Dhamaka in Bristol, City of

DHAM! That was the best curry I’ve ever had. We got the meal deal for 2. Proper authentic Indian flavours.

Lively place, clearly very popular with the locals- and rightly so. Great flavourful paneer makhani, obviously homemade paneer, and excellent naan!

It was a great place to have an Indian lunch when I was in Bristol. The person greeted us and was nice and friendly. He suggested the best items and also helped us to save money with combo offers. I ate Chettinad chicken and asked to make it spicy, but unfortunately, it was not. The taste was also not of Chettinad chicken so although it was palatable, but it was not what I wanted. The tandori roti was so so. For desserts, there were only two items and both cold. They didn't have gulab jamun or rasigolla or some halwa which I wanted to eat. Overall it was a okayish but not that authentic.

Outstanding, I’ve been here a few times now and it’s my go to Indian in Bristol. The Madras is one of the best I’ve ever had and they give you a great portion of meat no matter what you choose. Thanks Dhamaka!

Great service from Ranjana. She was a really good host.

Lovely restaurant, have ordered online a few times and finally decided to go in. Food was amazing, staff were very quick even with how packed the place was. Only real problem was the intense temperature, it was a hot evening and it could do with an open window or two, or perhaps air conditioning

I’d go as far as to say this is the nicest curry I’ve ever had. So tasty and fresh.

The chicken bottomless thali is good..available 12 to 4:30 pm from Wednesday to Sunday. There is strange rule even a child can't share this bottomless thali...which is a bit strange but I get the logic.. The male waiter (I forgot to ask his name) is quite helpful and must appreciate the number of questions we had.. The 3 small plates for 14.99 is good for the price... hari mirch tikka (part of 3 small plates )-- didn't like it.. The tandoori panner tikka ans Punjabi samosa is good.. Thali is quite good for the price...have had 25 GBP thali in Kal dosa which is not bottomless is quite similar to me in taste..but straight 10 GBP less.. The child rule should be relaxed may be with additional 3-4 GBP... That would pull even more crowd...

Great restaurant! The flatbread was addictive! The rogan Josh was scrumptious and well spiced and same for the prawn coconut curry too. A bit on the expensive side as the mains are like £15 for just the stews and no side but you can order everything else separately! Would go again !

Good vegan and gluten free options

Summary: I would visit again without hesitation. It was lovely 😊 We arrived for a late meal on a Saturday night in Bristol and this was the only place we could find still serving... and what a find! Food was absolutely delicious - we ate the Indo-Chinese Street food. And the pickles for the poppadums were about the best I've ever had! Staff were lovely and the restaurant is cosy and nicely decorated. We left feeling completely full, and took what we couldn't eat away with us in a takeaway box.

Delicious food, great service! the thali platter is super worth it!

Just had an order delivered through Deliveroo. Hands down the best Indian let alone Indian takeaway I have ever had in Bristol! Absolutely Incredible!! Will be recommending you to anyone who will listen! 🙌

Ideal for a tasty meal before a concert or theatre. We had two very tasty chicken birianis, served with lovely thick yogurty raita and a sauce which gave the dish a nice spice, and also ordered some very flavourful yellow dahl. There was more than enough for me, but luckily my husband was hungry and helped me out. We will return to try some of the other curries on the menu.

Greeted nicely, great chicken tikka starter, but the lamb curry was a big let down tough and overcooked with two big lumps of fat included for good measure, rice and naan were average. I've been to 2 curry houses in Bristol, they are not a patch on those in Bedford or Birmingham tbh.

My mom and I ate here when we were visiting Bristol. And it's amazing Indian food. It is spicy, sweet, also fresh and just so many different dishes! We had many small dishes and the rice pudding is definitely worth the try, amazing flavour. The servers were amazing as well, they were really nice and make a small conversation even when it's busy! It was so busy that they didn't have place when we were there, but they made one reservation for later that night, absolutely AMAZING. So tip from us; Make a reservation because this food is worth it!

the food is so filling and worth the price; i recommend sharing one sauce between two portions of rice!

Fantastic find for diner. Great service and excellent food. Thank you.

