Himalaya in County Durham

Good food but unfortunately poor service never once asked if our starter or main was ok or if everything was alright... when I told the waiter on receiving our bill abomy only complaint he laughed and said we are busy, but there was only 4 tables occupied out of 10 tables, strange retort I thought.

I've been meaning to write a review since my last visit. This is a warm and friendly restaurant. the staff are very attentive and the food is excellent. I can't say more than that really only to add that if you are in the area then it's really worth a visit.

Fantastic food, warm welcome and very good value. 2 hours free parking in Tesco next door too. We’ve been here a few times over the years and never disappoints.

We are regulars at this restaurant and have been good customers for years I had to think long and hard about this review but think people need to know some facts. We got a takeout last month we got chicken tikka rogan Josh. It was disgusting we had onion bhajis cut into them fat sprayed everywhere. Please also be very careful with your belongings when visiting this restaurant they may not be safe I won’t say anymore. Avoid at all costs.

We actually got the food to take away however i rang previous to our order because i am gluten free and the person on the phone was very helpful and let me know what was in the dish i wanted. We ordered the korma with vegetable rice ( absolutely stunning!) My partner had the lamb madras with again vegetable rice and a nan bread and chips ...it was absolutely beautiful the delivery was brilliant everything came piping hot 10/10 will definitely be back! Thank you so much

The himalaya of chester le street is the most fantastic restaurant it is small and quaint place very authentic Himalayan cuisine loverly staff tasty food you must try it the special menus is on Sunday to Thursday amazing little find

Fantastic food and wonderful service. Best Indian restaurant I've been to by far. Thank you for a wonderful time.

Never understand how you can go to any supermarket and buy 3 large chicken breasts for about £6 but when you get a chicken curry you only ever seems to get half a chicken breast or £1-50 worth of chicken when the curry costs £9-11… Why Does the sauce cost £5 per portion ( no )

We called into this restaurant one Saturday evening with friends and had a great meal.We had been here kast year and the standard of food has not dropped.We all had starters,mains, breads and two rounds of drinks and it was all excellent.We will return and it is highly recommended.

My wife and I had a meal in this restaurant recently and really enjoyed it.We didn't book but there was plenty room to get a table.We ordered drinks - draught cobra £4.50 a pint and both ordered starters and main courses.The food when it arrived was beautiful and it was all eaten - filled pepper with prawns, cheese/mushrooms/onions and peppers for starters.Main courses dupiaza and rogan josh with chapati and an onion nan.The only thing I would change is the time between starters and main courses - ask the customer if they want a ĺonger time between the courses.Highly recommend the restaurant - we shall return.

We visited on a quiet Wednesday night but the food was exceptional. The restaurant itself was lovely and light, and just a really nice ambience. Would definitely recommend

Had good meals here always but on Friday the 4th of February the food was exceptional as was the service the himalaya is back at its best

Takeaway - beautiful food. timely service for collection. Good choice of food on the menu and very polite staff

This is easily the best Indian restaurant in the area. There’s a good variety of items on the menu with some unique dishes not available in other restaurants. There’s also a good selection of fish dishes which was nice to see. All in all a great food experience with authentic, delicious and beautifully prepared dishes at decent prices too. Recommended.

Our first time trying this place and I liked the thought of some of the more unusual sounding dishes. I therefore plumped on the Goshtaba Dhaniwala Chicken; a dish of Bangladeshi origin, described as being cooked with green chillies, coriander and fresh roast ground spices, giving an excellent flavour. On arrival, it looked perfectly fine but I wouldn't describe it as having an excellent flavour. It was quite insipid and wouldn't set the world on fire. I chose the Bombay Pilau to accompany my meal. This was described as lemon, lime and fresh coriander. You could certainly taste the citrus but this was as a result of containing several small pieces of lemon and lime rind. I would have perhaps expected it to have had grated zest and lemon and lime juice to give it flavour. My wife had Chicken Cashew Curry which was pleasant enough. This was accompanied with Onion Pilau, also nice enough and we shared a cheese and garlic naan which was fine. Whilst this was a takeaway meal, the total price reflected restaurant prices and for such expense, the meal could have been much more inspiring. May be worth a try when restaurants reopen but it would have a long way to go, to compete with the best. It did arrive 15 - 20 minutes early, which was a good thing.

This is the second time that, having booked a delivery slot, the food has arrived more than 40 minutes late. Not really acceptable, even though the food is very good. The first time there was no discount, not even a deduction of the delivery fee; this time I wasn’t settling without one - the food was almost cold! Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be booking a delivery again but will wait until they are back open for dine-ins. Oh, and they only take cash for delivery (which, during Covid, is rather outdated).

