India Villa in Uttlesford

It's been two years since I've eaten here and it's completely changed for the better

Had a great night solo and staff were great recommending dishes The popedom's came with 6 dips a extra coconut and spicey red yogurt to the usual 4 dips you get, so popedom's were near breaking point with every bite. coconut rice was great never seen in other restaurants had the Silsila Mossala Chicken lovely sauce spicey and something different.Planning revisit next week

Unfortunately the staff were prioritising the take away side of their business which meant that we were more or less abandoned with very very poor service.

Not impressed. Despite many staff to wait on us, making ourselves and what we wanted understood was difficult, leading to questions about where some of them come from and how. There did not appear anyone in overall authority. In all my years I have never been to an Indian restaurant that does not offer vegetable versions of the standard curry menu with no flexibility to please the customer. Service was quick but over attentive. We couldn’t complain about portion sizes but the fare was nothing special. It is inexpensive but this always leaves one wondering what corners they cut for this. The establishment is cramped, faded and seems stuck in a 1970s time warp.

Every time Im in thaxted, I must stop there and buy me self a Lovely curry

Always a quick service with interested and attentive staff. Large menu as you would expect. Internal decor unusual even by Indian restaurant standard's. Friendly staff with tasty reasonably priced food. Where else can you buy a dessert for only £3:95 in this day and age?

A table of 8 was booked - I arrived to join them 1, The waiters were not welcoming and I had to prompt him to take me to the table 2. The chair I sat in was continually bumped by the clumsy waiters 3. Drinks were served quickly 4. We sat down at 6pm and the menu took 30 minutes to arrive 5. We then had to wait 40 minutes for the food to be served 6. The hot plates were not hot and the cutlery was freezing as was the whole restaurant, we had to keep our overcoats the entire time 7 The food was tepid, tasteless and I had 4 small prawns (King?) in a bowl of rice and a bowl of lacklustre vegetables 8 The waiter stood at the head of table and told us to pass our dinners down the line one by one, school dinner fashion. 5 people handled my food before I got it on a cold plate 9. The whole experience was appalling- I have no idea how anyone could mark it more than one star. Perhaps they were having a bad evening?

If you want to pay £22 for a vegetable curry make sure you order a king prawn biryani. 1 King prawn in 1 meal and 3 in the other which were more like shrimp. Communicating was pants.

Lovely old school restaurant. Great staff and lovely food

On a recent business trip i was Staying at The Swan Hotel in the picture postcard Essex village of Thaxsted i managed to book a table at this Indian restaurant which is a few minutes walk from the hotel. Staff are polite & friendly, pleasant modern Indian background music gives an authentic feel to the place, but the most important thing is the quality of the food & service. I had Pompadom’s with lime pickle & a few other nice side pickles Onion Bargi Chicken Tikka Jalfrazee Mushroom Rice Tarka Dall Peshwari Nan I rank this as the best Indian meal I’ve had in 2023! Everything was so amazing My curry had whole fresh green chilli’s with succulent chicken tikka spiced to perfection My Tarka Dall had a baked Red Chilli So much wonderful spices in every mouthful i can not wait to visit here again. 5* Plus

Never disappointed by the service or the food . Excellent menu.Quietly attentive and always happy to meet customers requirements.Recommend.

Best curry we have had for years! Everything beautifully cooked & very good portions. First visited last weekend, and was so good came back this weekend too! 20 mile trip from home but well worth it. Delicious Highly recommend.

Very tasty Indian food. Quick service. I like how the menu had symbols to show how spicy each curry was. This helped to find interesting different curries that were full flavour but too spicy.

Unbelievably high-quality food and service especially considering the lack of competition. Thoroughly recommend.

