian restaurant with lots of flavors. Calm atmosphere, perfect for a quiet dinner, the waiters are very nice and attentive to any questions. Wide choice of dishes, tasty, and reasonably priced.

I've been to a lot of Indian restaurants and this is my favorite so far. Amazing food, good selection of drinks and welcoming service. Also the location is nicely decorated, as I often find Indian restaurants a little bit dull. The prize is reasonable too, and the place lays in the city centre area.

Thanks for a lovely thali lunch for the family. My only complaintis you could have made it clearer which beer was free for the Dad's on Fathers day. Thali was fantastic.

This is a surefire culinary delight that always lives up to a great standard of food and service. 😀👏🏼 The only thing I would add is a range of drinks that don't already have sugar added because I find them all too sweet, such as the chais and lassies.

Absolutely delicious food for a very reasonable price - couldn’t have asked for more! Would really recommend their Thali. The staff were incredibly lovely too - it was my partner’s birthday and they made our evening feel very special. 10/10 can’t wait to come back :)

I love spicy Indian food so I'll give the food a 5 star. The service took like 50 minutes for my food to I'll give it a 3 the atmosphere was very calm and quiet so 5 star

I recently visited Curry Leaf with friends, hoping for an authentic Indian dining experience, but we left thoroughly disappointed. We ordered two dishes expecting traditional Indian flavors, but what we received was far from it. The dishes were chicken and paneer on a bed of rice with spinach, tomatoes, and other ingredients that did not resemble Indian cuisine at all. I specifically requested extra spicy food, but it was barely mild, which was quite frustrating. The service was decent; the waitstaff were sweet and attentive. However, the ambience was lackluster—not quite what I'd call inviting, though it had a somewhat cozy feel. Overall, the food tasted alright but was nothing exceptional. If you're looking for genuine Indian food, this isn't the place. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.

Very happy to find this beautiful restaurant- lovely artwork, nice rustic feel with wooden chairs and tables and delicious food. We enjoyed sharing the vegan jackfruit biriyani, vegan street food platter for one plus plain vegan naan. The portions were generous and we couldn’t finish it all. The street food was just like in India and well spiced. Service was friendly and attentive. Prices were reasonable, especially for Brighton. Very nice dining experience and we will definitely return on future visits to Brighton.

Lovely relaxed atmosphere, totally delicious food, which was very good value. Recommend the thali.

Was on a day trip to Brighton and taugh of having a light lunch , landed up in curry leaf cafe! The ambience was amazing really loved the way they recreated all the nostalgic ads and Hindi posters. The service is incredible, everyone there was so warm welcoming and cheerful! Food was a bit set back as I orded Goan chicken which was nowhere nearby the original taste! Naan was nice and loved it as it was freshly prepared from tandoori, I was surprised to see jackfruit biriyani which we loved Thanks for the great experience team!

The food is good, but not authentic taste. Don't order chai expecting the original chai. It was one of the worst chai I have had in the UK.

Absolutely amazing food, some of the best chicken I have ever had, so tender and moist. Absolutely bursting with flavour, highly recommend

Great atmosphere, food excellent. Looking forward to visiting again

Great food really tasty nice atmosphere friendly staff, had a mix of things a shared this is the best way to try things new You must eat here!!!

Lovely jubbly. Recommend the Thalis

Great food but the service was disappointing. Were ignored and had to go and ask staff to for drinks and then to take our order. Seemed that the staff were trying their best but that there was not enough of them,

Mixed review about the service. Younger guy with long hair and glasses is pleasant, the bigger guy is abrupt and rude. We ordered lamb curry, got given chicken curry. Among other things we were missing naan bread. The person serving us was very rude about how he dealt with it. The food is mediocre at best. It was edible but very overpriced for what it is, the shared platter for example tasted like it came straight out of icelands frozen section... considering the price it's quite disappointing. A service charge is added onto the bill however food is dumped in the middle of the table for everyone to then pass around and reach for in order to get the food they ordered. Quite careless and if this is the approach you're going for then don't charge for service, simple.

