Curry Leaf Cafe in Brighton and Hove

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.

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.

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

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.

Amazing food and great customer service.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Absolutely outstanding food it was the best curry we had ever had.

Just took a friend here for a Birthday and the place was excellent. The staff were great and even brought abirthday cake with a candle. The food was delicious.

Best curry in Brighton. Always good, always consistent with great service.

The dining experience fell short of expectations. The food lacked flavor, arrived lukewarm, and portions were insufficient. Additional charges for everything felt excessive. But I'd like to end on a positive note - the staff is very attentive and friendly, and the ambiance is delightful.

We loved our experience here. The service was absolutely fantastic, the staff were lovely. The food was amazing and well priced. We would definitely recommend Curry Leaf Cafe!

Awful curry...tasted like they used stock cubes, everything was bland as hell. Overpriced and they had the cheek to add an optional service charge...If its optional then let the customer decide if they want to add it to the bill. Waste of money

Stumbled on by accident, couldn't have been more pleased. Delicious Hyderabadi lamb and biryani rice, and mango chutney where you can taste the mango 👌

Still our favourite place to go for curry, beer and wine. Chicken and lamb curries amazing. Pea and sweetcorn starter wonderful flavours. We will be back, again... and again!

My husband, I and sister in law enjoyed a fabulous meal. We had chicken thighs, mushroom masala, coriander and onion rice and Bombay potatoes and beach bum ice creams for dessert. Plus, 2 rounds of Porn Star martini cocktails. We cleaned our plates, definitely could have seconds. Food was soo flavourful, absolutely delicious. Staff team were young, well trained, courteous and friendly. A place we will definitely go to again.

This place is just fabulous. The welcome is always warm, and even though they are busy they are always friendly and fun. The menu is excellent, always delicious and really interesting.

Went here due to the Masala Tea on their menu. It was misleading to say the least. It wasn’t brewed tea, but readymade and tepid, therefore completely disappointing. Also, it took the waitstaff 15 minutes to take our order and 30 minutes to serve the tea. (There were barely 4 people in the restaurant) Needless to say we didn’t want to wait any further to try anything else. The ambiance is good. Just wish they will try to be more authentic in their menu and recipes.

The only redeeming feature of the evening was the Mango Lassi. My "no mushrooms", request was not heard & deep fried mushrooms arrived. My "Dahl was so salty" was ignored. The staff smiled a lot but we're unresponsive. The bill was enormous (£94 inc' 3 beers + 3 lassis) given the sameness of the (platter) few items (ltd variety) deep fried in batter that were the platter. The birthday girl had chosen the venue so we didn't want to make a fuss & were hungry!! When asked "how was the meal" our blank stares were ignored. I would never go there again.

Very disappointing, I do not understand why they have such good reviews! The food was below average, the stuff smiling but ignored our request not to give us mushrooms . We were clearly not happy with the food but they just carry on smiling and gave us a bill. Expensive too! Never again.

Good atmosphere, friendly staff and interesting food. We had the street food platter which was a nice change from the usual Indian restaurant offerings. Would recommend

We had a lovely dinner, would have been perfect if there had been some more veg on a street food platter, it was very deep fried but still delicious. Great value for money

It is very possibly the best Indian food I've ever had. Go..

Definitely worth a visit for a filling, flavoursome lunch! We visited for lunch (13:00) on a sunny Saturday. Plenty of space for walk-ins. We ordered from the lunch menu. Keralan Chicken Thali (£16.95) and Hyderabadi Lamb Thali (£18.50). Food came quickly, plenty of it, and tasty. Would definitely get it again! It is a little pricey so be prepared to attend over £15 for a large lunch! We also got the Mango Lassi which was a reasonable price (£3.95). Taste wise it was nothing special but a good enough lassi!

Disappointed, portion size is very small, I will not return. Taste is average but the size of portion is very poor compared to the price they charge. Staff were nice and helpful.

Excellent low key Indian Restaurant. Café doesn't do it justice. Friendly atmosphere, attentive staff, quality food and beer.

Loved the food.. No complaint.. I loved the ambience.. A feel of sitting in India..

Delicious food, outstanding service. I'm not big on Indian cuisine but this was a revelation. Staff are super friendly and you can tell they really want you to enjoy your meal. They even brought out a taster for me to try the spice level of a dish I was considering

It’s awful taste overall, Dosa wasn’t good and paneer Thaili was pretty okize. however cocktail was fine 👍🏻 Food dressing fine but chef definitely needs to workout on taste part. Definitely I won’t recommend desi food here.