Belt fed is the only explanation for our visit. We called a head asking if it will be ok to sit down at 9pm, with a response of ‘that’s fine as we close at 10pm’. On arrival we were seated followed by poppadoms, then asked for our main course straight away. We felt obliged to order, within minutes we was asked if we were finished but I still had a plate with food on, again ‘felt as if I should finish, even though I hadn’t’. Instantly the main arrived, so we got stuck in and made a bit of a joke that the check back will be in thirty seconds…..low and behold, the check back happened within the first two minutes (he was stood watching us eat). I was pretty annoyed that we were being rushed. We both ate a bit more and decided being watched and rushed wasn’t the evening out we wanted. Asked for the bill, that arrived quicker than a letter from the HMRC! Over all, rushed, rude, Lukewarm food but flavoursome. If you are planning a visit, the male and female toilet doors are wedged open so people entering can see you doing your business. When using the gents, mind the wall tiles that are on floor! Verdict, never again…..unless I was passing through doing a marathon and felt a bit peckish!

The food was ok but the service was bit slow

Terrible experience, we don't treat ourselves to a take away very often but it was our wedding anniversary so thought we'd treat ourselves. We ordered the food online, said it would take 55minutes which is expected on a Saturday night. However this time came and went so we phoned were told it was on it's way, great !! well, after several phone calls many which did not even get a pick up we finally received our food 2 hours late, which is 3 hours after we placed our order. My wife is Diabetic and was on her knees by the time it arrived because of taking her insulin and not even an apology. Even on the phone they really did not care, they were busy!! We definitely will never use them again, no apology and not even an extra poppadom.....

Heerlijke, smaakvolle maaltijden. Mooie porties. We werden meer dan vriendelijk geholpen. Mooie prijs/kwaliteitverhouding.

A great place for a great meal.

I ordered a takeaway. Service was polite and reasonably quick. When I got back to my hotel I was extremely disappointed in the food both quality and quantity. The curry was a very few chunks of meat in a non description sauce. The veg curry was dreadful. A minute amount of peas and sweetcorn and an unknown something in runny gravy. The Sag Aloo was acceptable. Expensive too. Won't go again

Whilst in the area we went to eat at India Villa, had the most amazing meal, the food was absolutely first class. The staff were helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere was great. We were so impressed we went back hhe following night and were not disappointed.

Been going to this Indian for 4 years it is amazing, food is always amazing. Best Indian locally by far!

Have always liked this restaurant. Food can be quite variable between visits, but always freindly service.

This was our second visit to this well maintained restaurant set in a beautiful historic small town, and it was still all round excellent. The staff were so friendly and helpful. The menu is very interesting with many different choices from the usual. The quality of the food was excellent and prices reasonable.

Beautiful decor, classy service and delicious food! I would gladly return. Very professional, and convenient to where I was staying.

Friendly service. Decent food. One main is enough to share if you're on a budget or don't like to leave anything on your plate.

Have had good takeaways from India Villa before, decided to eat in the restaurant tonight. Hadn't booked but no problem, welcomed in. Plenty of choice on the menu, all our dishes arrived promptly and hot. Everything very tasty from the butterfly king prawn to chicken korma to mint ice cream. Staff were polite and attentive, joined in with the banter. A thoroughly enjoyable dining experience.

We went to the Villa twice. The first time it was outstanding due to advice and the service from one of their waiters. The second time it was not as good. This shows the importance of good employees.

Lovely well maintained cosy restaurant in this beautiful historic village. The staff were very friendlly and offered good service throughout our visit. The menu is very interesting and offered dishes I had never seen on other Indian restaurant menus. The prices were also very reasonable. The restaurant is split into three separate eating areas.

We moved to Thaxted in February 2021 and were warned off India Villa, we decided last night we would go against that and give it a try. So glad we did! the food was lovely, really tasty curry. We had it delivered and it arrived quickly and piping hot. Perfect local takeaway.

The food was excellent. We booked for 12 people. They were very helpful.

We visited on the 24th of May .The staff were brilliant nothing to much trouble. The restaurant itself is very pretty with lovely views of Thaxted. The food was superb 👌 Best biriani I've had for a long time.

A family member recommended that we should try the Indian restaurant had a very nice meal. The staff take there time in between courses. I am most definitely go back there again

Nice place to eat. Food was nice, but the butter chicken had too much coconut in. Bit too sweet. Only thing was, if you order popodums you get charged for them and separately charged for the Chutney. Which I think is very wrong when customers are spending alot to eat out. Could understand if the bill was not high, but it was. Even gave a tip. Yes there is parking at the back.

