Lal Qilla in West Dorset

Saturday night supper. Five of us. The food was excellent, from the poppadoms through the starters to the mains. The staff were fantastic and the bill was incredibly reasonable. A must visit when in Lyme. They just need to look less shocked and surprised when one turns up on time, having made a reservation weeks in advance, and have one’s table ready! 😉

Lal Qilla looked busy every time we walked by so we opted for a takeaway. It was some of the best Indian food I've had in a long time - it was tasty and well spiced. Had we been in town longer I'd have liked to try more things from their menu.

First time here at this lovely Indian Restaurant. We were driving home from a lovely night away for my sisters birthday, and what a great choice. The staff was lovely and friendly, the food was lovely. It was busy but the food arrived quick and the taste was so lovely.

Tasty food and extensive menu and was excellent value - we like try a local Indian restaurant when away on holiday and this did not disappoint and was an also a popular restaurant for both locals and those holidaying.

If you like Indian food, it doesn’t get any better than this. Fabulous flavours and incredible freshness. We dined in and had a takeaway. It was excellent but times. A busy place and has been there over 30yrs….so it must be good! An added advantage is that you take your own alcohol. Win-win!!☺️

In Lyme Regis for a few days and saw this place; the hygiene rating on the window is a 3, which worried is a bit; but all was good. We arrived without booking, but they managed to squeeze us into a table for four. It does seem like a very busy place, and they do a lot of takeaway service; so every couple of minutes, people arrive and are handed bags of food. It looked like there were only 2 or 3 staff on, and they all looked rushed off their feet waiting tables and handing out deliveries. We took our own drinks in, not sure if they have a licence or not. Asked for glasses and got tumblers, not ideal for pints of lager really. Staff were friendly at all times I have to say. There's a good range on the menu, I went for the house special of jeera chicken, my wife the veg Balti; both were excellent when they arrived. That was the bit that's cost the restaurant a star; the food did take a while to arrive. Before it did, they delivered another round of poppadoms to us (they were for the table next door) and later asked us if we wanted poppadoms again. When the food arrived, the waiter didn't know which was which. He had to ask two people about the jeera chicken dish before I got the right one. In summary, the food, poppadoms and naan bread were all great, but the service seemed rushed and lacking care.

This place is so good. Eaten a curry for twice in a row which is a first for me. Honestly, good food and well priced. I only ever leave 5 star reviews because I only review when I am happy.

Awful, service is so shocking and rude, took 40 minutes to even take our order we had to chase for everything and the guy who I assume was the manager was angry and moody.

Superb in every respect. Great food and service, nothing is too much trouble. Take your own beers and wine. Really enjoyed the Chicken Shaslick.

Another great meal at Lal Qilla. Their king prawn butterfly is terrific and their tandoori mixed grill is fantastic value. The whole family enjoyed it as did I the second helping, at home, the following day. BYOB ensures great value.

I will definitely return here when next in Lyme Regis. Lovely staff, amazing food and you can take your own alcohol which keeps the price down. The food was better than that at our local Indian restaurants so it is well worth a visit.

We had a takeaway and it’s one of the best Indian’s we’ve ever had….Everything was extremely delicious, the meat was tender and all hot when we got it home.

Extremely good food as usual started of with some confusion but was excellent towards the end. Hope to coke back again soon

Return visit and was not disappointed. Great friendly service, always pleased to see you. Tasty and varied food. Booking essential.

Fantastic service, really quick and attentive. All the family were very happy with our meals (2 kids aged 7 and 10) and the peshawari naan was to die for. Byob but didn't bother us as drank soft drinks anyway with kids. They even refused our extra tip. Great people, great place. Highly recommend.

A bit tentative because of the look of the place but it was lovely food and as a party of 5 we all really enjoyed our dishes. As visitors to the town, and with so many great choices of Indian restaurants where we live, we had no need to be concerned at all and would recommend and definitely go back next time we’re in town

Headed here for Sunday dinner after a day fossil hunting. Dinner for one was good. Decent curry with rice and naans, plus a stuffed lamb omelet that I've not tried before. Would very much eat here again

delicious takeaway, generous portion. We live locally but had never tried this restaurant despite friends telling me it is very good - finally took the plunge last night and had a great takeaway, freshly cooked cauliflower curry, veg was cooked to perfection, fresh and plenty of it. I also had dhal - very tasty and my husband had chicken curry - he said it was very good. We will definitely be back.

