Le Raaj in County Durham

I dined recently at this restaurant with a large group. Sadly we waited over 2 hours for a table after booking ahead. The staff could not have been more unhelpful and disinterested with no standard of customer service ! We won’t be going back to this restaurant!

Recently visiting from United States. This restaurant had been recommended. The service was appalling. Long wait. Staff extremely unengaged. Food mediocre. After complaining at the restaurant they couldn’t care less. My opinion, give this place a miss!

Quality of food and service are excellent.

As always amazing food and service

Everything here is 10/10 from the owners to the staff to the food! Beautiful restaurant with incredible food

Lovely food and great service here last night. Thanks team.

Great food and friendly service 👌

Food was alright. A bit oily to our liking. Not spicy at all (perhaps adjusted to the local tongues). Did we enjoy? Not really. Will we return? No. We have had better Indian (staff was Bangladeshi) food.

First time here looks good food lovely can't fault it 30pound for a bottle of wine a bit steep nice touch before we leave a free drink

I visited Le Raaj last night with the family for my Sister’s birthday. The restaurant is beautiful and the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and attentive. The menu has a large variety of dishes including gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. The food was delicious and the service was prompt. We will definitely be returning!

We went along to Le Raaj tonight for a dine in experience and had a really lovely time. The service was excellent and the food was really tasty. The ambience was really relaxed and we really enjoyed the experience as a whole. A special thanks to Masum for being friendly and making us laugh!

Super tasty, great quality, hot dishes ...friendly attentive service ..always welcoming

Absolutely beautiful, the food service & ambiance. Will return again soon

Once again Le Rajj never fails to impress, me and my partner will only visit here for Indian food as it is so good and no where competes! Masum deserves a special mention as he waited on us hand and foot again, and always makes us feel like family when we visit. The service from him and the other staff is 10/10 and would recommend Le Rajj to anyone as once you eat here you will never visit another Indian resteraunt.

Once again Le Rajj never fails to impress, me and my partner will only visit here for Indian food as it is so good and no where competes! Masum deserves a special mention as he waited on us hand and foot again, and always makes us feel like family when we visit. The service from him and the other staff is 10/10 and would recommend Le Rajj to anyone as once you eat here you will never visit another Indian resteraunt.

Google does not have enough stars for le raj, it’s absolutely out of this world, we have eaten Indian cuisine all over the world and have found the very best in the north east of England wow, just fantastic

We've been going to this restaurant for many years. Only one word for it tonight unfortunately. Extortionate. £30 a bottle of yellow tail wine, which is £8.25 in Tesco. The menu has also jumped up in price considerably.

Amazing food. Try the Murgh Momo!

Loved the meal, this will be my go to Indian. Food quality was brilliant

Absolutely amazing!!! Food, service, atmosphere was top notch. Staff are very attentive and nothing is too much trouble for them. Loved the hot towel after our meal and complimentary drinks. The vindaloo if you like it spicy is amazing and the cheese naan is the best naan bread I've ever had. Gun powder chips are also a winner aswell. Don't have a bad word to say, everything was faultless. Will 1 million percent be returning. One very happy customer.

10/10 for all aspects at Le Raaj. We visited again last night to celebrate the birth of our second daughter. The staff were more than accommodating in meeting the needs of my grandmother who has dementia and will only eat certain foods. The staff also went out of their way with our 6 year old and included her in conversation. The food is always amazing, served in good time and presentation is fantastic. Rez and the team are so welcoming and we look forward to another visit soon.

Most amazing meal tonight, curried fish with spinach. Best curry I have every tried. Also amazing staff as always. Best curry house I have ever been to.

Had a family meal the whole experience was awesome,the food sublime the ambience perfect and the staff wonderful.One small criticism was the service was a little slow

Very good food, great service, and nice venue. Will definitely be back

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the staff were friendly and attentive.

