Kohinoor in Southampton

Dear all , I went to this restaurant with high hopes . To be honest I went twice . First time i went with a friend . We ordered chicken Chettinad and butter chicken with Nan. The Chettinad was really horrible abd tasted very bad . I told the staff then about it and they apologized saying maybe the masala was not ok . Second time I went with family we ordered biriyani and kallappam with fish molly and egg fried rice. Being very honest the taste was ok but they reduced the quantity so much it looked like kids meal. I told them as a suggestion to please add a bit more rice after eating as a friendly customer . The staff got agitated and he replied like he was irritated saying we have bowl and we use only that for biriyani also the chicken peices are not tye type we get usually with Biriyanis . It's chicken breast chopped into cubes . In total it was a long wait of 1 hour and 10mins to get the food pls their monopoly attitude like eat if you want. Not pleasant. Humbly would not recommend this restaurant to anyone . And surely will NOT go there again. In short more money less quantity . Today it was a loss for me.

It may be a tiny restaurant but the food is big on taste and portion size. I can’t remember when last I had an Indian restaurant meal that I enjoyed throughout. The waiters and manager were attentive throughout guiding me through house options. I would definitely come back again

Worst experience ever, the guy doesn’t know how to treat or talk to the customers.

Please update your opening times .It says you are open from 12 to 2pm on weekdays and it’s misleading .We were disappointed to reach at 1pm and finding out that you guys are only open in the evening .

Best food I’ve had in Southampton!

Good food and you can ask to spicy things up if you wish to. :)

Absolutely delicious! The best curry house in Southampton and probably the world. Abraham and Kamal gave us such a warm welcome. Our lunch was so tasty and the service was excellent. Highly recommend the butter chicken, and Kerala style korma…totally different to what you expect! would highly recommend going for lunch or dinner you won’t be disappointed!

We had high expectations when visiting this kohinoor of kerala, but it turned out to be a complete waste of £44, including the service charge. The service was absolutely terrible, and when we asked for the service charge to be removed due to the poor experience, the staff flat-out refused. The food was nowhere near as tasty as expected, and the portions were disappointingly small. To make matters worse, the server had a rude and unwelcoming attitude, barely making any effort to engage with customers. He didn’t even bother to smile, making the whole experience feel cold and uninviting. For a dining restaurant, not having basic drinking water readily available was shocking. We had to ask for it, and even then, they delayed serving it unnecessarily. Given that we specifically visited to enjoy authentic Kerala cuisine, we left feeling completely let down. This was not the experience we were hoping for, and we certainly won’t be returning. A total disappointment!

I was extremely disappointed with the service. The food was below average—I ordered the Munnar chicken, which consisted of large chunks of chicken with hardly any gravy to pair with the parotta, and it lacked salt, forcing me to request some to add flavor. No water was served initially, and I had to ask twice. The service was poor and unwelcoming. My total bill came to around £45, including the service charge. When I declined to pay the service charge due to my dissatisfaction, I was told it was mandatory, and the server showed no concern or interest in understanding my reason for refusing to pay. I would never recommend any of my asian friend to dine in this place. What a waste of time and money.

Best curry in Southampton! Staff are amazing and the food is just fantastic! I will be returning again.

There are plenty of Indian restaurants in Southampton, and new ones appear, and some go. This, however, is the best one, at least in my opinion. The food is consistently great, the service is impeccable and the atmosphere is very good. Never have I eaten a lamb jalfrezi as good as in Kohinoor of Kerala! It's a great spot both for eating in, whether on a date, with family or friends, and takeaway works well too. I sometimes need to leave Southampton for months at a time, but every time I come back, I make sure to visit Kerala. 10/10!

Las palabras no pueden expresar lo bueno que es este excelente restaurante indio. Tengo unos amigos muy buenos que viven en Southampton y nos encanta comer aquí. Nunca decepciona. La comida es tan auténtica como puede llegar a ser, y se sirve con gran encanto y preparado por expertos. No es de extrañar que el Daily Telegraph describiera una vez este como uno de los mejores restaurantes indios en el sur de Inglaterra. ¡Es suficiente para acercarme a la ciudad! Las chuletas de cordero son sublimes. El Gobi Manchurian (Indo - coliflor china) es increíble. Trabajan algún tipo de alquimia en la cocina. Muy recomendable por mí!