Might be one of the few restaurants around but this place is perhaps the best Indian food restaurant I've been to. I'm not even into curry that much but oh my... want to emphasize this rare quality by leaving the review as short as this.

Excellent food and service at reasonable prices

Ok, so, I’m English so I never complain let alone write a review! I ordered online for delivery, by the time it was 30 mins late, I was on the phone chasing and being told that it had left 15 mins ago (I live 10...

Great food and great service would use this restaurant again highly recommended

The service here is great. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. Food is also very good, with some variations to the 'normal' indian restaurant menu.

Really nice meal. Was dripping next to my partner from the ceiling. Other then that pretty good. Staff were all very Friendly

Visited at 7:30 pm on Saturday 26th February 2022. The creamy mango and the butter chicken curries were very delicious and the portions were reasonable. The service was terribly slow but we appreciate the fact that the restaurant was full and that it was the final weekend of the month. The waiters were responsive and the vibe was great, so thank you for taking care of us.

Excellent food and great staff, highly recommended 👌

Always good food and fast service

Stayed the night in thaxted and had booked the only Indian there and what great choice it was. The food was outstanding just so tasty,I have had loads of Indians but I must say this is up there as one off the best I ve...

atmosphere and service very good.but I ordered the prawn kashmiri,do not bother with this dish,it cameup looking like nappy contents,so sweet I thought it was dessert,and the prawns were over cooked and hard,the tiniest I've seen all six of them. However the people I was...

A great experience. The food was good as was the service and venue. A warm friendly and cosy place with great food. Recommended.

Where can you get a three-course Indian meal, as much as you can eat, with drinks for under £20 a head? Sunday buffet lunch at the India Villa, that's where! We have just enjoyed a magnificent blow-out at the restaurant, sited opposite the awesome Thaxted...

We did not physically visit the restaurant but used their delivery service. The menu itself had a comprehensive, varied selection. Overall the food was well prepared, tasty and good value for money. The only disappointment was a very long and delayed wait for the actual...

Fantastic tasting food and the staff/delivery drivers are all really friendly. Would highly recommend.

Good curry, £2.20 for a chappati, brought out the Yorkshire war cry of How much. Apparently acceptable darn south

very good restaurant.excellent food d & service, very polite waitors

My local Indian however first time I’ve sat in and eaten, the best curry I’ve ever had. King prawn Rogan full of flavour big juicy king prawns were delicious! Excellent service from Shams highly recommended this restaurant for Indian dining. I will not be going...

Delivered on time. Chilli Chicken was a winner 🏆 Excellent food all around.

Pros .... good food at fair price .centre of town efficient staff trying really hard Cons ... not much really. Maybe could do with offering some smaller portions as we couldn't eat all, but that's our fault for ordering set meal in a place never...

The food was very good and the staff are friendly, we all filled up for a good price. Will definitely go again!

My wife and I had a meal on 30th May and were treated so well I cannot praise the guys working here enough. Food was great 10 out of 10 chaps just wish you were closer

Very good food it's worth a visit

Moved to Thaxted recently and the food at this Indian is excellent, recommend it

Excellent food With very Friendly staff Would definitely recommend it

We decided to try a takeaway for the family from here as it's now under new management. Our choice was Excellent. Great food, piping hot and very reasonably priced.

Having returned from a trip overseas we ordered a takeaway by phone. We haven’t had one for several months due to COVID. The food was absolutely delicious hot and tasty. Definitely be reordering very soon. How lucky in thaxted are we to have this on...

Ordered a takeaway through the new website, ordered a chicken tikka biryani, picked up the order and when checking its contents I was only given a Chicken tikka dish. Called the restaurant and was told this is what I had ordered and that no error...

Have just returned from a night in thaxted and had the most amazing food here Dee Jay and Shams were very good hosts lovely place.

