Lotus Indian Kitchen in South Derbyshire

Fabulous in every way! Can’t get enough of it! We live on the marina and pop round on our dog walk for a drink and nibbles! The mushrooms are amazing!

Was turned away today. Was told they was no walk ins available. No explanation at all. The place was practically empty.

My number one favourite Indian restaurant, the menu is slightly different from the norm but every dish is fantastic! The food is so consistently good every time I visit.

Good food, good decor, lovely service. Could improve quantity for the price paid for some items.

There is a great selection to choose from for both vegetarians and non vegetarian. The service is quick and efficient. With the food being hot and really tasty.

Fabulous street food that was tasty and all arrived hot at the same time. Wonderful service from Kevin who was attentive and friendly

Find me a better Indian restaurant 😋

Faultless on every count, have never had a visit to Lotus that's been anything less than 10/10. The food was fantastic as always, as was the service, and the live entertainment was at the perfect volume level to create atmosphere without stopping you from enjoying conversations at your table. Cannot recommend enough.

Starters: Loved the portion size and variety! Gobi Manchurian and Mushroom Kurkure were absolutely delicious - highly recommend the Kurkure! Paneer Tikka was slightly bland, could use a touch more spice or stronger marinade. Mains: Paneer Butter Masala was good, consistent quality expected from a classic dish. Garlic Naan was excellent - light, fluffy, and flavorful. Pilau rice paired well with the mains. Dessert: Chocolate Brownie was a nice sweet ending to the meal. Atmosphere & Service: Great atmosphere for dining - upbeat and enjoyable. Live music was a lovely touch! Overall: I had a very pleasant experience at Lotus Kitchen. It has a great location. The starters and atmosphere were amazing, and the mains and dessert were good. Would definitely recommend trying the Mushroom Kurkure and Garlic Naan!

Starters: Loved the portion size and variety! Gobi Manchurian and Mushroom Kurkure were absolutely delicious - highly recommend the Kurkure! Paneer Tikka was slightly bland, could use a touch more spice or stronger marinade. Mains: Paneer Butter Masala was good, consistent quality expected from a classic dish. Garlic Naan was excellent - light, fluffy, and flavorful. Pilau rice paired well with the mains. Dessert: Chocolate Brownie was a nice sweet ending to the meal. Atmosphere & Service: Great atmosphere for dining - upbeat and enjoyable. Live music was a lovely touch! Overall: I had a very pleasant experience at Lotus Kitchen with a great location. The starters and atmosphere were amazing, and the mains and dessert were good. Would definitely recommend trying the Mushroom Kurkure and Garlic Naan!

It is such a lovely relaxing place to eat. Fantastic food , great service with friendly helpful staff. Would highly recommend

I came with my friends first time visit on Saturday for a birthday meal, I must say I have never came across such a rude staff, service was very poor. Upon arrival I was told there's no tables, after I have explained I've pre booked my table week in advanced, they told me to wait in the waiting area for over 40 min until a table is available. The drinks we ordered came wrong, not once but twice. The food came almost hour late. And we were still missing few of the dishes. The staff weren't accommodating or friendly at all. I understand its busy but a smile and asking if our food is okey should not be too difficult to do. The palak and aloo was very salty, and the lamb chops came raw. After we asked for replacement of the lamb chops it took forever, we had to cancel pay and go. Verry disappointed evening.

A cold welcome upon arrival. One of those places where multiple staff totally ignored us whilst we waited at the entrance. Always a sign of poor staff training. On the way to our table I noticed my shoes were sticking to the floor. 🤮 Our table was rocking like a seesaw and the table top was seemingly unattached to the base. All these things add up to an uncomfortable experience. Starters were excellent and I was hoping the initial impression was wrong. However the main course was bland. ‘How momma would make it’ they said. Not my Momma! It was dull as dishwater. The service was attentive but charmless. The runners had all the charm of a mass grave, and the waitresses were not much better. Nothing that a little staff training couldn’t resolve. Judging by the snotty response below, it's clear the owner doesn't understand good customer service. I wasn't expecting 'immediate attention' from the staff. It's simply courteous for staff to acknowledge the existence of a customer when entering a restaurant and say 'I'll be with you in a moment' rather than walking past us multiple times and ignoring us. And I don't care where your mum was raised and born, the fact remains your curry was bland and uninteresting. Sticky floors and table-tops too. Yuck!

Very good food and service, they willingly managed to do a dish to accommodate one of our party with dietary needs. Relaxed but attentive service.