I was really excited to come here, but it took over an hour for our food (two meals) to arrive, and when they did the food was only okay. It's very loud and cramped inside and the staff are clearly working hard but it takes way too long to get anything at all. I'm afraid I wouldn't come here again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

He cenado en Kohinoor muchas veces desde que lo descubrí en 2022, pero no había comido comida para llevar hasta anoche. Puedo confirmar que su comida es tan encantadora para llevar como cuando comes. El pollo con chile al ajo que comí fue uno de los mejores que he probado y los tamaños de las porciones son enormes! Entrega el mejor restaurante indio en Southampton sin duda. Me encanta aquí

I ordered the lamb jafrezi normally is really nice but today didn’t taste nice very disappointing !!!!!

Good to see the restaurant so busy on Monday evening! Good food and great service. Probably explains why it's busy 🤔

Very impressed with this restaurant. When in Southampton I would always frequent. Friendly staff and good service and was a busy Saturday evening. My lamb curry was one of the most tender and tasty I have had. I have spent time in Asia and Sri Lanka and the curry here is authentic. There are the usual curries on the menu as well as tandoori dishes. 10/10.

Incredible food and service - always!

Mi indio favorito en Hampshire, pero solo he estado con compañeros de cerveza, así que llevó a la familia allí anoche. A la familia le encantó la comida, comentando que todo parecía mucho más “fresco, limpio” que otros restaurantes, además del personal encantador.

On Saturday 7th December a group of 12 of us had a pre Christmas meal at the Kohinoor, the food was really very good, and the service from Abraham and the staff was great. Highly recommended.

They take their time, but the food is superb. Every time!

Friendly staff, great food and service.

Great and professional services. The starter, fried spicy cheese was so great. The two main courses were good too but the chicken was kinda dry. After all, good and will come back again.

Went with a party of 8. Superb food from a very wide menu and excellent, friendly service from all members of staff we encountered. We’ll be back!

Customer service not at all welcoming Poor service

One of my favourite restaurants in southampton, food always top notch and the wife loves the dosas.

The beef purattiyathu was terrible. Zero taste. It was 90% onion, a little beef and just too much pepper without any proper mixing.

An overnight stay in Southampton and really happy we chose this restaurant. We both fancied authentic and tasty Indian food and that’s exactly what we got. All cooked fresh to order - live a naan bread that just melts in your mouth but still the perfect way to scoop up the remaining sauce of my curry. Great welcome and service throughout. Lovely atmosphere furnishings and spotless linens. Can’t fault this place so definitely 5 out of 5.

Rude manager kicked us out at 10 PM on Sunday, despite Google listing 11 PM closing time on Sundays . Drove far, disappointed by poor service. terrible management.

Most delicious daal I’ve had in a long time. Masala dosa was excellent too. A bit slow but worth the wait. Table of 8 of us and we all had very good food. Highly recommend. I’m vegetarian and there are lots of options.

Excellent food,exquisitely prepared. Always good with attention to detail. The staff are gracious and welcoming. Enjoy the pompadoms with relish while you wait for the main event. You won’t be disappointed.

Fantastic local restaurant. Amazing food, very friendly staff. Can get a little noisy as not much sound absorbing soft decoration.

Superb food and service is of a high standard as usual. The mixed grill is on another level along with the side vegetable curry. Won’t go anywhere else as this is a cut above the rest

You should expect to wait a bit between ordering drinks, starters and mains here, but it is definitely worth the wait. It ensures the quality of the food at Kohinoor of Kerala is fresh and consistently excellent. The staff were accommodating to our needs and Biju's recommendations were excellent. I would definitely recommend the Beef Puritayuthu with Kerala Parata.

