Curry Leaves Indian Restaurant in Colchester

This has got to be one of the worst Indian Food I have ever had. The food was of poor quality, no authenticity in taste and received food which was not fresh and partially cold. There was inadequate service, thought the waiter was nice which was the only highlight of the night. Non existent atmosphere. This was a real put off, wasted my money and time. A terrible experience, My wife came home and puked her food and I god a tummy ache as well.

If you're in the mood for overpriced food, this is the place for you! I ordered *cut mirchi* and what did I get? A full mirchi thrown onto my plate, not even close to the actual dish. When I politely questioned it, the lazy chef couldn't be bothered to fix the mistake. Instead, I was told, "This is what we do—eat it or leave it." The attitude was as tasteless as the food. To top it off, the portions were ridiculously small for the price. You’re better off avoiding this place altogether unless you enjoy paying too much for a meal that’s half done.

So so bad taste I ask them to add spices in the noodles nd don’t put chilli nd when i got my take away i feels like im eating red chilli powder nd when i ask them to replace that then they said we are not accountable for the taste nd they don’t even talk to us they provide very bad taste nd very bad service as well as

The delivery item was the wrong order and returned back to the delivery man.Please help me to refund my order amount

Proper authentic Indian food 🤌🏻

Absolutely loved the food, they made everything to taste and the spice level was perfect. The service received was prompt and very seemless. Deffo recommend for a lovely night out with friends and family. There were limited options for Indian food without onion and garlic.

Visited this restaurant from just the reviews.. Was very very happy with the service..the food actually really tasted amazing! Have not tasted restaurant indian authentic food like this..! Will defo come back when in the area..HIGHLY RECOMEND!..👌well deserved 5 stars..

We had a fantastic dining experience at Curry Leaf! The food was absolutely delicious, with the Butter Paneer Masala, Chicken Fried Rice, Garlic Naan, and Chilly Prawns standing out as highlights. Each dish was full of flavor and perfectly cooked. The service was equally impressive—attentive, friendly, and prompt. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making the meal even more enjoyable. Overall, we loved everything about our visit and will definitely be coming back!

This is the second time in a year we have visited Curry Leaves, and it has solidified its place as our go-to spot for authentic Indian cuisine in Colchester and the surrounding areas. The food here is unmatched in authenticity and flavor, making each visit a memorable culinary experience. This time, we indulged in a delightful array of dishes: masala dosa, paneer dosa, gobi Manchurian, Goan fish curry, paneer masala, chole bhatura, and buttered roti. To cap off our meal, we treated ourselves to some heavenly gulab jamun for dessert. While we left the restaurant feeling quite full, we savored every bite. Each dish was a testament to the rich and diverse flavors of Indian cuisine, meticulously prepared and beautifully presented. The restaurant’s ambiance is reminiscent of being in India, in the best possible way. The decor and atmosphere transport you straight to the heart of India, making the dining experience even more authentic and enjoyable. The service was exceptional, with the waitress and chef being incredibly lovely and helpful, ensuring we had everything we needed for a perfect meal. One small plea for our next visit: if there’s no masala chai, I might just cry! Looking forward to our next dining adventure at Curry Leaves. See you soon!

This is a little gem of a place. Don't be put off by the outside, it is much better than you expect inside. Food was definitely 5 star, really close to home cooked food. This reminded me of my grandmother's food. Service was first rate. Our server was good with recommendations and just the right amount of attentiveness. Definitely worth the money.

Incredible food. Service could have been more attentive and better paced. Atmosphere could definietly do with an improvement.

So tasty!! With incredible service from Allen, who ensured we were happy the whole time. Would love to come again. On the pricier end but totally worth it.

I visited with my wife and little one. We always love food here being Indians. However, This time we experienced timely service by Jhanvi unlike before when visited many times and were served by other female staff. appreciate her service and passion for serving and receiving people well. Thanks. See you later.

Just had a fantastic meal here, can’t fault it

Beautiful place and absolutely yummy food. Being Gujarati and having food without onion and garlic is difficult in Colchester but chef Shri Amit Panwar made so tasty food.😋. Janvi who helped us to decide is great help. She is too good..thank you for filling out tummy.