Delicious food. Highly recommend for vegetarians

We have eaten in and had takeaways and never been disappointed. The most beautiful Indian food we've ever tasted. Every dish is full a flavour, but the cauliflower is our favourite dish. The tapas menu is brilliant for sharing and allowing you to try new dishes. We will continue to keep coming back and highly recommend this place to anybody.

Great all round experience. I had the taster menu which was very tasty and varied, will definitely be going back.

Brilliant night on New Years Eve. Food was delicious. Great atmosphere. Robbie Williams Tribute was fantastic!

Lotus Indian Kitchen is set in a very nice location. The food is all cooked in the kitchen that is on view for all to see. The food is very nice it is all cooked to a medium heat so if you would like it hotter or milder just ask and they are more than happy to oblige. I can recommend the fig and coriander naan (see the picture). Nice atmosphere with a live musician on the night we were there. Very friendly staff which made the whole experience a great evening.

The food was okay, but there were a couple of hiccups. One staff member kept mixing up our sharing platter, saying it’s our individual bowls when it was not, which was very frustrating. Plus, they only gave us a small jug of water for a group of nine people, which wasn't enough. The service could definitely use some improvement. Overall, it was an okay experience, but I hope they work on these issues.

Superb food and hospitality. Highly recommended for quality tasty food

Food was exceptional , service was very attentive.

Food was good: absolutely delicious curries, gorgeous creamy kulfi. Starter of chaat was just ok but lacked a bit of substance and flavour. Chicken tikka was amazingly tender. Service is what really let the experience down. Nobody actually greets you when you arrive or asks if you're ok or are enjoying the food or anything. I appreciate we went on a busy night in the run up to Christmas but we were a couple on a birthday meal and was hoping for a bit more of an all round experience. It's like they can't wait for you to eat and leave. Please put masala chai on the menu!

Deliciously different food, served with a smile.

We visited Lotus kitchen to try out the new brunch menu that’s available on weekends 12-4pm Wow! Such incredible food for such good value! Lotus Thali was £15 and comes with 5 dishes and rice and naan! Totally delicious. We also had Paratha - aloo stuffed flatbread with yoghurt and pickles. Can’t wait to go back! Check out our Instagram @derby_diners for full review. Ad

Absolutely amazing food in the midlands! Made by authentic Indian chef’s 🙌🏼 (unlike other restaurants that claim they’re Indian but are are cooked by Pakistani or Bangladeshi chefs and catered to the British taste) This is the food I grew up eating at home. 100% recommended (but not the nimbu pani 😄 - they lost that one)

Soooo good for a nice sit down meal. And prices are great too!

First time we (group of 4) have been and it was lovely. Although a slightly limited menu all dishes chosen were great, not just a run of the mill currys. Polite helpful staff. Pictures on the website of inside the restaurant don't do it justice. Good atmosphere. We will definitely be going back.

Food was good and made up for the lack lustre service staff. Very young and inexperienced staff chatting and showing each other videos on their phones whilst we were waiting for the bill. We felt ignored and had to get up from the table to get our waiters attention, he was unbothered and unapologetic! Felt like they were on school break time. Also one of the service staff dropped some plates of food on the floor and didn’t bother to clean up properly, just brushing it up leaving sauce and remains ont he floor!! It also smelt of sewage on the right of the restaurant. Don’t think we’ll be returning thanks.

Food and service was fantastic as usual. This place never disappoints! Our waitress Beth was exceptional.

Best Indian place in Derby. Wonderful as usual and service very attentive.

Went here for my mum’s birthday, amazing staff and the food is absolutely fantastic, really enjoyed the evening and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantastic tasting Indian food.

Visited yesterday, and 3 of us had a great time. Food was flavoursome and drinks always tasty. Will visit again defo, once lock down is over

Really great food, the staff were lovely and atmosphere was great. Will definitely be returning!

Poor service. Slow service. No one cares if you enjoy i or don’t. Food sub standard bartered cauliflower soggy and mushy. Fish finger frozen rubbish Staff rude and unfriendly. We asked fir advice and they nafe us feel stupid

Very noisy a big group of men bad atmosphere

DO NOT BOTHER! The food is mediocre at best, we will NOT be eating at Lotus again and I highly suggest you don’t either. They don’t deserve your money!! They messed up our booking for 9 people, even though we paid a deposit for 9, so there was a delay to be seated. When we asked to order desert and more drinks we were told very rudely they we needed to pay and leave the table as it was only booked for 2 hours. We booked the table on the phone as is it not possible to book online for over 8 people, we were NOT told that we had only booked the table for 2 hours. We were late to be seated at the table by 20 minutes due to their incompetence, which meant we only had 1 hour 40 mins for 9 us of us to eat - how is that even possible? ‘Supervisor’ lacked customer service skills and was very rude. We were celebrating a special birthday and I have to say they completely spoiled our evening.

