Haripur Wala in County Durham

Went for dinner tonight and the food was fantastic - but what really stood out was the attitude of the staff. They were very pleasant to us as you'd expect on arrival, but the way they dealt with another group of guests was what really impressed us. The party were drunk, awkward, attempting to order items not on the menu, being ill in the toilets...the two young men serving were consistently polite and patient with them. Customer service is hard enough at the best of times, but they were wonderful in a difficult situation.

My wife and I tried to visit last Thursday 30th Jan but although the door sign said it was open Thursday evenings up to 10pm it was closed! Very disappointed we were looking forward to trying the food. We won't be going back in a hurry.

I called today to book a space for myself and my wife. The guy asked whether I have food allergy. I have some lactose intolerance. The chap curtly told me that this is not a place for us. There is no attempt to accommodate. He discouraged me to come to the restaurant. The attitude is really appalling. Friendliness in a restaurant is a primary precondition for attracting customers. This is very much missing. I will recommend Alishan where staff are lot more friendly.

I regret to say that we arrived this evening for our reservation to find the restaurant CLOSED!!! This came as a huge surprise to us as we had not only booked in advance but it said both on the restaurant door and online that they would be open. Despite this being unacceptable on any occasion, we were especially disappointed this evening due to our meal being intended as a birthday celebration. My father in law had not anticipated spending the evening of his birthday stood in the freezing cold outside of a restaurant. Needless to say we are bitterly disappointed and as first time customers we have absolutely no intention to return. Avoid at all costs!!!!!!

Pleasant waiter. Unfortunate location on a quiet corner, upstairs (no lift) but worth going out of your way to see if you like the taste. Not like other Indian restaurants and take-aways especially the starters. Teenage son liked it, and now happy to visit India too. Went for the lamb chops which were unavailable tonight but happy with alternative choices. All looked and tasted fresh. Indian desserts not to everyone's taste but we liked it (warm gulab jamum with vanilla ice cream). We will be going back, with or without friends. No pizza on menu as per another review, one spiced lamb burger, rest of menu just "normal" Indian food.

The menu was slightly different from what we expected but every part of our meal hit the spot for us all, and between the 5 of us , we gave it a good workout. The place is very well set out and comfortable, it is upstairs so be aware of that if need be. We were warmly welcomed and shown to our reserved table and given drinks and food menus. Service was prompt , efficient and suitably attentive all night from start to finish so all was set for a good meal. Two portions of poppodums, not the bog standard sort but more interesting lentil chips, covered with the most interesting and sauces , which matched each other and blended perfectly. ( Imagine nacho's type presentation but better). Who would have put together mint, mango, tamarind and pomegranate with a deeply savoury chilli kick.? Starters were shared between us and were samosa's and golgapas, little round puri's with spicy potato chick peas and sauces - 5 little mouthfuls of perfection. The samosa's came with some really lovely and well balanced chana masala and mint raita. Main courses were achaari baignan, chicken korma and sindhi methi ghost - I had the last one. This was amazing well cooked and tender lamb, in a spicy flavourful sauce ideal for use with the naan bread which was light and fluffy and perfect. Highlight of the night was a biryani - dum style - which means it was a biryani baked under a lid to keep the dish moist. This was served with spiced yogurt and lime wedges and best of all , everyone shared the lid which sealed the biryani - it was the like the lightest crisp thin bread covering. By the end of the meal there was nothing left between the 5 of us, plain naan, cheese naan and saffron rice had all been eaten. There were no complaints at all. The restuarant seems to be finding its feet still in its first year and the menu changes regularly, and without a dedicated website its not always clear what is available, other menu's I saw on facebook etc were not the one tonight, So dont get too fixed in your mind about what you will have , but know that its all been fantastic tonight , and made us very happy. The atmosphere was relaxing and perfect for a quiet meal and time out, but most importantly go there or it might not last. The food was exquisite.

Having been here before and experiencing a nice meal I was more than happy to revisit this place for a birthday celebration meal. When we arrived it was quite apparent that the menu had changed since our last visit and not for the better. Choice was very limited with the addition of burgers and pizzas not what I was expecting from a restaurant that advertises itself as Indian street food. After ordering our drinks we ordered starters and mains. It took over 40 mins for our starter to arrive which is quite unbelievable, as by this time we were the only table in the restaurant. Main was at best average and very dry. in conclusion if this restaurant is to continue then it must decide what actually is and go back to serving the food and service it has been praised for in my previous review Can I recommend it? not really

Lovely food and a warm welcome I’ll be back very soon. The Menu went down very well with the family.