Estuvimos en Dhamaka un par de veces y nos encantó. Siempre venimos a Bristol especialmente para Dhamaka. El servicio y todo es realmente genial allí. Señora y caballero trabajando allí son tan amables y nos recomiendan allí biryani de cordero especial que era para el mes especial de Ramadán. Fue excepcional. Gracias a ambos por su hospitalidad ☺️

Dhamaka in Bristol consistently impresses. After exploring numerous Indian restaurants in the city, it stands out as a top choice. The food is undeniably excellent. Personal favourites include the rich and creamy butter chicken, the deeply flavoured lamb rogan josh, and the perfectly cooked chicken tikka. Simple basmati rice and the unique coconut-filled naan provide ideal accompaniments. The staff are consistently pleasant and helpful, enhancing the dining experience. The central location is convenient for an enjoyable evening out. Moreover, the prices are very reasonable, making it an accessible option for a quality curry. Highly recommended.

Unreal. ordered from deliveroo. Exceptional rice and appreciated the orange strands. Best naan I’ve ever had. Samoa’s surprisingly plump and evenly shaped. Nice bag. Delicious potato’s, would def get again. Great value!

Got food poisoning from the rice and they didn’t respond to my complaint.

Daría cuatro estrellas por la buena comida, pero el servicio no estaba a la altura, por lo tanto una estrella. La razón - Fuimos a Dhamaka en Bristol para almorzar un domingo, y aunque la comida era excelente, el servicio fue decepcionante. La bienvenida se sintió poco entusiasta, y la señora que nos atendió fue bastante fría en su enfoque. Éramos un grupo de siete, cinco adultos y dos niños. Los adultos pidieron platos Thali sin fondo, mientras que los niños tenían sus propios pedidos de naans y curry paneer. Desde el principio, se nos dijo firmemente que no compartiéramos alimentos, lo que entendimos como una política. Sin embargo, cuando la comida de los niños se retrasó y los Thali llegaron primero, los niños hambrientos tomaron una pequeña cuchara de postre solo para probar. La señora inmediatamente nos recordó de nuevo sobre la regla de no compartir de una manera que se sentía innecesariamente repetitiva, especialmente hacia los niños hambrientos que simplemente estaban esperando sus propias comidas. Como familia india, compartir comida es algo que nos parece una segunda naturaleza, y como todos los adultos habían pedido el mismo Thali, no tenía sentido que nos vigilaran por compartir dentro de nuestro grupo. Su enfoque vigilante y escrutinioso hizo que la experiencia gastronómica se sintiera incómoda, como si nos estuvieran microgestionando sobre cómo comer. Esta rígida aplicación de las normas en un entorno de hospitalidad, donde la cena debería ser una experiencia cálida y agradable, se sintió un poco excesiva. Ya habíamos pedido comida adicional para los niños, así que no se trataba de tratar de evitar pagar extra, simplemente se trataba de comer naturalmente en familia. A pesar de que un miembro del personal masculino regresó más tarde para disculparse, la señora siguió insistiendo en su postura, incluso citando sus 20 años en la industria. Sin embargo, su enfoque carecía de la calidez y flexibilidad que hacen que cenar fuera una experiencia agradable. Nos dejó sintiéndonos inoportunos y con pocas probabilidades de volver, no por la comida —que era maravillosa de nuevo— sino por el servicio poco acogedor. Una bienvenida sonriente y un enfoque amistoso funcionarán mejor.

Muy buena comida, posiblemente la mejor comida india que he probado. Preciosa variedad, porciones de buen tamaño y todo cocinado muy bien. Las momos y la chettinad eran particularmente buenos. El personal era amable y tuvimos una velada realmente encantadora

Great food, super tasty, friendly staff

Muy recomendable para nosotros, vinimos, comimos y fue impresionante 🤩 buen ambiente también, precio medio pero calidad excepcional, gran servicio

Best food had in uk. Enjoyed the food with my family.

Outstanding Chicken 65 (£6.5) Delicious Lamb curry. (15.5) The kindly changes my rice for garlic naan (£3.75) ... the naan could have been slightly warmer. Neck Oil (£6) Portion sizes were above average. Bollywood tunes were played at a nice background volume. Service was fine. Fab prices. I’ll be back!

Fui a cenar con unos amigos, fue muy bueno. Ambiente encantador. Preciosa comida, muy sabrosa. Precio razonable. Sin duda volveré a ir. Es mi nuevo lugar favorito para comer. Un verdadero hallazgo.

Without a doubt the best Indian food I have ever had. Absolutely speechless.

Look it's just really very good, regardless of deilvery or dinein, my only complaint is a minor quibble is they portion the naarns. Which is a non issue . The best curry I have had in decades.

Thali was delicious and the deal was brilliant value

Such a good curry and amazing sides! Friendly staff, would highly recommend!