Called the restaurant they confirmed opening hous is 18:00 , won't open at lunchtime. In TripAdvisor it is mentioned that restaurant opens at 12

Look forward to this food every year on our journey from Nottingham to poultons park couldn’t recommend enough. Amazing staff and the food is to die for

I want to bring to your attention a serious issue we experienced after dining at ' Kohinoor of Kerala- Southampton' . While the food looked and tasted okay, approximately one hour after our meal, we began to experience stomach aches and diarrhoea. It is now 1:30 AM, and we are still suffering from these symptoms. We wanted to inform you of this situation promptly, as it may be a food safety concern that could affect other patrons as well. I hope you will investigate this matter urgently to ensure no one else has to go through this unpleasant experience. Very disappointing.

Only pre booked dining they got to offer today we came from Basingstoke to try some Kerala food from this restaurant, person who was on the door didn’t even bothered to apologise, but we got a nice Kerala food just next to this restaurant “Sarv’s Kitchen”

Disappointing Experience at Kohinoor of Kerala We were returning home to Ipswich after a lovely visit to Dorset and decided to stop at Kohinoor of Kerala for dinner. Unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory. First, we ordered the masala dosa, which was quite disappointing. The dosa was hard and lacked any significant flavor. It seemed as though it had been sitting out for a while before being served. The masala filling was equally bland and did not live up to our expectations. The biryani was another letdown. It tasted like a frozen meal that had been reheated in the oven. The rice was dry, and the spices were not well-blended, resulting in a lackluster dish that failed to deliver the rich and aromatic flavors typically associated with biryani. The Malabar duck was perhaps the most disappointing item we ordered. The piece of duck was unusually large and lacked the distinct taste of duck. The dish was bland and did not have the robust and savory flavors we were looking forward to. Finally, the naan bread was burnt and nearly inedible. It was clear that it had been left in the oven for too long, which completely ruined its texture and taste. Overall, our dining experience at Kohinoor of Kerala was highly disappointing. We had hoped for a flavorful and enjoyable meal but were instead met with poorly prepared dishes and lackluster flavors. We hope the restaurant takes these comments seriously and makes improvements to their food quality.

Had a fantastic meal here last night with my partner. Excellent service, fantastic food and reasonably priced. They also don't add a service charge without telling you like some other restaurants do. The masal dosa is phenomenal. Vegan dishes are all clearly labelled as such.

Lovely food, well priced, friendly staff

Visited with good friends who are over from Malaysia, who ordered an amazing array of vegan dishes, which were delicious. Will visit again soon!

The food here is amazing, the Chicken 65 is A MUST!! Everything is great and the house white wine is lovely too. The staff are very friendly and helpful, wouldn't go anywhere else when in Southampton, we'll be back in January!

Been coming here for years and it never fails to serve up the best Indian food in Southampton. Could not recommend more! 10/10. Thanks for another delicious meal.

Simply continues to be a great restaurant. Fantastic choice and quality dishes. Very friendly welcome too.

Bland curries and the meat was incredibly dry. Waiters were not very knowledgeable about the menu and unable to give recommendations.

We visited this restaurant on our holiday trip. We were disappointed with many South Indian restaurants before . This is the best in all we have ever tried in UK. Authentic South Indian cuisine . Affordable. We tried their Kallappam , beef fry, duck roast , chicken biriyani, chicken 65 and porotta. Kallappam, beef fry with coconut 🥥 and duck roast was delicious and Must try. Our kid’s favourite was their kallappam, tasted same like back home.

It was a delight to be back here a couple of years after the first amazing time. No regrets, the same maitre de recommended another couple of dishes which were truly excellent and my friend decided himself to have beef Puratiyathu. We have never seen a curry dish like it and, it truly stole the show! Thank goodness we had a doggy bag, so we could do all over again the next day. Tip; I suggested we book, but my local friend said "what, on a Thursday in Soton!" No need ... we got the last vacant table for 2. So if your party is more, I recommend booking. Popular now it has climbed the stars in TA for works dos and large groups, so deffo book up!

The best, authentic, Indian food that I've experienced

Good food, quite a long wait for food (approx 2hrs from arrival) which was tricky with small children in the evening. Very loud due to being fully booked inside but very friendly staff.

Good atmosphere and friendly staff. Good tasty. Tasty like kerala food. I am strongly suggest

High quality food with lots of choices on the menu. Professional and attentive staff. Clean premises with a lovely atmosphere.