Lovely food, staff were very helpful and attentive, nice atmosphere

We were driving past and it looked inviting so we were very pleased when there was a table free, the food was lovely and the staff very courteous, thoroughly enjoyed it

Absolutely fabulous! Food was amazing, so was the service and the restaurant. Will definitely be back.

Excellent meal and service, will definitely be back soon

Lovely restaurant with superb service, we'll definitely be back!

Visited here while on holiday from America! Very much enjoyed!! Will be recommending and returning if I ever come back to the area!!

Excellent food as always. Thank you to all the staff, especially Masum, for the outstanding customer service! We were very well looked after and will definitely be back again

The kid with the slicked back hair was the best order taker I have ever witnessed 10/10 would order again

In for food with work lovely meal and great service

Really enjoyed our lamb curries and extras. Good size portions and piping hot when served. Friendly cheerful staff. It's a clean and posh place suitable for special occasions. We will definately be back soon to try more dishes. Prices a bit high though.

Service was tremendous Food absolutely delicious Love this place even got a complementary free drink 😃

Fantastic experience today at le raaj. Went to pick up some bbq packs, very impressed, looked and tasted tremendous. Both the kids got a j20 each on the house while we waited. Staff were amazing and more importantly so was the food!

Really nice food and service from masum and the team. Would come again and would recommend to everyone. Also a good price!

Very good service from masum. Unreal food. Chicken tikka maslala is to die for. Would highly recommend to anyone in the local area

Once again a fabulous meal at Le Raaj. The service is always on point with friendly and polite staff. The food is delicious and you can always rely on the food standard being consistent. Never had a bad meal there and will certainly be going back.

We ate here last week. The food is excellent. Some may think it’s a little pricey but the portions are big. I had chicken tikka paneer for starters and lamb jalfrezi for main. The service is exceptional.

First time trying this curry house out. I always go to my go to curry first time which is a chicken tikka jakfrezi. My thinking if they get that right I'll be back to be more adventurous. And that I will!! My Jalfrezi was delicious with the right amount of kick and the chicken was big chunky tender chunks biggest I've had yet, very nicely done. The keema naan was so fresh absolutely no complaints and even my partners bhuna had so much flavour and I don't rate bhunas at all! Mix starter platter is a go top aswell if you like your meats. The menu didn't just offer traditional curries they have moved on and added lots more for me to adventure on which I will be. Thanks to Rez for looking after us, will deffo be a regular from now on. The decor and service are impeccable lovely friendly staff we got all our food served accordingly, no waiting no issues nothing wrong .

Rip off city overcharged by approx £30. Wrote review but nobody from this business got back to us. Menu lacking prices, seems to be a common theme of people being overcharged. Food was ok but not worth the extortionate prices.

We were visiting the North East Model Shop (next-door) yesterday and hadn't eaten since breakfast. It was almost 2pm, when The Raaj stops serving lunch but we popped in on the off-chance. They couldn't have been more obliging and made us very welcome. The food was very tasty and greatly appreciated. Thank you 👍

Nice food, good atmosphere and service but too expensive. Visited recently as a family of 5 one evening. We had a main course each (curry, rice with naan breads) and one round of drinks and the bill was a bit of a shock at nearly £210! As I said, good food in nice surroundings but we won't be back.

Good food, great service, lovely venue. Can't go wrong, give it a try

What a fantastic restaurant. The food was amazing as were the staff. Really nice atmosphere. My sons first Indian meal and what a great place to introduce him

First time at Le Raaj and it was brilliant. Food was so fresh and tasty. Service probably best weve had in a restaurant. Definitely recommend!!

they are robbing you blind here👎little competition means they can overcharge you for a mediocre meal and they know they're ripping you off - that's why they try to hide the prices on the menu. they don't even have lassi!!!!! got the lamb thali and there was barely anything on it and wasn't great quality. came out to over £160 for 2 starters and 4 main courses. you can drive down to bradford for far better curry and still save money including petrol. service felt nice to begin with but started to feel disingenuous once we realised what we were getting for our money. avoid.