Fantastic authentic place, great food and superb service. This restaurant is consistently excellent, warm and comfortable, good value and well cooked food.

Great food. Best Indian take away.

One curry was perfect the other slightly bitter. Odd considering they were the same. Delivery driver friendly enough. Will still return

Lovely food generous portions Well packed and delivered hot Was 20 mins late tho

Arrived 20 minutes late and the rice was horrible. Both were put in the bin.

Lovely food but my chicken shaslik was very rubbery and hard. Unable to eat. Everything else lovely though. A shame.

Everything was delicious, thank you so much!

Food was delicious as always best around

Have had food from here before and has always been good this time was cold and not nice went in bin

Excellent food, delivered on time, hot and really well cookef

My food was very cold when I got it im not very happy as it was a 35 pound order I did not receive any phone calls back as they said they would with replacements

Love the food and the people so much best food in Chester by far!!!

Food was delicious and early, really lovely delivery driver. I’ll 100% be ordering again!

Great taste delivered with a smile and conversation

First meal in a while, same great quality

Our meal was mediocre, they got the basics wrong. Only Just cooked greasy chips, poppadoms were soft and chewy and the prawns in breadcrumb were,for the price ,rubbish.

Missed an item off my order, asked me to come back to get it, said “do you want anything else? We won’t charge” but said in a way that made it clear it was an empty offer in the hope I’d say no. When I got there to pick it up I explained the situation but was looked at like an alien. Got my replacement missing item but when I got it home it had clearly been rushed through as it was bland and swimming in oil. Unfortunately not the first time we’ve had issues and customer service is always poor - except the young lad

Was the best Indians we have had! Taste was absolutely amazing! 5* all round. Thank you

Absolutely gorgeous love this place food always spot on and piping hot on delivery

Great meal would definitely recommend restaurant

Piping hot and delicious. Will use again.

Order was a bit late but not a problem still delicious

Haven’t ordered a takeaway fir many years until this lockdown Food was before time , hot and lovely, great service , will definitely order again Thankyou

First time ordering from here and the food was wonderful. Will definitely order again

Lamb was a bit chewy. Would go for Chicken next time.

Amazing food I will definitely be back! So glad they are now delivering.

Absolutely amazing food , was so hot aswell , came so quick , tasted amazing!! Lovely staff , definitely ordering again!!!!

Had a takeaway was the best ever would recommend this restaurant came on time and meal was lovely and hot

Been to the restaurant a couple of times and absolutely loved it! So happy they’re doing delivery now!! Definitely back again soon

Everything we ordered was immense! As good as sitting in. Now they are on delivery, hopefully they will stay that way because I wouldn't go anywhere else!!

Always lovely food highly recommend

First time ordering from here after recently moving and I wasn’t disappointed. Lovely food, very flavoursome, and really well priced. Fast delivery. Will definitely order again!!

What can I say great meal again

Always beautiful food everytime.

Very tasty meal- we will be ordering again but portion sizes are big so we won’t need to order as much next time.

I use the Himalaya restaurant on a regular basis and am never disappointed

Food was delicious and piping hot

Have eaten in the restaurant many times and the food has been amazing. This time the small lamb chop was so overcooked it was inedible but the rest was nice. I'll try again another time with something different

Couldn’t fault our meal which was delivered 5 mins ahead of time, piping hot and delicious

I returned to the Himalaya restaurant with a friend. When we arrived the restaurant wasn’t very busy and we were seated straight away not having pre-booked a table.We ordered our drinks, a cool pint of Cobra each and looked through the menu, my mouth watering at the thought of the food. We both decided to order from the 4 course set menu, only available on a Thursday or Sunday. We also asked for popadoms and pickles to crave our taste buds while we waited for the starters.We were served our starters shortly after ordering, we didn’t even manage to get through the 4 popadoms between us. I had the Chicken Chaat on Puri which was well presented and tasted great.The mains also tasted amazing, I had Lamb Vindaloo which was delicious! We also ordered a Naan Bread but I couldn’t even manage much of it as I was that full. Neither of us had the desert as we were that stuffed.All in all it was pretty cheap, the bill came to about £50 that with both of us ordering from the 4 course menu, popadoms, a Naan bread and 4 pints of Cobra. The staff were friendly, I have read a few reviews which have had issues with the service but I can honestly say it’s never been a problem during my visits.We will certainly be returning again to the Himalaya.

I love that it's a proper restaurant with tablecloths and napkins, very nice staff and Indian food that isn't too oily etc.

