Desi Old India Cafe in Portsmouth

Lovely Meal, great service from Jahed. Thoroughly recommend!

Definitely returning here again.

Brilliant food as always. House chaat and Kerala fish are my favourites. We were served by the lovely Sakshi who even made friends with our 1 year old.

Food was impeccable, service was very attentive. Top tier.

Lovely Indian restaurant/cafe. Food excellent quality using food quality ingredients. Really like that they used chicken thigh in some of the dishes as adds more flavour to the sauce. Very good friendly service. Decor stylish in a colonial way reminiscent of th Dishoom style.

Brilliant food, brilliant service. All round 10/10!

Best Indian restaurant I had in a long time. The food is full of spices and flavours. We were served by Sakshi who hosted us wonderfully.

Chai need to be with less spices

A great restaurant. Amazing attentive service.

Super friendly service, we were served by sakshi and she was very attentive and helpful. I would definitely recommend this place to family and friends, the food.

Just amazing!!!! Perfect. Best restaurant on the planet

Lovely food, really fresh, aromatic flavours. Great service, quick and friendly. Will definitely be coming back.

Lovely food, great atmosphere in the heart of Southsea, Sakshi looked after us very well. We had onion bhajis, paneer tikka masala, rice and corn starter - very authentic flavours. Reasonable price as well. Does not sell alcohol which is actually a nice change, I recommend the mango and coconut lassi

Good flavours and well cooked food. Great service and atmosphere

Everything good 😊 nice tea , very friendly staffs 🥰

Whenever I want Indian, this is the only place I order from. I only order delivery as I'm usually alone. Since I moved to Portsmouth in 2022. Not sure why I didn't post reviews earlier. But the food is always so good from here. Quality is good everytime. Packaged so neatly and no spillage everytime. Veg biriyani comes with a whole tub of house dhal. Chicken Tikka comes with salad and 2 portions of Bombay bread. Also love the railway lamb! Tasty, flavorful food everytime. And they don't make you wait long for delivery orders. Amazing

My son & I came down for the weekend from Yorkshire to take in some football. Looking for somewhere to eat. Came across Desi. Friendly staff, found us a table even though we hadn't booked. Food was great. In fact my son commented: "It's probably the best curry I've had." 😊

never disappoints in all areas.

Very well kept place and kind staff

Had a fantastic dinner, everything we ordered was delicious!

Our first time and won't be our last. Fantastic food full of flavour and attentive, friendly service.

First time ordering from Desi Cafe for takeaway. Even though my order was for lamb biryani it was chicken instead which was disappointing. Nonetheless, the biryani was good I cannot fault it and to top it of the dhaal was also very authentic. Overall you will not be disappointed with the food from this place.

Best Indian in Portsmouth by far. Me and my partner came across this restaurant and we haven’t been able to stay away since. Definitely recommend and thank you to the very great service from Tanvir. Thanks again

The food was amazing and the atmosphere is very relaxed. The service was perfect, our waiter was Jahed and he was lovely. Obsessed with the sev puri!

We've just enjoyed a wonderful dining experience here at Desi. Polite, friendly and helpful service from our waiter Jahed. All the food and drinks were delicious. Highly recommended. Thank you.

Wow! So so nice. Fresh, tasty, lovely spices. Best curry in Southsea. 100% going back

Such a lovely spot, my favourite place to eat in the whole of Portsmouth!

Amazing food and particularly incredible service! We were a big group for my brother's birthday which can always be difficult with bug orders however the waitress was so amazing at remembering everyone's orders and delivering them directly to the person who ordered that meal. Really well done. We had a fantastic meal, thank you!

Service is a little slow but food is really good.

We came here for dinner after a long day. The stuff was very friendly. The food was really delicious and we would totally recommened the restaurant.