Don't think I will be coming back. Firstly I ordered a lamb naga they sent chicken so I had to wait for the meal that I ordered. Then the lamb was so tastless didn't eat it. The wife's chicken was dry. We was offered no discount and didn't seem bothered that I had not eaten my curry even after I told them it wasn't nice. It is such a shame cause 1 year ago it was one of the best in the north east. Such a drop in standards and service.

Le Raaj continues to serve fantastic food in a great atmosphere. The choices are plentiful and interesting, the staff extremely good and the speed of service perfect. I'd never hesitate to recommend this restaurant to anyone

Everything from the poppadoms to the curries was faultless and the waiters were really attentive without being overbearing cant wait to be back

Had a great night food was excellent service was really good would recommend

One of the best Indian restaurants I have had the pleasure to eat at. Food was outstanding, even the side dishes were tasty and excellent. Service was friendly and attentive. Yes it is a little more expensive but well worth it.

Superb! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome food expertly ran by Masum and his team. Complimentary drinks very kindly offered to us at the end of our meal for a friend's birthday. 😁 Definitely coming back again soon.

Food is amazing and staff are great really friendly

22nd may Food unbelievable massive portions Staff superb

Came on 22nd May. Party of 7. Food was so good. Atmosphere was amazing. Staff very attentive

Food is amazing! Staff are so polite and attentive!

We have been meaning to visit here for a while after hearing good reviews and weren`t disappointed. The atmosphere was excellent, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the food was fantastic! We loved the sizzling meats platter - very yummy. We will be returning!

Absolutely 💯 percent hospitality in le raaj especially Masum,he is an absolute legend. Enjoyed meeting you Masum,thanks

Outstanding service, the restaurant & toilets are immaculate! Felt like been on holiday the staff were so attentive... 2nd visit now and will return very soon!! Thank you for a lovely evening 👌👌

Great service from very friendly and attentive staff. Very large menu and the majority of items are Gluten Free. Quality of food was excellent. Drinks are pricey though, it wasn’t that warm in what is a very large room. Our first visit, but we will definitely be back.

We met a friend there for an evening meal. She's a regular diner at Le Raaj and it's easy to see why. The place is immaculately presented and spotlessly clean. The staff are very welcoming, friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and well presented.

Brilliant food, good atmosphere, great staff. Highly recommended.

What a fabulous restaurant. I went here while visiting my grandparents and the staff were absolutely wonderful. They made excellent recommendations for us all and made sure we all had food we would like. We will definitely be back.

Absolutely unreal best food in a long time excellent staff

Been to Le Raaj at Chester Moor today fab food mish was a fab host so friendly nothing was a problem for him will defo be back xxxx

Went here for a curry here on a Saturday evening, staff very welcoming and restaurant really nice. Food tasty but quite expensive. Ordered a prawn starter to share (only had 2 prawns in it for £10, did mention to the waiter and he said it’s more expensive as it’s seafood) and 3 popadums with dips. Then ordered 1 rice, 1 main curry, 1 naan bread and 1 saag paneer to share. Had 1.5 pints of cobra, bill came to £65, total.

No atmosphere, miserable staff!! Could have better taste and service somewhere else in less than what we paid. Too much staff but still no one came to ask if we needed anything else..totally disappointed!!

Had another great meal at this 'top notch' Indian restaurant.My husband & I love the food/service/atmosphere,the staff are always conscientious & immaculately dressed. We'd come here tonight & had a lovely bottle of champers/ lovely meal & went home full & happy 😊. We'll see u soon.Polly & Nicholas Pratt.X

First visit and will not be the last , driven past many a time , thinking must try it. Very happy we did , lovely food and a great team , with a friendly professional service.