Went as a business meal night out and really enjoyed it as a group, all the staff was helpful even with a not so easy group.

Am struggling not to give this a 1 star, I've visited here a few times and it's been good when I sit in, but I've tried takeaway and it's just horrible, the biryani was disgusting, my 4 year old nephew could cook better! I had the same dish I usually dine in with but had it for takeaway and it tasted so different. Hugely disappointed as was looking forward for this

Went to this amazing place, great food, spicy for me and delivered and very tasty with great portions, have to say the staff were really friendly, attentive and made the whole experience really nice. Atmosphere was kicking, very busy and definitely coming back.

Lunchtime Chicken Thali selection was really nice. Will return for sure.

Amazing food. Our favourite Indian in Bristol. Thank yooouu!

Genuinely the best curry in Bristol

Ate the bottomless thali today for lunch - fantastic food at a really good price for a very filling meal. Delicate spicing but with deep flavours - very impressive. I will be back!

Came here for dinner on 29th January, food was amazing and staff very helpful and friendly. I had the vegan kofta which I would highly recommend. Can’t wait to come back again soon 😃

Tasty food but poor service. Main meal brought to our table before we’d finished starter. Staff couldn’t be bothered to walk to the other end of the table of six to place my friend’s meal down instead, passed to me while I frantically tried to finished my starter.

Lovely place. Would come again.

A delicious lunch, good service and ambience. Friendly and attentive staff . Will come back again .

Fantastic place. Definitely the tastiest curry I've ever had!

This is the best quality of Indian Food in Bristol. The recipes are of a local fusion variant and the culinary techniques, flavour, cooking, consistency, appearance, are second to none. Kudos 🫡💫💜💫

Wow! Probably the nicest Indian food I've had outside of Birmingham. Very spicy! Made really quickly. Friendly staff. Perfect.

Lovely food, amazing service! One of our birthdays and they kindly brought out a cake with a card which was very thoughtful and made our night!

Beautiful food and great service. So happy

The chutney was out of this world!!

Really lovely food and attentive service, I had the best Madras I can remember, I'm taking off a Star Purely because the Thali and Dosa are only a lunchtime option and the evening menu although delicious is not really street food, just very good well executed restaurant food. I will go back and sample the afternoon fare......

Onion Bhaji starter and Veg Biriani. It was inexpensive and delicious. So why only 4 stars? Well, as in most Indian restaurants these days, it was thin on veg matter. The only large pieces were of potato, which when you think the dish is mainly rice and potato is another carb, plus that it is an alternative to meat, it's not really adequate. I found one small piece of cauliflower, a few very small slithers of carrot and otherwise tiny bits of green. It was tasty enough though and I enjoyed it. The curry sauce was very tasty with an obvious fried onion flavour. I'd recommend it as an experience. Cheap and cheerful, pleasant staff and bright and clean decor.

Great food great service. The music can be a bit annoying at times.

Excellent food, great service from the happy staff, love this place!

We had our Christmas meal there and the food and service was fantastic. Great atmosphere and probably the best naan bread I can remember. Light, crispy and actually tasting of garlic and not a stupid size that will comatose you. Couldn’t recommend highly enough :)

A great find. We ate very early after a long walk and the delicious vegetarian food was swiftly served. Friendly service. I'll come again.

One of the best Indian restaurants in Bristol. Ambience is great, the service is quick and the staff is super helpful. Been here couple of times. Visited yesterday and tried day thali menu first time. The food was delicious. Would recommend daal makhani, butter chicken and butter naan and chats.

Great group meal here, well managed and really good food.

The food is perfect and immaculate. We were served by Ishaan who was such an amazing guy. I recommend anyone who wants to taste authentic Indian food, come here.

Fantastic street food style Indian food with a variety of options. Been a few times and the quality has always been great! Highly recommend as one of the better spots for an authentic curry in Bristol, but the staff will sometimes rush you.

Amazing food and amazing people, it was my birthday and they did surprise me incredibly well and I cannot thank them enough. Thank you so so much guys 🖤

We returned here for our anniversary and the food was absolutely delicious- fragrant and spicy and fairly hot (which we like) as well as having incredibly rich sauces. Even though the resurant was jam-packed, the staff took our order very quickly and the food arrively promptly. The staff were also very friendly and helpful thoughout. I totally recommend this restaurant for authentic, delicious Indian food.