We went there as vegetarians and non-vegetarians and found an above average taste! We tried as much as we could and found similar taste in a few of the items which wasn't very impressive. After the staff's recommendation we tried a south indian chicken curry and the chicken was very tender - good work on that. Chicken lollipop was a much voted dish.

I asked for a spicy chicken curry with Dosa and it was great. Full of flavour. Will definitely be buying it again.

Dear Curry Leaves Management, I am writing to express my disappointment regarding a recent experience with your restaurant. Earlier today, I placed an order and made the necessary payment. Upon leaving, I confirmed with a staff member whether the payment had successfully gone through, and she assured me that it had. However, after departing, I received multiple calls and text messages indicating that the payment had not been received. Despite informing the staff that I would return, even though I live 30 minutes away, I continued to receive appalling and unprofessional messages. This experience was both disgusting and disappointing, and it has significantly impacted my view of your establishment. As a regular customer I am deeply upset. I hope you address this matter promptly and take appropriate action to prevent such occurrences in the future. Sincerely, Jennifer

Beautiful food and polite and helpful staff. Will be coming back

I stay at the third floor the delivery guy is acting smart.. he was not pressing the calling bell and asked me if he should leave the food outside the building .. just being lazy .. never had such an experience

Great food, great staff and great location. Would recommend to anyone

Ate here tonight. Wanted South Indian. Dosa, spot on. Crispy outer, soft inner. Sambar, good. Chutneys good. Thumbs up and Limca on the menu is excellent. Channa bhatura excellent. And Punjabi samosa good. Pricing is on point for the food ordered. Staff friendly, service quick. Enjoyed the talk about mangoes.

Quick takeaway delivery, packaged well, naan and chapattis were okay but unfortunately that is where the positives end. The poppadoms were stale. I found the onion bhajis too salty although my partner didn't think they were too bad. Partner said the korma did not taste like korma, and it is was spicier than a normal korma. Vegetable bhuna did not taste like a veg bhuna, no spice and little flavour, I could not detect any onion. And the vegetable mix just looked like a frozen mixed vegetable mix (sweetcorn, peas, green beans, carrots). Pilau rice had mint in, never had pilau rice with mint, and I was not a fan unfortunately. Wish I'd read other reviews before ordering as I've never had a bad Indian takeaway before until now.

Service provided by Ranjana was excellent

Quite quiet when we got there at 8pm, asked them to put on background music. Serving lady was friendly and all our orders came out correctly. A man even came over to us when choosing to see if we needed help with anything on the menu. Could've just had a clearer menu as they had no descriptions and the formatting a bit off so some things were in the wrong section. Rice dishes were quite big (enough to share between 2) but I didn't feel my main (Tikka masala) was enough (especially for the price). For 4 of us, including soft drinks but not including service, bill came to £100. Don't think it was good enough to charge that amount but nice enough.

Absolutely disgusting.. had a spoon of it and toss it in the bin.. There were 2 good centimeters of melted butter / fat / oil on the top… we had safety concerns for our well being and toss it in the bin… please do yourself a favor and not eat this… see pics

Just enjoyed a wonderful meal at this restaurant. Delicious food.

AVOID! Very, very disapointing! I am one of the 12 who Curry Leaves have accused of running out of the resturarnt without paying on Saturday evening. Absolutely slanderous! A very false and extreamly damaging statement made by them, aimed towards a group of highly professional and decent people! The food its self had great potential but the service was poor and the food was bought out haphazardly and cold. Our concerns were voiced early on in the meal and with no change in the service an hour later, during what should have been an enjoyable evening celebrating a birthday, frustrations understandably grew within the group. We paid for what we ate and drunk; considering most people would have left without leaving any payment as the expereience was so poor and upsetting. An apology and invite back would have been the best and most professional approach. Note to the manager; Im assuming you rung the police as you have stated we "ran away" and "avoided bill payment", could you please reply with the crime reference number and i will ring Colchester police station to make a statement. Many thanks.