Wonderful restaurant simply because the food is outstanding! One if the best Indian restaurants I have eaten in in several years. High quality and imaginative cooking. Best brinjal Bhaji I’ve ever eaten! Sooo fresh! Chicken Shaslic stunning. The sauces for the poppadoms were brilliant. The...

The food was digusting cold wouldnt ever go back there 100% Waiters are in your face whilst eating and the end they charged me extra on dish

We had a takeaway from here whilst on a short break in Thaxted. We both had a biriyani and I have to say it was the best we've ever tasted. Would highly recommend.

Another really yummy takeaway crafted by Ronnie at the Indian Villa. Mixed starter followed by chicken Korma, naan bread and rice... enough for two meals and really good value 👌

I ordered on Thursday for delivery on chefonline the delivery service. Was half an hour late which was fine as I know they were busy.Food was delicious.Tbe next day I received a call from the restaurant telling me I owed money and they was going to send someone round to collect it.I had no I idea what they were talking about as I ordered everything online and paid in full.The restaurant then decided I should speak to their internet provider who called me 4 days later also demanding money from an order that was paid in full.It seems the internet provider made a mistake with the pricing and I'm being harassed to pay.Totally unacceptable and against my consumer rights

Ok,collected our order for the second time since lockdown. It was delicious&so much food,it lasted 2 days. Hygiene rating is now 5!! Mixed starter was very tasty&filling. Naan bread was light&fluffy. Hope everyone is supporting their local restaurants at this time

I have eaten in there once and had a takeaway a few times since it all changed hands from anytime up to round 2009/2010. There was a time when people travelled from all over to come here for the food, staff service and atmosphere. india Villa has been ruined!India Villa is a beautiful building in a beautiful place but sadly run by people who just don't care! they don't care about customer satisfaction yet charge £££ like they're running Tharavadu in Leeds!The staff pretend they don't realise this that and the other or they forgot and it's all busy innocent mistakes but never seem to learn from them! the manager mills around like wait staff (I think in the hope no-one will realise he's the one to complain to when custmers aren't happy.) They always seem to forget the colletion discount on takeaways and the food is very often cold. Eating in, there is no atmosphere anymore, it's seldom very busy and ordering another drink or between courses, despite it not being very busy, you can wait a LONG time. all in all, the food is nice but never hot enough, everything else lets it down. it's not worth travelling for and to be honest even locally, I'd sooner order from Bayleaf, Balti Spice (which is divine) or Pride of Sylhet in Dunmow or the Mogul in Saffron Walden.

Food was surprisingly good, staff very friendly, BYOB should be mentioned at time of booking though.

Thanks Ronnie once again for the tasty dinner, I really enjoyed the evening at your fine restraunt. Great nann

Check your bill carefully. I’ve been overcharged twice and also had food missing in a takeaway.

We have been coming here for 30 years and we still love it. Gorgeous food, fast and friendly service-highly recommend!! X

As I reviewed this place a couple of weeks before I had to leave it a while to leave this one. I felt I had to do this though for others that go collect their food from the restaurant for a take away. The food was nice , but twice the guy has " forgotten " to take off the 20% discount for collection. We have a 8 mile round trip to collect our order. Both occasions we have had to ask if the 20% discount had been applied, and on both occasions it had not!! Its quite straightforward as far as I can see, not eating in the restaurant , take off 20% !!!!

Food is great, but swrvice is slow.better for takeaway!

Good food, frendily staff, we did have one issue the chicken tikka starter come out cold which was strange.

So amazing! The staff are so helpful, ask all the questions because they will help you in any way they can. My husband was unsure of what to eat and sometimes how to eat something and they helped so much. The food was delicious and we were so stuffed for not an expensive price at all.

Another top class meal at the Villa. Ronni and his waiter Abdal always offer great service. We go every week

Lovely food, red hot. Will definitely be back for more. Excellent service. Only tiny criticism, not enough onion salad to go with 3 pompadoms!

We were staying at The Swan which has excellent accommodation but poor food so decided to eat here. The food was excellent, especially the tandoori salmon. Highly recommend this restaurant. Fantastic meal. Quality is consistent. Roni delivers quality service. Can’t fault this restaurant.