Great taste, Food was awesome ever tested in UK, Indian hotel outside Derby in place surrounded by lake, nice ambience, free car park.... I will recommend the place for taste and cost wise also not so expensive which I thought. Quick service available and baby dishes also available. Love to dine in again

Amazing food and lovely views of the marina, perfect combination

Delicious food Great atmosphere Friendly staff

Zeer leuk restaurant, heerlijke bediening en uitgebreide uitleg. En natuurlijk lekker eten, met goede prijzen en lekkere vegetarische opties met goede prijzen!!

Absolutely divine food, and exceptional service. We've been to many amazing Indian restaurants in London and this was far better than any of them. Highly recommend!

Another great meal, love this restaurant 😋

Food was amazing as it is everytime I have been

Everything is awesome here no complaints first class enjoyed many thanks

Great food with great vegetarian options.

Quality service and food lovely relaxed atmosphere

We popped in on the off chance on a Sunday evening and were not disappointed! Great food, attentive service, we’ll be back!

Really like it here, tasty food, highly recommend the chilli chicken! Also really nice cocktails, would recommend the top one on the menu. They actually went above and beyond and emailed me to say that they’d moved us from an outside table to indoor due to the weather forecast which I really appreciated. Prompt service, only criticism would be that you don’t get very long to eat, our table was 6:45 and they needed it back for 8 so felt very rushed

Visited on 11.07.23 for a special occasion. We had a lovely table next to the window overlooking the water's edge, really lovely surroundings. Restaurant is large, spacious, fresh and clean, with a big open kitchen so you can see everything being prepared. The staff were all lovely, friendly and polite without being intrusive, the perfect balance. The food was great!! Every single dish was delicious! We went tapas-style so we could try a bit of everything, between three hungry adults we ordered 5 small plates/streetfood plus one rice, one naan, one chips and some raita. This was ample, we were all very satisfied. The tikka dishes (paneer and chicken) were lovely and smoky and flavoursome, the prawns were delicately flavoured and you could taste the individual herbs in the dish (although a few more prawns would have been nice). The highlights were definitely the crunchy chilli chicken which came in a sticky Szechuan-type sauce and the seekh kebab, which was honestly the best i've ever had. Everything was hot and fresh and the ingredients were the best quality. We also had desserts, the chai brownie was apparently nice and gingery, good quality ice cream came with all and the eastern mess was nice and refreshing (although a little less cream and more fruitiness would have been better). Drinks were reasonably priced and there's a good selection of non-alcoholic, highlights being the very herby and slightly spicy Indian lemonade, and the unusual but moorish lychee cooler. Can't wait to go again in the future.

Located in Mercia Marina, this is our favourite place to dine at Sunset, and the food is always delicious. This is Halal btw.

A fantastic afternoon listening to live music by Pancake Boy and Miss Shapen at the band stand at Mercia Marina topped off with a great meal at Lotus Indian restaurant. Good selection of Indian street food and curries. A cut above your standard Indian restaurant menu. We particularly liked the garlic honey prawns and the fig and coriander naan bread. Also if you are not drinking alcohol give the Indian lemonade a try. We will be going back to try some more of the dishes on their menu. Staff very friendly and accommodating and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Had a really nice and enjoyable meal with starter main and dessert and drinks. Food was excellent. Service however very poor. Girls were pleasant but service waiting for each course and a long time to get the bill. Also seems as though the menu choices do not change very often at all. Lovely food but the rest no thank you.

Been going to Lotus for quite some time, always been good, service can be slow, as not enough staff! However normally enjoy our visits. Went last Wednesday 21.06.2023, walked in at 6 restaurant quite empty(we normally book but didn't on this occasion. Spoke to a lovely young man, who had to check with his manager if they were accepting walk ins, considering the emptiness of the restaurant inside and outside we thought this would not be an issue especially as we normally only stay for an hour! He came back and advised he had been told to say we are not accepting walk ins tonight!! So we left, however from our car I went online and it allowed me to book a table!! Husband was far from happy, we drove to another more local restaurant and ate elsewhere!!

Fabulous food and great service, would thoroughly recommend. The only really minor complaint was that the Eastern mess dessert didn’t have much fruit in it. Really enjoyed the street food though and would definitely book again. Thanks to all

Amazing food, fabulous service, beautiful setting.