I was in the group of 12 from Saturday night. In fact I was the only person that got a meal - which was fine. However to have to eat alone (without my side dish which turned up cold an hour later) was not fun. I paid for my meal and drinks and others paid for the very little they had. We have eaten out together many times and have never experienced such dreadful service. The reply to our friend Rachel is extremely offensive, particuarly to her but also to the rest of the group. We did not get served as we had asked - it was very simple ... poppadoms first, EVERYTHING else together as mains/sides. Why on earth would I order my main meal an hour before everyone else. We left a more than fair amount considering when the rest of the food did turn up it was cold and inedible. Two people left early - a couple. The rest of us left pretty much together and were outside for while so did not run away! As for arguing with the staff - we were very polite and respectful to the the two young ladies that served us. We very carefully explained why we were leaving, limited payment and put the money on the table before we did so ... not thrown as claimed. A truely dreadful experience.

Best chicken biryani in Colchester 🙂 free car park was very handy too !!

I was one of the 12 guests that dined in on Saturday and I am disgusted that you are trying to defend your poor running of a restaurant on our group planning not to pay. This was a birthday celebration that ended in frustration and us all gradually losing patience. That is why we left at different times. It wasn't a co-ordinated departure to avoid paying. I also contest you saying that we ate the food. Yes, it was picked at in an attempt to get fed, but the the amount of whole dishes left on the table should tell you all you need to know about the quality. This fiasco finished what should have been a nice evening. Accept the feedback, take responsibility and do better. Alternatively, you may as well service your Deliveroo customers out of an industrial unit somewhere.

Worst dining experience I have ever had! Saturday just gone . Sat down and no one came over for about 10 minutes. When they did they took drinks and food orders together for a party of 12. Drinks came out but I had to request a glass. One main meal came out which was eaten on her own with the other 11 hungry people watching. About 45 mins later other dishes came out , well I say dishes most had items missing and one person got nothing. Food was cold and congealed. We ask for the manager several times but he didn't come out - too busy with takeaway orders apparently. We stated several times that we would not be paying but this fell on deaf ears. Most of the food , well the food that did come out, was left - I personally only had bread and water. Paid what we all thought was fair , so I put £5 in. The manager did apologise and looked disappointed but this was little comfort. Might be ok for a takeaway but I wouldn't eat in their restaurant again - well I say again, I didn't eat this time. Footnote - One of my group posted review and the manager has basically called her a liar in the response. This is incorrect , her review was accurate. We are all professional people and can afford a meal out, just we didn't get one so didn't pay.

We went last night, pre-booked a table for 12 of us, eventually. Poppadoms and drinks came, really lovely but that's where our good experience ended unfortunately. Orders taken, my friends food came out so told her to eat otherwise it would get cold. Over 40 minutes later until some more food came out - cold. More food cane out 20 minutes later, cold. My order didn't even come out! We were there 1 1/2 hours before mains came out. Asked to speak to the manager 3 times, eventually the cook came out and said he cooked the food in the order they were taken! Nope as mine was the first order and no food came out at all. It appeared to me that they were more interested in cooking for takeaway food, that was why our food, when it came out at least, was cold. We paid for our drinks, 2 dinners and poppadoms and left. If you have a large group please don't go here. Sadly we had always gone to The Raj where service has always been amazing but this was closed. I left staving hungry and angry to be treated like this 😩

Best I’ve had in a long time . And good service

Always had good food from here 👌

Very clean, great service and great tasty food! Our fav place for Weds .

Bought Chennai Chicken, it was moreover a mustard chicken, gravy filled with too much mustard making it bitter. Highly disappointed!

This restaurant served the closest to authentic Indian tasting food in UK in a long time. I really liked that the owner/person serving us took our feedback from the starters and accordingly made sure the tastes/spice levels were catered for authentic india tastebuds. They also do slight customisations to suite the local taste which tells how much they care about customer liking food and service. He further went an extra mile to explicitly say you can NOT pay the discretionary service charge and it will be totally fine. For the food and service we received we could not ‘NOT PAY’ it. Also good selection Bollywood tracks to maintain a good ambience. If searching for good Indian food in Colchester, search no more!