I had the fish curry.... There is no way that it was fresh. Totally reheated. The other dish tasted exactly the same as the fish re-heated flavour. The core ingredients had broken down into mush. Reheated food at that price ??

A very enjoyable meal with our friends this evening. Delicious food, friendly and charming staff, a perfect end to a super weekend. Really recommend the chicken pasanda and also the onion rice, never tried this before but it was excellent.

We are regular users of this restaurant but with the engagement of a new chef, the quality has become even better.

First visit to this place on a stopover to Stansted.It was Monday night and we were the only ones in.We were met by Roni a very enthusiastic waiter who looked after us very nicely.The menu is varied and very reasonably priced.We opted for poppadums and a starter which were lovely.The main meals of lamb shank curry and the tandoori mixed grill were big portions but beautifully cooked and presented,I honestly wished we hadn't ordered the saag aloo and extra rice as we couldn't eat it due to the wonderful mains.We weren't rushed and left to our own devices We were even given a free coffee sambuca at the end.A truly lovely meal and night out I would definitely recommend this restaurant 10/10

I have eaten at the India Villa several times in the last, most recently in September.

Went with two mates twice now and great food portions are a good size and very reasonably piced and alcohol the same

We have visited on a Saturday before when the restaurant is more often than not packed which is a) good recommendation b) means you're in for a wait. Sunday evening is quiet but the food remains excellent as does the service - we travel 6 miles as we haven't found another Indian that compares as yet

Live 20 minutes away but drove to Indian Villa in Thaxted to get our take away. Great food as usual.

2 of my party had stomach pains immediately after eating. Checked hygiene rating and it was 1, One!!! You decide!

Friendly Indian restaurant. Best Dhansak ever. Banquet night on Wednesday £10.99,such good value. Andrew is such a helpful waiter,nothing too much trouble. Coming here for years now.

Better than Brick Lane, the food is yummy. Andrew the waiter knows his stuff and Roni the owner is so co operative,gave us a plate of salad with out appetiser,when we asked&put; heater on,as he could see we were chilly.Soon warmed up when our delicious korma arrived.Huge succulent chunks of chicken&creamy; sauce.

A real treat. Staying with friends in Thaxted and took the chance to eat at the India Villa [solo since they were out for the evening]. Very warmly welcomed by owner and staff. Very good menu of familiar things but quite a number of interesting specialities which made it hard to choose. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the guys kindly made a takeaway of what I couldn't manage. Nice people, nice place. And in the centre of one of Essex's loveliest villages.

Visited on a Tuesday. There were a reasonable amount of people in the restaurant. Prompt service. Popadoms and dips arrived very quickly and although they didn’t have the bottle of Malbec I wanted, they then brought all the other reds they had.... The Shiraz (at 14• proof -right up my street) was a really good wine.

We have eaten here regularly since moving to the area a year ago. The food is always fresh,y cooked and extremely well presented. Atmosphere is always great and the staff are polite, helpful and attentive. Thoroughly recommended

Great food and great service. Ronnie the manager always does his best to please. I can thoroughly recommend this place. Enjoy

Visiting the are for the first time our “BandB” suggested we try the India Villa which we did on Friday evening with friends. Fantastic Food and Great Service from the staff. Well would you believe it... my wife and I went again last night... “brilliant”...

Eat here nearly every week - Food quality Great - Service Second to Non ~ Friendly Staff ~ Great Atmosphere. The special meal deal on a Wednesday is amazing quality and certainly great value for the small amount they charge. I have brought many friends to India Villa and they have all enjoyed the food, especially as it is in walking distance from my house in Thaxted!

We were staying at The Swan which has excellent accommodation but poor food so decided to eat here. The food was excellent, especially the tandoori salmon. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Worst curry ever. Lamb curry tasted like vinegar. Keema naan tasted like cardboard and vinegar. Stayed in the village for the night. Lovely and friendly in the pubs down the road. But I wouldn’t have fed this to my dog. Disappointed