Always had nice nice meal in the past however tonight ordered 2 starters bhuna prawn on puree and chicken chat on puree. Why was there 1 puree and half dozen chips instead of 2 purees? Also very bland. Main course was Chicken tikka bhuna, again very bland with no taste at all. Although dont like curries too hot this did not taste of an Indian meal at all it had no taste. Wonder if there has been change of staff/chef. Will not return.

We occasionally use the Himalaya, and so far we’ve never had a bad meal until tonight.

A group of 24 of us booked for a 21:30 sitting to enjoy the Thursday Night Special of £11.95 (3 courses - starter, main and coffee/ice cream). The staff were very receptive and attentive. The room was smaller than expected but my group were accommodated across two straight dining tables, immaculately presented white table cloths, meticulous place settings and folded white napkins. Everything you would expect from a good restaurant. I just felt sorry for the other diners as my group could in no way be described as "shy" or "retiring" given the lack of space. We all dined well. The courses were served with "panache" by the waiters, who were very jovial and chatty. We felt we were being treated as special guests. I am sure many diners have also regularly experienced this excellent service. The food was of a good standard, hot and well presented but one of the party was a bit disappointed at the consistency of their main Bhuna dish, quite watery and a bit insipid . I must admit I tried it and agreed (I'd had an excellent Bhuna as a starter so had something to compare with) but they were not willing to complain to the restaurant staff so they unaware and not in a position to remedy it - not their fault if they are not given the chance to do anything about it.. Fair enough. All the party appeared to have a fun evening. A point of note, just a small one, please provide tea spoons for the coffees as we were scrabbling around trying to use the one in the sugar bowl (many people prefer to keep a damp spoon out of the sugar) until another was given to us on request and we had to request milk for the black coffees - which strangely came in a little round bowl with a tea spoon in it - a bit odd in my opinion. Just small points but it is the little detail that matter. However, all in all I'd like to say Well Done Himalaya you gave us a very good night.

While In Durham at a family event we left about 10 to get a cab and get food, the cab driver recommended the Himalaya as we was stopping local. Walked in to be greeted by a very stern faced guy saying you want food now! You can have mains only no starters! Customer service skills zero. The whole experience with his attitude was disgraceful and very disrespectful to the 4 of us. The food to be fair when it came out wasn’t too bad but the experience was spoilt by our server. I think he may need to think his career his certainly not cut out for customer service. I certainly wouldn’t visit again, I think a rethink of your staff is needed.

Just a warning about the Himalaya… Thought we’d give it another go, haven't been there for years, to see if it was better, as a friend said it was. 2 of us starters and main course £34.00!!!! to take out.Got it home, starters passable. Jans main course rubbish see photo just minced onion and one or two prawns, all tasteless.I got the tandoori cocktail, normally called mixed grill, with chips and madras curry sauce comes in a foil bag. Opened the bag, took the bits out and left the chicken leg in and sealed bag and put in fridge. Just edible tandoori, but pasty chips smelling of old fat went straight in bin.Put a couple of bits of tandoori something or other, that I couldn’t eat back into bag and put it all in fridge along with half curry sauce and leftover rice for another meal.Tonight I took the bag from the fridge along with the curry and rice to micro. Tore open the bag with the Tandoori bits and the chicken leg in to put on plate when I was horrified to see a large housefly crawl out in the open. The fly had actually laid eggs on the food in the bag whilst in the fridge, as you can see but the photo. The fly must have entered the Tandoori bag in the Himalaya kitchen. I don’t have large flies in my kitchen and the bag was only opened for a minute or so, before being put inthe fridge, so it could not have flown in in my kitchen or it would have been seen.I am quite horrified and it all went in the bin. I will never order from them again!

I used to come to this restaurant quite a lot I took friends quite a lot but the manager of this restaurant his attitude is appalling I don’t know how he is still in business and I don’t know how he is still the manager he needs the sack attitude stinks !!! I would definitely not imply him that is for sure

We have visited this restaurant for takeaway on many occasions and whilst the food has always been lovely, the customer service has often left a lot to be desired, often having to wait much longer than quoted to receive the meal. Today however took the biscuit. We turned up at the time we had been told to arrive for in the confirmation email to be greeted by a confused concierge who claimed they had not had any online orders. He then pulled out his phone and refreshed his emails to find that they indeed had and asked us to sit while they made it. Every 5 minutes or so, the concierge would come and say ‘just another 60 seconds’. Half an hour later and we finally get our food plus two popadoms which he made sure we know were ‘complimentary’ (as if two popadoms were this great gesture that we should be eternally grateful for) with a smarmy look on his face, probably intended to be sympathetic but came across in a way that made me even more annoyed. To make matters worse we then got the food home and it was all SWIMMING in oil! The tadka daal was underneath a good inch-thick layer and the bag had a pool of it in the bottom. Through into the mix that the curry either wasn’t what we ordered, wasn’t cooked thoroughly or had changed drastically and this was an incredibly awful meal.