Honestly been searching for an authentic Indian in Colchester for what feels like forever. Mixed tandoori platter was amazing the chicken was so tender and each piece had its own unique flavour. Some of the best onion Bahji I’ve had and the naan is truly the closest to the naan served in India my husband has found. The service was helpful and attentive. The waiter recommended a lamb rogan josh and the meat fell apart it was so beautifully cooked. Heaters were put on without asking as my husband had put his jumper on. Will be back and recommending to anyone wanting authentic India curry.

Good experience. Although I think it would be best if there is an option to eat Indian food the Indian way by using the Hand. There is a fantastic restaurant in Tooting that do thus.

Biryani with no sauce, very dry, no descriptions on the menu didn't warn of this. Naans more like parathas. 3 unfinished meals (2 korma's and a biryani) as they were too spicy.

Today I came at 21:10pm and your manager gave us answer very rudely, he said it’s closed but i checked on google it’s showing closing time is 21:30, I can understand, I asked him for takeaway because I can understand to not possible for dine in but he was so rude so rude, if you have option of number 0 to 10 I gave you 0, because every-time I had a bad experience in your restaurant, staff very bad, food very bad, service very bad, I never suggested anybody, third class restaurant In Colchester, I was very very very disappointed, I know I was rude but I never apologise

the food was never delivered and the delivery status says it is delivered.

Food is diagusting. Everything so salty. Naan breads like cardboard. Couldnt eat it.... inedible

This little gem of an Indian restaurant is fully deserving of a 5 star review. I have never had authentic Indian Cuisine and I can hands down say this is the best Indian food I have ever eaten. Thank you for a lovely meal and experience.

Tried this restaurant with my partner as it’s rare to see somewhere that does dosas. It was quiet, but it was a Tuesday night. Service was friendly and efficient. Onion bahjis were amazing. I had a keema dosa with was amazing, sorry no pics as I just ate it. Partner had lamb bhuna which he loved. Will definitely be back there soon. Also loads of veggie options.

Very expensive, yet the quantity is very less.

Absolutely fantastic food! Highly recommend the Dosa! Absolutely delicious and lovely staff too.

Clean...nice meal ...efficient helpful staff

I had really good experience everytime I visit and they personally take care of customers and their taste preference and give their best service. Really satisfied!

I love the food there. Especially the masala dosa and the chicken pakoras were yummy. I didn't like the chana bhatura but my husband did. Lime sodas were too good. It's expensive for its quantity though but for the quality of the food it's justifiable. I have a few things to add as a wellwisher the service was good the price does not do justice with the ambience of the place. They seemed unprofessional(the way they took our order. The guy shouted our order to the chef or kitchen people just in front of us) and untidy(floor and windows and statue), I used the toilet and that place looked like some haunted movie scene. I will go back for the food again I am sure but the place is more like some cheap diners or takeouts. They only accept reservations but that guy he allowed us to sit in because we didn't know about it. This is one of the kindest things they did to us. So, Please work on these points. Thank you. P.s the food is HALAL and (they serve alcohol there too).

Indian food is absolutely amazing, service is good and fast, do visit if you are looking for delicious Indian food in Colchester.

Food was amazing special kudos to chicken biryani .Service is good with pleasant atmosphere.

Visited yesterday, absolutely disgusting service. Not a fault of the server but can see it’s the fault of management or owner as only one guy was running over everywhere, 6 tables in and delivery guys all were waiting for 25 mins just to someone have their attention. The food was amazing no fault in it. Kitchen was shouting for service the guy was running everywhere but couldn’t do much and can see that he did not give a flying damn about people waiting. Again one thing I possibly would want to suggest please use something better to clean the tables as the cloth he used was smelling so badly that It ruined the first 15 minutes of the visit as the table was smelling bad. Maybe a bit of air freshener would help. Going back only for food. No ambience.

It was never delivered. I want a refund!!!!!

really tasty and authentic indian food. Chef Adil and Chef Paul really do a great job at upholding the name for Curry Leaves restaurant.

The food was incredible. The chicken was melt in your mouth and so so soft. It was delicious and well flavoured. The naans were so good (Kashmiri naan & butter naan). Highly recommend.