Memorable for the very tasty food. Tandoori chicken was great and the naan bread best I’ve had in a long time. Bring your own alcohol.

A good favourite of ours, food is classic curry house style but it’s good! Service is lovely! Recommend the keema rice and peshwari naan as side dishes!!

Another brilliant meal at Lal Quilla. Popadoms, starter and mains. Food was amazing, service great and very reasonable priced. Highly recommended.

My favourite Indian restaurant and I've eaten in quite a few. Never had a bad meal in all the time it's been open which I think is over 25 years. Food is amazing and lovely staff. Prawn Puree as a starter is highly recommended.

A fabulous meal and a good place for couples. Would recommend booking to avoid disappointment. Food delicious, can’t fault it.

The food was great, very flavoursome, just the right amount, and we weren't rushed eating our poppadoms & pickles. Our dining experience was, unfortunately, thoroughly let down by the service, hence only the 3 score. While one guy rushed back and forth from the kitchen, bringing food out, clearing tables & pretty much doing everything. The other chap who I guess was either the owner or manager stood at the front seeing to the odd takeout and pretty much did nothing. All the while we sat waiting and waiting and waiting for our table to be cleared and receive our bill. I'd like to think the lovely chap who was doing everything got the majority of the tip we left, but unfortunately, I highly doubt it. Would we return? Yes, probably, but I'd insist on a table at the front rather than the back as they seemed to receive a slightly different level of service. Thank you so much to our server. He certainly was a Superman.

First visit back for some time. Not as good as I remember, food very average.The two older waiters were very good, attentive and on the ball, but the younger guy they had with them was sullen and miserable. He clearly wanted to be somewhere else, which was a shame . If you fancy a curry in Lyme, this is the only game in town. And they know it. Disappointing.

Great service and food came quickly, hot food but a little tasteless and the bhaji a little hard! Remember to take your own drink as only soft drinks available.

Visited here pre covid and had a great meal. Returned with same friends tonight expecting the same quality food but we were to be disappointed. The food came promptly and was hot, but tasteless. One chicken dish particularly bad, very dry, tasted like been cooked some time ago, not fresh. Onion bhagis worse we’ve ever had, flat and texture of cardboard, like they’d been kept hot for some time, not fresh cooked. Staff inattentive, didn’t bother to ask if food ok or whether we’d enjoyed meal- too busy sorting takeaways and preparing for 8pm sitting. Very hot in restaurant ( to be fair it was a very hot day) but it was shabby decor, the tablecloth was stained and when we went upstairs to use bathroom we were shocked at how filthy the stair carpet and paintwork was. Based on our experience tonight could not recommend and certainly won’t return.

On holiday we visited here, the food is amazing! Big portions, we couldn't finish it all, even though we wanted too... Staff are friendly, welcoming, and helpful. When we come back to Lyme Regis, we will definetly be coming back again!

We eat Indian food on a weekly basis, this was an expensive takeaway compared to our normal expectations & we live in Banstead so we are nit cheap skates. But also the food was poor

Had a table of 5 , service nothing to write home about , food was actually quite tasty, no alcohol was weird but not a problem, found the waiter at the end rude to ask for a tip in cash , then pocket it from...

Ordered a take away, no problems there. Lamb tasted and looked like slow cooked beef, poppadoms were stale and a big piece of white packaging ( I would say from a container ) in our pot of mint sauce ( have included a photo). All...

Managed to get a table here on a very busy evening. Four of us went straight in - four curries, poppadoms, onion bhaji, naan breads, chapatis and rice - less than £20 per head. BYOB really helps. A must if in Lyme.