Un indien "bobo" qui change un peu de l'ordinaire. Décoration et ambiance moderne et sympa. Très bon choix de bière artisanale. Très bons plats et service sympathique. Je ne mets pas la meilleure note en cuisine, car le menu enfant était épicé, et rares sont les enfants de 3/4 ans qui acceptent les plats pimentés. À revoir sur ce point là.

Disappointed. Dosa was bland. Paneer thali luke warm - and the rice, potatoes and naan seemed like they could have been supermarket food heated up in microwave. Restaurant is a bit grubby too. Chef popped out for a smoke at the front. Left a bad taste in my mouth - literally.

Good Indian food and quick service .

Good Indian fusion food. And their selection of beers is top-notch!

Came here for anniversary meal and it was just delicious. Had a papad and chutney nibbles and bhajis starter and then prawn sizzling thing and lamb thing with rice (sorry for saying thing it’s just I can’t remember names of the dishes) it was absolutely gorgeous. Couple of lovely masala margaritas as well - two starters, two mains with sides, and two cocktails all in at under £80 something I think. Quality was excellent. Just excellent. Oh and stacks of gluten free and vegan / dairy free options. Perfect for choice.

Our waiter’s humour made up for this restaurant not being halal. All their veggie and seafood dishes were great!

Friendly staff. Terribly dry naan . We asked for it to be taken off the bill (which it was). The rice was not that great. Pretty good curry. We had been here a few years ago and loved it, but not tonight.

Though they say South Indian, the taste is not upto the mark. The curry is not blended well. I think they are using ready-made curry paste available in Supermarkets. At the end of food they don't serve any peppermint or sweet for digestion. In the Thali don't know why they have to keep Pickle or Mango concentrate -Its not going well with other dishes. But the ambience and service is great. It could become talk of the town if they hire a good South Indian chef. Too much of turmeric that's also not good. Not a good value for money.

Great place, lovely children's menu.

We got seated very quickly and the staff were friendly enough. I ordered a lamb curry, one rice to share, naan. My partner ordered a vegetarian dhal. We were recommended the most expensive beer on the menu at £7.50 a pint, if we had known that, we never would’ve ordered them. My lamb curry was a disgrace. 4 small pieces of lamb, that’s it! At £14.50 this was ridiculous. The sauce tasted of tomato soup and my partner could taste a lamb stock cube. You do not use stock cubes in a curry. The rice tasted like a basmati microwave packet rice. The naan however was very nice and the highlight of the dish. Very expensive, £50 for two and they sneakily smacked on a service charge too! Which was not advertised anywhere!

Cute. Clean. Quick. Very tasty Indian food, everything we ordered was lovely!

Nice decor and atmosphere, but the food was not authentic as some reviews state. Having been in the catering business in Indian food in my early career, the food was way off the mark. Don't try the Calamari at all - super greasy and not battered properly. The pale ale was very good, though.

I went here—at least to an Indian restaurant in this exact location—a few years ago since when its become much more stylish. What I went to yesterday, is tastier, both the ambience and the food. And there were no issues about lingering. What more can you ask. Pop in.

Great place to eat . A very helpful staff member helped me choose a meal and he was spot on. Would reccomend this for a all round good eating experience .

Modern Indian restaurant, authentic with a touch of traditional India and a hint of individuality. Calming interior, nicely presented food, mouth watering menu, plenty of choices, I had a loaded Naan, Chicken hariyali, Tadka daal, my pal had Hyderabadi Lamb the food looked as good as it tasted. Superb service, nice atmosphere. A popular restaurant in the centre of Brighton. Good size portions and an equally good drinks menu including teas and sussex gin to say the least.

Really lovely food and atmosphere

Foolishly came down to Brighton from London on a hot summer's day - it was heaving with visitors, as congested as trying to get in to the Emirates Stadium for an Arsenal home match. Needing somewhere for lunch, and with Riddle and Finns on Brighton seafront being rather snooty concerning solo diners (with virtually all tables inside being empty to boot) decided to look for a "chippy" to sample Brighton's claim of having the best fish and chips in the country. None I saw seemed very appealing so decided to walk through the Lanes en route to a Fish and Chips place north of the railway station that had been recommended to me. In one of the very few lanes that was relatively quiet I came across Curry Leaf Cafe, which appeared to be about half-full with non-touristy punters. Decided to go in, was warmly welcomed by the young waitress and I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience of eating there. The ambience was great, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, service was excellent and my chosen lunch option - the Lamb Thali - was very good. A mango lassi and pint of a Sussex brewed beer went well with the food. This is a jolly place and I would happily eat here again if I were in Brighton.