Last Friday we visited Desi Cafe on Elm Grove, Southsea. This place has been on my radar for a while so I was looking forward to trying their Indian food. I want to start off by saying that the quality of the food in this restaurant is unrivaled to any Indian that I've eaten at recently and I would highly recommend visiting. The menu is modern, fresh and varied and the portion sizes are very generous. The decor is absolutely beautiful and the staff were warm and welcoming. We were seated quickly and chose our drinks, Desi Cafe does not serve alcohol so we opted for a Pina Cola mocktail & a 0% Peroni. We started off with some poppadoms & a chutney tray of Bombay Ketchup, Pineapple Chutney & Tzatziki. These made a refreshing change to your standard Indian chutneys and I'd choose them again over your bog standard ones as they were fresh & delicious, the perfect way to start your meal. We had a small plate of Sev Puri which was recommended to us by the staff, I've never had anything like this before in an Indian restaurant, we were told to eat them whole (I struggled a bit with this as they were quite large!) I'm not 100% sure what the filling was but they tasted incredible, you can't visit Desi Cafe without trying these! For mains we had... ⭐️ Konkani Chicken ⭐️ Karachi Karahi ⭐️ Yakhni Pulao Rice ⭐️ Bombay Bread ⭐️ Gunpowder Potatoes The curries were absolutely beautiful, the best I've had in a long time. The Konkani Chicken had a subtle heat to it and the Karachi Karahi had quite a kick. The meat in the Karahi was lamb which just melted in your mouth. The sauce with both curries was rich & thick, perfect for mopping up with the Bombay Bread. The rice was absolutely packed full of flavour and the Gunpowder Potatoes were cooked perfectly. Thank you SO MUCH Desi Cafe for a wonderful meal, I will 100% be returning.

Amazing!!!!!! No booze available but you will leave curry drunk it’s so good!

Astronomically overpriced tiny portions. The chicken tika wrap was tiny, barely the size of a bread roll and they charged £10 for this! A basic side portion of simple pulao rice was £6!! They charge at least double what any other indian charges for sub par food. Do not get this. Much better off with anywhere else!

Very friendly service (thank you Sakshi) & great food! Definitely recommend dining in this restaurant, especially if you like spicy original Indian food

Great food and service Very recommended

Excellent service. Food outstanding. Really flavoursome. Outstanding menu. Genuine south east Asian cusine. Lots of dishes to choose from. Highly recommended.

We have been to many Indian restaurants all over the world, this is one of the best.

Really lovely Indian food. Quite different from the usual. Staff were lovely too.

Amazing food, great service and beautiful restaurant

Amazing food and service. Easily the best place in Portsmouth for not just Indian food but in general

Beautiful food - best traditional Indian food in Portsmouth! Lovely atmosphere and decor, the staff are so kind and polite. Priyanka served us, she was so helpful and accommodating when we asked for some chilli’s and onions on the side. Portions were much bigger than expected and leaving happy! Definitely will be back!

Whenever I have guests staying at my Airbnb I alway recommend to them to go and eat at Desi's. This is a fabulous unassuming place. The staff are friendly and efficient. The cafe style restaurant is tastefully decorated with an "oldie worldie" feel. The music playing in the background is none intrusive which is a welcome thing as one can actually have conversion without having to compete with the music. Reading the menu is a charmingly delightful experience. And the food is delicious!

Sakshi was helpful and food was absolutely amazing

Very nice food would recommend :) thank you

Pleasantly surprised.. Would recommend all day long 😀

Was looking for a nice Indian restaurant during our stay in Portsmouth, found this on Google and it didn’t disappoint! Lovely little restaurant with fantastic food! The Karala fish curry and Railway lamb curry were both delicious! Everything was cooked to perfection, a hidden gem! The only slight downside for us was that it’s an alcohol free establishment, however the quality of the food more than made up for that.

10/10 food and service everytime. Wouldn’t go anywhere else for a curry

Food is amazing, service is great.

Absolutely best authentic Indian food would highly recommend, staff were friendly, helpful and excellent service.

Excellent place in every way. Beautiful decor, vibe, great service and a menu to die for. The Dhaal Mahkni is as good as Dishoom’s. Yes really! Delicious cuisine all round, perfect amount of spice and delightful, authentic flavours, fragrant, not oily or fatty, just divine. Highly recommended.

Food was delicious, we love the decorations. Lovely attention to detail. Great staff.

Heard great things about Desi, and it more than lived up to expectations! Possibly the best curry we’ve ever eaten. Everything we ordered was fantastic and the service for a large group of 11 was spot-on. Not cheap but you definitely get what you pay for!

Good here delicious. Onion bhaji tasty, salad dressing please taste. Railway lamb melts in your mouth, superb. Prawn chingri tawa tasty and prawns nicely sized . Please try this restaurant hidden gem of southsea

I like the ambience of the restaurant and food is tasty and worth paying the price, I think there is too much plastic in the packaging for takeaway.

