Mahala restaurant and lounge in Croydon

Had my Daughters 18th Birthday party at Mahala. Great venue, Amazing food and great customer service from beginning till end. Would highly recommend this venue.

Thanks so much mahala team for your service and your food is the best from sonia x if u see this hi cristian Mahala is the best!!

The main supervisor is verbally abusing your employees. I don’t know if you allowed this you shouldn’t. I’ve even heard him saying to your service that they’re being too nice to people to quit it as if they’re robots there or something . I think your Staff is being abused there you need to look out for Staff. There is no reason to go through all that screams and loud from that guy when you work that is just awful. That man fights with you if you don’t leave a tip, my friends were looking at me like what is this? This man serious? … after watching his Staff being completely subdued is revealing. Your food is amazing, but it must be paired with the usual Romanian hospitality . You ditched the hospitality and you’re stuck with an angry guy screaming there who is abusing your Staff.

Mahala is restaurant on the corner of a busy road that I pass all the time. With a name like that I definitely wouldn't associate it with being Romanian which is what it was. I was expecting it to be Indian. This place is so strange as the are no menus outside. Only found out it was Romanian because someone went there so I had to check it out as I am always eating Eastern European foods. Visited on a Sunday afternoon and there was a bouncer at the door which is interesting. Went in and walked over to the bar as all the staff were there so requested a table for 1 but they all seemed perplexed why I wanted to dine there. Anyway, as an aggressive fearless foodie nothing will stop me! I already knew what I wanted so had the tripe soup to see how it compares to the ones at mleczko, sadly the chicken livers with mash were sold out. Also had a roll with the soup which I regretted because it was just a brioche bun. The tripe soup was ok but lacked depth as all you could taste was garlic and lemon. Just for fun, I paid the bill in cash to see if they would give change or even the full change, it turns out they gave partial change and felt guilty so gave me the full change! Overall, would not return but just to tick the box.

Group of us went here last night. Quick service and tasty food. The calamari was chunky, bread for soup was tasty and the cut fried chips reminded me of childhood memories. The doughnut was unreal as well

The food was absolutely delicious, the prices are acceptable and the service was fabulous! Also the restaurant looks very nice and clean.

Celebrated our wedding here. Amazing food. Wonderful service, my sister is gluten intolerant and they took extra special care to make sure she was well looked after. The staff are really friendly and we had a wonderful time. We will definitely be back

Went for last minute Father’s Day meal Had the large meat platter fir 4 Was amazing Had the papa as for dessert so yummy will def be back for more

The food I ordered: grilled marinated chicken breast with hand cut fries. The food was very delicious!

A group of us were looking for somewhere to eat and by chance found this fantastic restaurant. None of us had eaten Romanian food before but we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We will definitely visit again next time we're up for training. The prices were excellent as well. Well worth a visit if you fancy something a bit different.

All food fresh and delicious. I particularly enjoyed the Bulgarian salad starter. My partner had Calamari rings which were on a bed of delicious salad.

The food is amazing 👏 fresh and tasty... and the place very friendly. I recommend Focacia bread, and definitely the famous " Papanas " but here you can find much more...food prepared with love and secret recipes...

I had my birthday dinner here, the food was excellent, focacia, a delight and let's not forget about the " Papanasi" , the chef ,"Nea Vali " is doing his Magic. You just can't stop eating :-) :-) :-)

Great restaurant with great and very friendly staff. The food was excellent!! The chef was very talented and food not only looked great but tasted great too. To top it up they haven't charged us at the end. It was all on the house. Will definitely go again.

Christening party : 11 people+ 3 kids crushed up in a small corner, the decorations: 25£ for a vase of flowers, stone cold starters literally inedible, extremely loud music ( they finally switched off one of the speakers after 3 hours), the price did not reflect the quality of the experience.

Great food,great place!Love it!!❤❤ I love to go this restaurant because i really relax their!They do a great job!