We recently visited Curry Leaf to celebrate my daughter's graduation. The staff were wonderful, the atmosphere was relaxed and the food was absolutely delicious 😋 I said at the time that it was the best Indian meal I had ever had and my daughter replied that it was simply the best meal she had ever had!

Great food! Many vegetarian options available! Very pleasant prices. Chocolate orange cake is amazing.

We visited here during our stay at The Old Ship as it is literally around the corner. It’s small and cozy with great staff and the food was great and a little different to your usual standard Indian. We will definitely visit again in the future.

Best food I have ever had in Brighton!! So much flavour, so much atmosphere and just so much fun. We came for a Hen-do but I am booking it for my graduation as well since the food was so good. It is great for the price and the deals are amazing - feeding you and your friends for cheaper. Vegans and Vegetarians are equally as happy as meat eaters here! I love it!

Good spot for a small plates lunch. Often not busy after 2pm on a Sunday.

One of my favourite restaurants in brighton. The food is soooo good and cooked brilliantly every time. Such a lovely vibe in there and great prices for central!

Absolument parfait, une cuisine raffinée et pleine de saveurs.

Cadre sympa, petite déco appréciable. Aucune option pour les personnes qui ne mangent pas piquant. Je trouve ça hyper égoïste de votre part... j'ai mangé du riz blanc + des frites. Super 😆

Please read this all before you decide. When I arrived I thought I had made a mistake in my choice of dining for tonight. But I was welcomed in by friendly staff, shown to a table and given some water. The atmosphere was fantastic. I ordered a drink, and then after a few minutes ordered my food. Now the wait on the food was a long one for me. (Not to say it is always long as i saw other tables get their food quickly). When I asked about the wait I was given an apology and a free starter. Free food is always a win in my book, and during the wait time I was having a nice conversation with the staff about the latest TV shows we had been watching. After some time my food. Came out, and I asked about the side I asked for. The waiter polite told me that he had forgotten to add it and that he would get it now. As it was not added to the bill I said it was fine and to not worry about it. Then i was offered a drink in compensation for the missing side. I told them it was OK and not to worry, but they felt bad and said it was the least they could do. Now who am I to refuse a free drink. So even though mistakes were made, we are all human (yes even restaurant staff). I was taken a back by the level of customer service by all the staff there. And I had a great time. So much so that I wanted to give a tip and was told it s not necessary. So to some up, GREAT food, GREAT atmosphere, GREAT staff. I highly recommend this place and I hope to come back to Brighton soon to come back here.

I’m not sure what has happened since this restaurant won its award but very underwhelming. The starters were just ok. Nothing to write home about. The main issue was the mains. Prawns at £25. An absolute rip off. Minuscule shelled prawns like they were from the chiller in Tesco sat on a bed of inedible thickly chopped and undercooked onions reminiscent of a dodgy burger stand outside a football stadium. No thought gone into their prep whatsoever. Are they just for show? For 25 quid!!?? Dry ‘Indian meal deal for two’ style nan bread with a bizarre and not very pleasant beetroot dip. Hyper bland and dry paneer also a miserable and overpriced dish. A lot of punters in there seemingly content. I suppose there are a lot who are easily pleased. Indian Summer round the corner knocks this place for six as does Chilli Pickle. Huge room for improvement. Won’t be back.

The staff were absolutely amazing. Really knowledgeable about the cuisines and culture. It was so well priced and the food was divine. We're definitely coming back. The kids loved it too. They had colouring books to entertain them whilst we waited for the food... and they polished off thier curries. Stunning restaurant... TOP MARKS!!

The staff were absolutely amazing. Really knowledgeable about the cuisines and culture. It was so well priced and the food was divine. We're definitely coming back. The kids loved it too. They had colouring books to entertain them whilst we waited for the food... and they polished off thier curries. Stunning restaurant... TOP MARKS!!

One of the finest restaurants in Brighton. Good variety and great taste..

Genuinely the best curries I've ever had. Lovely staff too and great atmosphere

We ordered three different types of thali, one mushrooms thali, one paneer thali and one chicken thali. Taste was average. Only we liked the paneer thali little bit and other two was below average. Taste is not justifying the prices.

The food here is lovely, however we’ve recently had two take aways where they forgot some major elements of one of the dishes - the biryani. They sent the rice, but not the curry and not the toppings, so this was obviously pretty dry and...

Really unique “new age” Indian restaurant. A good twist on the classics with pretty good food, excellent service and colorful decorations.

Simply delicious, friendly atmosphere, good service, lovely colourful decor.