Welcoming vibe and delicious food, definitely my fav spot💕

Delicious food, nice atmosphere and great service definitely coming back 💛🧡💛

Great food, great service, best curry Iv had in the UK.

Felt like I was on holiday in India! Delicious food and wonderful staff. Would come again just for the Kerala fish curry!

My family and I had a really lovely meal tonight. The food was delicious, and the staff were very polite and attentive. We will definitely be back soon

The food is always amazing!! The house chaat is one of it not my favourite dish in Portsmouth. The staff are really friendly and the place has a good vibe

Great food in a relaxed environment. Authentic tastes!

Really nice atmosphere and great food.

Great food, relaxing atmosphere, professional service and spotless in all areas of the restaurant. Would highly recommend

Beautiful, decor and food. Highly recommend!

Delicious food! Great portion sizes…everything we ordered was so flavoursome. Will definitely be back!

Good food and excellent service!!!!

First ever trip to Desi! Absolutely delicious, authentic Indian food and lovely service

Lovely restaurant, quick food and tasty. Highly recommend it. Only down side is if you have a large group the table is quite small but they catered for us and is understanble.

Super delicious food (the Biryani was the best I’ve had in the UK) staff are kind and charming. We really enjoyed the calm, relaxed and breezy atmosphere. The ceiling fans make you feel like you are abroad having a brilliant holiday! Wish I could give 6 stars!

Love it, food was really nice Will be back!

Went last night for the first time and won’t be the last. The food is incredible, restaurant is great, would highly recommend if you like high quality food

Amazing food, great atmosphere and fantastic service! Genuinely some of the best food we’ve had out in a long time! Just came back (August 2024) and the food is still as good as always! Cannot recommend enough!

Better than expected really good 10/10 recommend

My boyfriend brought me here as a birthday treat and I must say the best Indian I have ever had ! Hands down.

delicious food and super lovely atmosphere!!

Lovely and efficient service A different variety of dishes compared with typical portsmouth curry houses Tasty food but very over salted.

We had biriyani, sev puri and naan. Staffs lovely and friendly. Everything was nice especially the biriyani. It was flavourful and yummy. I always crave biriyani but never liked anything from any Indian restaurants across UK. Don’t know why the authentic South Indian taste is always missing so I and my family loved only my homemade biriyani .. but this one at Desi old cafe satisfied our craving

Worst restaurant. Don't use name of India please. I never got this experience and bad taste in India. Neither affordable nor taste.

We went on the of chance of getting a table and WOW! Was it worthwhile. I can’t praise this restaurant and the people who run it high enough. The service was amazing the food was the best Indian food I’ve tasted and me and my family will definitely be returning. It’s a must in my opinion. Thank you so much we look forward to seeing you soon. Kez!

This is a real gem. We'll prepared, flavoursome, delicate Indian cuisine. Great polite, friendly service. This is not your typical 'curry house'. Worth noting that alcohol is not served here.

Food is good. Staff are very friendly

One of the best Indian restaurants I've ever been to. Would absolutely recommend!

Such a lovely setting, fresh beautiful flavours and great service. Thank you.

This is a spectacular good experience. I recommend to anyone who enjoys Asian food. Very polite, and we will be back.

Excellent indian food, feels like real home cooked meals Highly recommended

Lovely food, recommend the Lamb Kathi Roll as well as Kerala Fish and Vada Pau

Food was delicious and really authentic. Service was quick and staff were friendly. Would recommend

Beautiful restaurant and wonderful food!

Our new favourite restaurant, food is delicious. Staff are polite and friendly. I highly recommend ☺️

My girlfriend and I are vegetarian and there are so many options for us, and all that we tried were fantastic

Terrific food and great atmosphere, would absolutely recommend!

Absolutely delicious. The House Chaat in particular was amazing

Servicing of alcohol would enhance experience but totally understandable if to do with tradition/religion

Very very tasty and very clean. I can recommend it.

Banging everytime. So much flavour and very attentive service.

Very warm, lovely and welcoming place to eat. I enjoy Indian food -: local restaurants around where I live, this is a different kind of restaurant but More authentic and a different feel - yum

Beautiful interior, stunning food, just lovely.

Delicious! I love the Kerala Fish 🐟

Really tasty, excellent service. Tastiest Indian in Southsea.

My husband and I both loved our food and the service was outstanding! It was recommended to us by friends and it definitely didn't disappoint.