Food was delicious and decor pleasant. We had Briyani and Coconut Chicken which was cooked very well and was very tasty. Definitely worth eating here. The service and staff can improve however. Did not feel welcome as staff are not particularly friendly no service with a smile. The bathrooms were very nice and clean.

Sat outside to eat, what a place. The views are beautiful. Drink orders were taken swiftly, and starters brought out quickly. There was a long wait for mains due to an error in the kitchen, but the staff came over, apologised, and then provided a free drink. Staff were very attentive. Food was sublime and well priced. Will definitely come again

Fully recommend coming here for food.

Great food as always. Love a good mix of street food. Lovely views to the marina too.

There were five in our party and some had small plates and some the full Indian dish, both were outstanding. Staff were helpful and very knowledgeable the service was excellent. We sampled the cocktails also excellent. I don't live in the local area but when we visit again I would make this my first choice. I also have to mention Pria (sorry not sure how to spell the name) who went above and beyond in terms of service. Would highly recommend the small plates to anyone visiting so you can sample more of the deliciopus food on offer.

Really enjoyed this meal.. Medium sized portions, main is enough to share with a rice & Nan bread for 2 people in a lunchtime..

Amazing service amazing food, couldnt get any better service from all of them

Fantastic food, and fantastic service, we went on a busy day and still managed to get us a table and the service was incredible.. high recommended!! Ambiance was great too near the marina..

I personally liked my meal. My wife was not impressed with the lamb chops. I don’t like it too spicy but the menu doesn’t say what’s hot and what’s not. Service was a bit slow but friendly. Our party of 6 enjoyed the atmosphere. Good place for meeting with friends who like Indian food.

Fabulous food and great service we will definitely be coming back.

A very nice place to dine, the menu is quite small but better to cook 8 things well rather than 30 poorly.

Nice looking restaurant. Drinks selection good, menu choice ok, diehes just printed out on one sheet of paper. The plates that came before the mea werel barely warm, cold by the time the food arrived. The chutneys that come with the poppadoms are tiny, not enough for two people. Curries tasted nice although the paneer dish was swimming in sauce, not much cheese in it. Portions not huge. Its nice enough but not sure we would make the 45 minute journey again.

Family Birthday, well worth a visit.

The food is always really nice however un fortunately this was let down as there was an awful smell that filled the whole restaurant. We asked the staff and they said it was coming from behind the bar where they clean the glasses? It smelt like sewage and it wasn't pleasant eating when you could smell it. We could see other tables also unhappy. Also unfortunately let down too by poor service. It took ages for our order to be taken. We had to ask for more drinks.

As we walked in, there was a fantastic smell. A good food selection on the menu and good sized portions. The food was excellent and service was great and in a lovely location. Well recommended.

We don’t really eat out much so never thought about leaving a review before but wow I just had to for last night, first time in the Lotus and it was fabulous. The food was exquisite lovely and hot and the service was top tier fantastic, served by the young ginger lad who was fantastic even though he was super busy and serving a full restaurant almost by himself he still had time to be attentive, punctual and correct and his expectation of the set menu was fantastic so we just had to have it and wow he didn’t lie. It was just fantastic! We will definitely be returning can’t wait to see you again!

This is our second time is it in the restaurant each time we have been, we have been served by the same waiter who we found out his name last night is Fraiser, his customer service skills are very good and his menu knowledge and waitering ability is very good ! We were only going for something light but ended up having 2 courses the honey garlic prawns are superb and the chicken Tika is lovely juicy and tender ! Then the Malabar prawns was a beautiful dish and to my surprise quite light ! Overall a superb atmosphere and service with beautiful food !

The food is exquisite here and is incredibly popular! I will always recommend this restaurant to friends, but I'd recommend going in with the knowledge that wait times might be a little longer than average at peak times.

Food is not great, not hot. The room was also cold. Service wasn't good at all the waiter wearing a coat it was that cold. I like a curry. It's one of the worst Indian restaurants I've been to for a while. I won't be returning.

Went with family to this beautiful restaurant in mercia marina. Top quality food and great prices. One of the best curries I ever had. Fresh ingredients. Brilliant service and all overlooking the beautiful marina. I will defenetly return here again. A little gem on our doorstep that feels a million miles away highly recommended 👌 🥰

Been here twice now. If you’re a fan of Indian food then you’re in for a treat… it is exceptional. Friendly attentive service in a spacious restaurant… you tend to not be sitting too close others. The two times I’ve been here it has been very busy and I was lucky I think to get a table… even on a weekday evening… so I’d recommend booking to avoid disappointment.