The Dorset/Devon border isn’t what immediately springs to mind when looking for Indian food, to be honest, and as a result this place was a particularly surprising discovery as both the range and the quality of food was frankly as good as we have ever...

This restaurant is ‘ok’ but we wouldn’t return. It’s decor is old and tired. The food was fairly tasteless and the curry tasted like a jar from Tesco. Staff were friendly though. They only serve soft drinks so bring your own beer if you want...

Ten of us enjoyed a lovely meal at Lal Qilla to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday in May. The food was superb and served very promptly by the excellent staff who looked after us very well, aside from a short wait to be seated upon...

Very friendly staff. Huge choice on the menu, some very different dishes. Bring your own alcohol means the costs are kept down. Really tasty food.

Staying at Seadown Holiday Park and really couldn’t be bothered to cook. As such ordered from this Indian restaurant and checked they delivered here. They did. So ordered and the food was brilliant and delivery time was good as well. Recommend to everyone. Delivery driver...

Staying in Lyme Regis and recommended by locals. Timely delivery. Most impressed that the containers were tin foil, not plastic. Delicious quality ingredients. Our experience is that more often than not, takeaways are best from a dedicated takeaway rather than a restaurant. Lal Qilla is...

Consistently good food here and always popular. Staff professional and prompt and always seem under pressure. Be aware to maximise covers, they do kick you out quickly if you make an early booking. Which can be a little irritating.

Normally thrilled with this restaurant, staff are lovely and we’re tonight, food was lovely however I struggled to eat in the restaurant due to how hot it was inside. Myself and partner then came home and I unfortunately vomited and my partner had diahorrea. Which...

Had a curry delivered to our holiday accommodation in Lyme Regis and it was superb. The chicken tikka was the tenderest I have ever had. Great portions and lovely service. Thank you.

We arrived around seven thirty on a Monday, no reservation, party of two. Three tables were occupied (in other words pretty empty). Do you have a reservation? No. Wait. Guy goes off collects take aways and brings them back. Do you have a reservation? No,...

After a week of dull English fare, what a treat to have delicious Indian Food! Varied choices and descriptive menu. The mango chutney and the tandoori sauces were great accompaniments.

Food was delicious and great location. The only reason I didn’t rate as excellent was down to some of the service we received- one of the main servers (not sure if he was the owner) seemed rude and passive aggressive towards us. This let the...

The 4 in our party had dinner at this restaurant on the 22nd April 2023. Would we return(?), no. The food including nan breads was just swimming in oil, the chicken dishes had very very dry meat, and the place was filthy. The crowning glory...

Visited this restaurant on numerous occassions. Happy that it is a Bring Your own (alcohol) and staff always quick to provide bottle openers and glasses. Food always good and staff polite and service good. Visit Lyme Regis very regularly and this restaurant always high on...

Visited on Thursday evening and hadn’t booked. We were hungry and just wanted to eat quickly and leave. We were told another party would be arriving 50 minutes later and I was happy to reassure the staff we would be finished well before. Actually we...

Our go to Curry house, friendly staff and great food. Never had a bad meal. We drive over from Bridport and it’s well worth it! :) Tasty, delicious and authentic food.

Great tasty food! Would go again friendly warm atmosphere . Decent portions. Friendly staff. Also open at lunchtimes

atmosphere= okish Decor =little dated Food =good choice of dishes Naan bread =epic Staff= rude Value for money= more than expected Would recommend as a takeaway

We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and service. Excellent. Will certainly be coming back again. Relaxed atmosphere and good value. Bring your own booze.

Favourite Indian restaurant outside of India. Comprehensive menu offering a wide variety of dishes to suit everyone’s taste. Really good staff who operate perfectly in what is a compact restaurant. Bringing your own drink makes the whole experience value for money

We have been here many times and the food is consistently good. They have a wide menu with lots of vegetarian options. The vegetable Palak is especially good. It’s bring your own booze which is great as there is a Tesco and co-oP a few...

We fancied a curry last week, whilst in Lyme Regis. So, we looked on TripAdvisor, found this place and gave it a try…..Absolutely fantastic staff, service and food. So good, we went back again for another meal on our last night!! I had the chicken...