Manager of the restaurant was disgraceful and the food was so bland. Would not recommend at all. Restaurant atmosphere is so depressing as well

Ordered the chicken tikka masala - it was like eating sweet, puréed children’s food. Wasn’t what I expected the rice was bland and the chips were not fresh, like the reheated 🤢!! Feel a bit sick as it was that sweet!

If we decide to have an Indian we always choose the Himalaya although it is expensive. We rang an order through tonight as it was Valentine’s Day and we knew they would be busy we phoned at 6pm to collect at 7.30pm. When we called to collect we Waited 25 minutes which is just ridiculous. No apology when we complained and it’s not the first time this has happened. They seem to have no comprehension of time and how annoying it is. It certainly puts us off going back.

This used to be a first class restaurant with authentic Bangladesh and Indian food tonight we were there for a celebration meal and can only report that the food was flavourless the menu disappointing with no Bangladesh dishes and above all served cold even after requests to get it heated up part of the problem is that they are using diced pre cooked chicken and adding it to unsatisfactory sauces very very poor if you want a decent Indian, for that is all it is now, go somewhere else

We called in recently for an early evening meal. The place is really clean. Waiters are attentive without being too pushy, food order and drinks were promptly dealt with and the food arrived soon after.Both our orders were cooked to perfection and very very tasty.This restaurant will certainly be on our list of places to re visit.Even better when you can park right outside as well.

We read all the good reviews online and were not disappointed. There was a little bit of a damp smell on entering the restaurant but don't suppose that can be helped in some old buildings.

Only ever had takeaway food from here but it's always been excellent. The restaurant itself inside looks very nice and bright. The staff are always very nice and helpful.As I use a walking aid they always hold the door for me so I can get out.

Been here twice lately and both times the food was tasty. Also, restaurant was quite full which is nice to see. Will go back.

I took my wife and mother in law to the Himalaya for dinner on Saturday night and what a lovely experience it was. We were made welcome, the service was polite friendly and helpful from start to finish.

I came here with my better half and left impressed with what we ate.

As above fancied a curry and decided to go here as we hadn’t been there for a long time. Went early evening and apart from one other couple the place was empty. Whilst there another two couples arrived but it was no way busy. The food was great as expected and enough for the 4 of us. My only gripe would be the drinks. I thought the beer was a little on the expensive side and was was shocked to see the barman pour a cheap cola from a plastic half full bottle which was flat and charge me a premium for it. My partner didn’t want me to make a fuss but didn’t have another drink.

We have been here twice now, and this is by far our most favourite Indian Takeaway. EVER. We went in and received a polite welcome. We ordered our food and had a great pint of Cobra while we waited. Very well kept lager. We got our food home, and were so impressed we came back the next day (today). Cannot fault this place at all. Will be returning to eat in the actual restaurant. Can’t recommend this place enough

We have been going to the Himalaya for something like 20years and it’s always lovely tasty food and pleasant service. In my opinion the food is about choice, if you choose the wrong thing you won’t like it, we chose Beef Pista Milan and lamb chilli rashan balti and it was wonderful. My wife loves Bhuna prawn on puri which is what she measures a indian Restaurants by and this one was delightful. We have eaten in Indian Restaurants all over the country and always a pleasure to return to the Himalaya.

Called fairly late one evening with a party of 10 and were very accomodating in getting us in without having booked first.

For dinner on Thursday night we ordered one special menu meal ( onion bhaji and chicken tikka bhuna) and a tandoori cocktail. The food was good but not amazing and the service prompt.

Seated straight away. Unfortunately, we didnt realise that on a sunday you can have the special menu, 3 courses for £11.95. this meant our meal was almost £50.00. we could of got it for half that, and the same food. if we had only said from the special menu before we ordered but it was our first visit. we were seated at a table in a small eating area that became very hot as time went on. it was a warm evening and it could of been cooler in there. the group at the table next to us had to repeatedly get up to allow the table behind them to pass.felt very cramped. because so many people are in a little area, you have to raise your voice to have a conversation. so if its a romantic meal, forget it.

We visited Himalaya whilst on a little break away. We were staying in Chester Le Street and had a quick google on places to eat in the area. Having read other reviews online, we decided to give it a try!