Bitterly disappointed with the service, atmosphere and food. There were 6 of us no others in the restaurant this should of raised red alerts to us!!, no real attention, only one guy casually dressed to serve us, no real interest in us more so for the number of just eat & uber delivery services. We had papadums for start no onion salad, chutney or pickled lime etc, only a spicy tomatoes dip? after asking he said they run out of those ingredients, how is that possible, one of the starter was the garlic mushroom, more like chilly mushrooms it was too hot for one of our party who only likes mild, the samosas were not very tasty, so this was the theme, then the mains, my main of a chicken Danshsk was at best luke warm when I asked why, he's answer was because it was a big order, (only 6 of us) he couldn't keep it warm??? Personally I think it was already pre-made and just warmed up. I had an upset stomach that evening as well, so I was very disappointed with the whole experience and would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and I won't be returning. Terrible restaurant.

Firslty the food was ok, it arrived hot and tasted good, but due to there being no descriptions on the meals we were not made aware that their Lamb Biryani unlike every other resturant does not come with a vegtable curry, this was disapointing as what it meant was you were paying £12.49 for some lamb fried rice, i wouldnt order it again, had there been a description I would have chosen something else

I lived in colchester for 14 years Frist time come to this restaurant. I was amazed by the food .you can sit back n enjoy the street food /authentic indain home cooking .they guy Raj 👦 who was soul of the whole experience.loved his passion towards work great service.he was every where bless him. Give this place a go if you want to experience real india /pakistan

Order was received 2hr late. Due this food was quite cold and didnt taste well. Would like to have a refund for this order.

Excellent place, lovely dosa, great food.

We had a very special date night at Curry Leaves. They went above and beyond and the food was outstanding. Thank you so much. Would fully recommend and we are looking forward to coming back

Order arrived late. Food was good overall.

Worst lamb biryani ever I ate poor customer service.

Did not receive all the items I paid for!!! Need a refund please!!!!

Went there for a meal and it was absolutely fantastic, the chennai curry I had has to be one of the best curries I've had ever, the normal madras you get in most Indian restaurants pales into insignificance, you have to try the dosas too I'll be going back that's for sure

Went with a group of 7 to celebrate the end of a job. The food was full of flavour and service was good a friendly.

Twice I've been here with my son. Very polite and precise staff, and the food is lovely, best chicken bhuna, thankyou,really enjoyed the meal.

The food is amazing and also the customer service. They accommodated me with small changes I wanted to add to my curry. The bhuna is well recommended. I will be back again when I'm next in Colchester

It's the best Indian restaurant in Colchester, I am so happy finally a place of authentic Indian cuisine--great service and wonderful people 😀

As a Scotsman getting even average pakora in england is tough. But here happy times.

The food was fantastic. I had an eggplant curry dish, and shared the okra bhaji dish with lemon rice and tandoori roti. The flavors were full and unique and they served me just the right amount of food for a great price. Definitely will be back!

I had had food yesterday from curry leaves ,nice quality their curries and breads Kadai chicken, butter Nan, kadai pneer also .

I have been ordering from here for quite a few times now. Tandoori chicken and chicken kadai curry is my favourite. Absolute delicious.

Overall good experience however you guys should work on your ambience

Thandoori chicken, Hidrabadi chicken curry is my most favorite items

Hey…. It was a birthday of my child we had a good time there in restaurant we had mushroom pepper-fry chicken pepper-fry lamb rogan Josh chicken tikka masala Kadhai paneer naans biryani and lots of stuffs Thanks to kitchen and service staff for memorable evening ..😊😊

Our recent visit to Curry Leaves was quite disappointing, especially considering my positive experiences there in the past. The quality of the food seemed to have declined significantly compared to my previous visits. Moreover, the absence of basic amenities like water service and the lack of utensils provided with the soup were glaring oversights. Adding to the discomfort was the unpleasant odor lingering around the table and the unwelcoming atmosphere created by loud music. Overall, this experience fell far below expectations, and regrettably, I cannot recommend Curry Leaves based on this visit.