My husband and I ate there whilst on holiday. We were greeted by welcoming friendly staff. There was an extensive choice on the menu and our food was excellent. We had chilli garlic chicken which was spicy full of flavour, tender chicken with plenty of...

The staff were friendly, welcoming and efficient. Not being too keen on hot curries, my wife and I ordered a korma and a pasanda , both of which were well cooked and tasty. There is no bar but customers are able to take in their...

We were able to get a table at short notice and were very impressed with the quality of the food presented, the great atmosphere in the restaurant and the efficiency of the staff.

myself and my partner booked to go to this restraint as a last minute choice. It did not disappoint, very tasty food, fantastic spices and flavours in the dishes and prompt service.

Been a few times. Something has changed the best just got better. Keep doing what you are doing . Make sure you search this one out

The food was acceptable and fulfilled our needs for a quick takeway on a Sunday night, but the food was reminiscent of Indian restaurants 20 years ago. Food was highly coloured. heavily spiced and meat was rather tough, suggesting a lot of re-heating. Prawn Jalfrezi...

Food was very average here, but customer service was pleasant, and good heads up about BYOB. Decor could have done with a bit of tidying

We’ve been coming here when we visit Lyme as a family for years and make sure we book a table here every time. It was as good as ever. We go for a mixture and every dish is spot on. Their king prawn madras is...

Always a joy to visit this wonderful Indian Restaurant. The food is wonderful, the staff excellent and the location second to none. Highly recommend.

I was looking forward to a good Indian takeaway, but was disappointed on every front. The matar paneer was tasteless and the paneer stale and rubbery. The bhindi bhaji tasted like the veg had started to go off, as did the veg in the veggie...

Great takeaway, recommended is the Nargis kebab. Come back every year on holiday and never disappointed. Back next year for sure 👍

We are on holiday and have never eaten here before, so we’re delighted when we experienced the best Indian Takeaway food we have ever had. Absolutely delicious. 😋 We would highly recommend.

Ordered a takeaway which was ready in 25 minutes. Food was delicious and well cooked, and was easy to collect. The restaurant itself was packed so it looks to be very popular.

What an absolute gem this little restaurant is. I’ve been there twice now and I am so impressed with the food and hospitality. Every dish we have had has superseded any other Indian restaurant I have ever eaten in…. And I’ve eaten in lots over...

Decided to head for a curry fairly last minute. Booked ahead for a table and pitched up 30 minutes later. Seated straight away, good service, great food. Bhajis back on form!

A great little Indian restaurant. Friendly efficient staff and a good variety of lovely Indian dishes. They don’t have a drink’s license but are perfectly happy for you to take in your own beer or wine. We had a very pleasant time and would definitely...

Old school indian restaurant, delicious food not potentious, generous portions. It is a BYO Bottle restaurant which is great in times we are currently in with living costs rising. Highly recommended, we will return

Ordered and collected a cracking takeaway from here. All the food was cooked well and remained warm on the way home to our holiday let. Good portions too.Highly recommend

Ordered for a takeaway as staying very near by for the week. Not our first time in Lyme and this has been on our list to try for a while and it did not disappoint. We ordered an hour ahead of collection and we were...

Absolutely amazing tasting Indian! We had takeaway and it was delicious, even got 10% discount for collecting! Will definitely be going back!

Four of us booked for an eight o’clock supper on Saturday night. Arrived at one minute past, announced ourselves to a waiter, he deferred to the maitre, who nodded then ignored us, for a full five minutes. Four of us standing in the middle of...

Wonderful service, very attentive waiter who took time to think about my food allergy, incredible menu choice, food was delicious but the shaslik I ordered was very salty (we don’t add salt in our food at home though). All round great restaurant. For the salt...

Pretty busy on a Monday night in March but we didn’t need to book. We had chicken Ceylon and chicken Dhansak, portions of both were extremely generous. A nice touch was individual food heaters that kept the food bubbling hot. 2 portions of rice and...