Came here for a birthday celebration, packed to the rafters. Food was good drinks were reasonable and also got a birthday shot and an ice cream on the house. Would have been a 5 star but the made a mistake on the bill with a bottle of wine charged twice. Simple mistake which the rectified after a phone call. All in all great place to visit.

We had a lovely Saturday night here, great atmosphere which makes for a lovely night when out with teenage children. Quality of food, drinks and service all excellent. It’s been a few years since we have been but we will definitely be back soon. Thank you!

Always a friendly welcome on arrival ,nice bar area with seating in the reception area ,decor is lovely and relaxing atmosphere ,the staff are lovely and very attentive so friendly ,they’re also spot on with service ,food is amazing ,great choices ,dining area is so relaxing ,it’s just a special place ,there’s parking on site ,and takeaway service ,can’t fault this place ,gets our vote every time ,that’s why we keep going back

Food was good . The Briyani was spot on

Great venue with great food Excellent service. We had the lunchtime special which provided a good choice of food. Easy on site parking

We decided to head out for a walk and some food in the Chester Moor area. As we walked past La Raaj the inviting smells pulled us in. We were warmly greeted by the manager and quickly seated at a lovely window table. Considering it was a cold Thursday night the restaurant was vibrant and had a great atmosphere. Service, food, quality, value and overall experience was exceptional. Highly recommended and we will be back soon!

Really warm, friendly atmosphere. Visited for an impromptu date night. Delicious food and service with a smile. Would certainly recommend. We enjoy coming here as we feel relaxed and welcomed.

Always been a fan of this place. Understand prices have increased but its very high now. The quality seemed to go down in reflection. Would i eat here again? Probably not unfortunately for the price you pay. Then menu is really weird now too. 3 people on the table couldn't understand it.. price is a line at the bottom that you have to work out. Anyway.. it was average overall. Hope you read customer remarks and take action..

WOW!! Prices that you can’t believe, average food. i can’t believe that a meal that would normally cost £50 ish was £86 in this restaurant. NEVER AGAIN

We had a nice meal, staff were very pleasant. But the Service was very slow, 2 hours for starter and main, And I thought £95 for 2 people was a bit pricey. £7 a pint.

Extortion at the highest level. 1 chicken curry, 1 x prawn curry, 1 x mata paneer, 1 x rice., 1 onion barji an 2 plain nans. 4 x Small diet cokes. Price £94 absolute rip off for a average meal. Portion size ridiculously small. Once bitten as the saying goes. Buyer beware

Fantastic went last night with the husband, son,and his partner, as it was the sons birthday 🎂 the waiter brought in a surprise ice cream 🍦 with candle so very thoughtful Thank you all so much ❤

Beautiful restaurant, really good food, nice atmosphere, only downside it's a little bit pricey so definitely a treat night 🙂

Excellent food great service from masum and staff.

We went to La Raaj last night - the food was delicious, the staff so so thoughtful, friendly and helpful. Masum inparticular was very attentive - and it really does make a difference! So thanks for a fab night x

Been here a few times for lunch Prices have almost doubled now and are unclear on menu (tiny writing on bottom of page) Bill was hard to understand Felt very impersonal

Another fabulous meal and great service for 7 of us tonight. It’s our “go to” for birthday celebrations! Thanks Le Raaj 👏🏼

Over-booked. Long wait to be seated. Mediocre food and POOR ATTITUDE to people with allergies. Menu is marked up for allergies -but beware it is not comprehensive. I ordered a Tandori Thali which was marked up for seafood but not for nuts. I specifically asked the waiter if the dish contained nuts and was told 'No". When the dish arrived I could plainly see slivers of almond as a garnish ! I have a profound nut allergy. Also the meal was over priced with slapdash un itemised billing.

Absolutely sublime food. The best I’ve tasted in quite a while. Great service too and a decent price in lovely surroundings.