Excellent food cooked in open kitchens in full view of the restaurant. Choice of street food - small plates, or full mains. The street food starts at about £8, mains from £11 with plenty of accompaniments. Beautifully cooked with first class service 👌 Good selection of drinks. Only down side... the Justin Bieber songs being played over the PA..😕😅

Lotus Kitchen: A restaurant that’s been on our list probably since it’s opened!!! Located proudly at Mercia Marina, boasting with confidence, it’s food and service, with its inviting aromas. You CAN NOT go to the Marina and not be enticed or indulged into the Lotus Kitchen. An absolute Gem! Parking is Free at the Marina, including the restaurant, which is always a Bonus. You’re warmly welcomed by staff and a bar, to start your evening. There are a good number of seats whilst you wait for your party to arrive. The restaurant has ample places to sit and is utilised well with the tables and chairs spaced out well, not invading the privacy of tables. The Service is great, professional and friendly. Our waiter was Fraser. A fantastic young man. He knew his menu well. Advised on what was available and what additional items were available that weren’t on the menu. His customer service was excellent. Thank you Fraser. The Menu. Wow! The Menu had some amazing choices, leaving you either wanting to order it ALL or return to try out another dish. Either way a great menu. We were all really pleased with our food. It was cooked well, traditionally. The Tandoori naans we’re done very well and in a proper Tandoori oven. (This was impressive). The Kitchen is open so you can see you’re food being prepared. Prepare yourself for it being served. It is Divine! and you will not be disappointed. A definite must!!! We will most definitely be returning to try another dish. The only (pedantic) improvement I’d say, is the ambiance and the vibe. This could be improved. The staff could also be given a uniform. But other than this, it was fantastic!!! Thank you for the Lotus Experience. 💫

This place is convenient for big groups around the Mercia Marina area. I have been here twice for work related events. My coworkers can’t seem to have enough of this place. The service is excellent, they do a great job serving huge groups (I think one time there were about 50 of us, easily). The reason I am giving three stars is that the food is bland. I mean, it does not come close to real Indian food so it surprises me that people think this food is great. Starters are good, no doubt and so are the non-Indian menu items like fries, sausage, etc. Definitely not the place that would come to mind if I wanted to have a hearty Indian meal. Also, they never have chai when I want it, they only make it at specific times. I am not blown away.

I’ve been here on 5 different occasions now and every time the foods been absolutely delicious and the staff are always friendly. There’s also lovely views of the marina which you’ll see plenty of boats floating by.

Great menu, friendly staff, recommend a visit.

Nice place but cold when sitting inside. staff was ok but very disappointed with foods like pub foods to me. for example Spicy chilli chicken only chicken cook then put sweet chilli sauce. And cocktails not that good too. Don't think going back there in anytime soon.

Coldest restaurant I have been in. Avoid if you like warm and comfortable environment. Management advised and not really bothered. Takeaway speed at premium price

Nice food and a different experience to a normal Indian meal ,which made a refreshing change. Will definitely go back there

Really enjoyed the food but as a thing I would prefer to know if the starter is served hot or cold off the menu

Return visit to Lotus with friends, set menu was very very good, thank you chefs! Again a shout out to the best waiters by far, Vince and Kayan. Get service guys

Booked the table online, no problem, and the meal and service were great 👍

The view and the Indian food are very good

Great food and friendly service as always.

Really nice restaurant and the food has always been great.

This place has the best restaurant food I’ve tasted in ages! Indian Street Food with a twist, it’s quite simply delicious.

Really nice food. Nice views out over the marina if you get a window seat. The menu is a nice size and the prices are reasonable. Food I had was really nice and definitely will be going back.

Popadoms came out but wet had to wait for pickle tray by which time we had eaten half of them it took so long.. drinks order was forgotten but we were given forgotten order free.. curry was nice so was rice and Nan .. but...

This was my first time visiting the food was perfect and the staff were excellent the atmosphere was very welcoming would highly recommend

Ordered a takeaway for collection at 4.30 on New Year’s Eve. Had to wait another 25 mins for it when I arrived. Got home and a dish was missing, along with only 4 prawns in the prawn curry. I called and was told I could...

Excellent food and 1st Class service

Great food situated in a picturesque part of the marina. Service is friendly and polite. Would recommend for dates, gatherings and parties for adults.

Great service. Food arrived quickly and tastes great.

Had the most amazing food and service at Lotus today. Vince and Kayan provided first class service and the chefs provided the first class food.