Always have a great takeaway from here. Friendly staff and food delicious. Recommend king prawn pathia and the naan bread is lovely

Ordered for 6 people and collected, however, unfortunately some items were missing from the order when it arrived and one of our group had to return to collect (it was only 5 minutes walk away luckily). Otherwise, the food quality was very good.

Lovely small Indian restaurant. The portions were very good, we all were stuffed after. Loved the fact you could take your own wine, when your on a budget it helps you save the penny’s and still enjoy yourself. Staff were also lovely and friendly

Hands down the best curry I have ever had. Staff were friendly, funny and polite. Nice cosy atmosphere. Great value for money. Will be back again.

We were so pleased to be back in Lyme after a crazy couple of years due to Covid, and we were especially pleased to enjoy a take away from Lal Quilla again. The chap who greets us was just as friendly as ever, and the...

I must have eaten at Lal Qilla more times than i can remember and it was good to be back, just unfortunate that my wife was unwell and couldn't make it. I had Chicken Shaslick with pilau rice, bombay potatoes and onion bhaji plus some...

My husband liked this more than I did but he had one of the specials whereas I had one of my usual ones and was a little disappointed. They were incredibly busy and we were lucky to get in although it was a Sunday in...

Both main courses (Chicken Saag and Garlic Chilli Chicken) were excellent and my wife declared the Saag the best she’d tasted. Sundries (breads and rice) were also very good and our meal was ready for pickup at the agreed time. Would have given it a...

4/5 friendly service and staff, even when the restaurant was at full capacity. Great take away. Good sized portions and tasted fresh. Would definitely recommend if you are local or in the area.

Excellent meal and great service. Would definitely recommend it, the best curry we have had for a long time

This place doesn't look much from the outside. But it was pouring with rain so we ate here and were pleasantly surprised. The dishes were all tasty without being oily and the nan's were really nice. Recommended. (NB/ You have to take your own alcohol)

The restaurant staff were really helpful and accommodating, and went the extra mile to make our meal a very enjoyable experience. All 7 of us agreed it was the best Indian we had ever tasted, absolutely delicious 😋

Food great with large portions and the service was excellent. Lots of takeaways so quite busy with people coming in and out so a table away from the entrance is best

We had a meal here while on holiday in Aug. Every part of the meal was good quality. We had popadoms, mulligatawny soup, chicken tikka [sizzler], mixed balti and naan. The meat pices were large, well marinated and tender. We are from Manchester and have...

Fantastic restaurant. Booking essential. Fantastic food, fantastic service, fantastic price. Don’t want to give too much away.

We went for a meal here off of the back of other reviews from Tripadvisor and this place did not disappoint. Straight away the staff were friendly and welcoming all wearing masks. Nothing was too much to ask for and everything came with what I...

Staff are very friendly and service great. Started with popadom and pickles - brilliant and tandoori chicken fabulous! Take your own alcohol!

This was the best Indian meal I’ve had in years. The staff were friendly and attentive, with quick service. The Chicken Tikka was tender with nicely spiced sauces. It was also great value. Don’t forget to bring your own alcohol, as the restaurant doesn’t have...

Smallish Indian restaurant with really tasty food of the usual selection. Service was good and food was tasty. Usual portion sizes and average pricing. BYO alcohol which is great for saving money on the bill. Not sure what other Indians are available in Lyme but...

Booked in here for a night during our recent weeks stay in Lyme Regis based on its positive reviews - Food very good as was the service - I had either not read or was not told they don't have a license although fairly quickly...

We called in to order a takeaway on a very busy Saturday evening. Despite the restaurant being full, they provided a takeaway for 8 in about 40 minutes. We were particularly impressed by the moistness and flavour of the tandoori chicken, and the distinct flavour...

My partner and I, who love great Indian food, were really looking forward to sampling the delights at this restaurant after reading such positive reviews. However, we were extremely disappointed. Our prawn purees were soooooo hot that we could barely eat them and our mains...

We booked here and then came back another night, as the food was excellent, with very friendly staff. The menu was very wide, so a good selection to choose from. Very central near the seafront and very reasonable prices too. We took our own wine...