One of the best Indian food in Southampton. Walked in on a Sunday for dinner, not too crowded. Ordered Lamb chops l, garlic prawns and Vada for starters. They did tell us that chops would take time but it was worth the wait.. it was delicious, and the garlic prawns too. For the mains we ordered Kallappam, Kerala Paratha and the Kerala chicken kuruma. Kallappam was very good, paratha best eaten when its hot. Although the chicken kuruma was very flavorful, reminded me of Kerala but it was a bit sweet which let down the dish for us. Mango lassi was good too. Overall a must try for Indian food.

Hands down the best Curry in Southampton! Have been coming here with my family for 10+ years and have never had a anything but 1st class service and the most delicious Kerala food.

The best curry in Southampton! Staff are very friendly & helpful. Food is amazing. Price is reasonable. Would highly recommend.

A solid Indian restaurant in every aspect.

Easily the best curry house in Southampton

Excellent service and very friendly upon entering the restaurant. Was pleased with how perfect the pappadoms and dips as you can eat them as a starter alone. Great ambience by combining fine dining with traditional Kerala food. Highly urge everyone to come here for the food and the amazing drinks.

I recently dined at The Kohinoor of Kerala restaurant in Southampton. While I had been looking forward to trying Kerala cuisine for some time, my experience was unfortunately marred by the average quality of the food and the extremely rude behaviour of the staff. From the moment I entered, instead of the welcoming words or gestures one would expect, I was abruptly stopped by a crew member who demanded to know my intentions, even physically blocking my path with his hand. Despite my explanation that I had come to dine, he escorted me to a corner seat in a manner that was anything but welcoming. Later, when I placed my small grocery bag beside me, another staff member rudely instructed me to place it on the floor. This unexpected and disrespectful treatment completely soured my mood. In an attempt to salvage the evening, I ordered a beer and proceeded to place my food order. However, it was evident that the staff could benefit from better training in customer service. I couldn't help but notice a stark contrast in the way they interacted with white patrons, showing them respect and politeness. It felt like a case of profiling. It's important for the staff to understand that customers visit their establishment to enjoy a meal, pay for their services, and unwind from their daily stressors. Every patron deserves to be treated equally and with dignity. I sincerely hope that the management takes this feedback seriously and invests in comprehensive training for their staff members.

Just love it here, eaten pretty much everything on the menu, not found one I don't like...

Super good Kerala restaurant - great food and service. Tried porotta beef curry and a Biriyani to go. Friendly hotel manager from Kerala who has been running this restaurant for last 14 years. Originally this was opened more than 40 years back by a different restauranteur

Biju was our server, he was amazing. And the food was worth trying. ✨

From my heart, food and service is too nice. I couldn't find even single fault in food and service

Very ill-mannered and impolite behaviour from staff

A great menu for vegetarians. The food was fresh and tasty. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the staff were competent. I can’t fault the meal.

Very bad behaviour the reception staff..

The best Indian Restaurant. Would never go anywhere else. The food and service is excellent

Kohinoor was the first restaurant my partner and I ate out at when we moved to Southampton eight years ago. Eight years later, its still the best restaurant in Southampton for us. The food is incredible, and they are able to cater for my (very annoying) allergy, which is a sure indicator that all of the food is cooked fresh, and the vegan options are fantastic. The service is always fantastic, and well worth the price. Kohinoor stands head and shoulders above all other restaurants in Southampton, and if you have to eat at one place I would wholly recommend you make the trip up to Portswood to go here.

Excellent in all areas xxxx Will definitely be eating there again 😋

We love this little gem of a place. Lovely staff and the food is excellent with a huge menu! Book ahead as it's a small place and very popular!

An excellent meal with attentive service. Wonderful to have so many vegetarian options. The Masala Dosa was fantastic. Thank you!

Amazing food as usual, highly recommend!

Delicious food. I have ordered takeaway, however whilst waiting the restaurant is extremely clean and the service looked very attentive. Well done,, thanks

One of the best curries I have had.