Amazing curries. Vegan spicy curries are 10/10. Soo flavourful and actually spicy. I have a very high spice tolerance and struggle to find curries spicy enough for me. Side options are great too. You need to try the masala cocktail as well, 10/10. Hit the spot.

Went with a group for a mid week curry. The restaurant was absolutely packed so service was a bit slow at first but our waiter was very charming & friendly and his "special offer" at the end of the meal was great. Food was tasty overall. The Chicken 65 & Gongura Lamb were standouts.

Extremely delicious food! Must try the butter chicken and lamb rogan josh❤️ friendly service and warm environment✨️

Really excellent food, generous portions at a good price. The staff are friendly and attentive, the service quick and a really nice atmosphere.

We had a great evening - food was amazing , service was spot on and a had a nice busy atmosphere.

Had the Thali chicken! 10/10 Lovely

Exceptional. I just had a takeaway from here while staying in Bristol. Chettinad is my favourite curry in the world and they are quite rare to find. When I see one on a menu I have to have it, but always nervous that it won’t be up to scratch, but I didn’t need to worry here, it was just as I remember it, absolutely delicious. An incredible blend of spices, tender chicken, top quality. I would come back to Bristol from London just for this curry from Dhamaka. The vegetable biryani was also excellent, and the Bombay potatoes. This is top quality food, do not hesitate to visit. Top marks and sending a chef’s kiss to the kitchen.

Precioso restaurante amable. . excelente comida y muy acogedor. Estaba fuera por trabajo por mi cuenta y estaba buscando algo para llevar de vuelta a mi hotel. Estaba mirando el menú fuera de uno de los colegas salió y me dio la bienvenida. Muy amable y logró hacerme sentir lo suficientemente cómodo consiguiendo una mesa para uno y sentada. Gran decoración y muy buen zumbido Tenía el entrante de pollo tikka y samosa chaat entrante con un naan y estaba relleno. La comida era increíble y muy buena relación calidad-precio. Sin duda recomendaría.

Genuine Indian food. Mild, spiced, hot, the staff guided us safely thru the menu. They cater for gluten free, vegan etc and even have dishes without milk derived products too. Tastes are genuine and reminded me of my mum’s cooking. The starters and mains are generously sized and choosing lots of different dishes and sharing is the best plan!

The food was super tasty, all allergens are marked and the value for money was also great. I would definitely come again!

Great food great price service great perfect

India on your plate! Excellent Indian restaurant with the flavors of the country for a very reasonable price. Top service and speed even though the restaurant was almost full! We will come back with great pleasure

Hermosos sabores que coinciden con la descripción del menú. Buena elección de currys clásicos, algo de comida callejera y algunas opciones no convencionales. Uno de los mejores currys que hemos tenido y un servicio amigable rápido.

Me and my close friend were visiting the city craving indian food and saw the promising reviews of this place, being from the north perhaps we weren’t prepared to how cold and unfriendly the service here was going to be. We both had a drink in our bags already and therefore didn’t order one, they gave us cups for some water and we poured in our drinks. Our server had come up to us and told us that we weren’t allowed to do so a bit after we’d already poured it in which WAS TOTALLY OKAY! I want to preface that that was NOT our issue because our server explained it to us calmly and I understand where she’s coming from. As soon as she told us we nodded and since I was mid pouring my drink I tilted it back and was about to put back in my bag, I’d finish whatever I had poured out and leave the rest since it was already in my cup is what I assumed was okay. That was until suddenly a different server stampede over to our table and aggressively said “My colleague told you to put that away” as LOUD as possible and then before we could get a word in grabbed both our cups, dumped away our drinks and came back slamming said cups on the table and walking back with a strange smug grin. I don’t understand if this was some strange power play, if she had a bad day, if she had something against me and my friend or if she understands what customer service is? How was that the way to go about it? We were completely shocked at how not only distasteful this was but the lack of manners, maybe these servers need some formal training in empathy? The rest of our meal time couldn’t even be enjoyed because the same server that poured out our drinks was staring at us the entire time and kept slowing down everytime she walked past us, literally kept watch of us like hawks till the last bite as if after her theatrical humiliation of us wasn’t enough to fuel her ego. When we left she made a snarky goodbye too, I really don’t know how the pay is like here but she’s certainly not chipper The actual restaurant is layed out a bit strangely, it feels almost claustrophobic in here and with said layout it’s overstimulating to say the least with staff constantly marching back and forth too. Definitely don’t come here if you want any sort of relaxation and it’s not the place to “wind down” after a long day for dinner. The food was ok, nothing spectacular but not awful either. Gave both me and my friend awful stomach cramps after, like an abnormal amount, though we got food poisoning. The portions for the rice and naan wasn’t massive so be aware when you do order. It’s hard to get attention of any server even your own as there’s such a constant flow of traffic constantly. I see the restaurant has a habit of replying to negative reviews poorly akin to their service so I’m ready for the long list of excuses or blaming. Believe me or do not, there’s many great places to eat in Bristol with GREAT service. This just isn’t one of them and with the subpar food and straight up mean and vindictive servers I don’t see the appeal.