Lovely place to share a lovely meal. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and accommotating, and the atmosphere perfect for a calm Saturday evening feast. We had the street food sharing plates, a couple of dals and a byriani between three and finished all of it. Flavours were beautifully balanced. Couldn't ask for more.

Lovely restaurant serving Indian food. Staff friendly and helpful. Food came quickly. Reasonably priced and very tasty . Recommend booking especially on a Saturday.

Food is delicious, fresh with decent portion sizes and good value for money. The staff were amazing and even when large groups of people arrived they still maintained excellent service. Would definitely come back to The Curry Leaf Cafe soon.

Perfect pre show meal , lovely curries and masala chai

This place was amazing. The relaxed vibe was very appealing. The street food platter was beyond perfection. The flavours beautifully complimented each other. I don't know what was in the yellow chutney, but it was out of this world. My only gripe was that service was automatically added to the bill. It left a sour taste on the amazing food.

Great food and really nice atmosphere. Excellent service until the end of our meal: when we declined dessert, the waiter immediately brought the bill, without us asking and without checking to see if we wanted another drink or tea etc, and then kept coming back looking to see if we'd paid. Eventually, he just brought the card machine and we felt compelled to pay and go. There were still other people eating when he brought the bill so it was not even as if we were the last people there. A bit of an awkward end to an otherwise lovely evening.

Curry Leaf Cafe food is imaginative, excellent quality and value. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients! Friendly, efficient staff, great ambience.

Lovely environment, great staff, fantastic food. I can’t recommend it enough.

Managed to get a walk in on a busy b as no holiday Sunday and Wow! Really friendly staff and lovely decor. We got the trio of cirrus - lamb chicken and veg, Nan bread and coriander and onion rice and obvs poppadoms and dips. Everything was delicious - the lamb being so tender was the highlight. Great range of craft beers - my Naan lager being well worth a try - as agreed by our server - what better way to utilise wonky naan breads 👍

Friendly service, great choice of food including street food, curies, sizzlers and desserts. Plenty of vegan options. Drinks include a good selection of draught local beer, cocktails and wine. Tucked away in the lanes it is easy to miss but do yourself a favour and take the time to visit and you won't regret it.

The staff member who served us was very friendly and incredibly helpful. When we asked how spicy a couple of the dishes were she brought us some of the sauce to taste so that we could see for ourselves. Fantastic idea- one person’s idea of spicy is another person’s ‘mild. When we asked how big the rice portions were she got a pot to show us and explained that if we wanted more it wouldn’t take long to be served. The food was delicious. We would happily have eaten it all again if we weren’t too full. We will be back. Good selection of drinks too.

We enjoyed every aspect of our curries, they were plentiful and worth every penny. We throughly enjoyed the poppadoms and the sauces were yummy.

On the basis of last night's experience, I fail to understand the high ratings for this cafe. My husband's vegan Jackfruit Biriani was far too hot (even for this chilli aficionado), with just 4 parsimonious pieces of jackfruit in a mountain of overcooked gloopy rice. No vegetables in the accompanying small but fiery curry sauce. Biriani - really? Poppadoms for our party of 4 were neither hot nor freshly cooked and already turning stale/soft - this was at 8.30pm. My Sizzling Prawns were good although served with just fried onions and no sauce, rice or nan which had to ordered separately. Our friends left most of their meals which leads me to conclude that they weren't overly impressed either. Service was friendly and mainly efficient. Surprisingly, staff started to mop the floor during our meals and whilst we were eating. The smell of disinfectant does not enhance even a poor dining experience... Over priced and sub standard at £149.00.

Best Indian I've ever had and I'm half Indian been to many takeaways in this country this bar far one of the nicest food places I've ever been to for Indian food omg blown away I am

Amazing lunch thali and a really nice waitress too! Thanks so much!