Friendly service and surprisingly menu offerings. Food was delicious, the street food starters were great, and the chicken methi I had was fab. Nice size portions, and not at all oily. I didn't feel overfull. Enjoyed the Bollywood songs rather that Indian muzak and would definitely recommend.

A splendid evening meal for six hungry people after a long walk. Lentil crackers with spicy sauce to whet the appetite - very popular. Great range of starters and mains, well cooked and beautifully served and presented. Authentic flavours. No fast food or junk here.

Visited tonight with 5 other friends. The only other people in the place was a table of 4 so not exactly busy! Maybe you’d expect good service and hot food with those numbers......no don’t be silly! After ordering our food some 30 minutes after I was told my starter was not available and pointed out one dish that was! A further 10 minutes later starters eventually started arriving but very slowly. The food was ok but luke warm at best. After 1 1/2 hours of ordering the main courses arrived again slowly, mine was placed first with poor portions and was already luke warm before waiting 10 more minutes for the remaining food to be put on the table! One pint of beer was put down as an apology by the waiter and when was spoken to about the delays and warm not hot food he said we aren’t a take away as if I should have been happy with the service and quality. I will never go again nor any of my friends or family as the service and attitude are terrible plus it’s expensive for what you get....go to Millennium on the front street if you want great food and good service 😡

Been to Haripur Wala as a party of six and we have come away disappointed. We booked a table for 7:30 and on arrival found there was only one other cover in the entire place, not great for a Thursday night! Drinks orders were taken straight away and we ordered enough popadoms & pickles for the 6 of us. What came out was two bowels of broken popadoms with sauce drizzled over the top, not enough for the table and certainly not worth the £4.20 they were charging! We eventually ordered our food and it took an hour(!) for the starters to arrive. When we asked about how long it was going be the waiter told us it wasn't a takeaway and the food was fresh! Fresh or not it shouldn't take an hour for starters to arrive, specially when there was only one other table occupied. Interestingly though despite the food taking an age to come, the drinks were very quick 🤔 The starters were ok, tasted ok, no real complaints there. The main course took another half an hour after that and despite the waiter repeating that it wasn't a takeaway and the food was fresh it came out Luke warm. The portions are small and to be honest my meal resembled a microwave curry for one, not an al à carté restaurant meal. Taste wise it honestly no different from the very takeaways they were keen to distance themselves from. The bill was £187 which for the food and the service we got was expensive. We complained to the waiter about the length of time it took and he was quite defensive, contemplated arguing for money off but by the time it came to leave everyone was fed up so we just left. In summary we won't be returning at all. There is a really good, established Indian restaurant nearby (that we usually go to) and that'll be where we go to in future, given the proximity of that place and the number of good takeaways in the area, I really wouldn't recommend Haripur Walla to anyone. Avoid.

Well we started with poppadoms and they were delicious. It took a while for the starters to come but when they did they too were tasty and different from the usual Indian restaurant. I asked for the special sea bass for main course and I was asked when I ordered regular or large? I asked for regular and when it came( after an hour!) it was minuscule. 3 tiny pieces of fish in a batter! That’s all- nothing else!! Luckily I’d ordered some potatoes to go with it. Obviously they had forgotten them and they arrived when everyone else’s meals were finished. I’d finished mine in 5 minutes!! Not good I’m afraid!! The waiter was apologetic but I wasn’t impressed with his service. On reflection I think we all should have ordered regular meals and put them in the middle and shared but this wasn’t explained to us. Everyone else in the party ordered large portions. It was a strange set up and I will not be going back in a hurry!!

My wife and I live locally and have been meaning to try here since it opened. We finally got a chance last night and we were not disappointed! The restaurant decor is really nice - modern, clean, warm lighting, un-fussy. Service from arrival was friendly, professional and attentive. Choosing a dish was tricky as most of the dishes were unfamiliar but we liked the idea of not necassarly knowing what the food would look or taste like. Everything that we ordered was delicious - fresh, clean and full of flavour. Portion sizes weren’t huge which we liked and service wasn’t too fast (or too slow) which again we liked. We will definitely returning and trying new dishes on every visit. A little gem and I hope it does well so that we don’t lose it. We’re lucky to have this type and quality of Indian restaurant in the village.