We ordered on Deliveroo, it was very quick but unfortunately the curries were incredibly spicy - we had ordered a chicken tikka masala (obviously should have very minimal spice) and chicken bhuna. Our curries must’ve been mixed up with another delivery which is a shame because it wasn’t cheap either, and was actually not edible due to the heat. We usually have chicken pathia from another restaurant and are fine with the heat for reference.

Excellent street food, terrific service and a buzzing atmosphere and the right spicy kick to the food.

Best curry in Bristol, friendly staff, good service, amazing food. Always our first choice.

Just had the chicken thali, absolutely delicious. Only second time here but each time has been amazing. Highly recommended. Day menus pic attached.

One of the best Indian takeaways I've had. We had a mixture of veggie dishes and they were exceptional. Highly recommended.

It’s more than just an Indian restaurant; Thank you for the outstanding service & authentic flavors. You made our anniversary an unforgettable dining experience.

Would really recommend this restaurant, if you’re looking for a good authentic indian food specially punjabi flavours you must give it a try you will fall in love with the flavours they add . Plus the hospitality is great the staff is really nice would really appreciate the recommendations they gave us about choosing the curry 5/5 . Would surely visit again 🩷

Sono venuta qui a cena perché mi è stato consigliato . Il personale è stato molto gentile e disponibile e la cena ottima. Unico neo per me è che è molto rumoroso come locale. La gente urla invece di parlare.

Very good and spicy Vegan Kofta Curry with Butter Naan and Rice

Extremely tasty food. It was quiet, which was an added bonus. I forgot to take a picture, but the thali I had was the best.

Small lunch time selection but done well, the two thalis were good as was the dhosa. Nice lassi. Good value for money.

Nice Indian restaurant in Bristol with ethnic taste eminence is also good.fast service. Please do visit.

Banging curry, great service, shots to finish 👌🏻

Excellent, gorgeous food - the meat was so tender and juicy but everything was top drawer. Lovely, friendly service and well priced too. Definitely one to come back to.

Amazing place and people defo recommend

Great food and really kind staff

Delicious food, great service and lovely atmosphere

This was my third time eating in, and as previous times, food was fantastic. All for sharing, good portions, good price, my friends were very happy (all first time). But we booked a table for 7 and they accommodated 3 and 4 on each side in a table for 6. I was sitting in the side of 4 by the pillar and I had no space to move, I had to eat with no room to take my cutlery properly, very uncomfortable. My friend tried to sit on the end and repeatedly was requested to move to the side, even though there was no one behind.

We had the lovely samosa chat and the paneer makhani which were both delicious especially the samosa chat. The lovely waitress, Prabha, was very helpful in explaining what the dosa was as we had never heard of it before. The service and food was exceptional and we will definitely be back the next time we visit Bristol.

Amo a Vinay Mandadi. Él es muy agradable y me da un montón de comida encantadora. Hi restaurante es el mejor restaurante indio del mundo. Me encanta Vinnay Mandadi

They had brilliant service lovely and polite incredible food enjoyed my experience very much very quick service recommend

Delicious food, especially butter chicken (sweet & creamy) & madras, and super nice service!

Amazing food full of flavour. Best thing is to ask the staff as they have the best recommendations. Atmosphere is very upbeat and nice. Staff are very friendly and welcoming. Definitely recommend chicken65, butter chicken on the house specials, and Dhahi pappdi chaat. They did an amazing surprise for my sisters birthday and even gave a card to go with the cake.

LITERALLY FOUND A HAIR IN MY FOOD. I ordered Chicken Karahi through Deliveroo and spent £10 odd on it along with delivery fees and that being my only meal of the day at 10 pm, while eating it I found a small hair in it. Almost threw up. I figured the serving was quite big and I could have it the next day too but after that, I had to throw the whole thing away. Absolutely disgusting, wish I had taken a picture of the hair but I was too distraught to even think about taking one.