The best Indian food in the UK! Nice atmosphere friendly staff. Extensive selection The only downside was the portions could be a bit larger.

In general food was good. Service was miserable. Not much chicken in the curry unfortunately. The lamb curry was excellent.

I was in Brighton on a solo trip and wanted to treat myself to a nice lunch - Curry Leaf Café was perfect! I had the Mushroom Thali which was tasty - the daal was probably my least favourite thing on the plate but everything else had well balanced flavours. Service was quick and friendly.

Lovely little place serving the most delicious Indian food. The jackfruit biryani is almost as good as my mum’s biryani. I would definitely recommend eating here for some authentic desi food.

Friendly staff and great atmosphere.

Street food at its best..table booked for 6pm...by 7.15 the place was rammed...proves the taste, service and atmosphere wins wins wins

Really loved this place! We sat in a cosy corner by the window. Service was great, very quick and friendly. We had the thali which was delicious and so reasonably priced. The mango masala margarita was so good! As was the craft beer. Highly recommend and will definitely be returning!

Not the most authentic Indian food, fusion gone wrong.. we had the snack platter where there was just too much batter on everything

We had a great family meal. The service was friendly. The food was amazing. I have been to this place about 5 times, and have never been disappointed. This place is one of the very few good Indian restaurants in Brighton.

nice tea, nice food, even gave us discounts, nice decorations

Amazing food and great customer service.

Delicious food served quickly and with friendly staff. The food here is delicious. The lunch thali was excellent. Really great flavours with some great dips and sides. Chicken curry was a lot more delicate in flavour. The paneer was amazing - similar to a butter chicken in taste.

Excellent food and service and amazing value for money as always Just did 4 for atmosphere cos was so quiet as wet lunch time in the middle of the week sure if busier would have been a huge 5

Dhal was delicious, aubergine bhaji was delightful, mushroom Manchurian not so good. Would still recommend takeaway option, very quick friendly service

Amazing food on Saturday night! Loved it, Will be back again! Many Thanks Barrie

The vegan cheese and chilli naan is a must try!

The quality of food and flavour was good. Not large portions but adequate. The staff did not engage and had little humour. They served without and engagement. Our first taste of street food but to me it is just a middle class fashion. I wouldn’t say not to go as the food was good if street food is your wish. I wish them well but I’m sure they won’t be disappointed to know we would not return on our next visit. I think had the staff been a bit more upbeat to help the experience the evening could have been a success

Happened upon The Curry Leaf Cafe and delighted to have done so. Friendly, cheerful welcome and service throughout, creating an overall chilled but vibrant atmosphere. A good choice on the menu, all very reasonably priced. Opted for a Thali Platter (lamb). A tasty combination of dishes and perfect portion size. Also a good choice of local ales, lagers, ciders. A wonderful find and a definite for a return visit.

My partner and I are visiting Brighton and decided to have dinner here. We couldn’t have found a better restaurant! The food was amazing, they catered very well for vegans and the staff were lovely. Highly recommend visiting.

Even though the restaurant was full it was very quiet and peaceful but not to an extent where the silence was loud. This was perfect for me and my friend as we were over stimulated from the busy city on a Saturday evening. The food was really nice and cheap but was lacking in spice. We were waited on very quickly which was nice until the end where we were waiting for fifteen minutes for our bill. The restaurant it’s self is very pretty and decorated with lots of small trinkets very appealing to the eye.

Great Daal and drinks. Waiter was very chatty and provided great service

Absolutely delicious, will be going back! Everything we ordered was fantastic and they made up a alcohol free cocktail for me

First visit here - warm welcome from friendly, laid back staff. Delicious food. Will definitely vist again. Recommend

When we ate here last year the food was outstanding. This time portions seemed smaller and not so tasty but what we ordered the last time wasn't on the menu and that's not a bad thing. Great service and venue.