These guys are in a class of their own, they make unbelievably tasty food and they are all just straight up awesome people. Been going there for years and hope to continue going there for a long time yet. Also pro tip, get something with lamb, it's always incredible

Excellent choice for South Indian cuisine. 🔥Beef mains >>>chicken mains🔥 plus fair price charge. Will definitely go back

Always a tasty meal with great service and nice wine

If you want to try spicy Indian chicken biriyani then, this is your place. Restaurant is open only in evening time. Service is good, staffs are friendly. During weekend it will be difficult to get table so book it before. They do take away but it takes 40min so, better order before going shopping or you can relax drinking tea in chaiwala while waiting for your food.

Food was good. Not as spicy as I thought it would be though

Great food but they DON’T deliver. Food was ready on time when I picked it up.

The best Indian hands down. Full of flavour in every dish. We went shortly after opening time on a Saturday and it was already packed which was nice as it doesn't look much from the outside and it's uncomfortable if you're the only diners. But the atmosphere was great, it was clean and well kept inside and the food spoke for itself. The chicken korma and the lamb curry were both so tasty, the garlic naan was brushed with fresh butter and there were good helpings of flaked almonds in the pilau and sauces which I love. Cannot beat it and won't be going anywhere else. Staff were also very pleasant, would just have been nice to have a few more smiles which would be my only complaint if being very picky.

Went here at the weekend, good food, enjoyed it very much.

Good evening meal here. Food was yummy and fresh with the atmosphere being okay. The food did take a while to come out but it was relatively busy. Overall a good experience and will probably be coming back!

We visited for the first time yesterday on a recommendation. The food was delicious. We both commented on how the staff we really friendly and welcoming too. We will definitely return.

Ich kenne etliche indische Restaurants weltweit, dieses hier gehört zu den absolut besten! Hier gibt es nichts zu beanstanden - toller Service, Top Qualität.

Six of us celebrated my husband's birthday. The food is incredible and so delicious that whatever you order, you will not be wrong. Everyone who works there is very polite and accommodating. The place is veey clean, the tablecloths snow white and the gentle background music invites you relax and enjoy a meal that will be soo good, you will have to go back to this incredible restaurant sooner rather than later.

Absolutely fantastic meal and service! Would highly recommend

Such an amazing evening, the staff made our friend's celebration of their wedding anniversary superb. The food was absolutely delicious, fresh and tasty and the friendly atmosphere made the night a success. My new favourite curry house. Thank you

Been craving for porotta and beef! It was too goood😍

Although the decor is dated, the food here is next to none. Service was nice too. My brother and I love this place and every dish we've had was a great hit. Prices were perfectly normal. Dont let the portions fool you, they are very filling. One thing to note is they do get packed, so best make a booking or come early!

OMG the food here is going to be very hard to beat, best Indian I've ever eaten.

Superb delicious food. Interesting menu to explore. All of our dishes were excellent as is the service.

Really good food! Had the prawn and chicken biryani, which came with papads and raita - no need to add on. The prawns were MASSIVE and so fresh and well-seasoned. Adipoli, insane flavour bomb! The staff were lovely, despite the chaos of the obviously crowded spot. I understand the crowd lol, the food is worth the hype. Really lovely place. We were asked if we wanted the food to be spicy, which is rather inclusive of them and understandable given the customers. 100% coming back!

Very nice restaurant. Staff were helpful, food tasty. Little tip for idiots like me, something in an Indian meal that looks like a French bean, probably isn't 😂. My family found it very funny. Except for that I really enjoyed my food.

Garlic chilli chicken with Keema Nan was the best.

Probably the best curry ive ever had

Food is always delicious and no matter what we’ve ordered over the years the entire family has enjoyed it. Our dad introduced us to the restaurant where he always truly enjoys the Chicken Masala. Staff are wonderful and attentive, always trying to assist from accommodating special needs to providing take out orders as speedily as their busy restaurant can. Highly recommend!

As usual, top rate service and delicious food. Excellent value for money. Highly recommended

My favourite Indian in Southampton! Small & popular so you may need to book for peak times. Authentic, quality Indian food. Fantastic service with genuine, friendly staff. I just wish they would enhance the ambience perhaps with cosier lighting. Appams are a personal favourite of mine reminding me of my travels in Kerala. Love this place!

Love it here. Always a warm welcome and great food. We are fortunate to have such a great restaurant on our doorstep.