As always, our meal was first rate. Thursday night special is really good value with a good choice. Onion Bhajis are outstanding. Service is just right- not too slow and not too rushed. Heartily recommended.

We really enjoyed the meal, delicious and fantastic. There was something that disappointed me. The service and the waiter was rude. We asked and remarked if one meal was spicy and the waiter said it wasn't. I insisted on it and told him we do not like spicy food at all. It was impossible to eat. Very spicy and hot. It was the spiciest meal ever had. We were 5 and honestly my was a nightmare to eat. There were other details we do not like such insist to order rice more than three times. Better to take away

So disappointed I chose this restaurant above all others because we have always had a lovely experiences previously.

Me and my partner booked a table for 2 for the evening after being recommended by our peers. We were seated and ordered our drinks, all was going well. We were sat for a good 15 minutes waiting for table service until the young girl finally took our order. Food came promptly and it was very good, but then we realised a table of about 8 people came in and staff were being very attentive to them rather than the other customers. We got no check back and it took 10 minutes for our plates to be cleared. We also never got offered anymore drinks or a desert menu. It weren’t like they were short on staff because like I said, they were swarming around the large group ensuring they were satisfied. Eventually we caught the attention to one of the staff and asked for the bill... waiting for another 15 minutes we had enough and walked to the till to pay. All in all, very good food and atmosphere. I just question the customer service skills and the feeling of being left in the dark due to the constant attention larger groups were getting.

The food was good. Price was alright. Service was full of errors but still it’s better than the other places in the area that I’ve tried. I would go again, hoping the waiters pay a little more attention when you ask for something.

Where to begin? We had our table booked for 6 people on Christmas Eve. When we arrived, staff members argued that we had only booked our table for 4 people, this was clearly wrong. We were seated on a table that was set for 5 people so I asked for another set of cutlery. The young girl that brought it over slammed it on the table in front of my partner without even smiling or setting it out properly. When it came to ordering drinks, we asked for 3 different cocktails just to be told that they didn’t have the ingredients to do them as they were “new on the menu”. If you can’t do these drinks, do not advertise them.

Eight of us visited on Saturday night, a friendly welcome and pleasant surroundings. The food was lovely, I had the railway curry and oh boy that was good. We all enjoyed our food the menu had changed which left us with plenty of choice. The...

We booked for a party of 7 and the table was ready upon arrival. We always order poppadom and pickles which were nice as expected. The starters were served and most enjoyed theirs however one of the party did not finish their starter as the...

Das Essen war sehr gut und wir wurden auch gut beraten. Auch die Menge war mehr als ausreichend. Ich fand es auch günstig. Sauberes Lokal, der äussere Eindruck täusch etwas

Ordered some chips poppadoms and naan bread to accompany my food at home, when I arrived I was told by...

Went as a party of six, great atmoshere, great staff and very good food. East to get to location, you...

Excellent food and service.Order was ready on time

First time here and we would definitely return , service very good, food was very good and a decent pint as well

I collected a takeaway last night for my parents and myself. I ordered chicken tikka masala and it was disgusting it tasted like it had a bag of sugar in it! Never again will I waste money at Himalaya!

Have been going to this restaurant now for over 10 years, service second to none, very welcoming and freindly staff. the majority of the time we have a takeaway, have had a lot of different selections from the menu, my wife has her favourites and i have mine, but if you like rogan josh, or a really good jalfrezi, you certainly will not be disappointed, my wifes favourite korma or malayan, is a standard, all cooked very well and everything piping hot, would really recommend the special nights takeaway, thursday and sunday, very good value for money,

La comida servida en el restaurante es excelente, caliente, buen aspecto, excelente servicio, pero algo debe ocurrir, o quizás el almacenamiento de las comidas para llevar, no puedo explicar que sólo sueltas algo en la cocina? ? De lo contrario, este lugar es muy recomendable.

I have never been her before and ordered a takeaway of chicken tikka masala, onion barges, rice and a nana bread.Service was good and food hot when I got home.I thought it was expensive for a takeaway and for what it was, there was nothing wrong with the food, but nothing special either and I have to say, not a very generous chicken portion.This might be a good place for a sit down meal, but not the best takeaway for me.

Great night at the Himalaya last week! Staff couldn't do enough and food was fantastic. Definitely coming back.

Been going here for years for both takeaway, mainly, and occasionally in the restaurant. The staff are always friendly and polite, always remember your name, Elsdon, and the food is superb!!Would recommend this place to anyone who loves a good curry, along with brilliant, friendly service from all the staff.