Awful service, would have been nice to be acknowledged for almost 30 mins sitting there waiting to even take a drink order. The restaurant wasn't even full, the staff looked moody and seemed tge customers were an inconvenience. We walked out and no one even noticed. We went down to Nooris and got acknowledged instantly with brilliant service and food.

Lovely staff and great food. It would be lovely to see thali back into the menu, and gorgeous tea in glass.

Lovely atmospheric cafe (feels more like a restaurant) with great tasting food and presentation. Left feeling quite full afterwards.

Love this place so much, food is great - especially for vegan and gluten free. Service is great and place is really well decorated. Everything looks beautiful and the staff are super helpful.

Brilliant food, fairly quiet and good service. This hidden gem is a wonderful place to eat. The food comes in very large portions, rather pricey but well worth it

If you’re Indian/South Indian, please skip this place for your own sake. One of the worst tasting foods. Actually they don’t understand what a sizzler, pao etc. even means so taste becomes a secondary issue.

Bland and boring. Plus the food has gone downhill considerably on the last year. Hardly any flavour in the Lamb thali and was like eating a watery lamb stew. The place is a bit grubby and could do with a clean especially the toilets. Photos show a comparison with the food in 2023 and 2022. Much smaller potions too. The beer was OK.

Poor food quality, when your 'sizzling dish' is presented warm, that's not a good sign. When the waiter comments "it's come a long way"!!! I'm not going to recommend eating there.

Had the thali. Was basically boring and bland. And the whole place looks grubby and needs a bit of a clean. The lamb curry had no spices in it and tastes like a boring lamb stew. Shame because last time I came here it was so much better. Pictures are comparison of last time and this. Csn see that standards have dropped significantly.

If you are looking for surly service and tasteless food then the Curry Leaf Cafe is your new favourite. Came here years ago and was blown away by the inventive indian food - ate here last night and wished I hadn't as it spoilt my memories of this restaurant. One of the servers literally barked "what do want to eat and drink" at us. The starter arrived within seconds, suggesting it had been sitting in a heat tray, previously it had been deep fried but now just a warm lump of batter with something inside, the deep fried chicken was drier than the Saharan sand. The mains were edible but tasteless. Such a shame, wish it could go back to the way I remember it.

We've had years and years of lovely meals here. Just as good today too.

If you want fake Indian food and have never had actual Indian cuisine, go right ahead. But if you have ever eaten Indian food (or especially if you are an Indian), stay away from this one. It's really really bad. The response to my review is the exact kind of hospitality you can expect here:) Just because a review is critical of your establishment doesn't make it fake or bad:)

Needs a bigger menu but the food I did try was delicious

Superb can’t wait to visit again 😍

Went there for the first time, and the food was just perfect. My wife loved the food being her curry. But it was a bit difficult to find the location. Otherwise, no complaints and we would definitely be going there again.

The street food platter was an array of deep fried veg. There must be a lot of deep fat friers in the streets of South India 🤔 Waiter was cocky and condescending. Not great

Ordered dal tadka, paneer curry, naan and veg platter for takeout. Food was reasonable. Portions were smaller than other places in Brighton offering Indian curries.

Nice food, nice place, nice people, thanks for this good time!

We ordered a takeaway from Curry Leaf Cafe via Deliveroo after visiting at RSCH. We had read very good reviews about this restaurant although it wasn't our usual Indian takeaway. Food delivered in 35 mins in a traditional tiffin tin packaging! All packaging compostable or recyclable! Great green footprint. Food was outstanding! Traditional Indian cuisine (we have holidayed in Indian several times). No lurid coloured, sweet sauces - everything super flavoursome and authentic. Dishes we had - the Vadas, Hyderabadi lamb, Keralan chicken mappas and biryani rice x 2. Plenty of food! Enough left over for a Sunday brunch topped with a fried egg. Will be our new go-to takeaway!