Went to Le Raaj and honestly hands down the best Indian I've ever had! The staff were fantastic and answered questions i had about which curry to choose from and what they were like and suggested what naan bread to go with it, the chicken tikka massala was great and the chicken tikka nawabi i had was the best curry I've tasted so thank you to the waiter who recommended it. All in all great prices, great serving sizes, quality customer service and a great experience we even considered coming back a second night it was that good! Will definitely be coming again

Great food, with exceptional service and friendly staff.

What can I say. We were squeezed in as a last minute booking for 6 on New Years Eve. The place was chockablock but yet the service was outstanding and the food spectacular Hats off to all concerned, can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes. A restaurant at the top of its game

Great food, served quickly and very friendly staff. Would definitely come again

We visited two years ago and had a great time. We wanted to return and this time it was sadly really disappointing. Not sure we will go back. The food is still great, but the service was very poor and made us feel unwelcome especially for such an expensive meal (nearly £200 for 5 people without starters) Bare in mind we did attend at a very busy time of the year and we didn't ever complain during the night. It still doesn't excuse the fact that it was pre booked where any restaurant should be able to manage its intake and know their working capacity. Clearly felt like they had taken on more than they could handle. We had pre booked a table and the table wasn't even set when we were guided to it. After waiting 30 minutes they didn't even realise we had a table without plates or forks nor had been asked for drinks. They then gave us what seemed to be free poppadoms without any plates. They were literally setting up tables around us and I kept politely trying to ask for some plates and cutlery and got a sharp reply from one of the staff. Why would you prioritise setting up other tables when people already sat down haven't even been set up correctly without plates or cutlery even more so now they have been served some food ? The staff member we had was very slow and someone else stepped in to sort it out. The lights cut out at one point as the staff was changing with the lights so was starting to become an unwelcome atmosphere especially surrounded by either tables getting set up or people sat down enjoying their meals. First impressions matter and within 30 minutes I was contemplating leaving. The menu is very poorly laid out - the prices are summarised in very small writing at the bottom of each page of a section and can be confusing to understand between starters and mains what costs what. It felt somewhat tactical. We were waiting a long time between finishing starters and mains to be served, to get our order to actually getting food. The food when it eventually arrived was great! Full of flavour,and we were all very impressed. However, you would expect more quantity for the price. When it came to paying, we had to get up and ask for it at reception as no one even realised we were wanting the bill and no one was coming to check on us after taking our plates which had already taken a long time. What really frustrates me here is that anywhere you normally go, the breakdown of the bill is clear and concise either through a machine so you know line by line what you have ordered - even indian restaurants. Here,  having someone tap it out on a calculator , write in illegible words on a note pad and tell me the drinks = £39.00 without any breakdown of what that was is really unclear and misleading. The staff looking too busy to even challenge it-You go away thinking what exactly have I paid for especially with it being so steep? Not just the case for the drinks but even the breakdown of food - is the price legit or are they inflating it with service or hidden costs I don't know about especially with such an unclear menu for prices. It not right and loses a lot of trust for me with the restaurant. Note we never complained throughout the night and the restaurant kindly offered us a drink on the house as we left , but again , because of the reasons above you never really sure if its on the house or just part of the inflation on my bill I've just paid, same applies to the poppadoms we didn't order that were placed on the table so I couldn't really appreciate it - were the free? I have no idea but for nearly £200 without starters it didn't feel like it. Foods great - service and atmosphere less so - not sure we will go back , maybe best for a takeaway?

Excellent food and service every time. Highly recommended.

Had a lovely meal tonight. Made to feel very welcome, some great recommendations on the food from the staff. 5 star food. Fantastic birthday meal. Thank you

We came on a Wed night with friends and were really impressed with the food and service. Menu has totally changed since last time we were here and it was a good change. Service was quick and professional and food was delicious. My crab starter was amazing 👏. More expensive but better quality. Staff were lovely and complimentary drink at the end well received 😀 only issue was not that warm in restaurant

Food was absolutely delicious. The presentation of the food was really nice too.