I was a little concerned from reading reviews about the service we were going to receive but actually it was excellent - attentive, friendly & quick. The menu is very different, definitely not your typical curry house. However it’s also not like other Indian street food restaurants I’ve visited in Edinburgh or London which are more ‘Indian tapas’ style. If you are looking for a Balti or a chicken tikka masala then this is not the restaurant for you, but if you are willing to try new dishes (that you can’t pronounce!) then you are in for a treat. The flavours are delicate and fresh (more like the food in south India) and beautifully presented. The decor is very modern - white washed wood floors & naked wood tables but the chairs are surprisingly comfortable!! There is also a private dining room. There is a flight of relatively steep stairs to get into this restaurant and I didn’t see a lift, so perhaps not the restaurant to choose if mobility is an issue. Only negative was they didn’t have decaffeinated coffee!

Idea of street food intrigued me and menu reading was different to standard Indian restaurants Having visited twice , I think the menu is over priced and service is over bearing ... our friends conversations were continually interrupted when there was no need Disapointed

We came in on a Friday night; despite having not a booking, the waiter gave the last available table. I choosed vegeterian samosa as starter followed by Nargasi Kofta as main course, while my wife had lady’s fingers (okra fries) and Malai chicken. Our starters...

Nice venue, disappointed with food, value for money and the service was poor. Group of four - we waited almost an hour and half from ordering for our mains before they were brought out. I ordered Nagasi Kofta, Bombay version of scotch egg - literally...

Visited with three friends on a Tuesday evening. The restaurant was very quiet but the food was truly delicious and the service was great. A hidden gem.

Came here one Monday with friends for lunch. The restaurant had only one other person in eating alone so it was very quiet. Half an hour after ordering our food I tried to find someone to ask when our food would be served but there...

I loved the lamb curry 😍 I also tried the chicken methi palak, delicious! Service is excellent. I really enjoyed the delicious food and friendly staff. I would definitely recommend it!!

The food here was delicious; authentic street food with lovely, homely service. If you’ve visited Dishoom, the style is similar. Tandoori prawns, lamb kebab, biriyani’s and daal were all fantastic. Nice to have such a clean modern setting too. Great addition to the area!

Since we don't live far away from this new restaurant, we had high hopes that it would become our 'new local' We decided to pop in and try it with family last Saturday night. Admittedly we hadn't booked but the head waiter said he could...

I went to Haripur Wala for a meal recently and it was amazing. The waiter who served us was great, really friendly and helpful. The food was great, the poppadoms (lentil crackers) and pickles were really good and not just the standard ones you see...

We visited in a group of 6 for a New Year's Day meal and everything was top notch. The staff were great - I think the owner served us to begin with and he gave us excellent recommendations, everyone agreed that their food was delicious....

The food here is very good, generous portions and lots of vegetarian choices. It is not standard fare, the sauces with the 'lentil crackers' bore no resemblance to the out of a jar chutneys you usually encounter. This can disappoint if you have a favourite...

Came in here as heard it was good thought we’d try the lentil crackers were very disappointed to find that it was actually a popudum cut in half with a couple of pickles £4.20 total rip off . Had mains opted for the nagresi kofta...

This has got to be the best Indian food in Durham! Tasty, great spices, cooked to perfection! The menu offers something different to usual Indian menus, but all tantalises your taste buds! The service was good and the decor is cool and contemporary! What’s not...

I went there last evening with my friends. Of all Indian restaurants in Durham the food here is a closest match to real Indian cuisine. Staff was also good.

Really enjoyed the food here and the variety of menu options. The Dosa was delicious, it’s making me hungry just thinking about it! Liked that the restaurant is outside of Durham centre, I did not have any difficulty finding a parking space. Great service, good...

Fantastic meal at this new restaurant. Delicious tasting plates of food, and a really different selection of menu items. Couldn’t recommend it more.

What a gorgeous contemporary restaurant. Extremely well decorated and immaculately clean. Its located a little out of the way compared to the usual restaurants in Durham, however it is easy to find and has free parking. The staff are great and very customer orientated. The...

Visited tonight with my son. Amazing masalla dosa and indian rice pudding. I cant wait to visit again. Best food since my trip to Jaipur.

Tried this for the first time and will most definitely be returning. Haripur Wala is a new Indian street food restaurant that has just recently opened on the first floor of what was previously the Salutation inn at Framwellgate moor Durham. When we first arrived...