THE RESTAURANT NEEDS TO WORK UPON IT'S HYGIENE LEVELS. The cutleries were damn dirty. The floor seemed like it hadn't been moped since the innaugration of the restaurant. Couldn't find tissue paper on the table, at the reception/till or even in the toilet(the hand dryer was very slow). The staff seemed to be unbothered (can't blame them cause they appeared to be understaffed). The waiters lacked in terms of professionalism. They should be having a uniform. Had to ask twice for a glass of water. There wasn't a glass on the table. Was't asked regarding the allergies. On the contrary the taste of the food was quite good. Noodles, chicken curry, garlic naan and masala dosas were absolutely bang on in terms of the taste. If I'm in a situation ignoring the hygiene, this restaurant is the best Indian restaurant in the entire Colchester. The service was quite fast. Everything was on the table within 6-7 min of ordering.

Kindly avoid going here!The worst service I've ever had.

An amazing atmosphere with excellent food and amazing service, exceeded our expectations. Will be back soon

Worst Indian ever!!!! Food was cold and watery, no flavour, chicken looked old, rice was hard and kheema - Naan looked old, dry and green!

I had the pleasure of dining at this exceptional restaurant, and I must say it was a truly remarkable experience. I'd like to give it a very positive review. The standout feature of this establishment is their commitment to tailor the food to the customer's preferences. The chefs here take customization to a whole new level. They not only accommodate your requests but also excel in creating dishes that match your exact specifications. For a spice enthusiast like me, it was a revelation to find a place where I could have my dishes prepared as spicy as I desired. The food was not just tasty; it was nothing short of a culinary masterpiece. The flavors were well-balanced, and each dish showcased the expertise of the chefs. Whether you prefer mild or fiery, the quality of the ingredients and the skill in preparation were evident in every bite. The variety on the menu was impressive as well, offering a wide selection of options to cater to different tastes. From appetizers to main courses, each dish was a delightful surprise. This restaurant stands out as a shining example of culinary excellence. If you're looking for a place where your food preferences are not only acknowledged but celebrated, and where taste meets customization, this is the spot to visit. I can't recommend it enough; it's a must-visit for food enthusiasts looking for a delightful, personalized dining experience.

Good was cold and not very nice not worth the money and wait I would like my money back

This was an excellent experience. I could never forget the delicious food and the aromatic atmosphere. The price was amazingly cheap but there was no lose in quality. This is a must if you like traditional Indian cuisine

£7 for 4 bits of chicken and no sauce ?? needs a description on what ‘half’ means as people would assume it’s a smaller version of a full curry

I ordered Kerala biriyani it was excellent..so tasty and delicious…

Delicious food , great atmosphere, 3 of us really enjoyed the dinner and of course best service mainly Mallikarjuna looked after us special thanks to him we will back soon .

The food was really very good and the taste was very awesome must visit guys❤️❤️

Excellent place for Indian cuisine

I went to school in South India when I was young and still miss good South Indian food. The Masala Dosa was one of my favourites - we heard that the ' Curry Leaves ' made a good one, and it was really good. There could have been a bit more filling in the crispy pancake, though. Service was polite but intermittent- we were the only customers at 5.30. My partner's house wine was awful. I complained and they changed it for something nice. The atmosphere was a bit tired (especially the outside which needed a paint). All in all it was worth going just for the dosa....

By far the best Indian restaurant in Colchester, serving authentic Indian cuisine. The food was superb and the staff very helpful and friendly. I've been waiting for something like this for a long time and will certainly be visiting regularly. Vegetarian choice fantastic!

Unfortunately the chicken was dry

The Chicken Dum Biryani which came instead of chicken lollipops and naan was so bad in taste.

Like eating salt. Absolutely no flavour at all. The dishes were all the same. Overall a very disappointed meal.

Always great food. Worth the expense.

Raj was a magnificent host. The food was exquisite. I had dosa with chicken curry and onion bhaji.

Gorgeous decorations, great service, clean restaurant and amazing food! Authentic Indian food made freshly with smile on the servers face! Can recommend anytime, if fancy an affordable and great food near the town center!

First time trying Curry Leaves and would definitely recommend. Alongside the food the service was great too and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Shoutout to student working in the afternoon of 27/08/2023 very respectable gentlemen.