Very amazing service, food and restaurants. Price / value balance perfect. We had 3 course late lunch / early dinner and couple of drinks and it's was just stunning. Calin and Cristina are both extremely helpful and have a high standard on customer care. We will return 100% for another long late lunch. Thanks guys for making our offday so nice

I went to this neighbourhood expecting a Vietnamese restaurant, but apparently that was closed. So I went to search for other restaurants nearby. This restaurant was close to the neighbourhood and I went in. I stood and waited for minutes when a waitress just told me to sit wherever I wanted. When I was just about ready to order, I had to wait 10-20 minutes just to get a waiter here. When I was ordering, the waiter I had presented very poor English as well as huge misunderstandings with our order, and I took us quite a while to understand as well as order. After I ordered, i waited a further 20-30 minutes before my food came. As I have an underlying medical condition which leads to a faster than normal blood sugar drop, the amount of time I had to wait for the food only led me to symptoms like fatigue and nausea. I was not happy with their service. When my starters finally came, it was average, the presentation of the food was poor, and all I could hear were kids crying and screaming as well as a lot of people shouting across the room. The atmosphere was just chaotic, with kids running around the restaurant as if it was a playground. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a quick or quiet place to eat.

We went here the other day and the first impression was that the place looks nice inside. When we sat down we noticed that the music is very loud, not suitable for a restaurant. Me and my wife ordered soup as the 1st course. We had to wait 40 minutes to arrive. When the soup arrived it was hot but you can tell it was microwaved. When we started eating the soup and that was 5 minutes after they brought it, they started bringing the 2nd course and dessert( there was a waiter with red hair which she looked like she was rushing us).Which by the time we finished the 1st course they got cold. Taste wise it was ok, not impressed. The fact that is the only Romanian restaurant here makes it special but as I mentioned not something to be impressed by. Pro: The looks of the place Food was ok Child/ baby friendly Cons: Service Rushed to eat and leave Loud music The door from the terrace was opened and all the cigar smoke came inside Customers swearing( if you do not speak Romanian it’s fine because you will not understand)

We return again and again to Mahala. The food is really tasty and the staff are friendly and helpful. There's a lovely atmosphere, even when there aren't many others there. Our Romanian friends go regularly and it's usually Romanian families we see in there; always a good sign of authentic food. I'm learning Romanian and the staff are really accommodating; they talk more slowly for me and are happy to repeat. We particularly love the hot meat platter for main course and we can't recommend highly enough the papanaşi for dessert. Be prepared that you'll be a while there; meals are slow, relaxed affairs. That's a great opportunity to talk, though, and the relaxed atmosphere contributes to you not minding the wait.

The restaurant is wonderful olso the staff is very friendly and helpful and very good food the atmosphere it’s was amazing well done and chipper food

I came with my friends on New Year's Eve party and we ate 2 or even 3 on a plate. Was not fair at all. I did not expect to see this for their high price menu.

Good food and atmosphere but music too loud to chat easily. At other times music would not be loud but food still good.

Would be nice and good your staff to be trained for allergies. Sadly if you are celiac you don’t cater which I think is sad as those days is increasing enourmus people having celiac disease. Also music is way too loud.

Just visited here for a birthday celebration with my family. Food was nice and served in a good amount of time. Food and drinks were reasonably priced. However the 3 rating is because the music in this restaurant is way too loud and when I asked if they could turn it down, I was told that it’s live music so they can’t. But even the radio music was blasting. We couldn’t talk to each other for a lot of the meal.

Went here for lunch the other day - the lunch menu is two courses for £8.50Amazing choices - this is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best lunches I have had in Croydon. Proper restaurant quality for lunch, fresh and delicious.Clean, welcoming and attentive staff!Thank you - I will 100% be returning!

One of the best restaurants from Croydon area but not necessarily. My congratulations to chefs, the food is really tasty. Totally recommended from food, price and hospitality

We booked a large table for 8pm on Friday night. Set straight away but as we were waiting for one more to arrive we busied ourselves with a few drinks from the very comprehensive selection. I think it must be DJ night as the music started banging away so we couldn't hear each other or the poor waitress.We order our meals around 8.30, had a few starters (looked and tasted incredible) but by 10pm there was still no word on the main meals. When asked we were told 5 minutes but this stretched out further so in the end we gave up asked to pay our bill for what we had drunk/eaten to that point.That's when the staff started arguing with us, telling us we had to wait for the main meals. "It's not our fault that it's busy, you should wait" we explained that we had waited but had zero communication from anyone as to what was happening and we had enough. Eventually they presented us with our bill, we paid and moved on.It's a pity as what food that did come out looked and smelled incredible and the place is beautiful but after this we won't be rushing back

I loved this restaurant, I enjoyed a rich, dry and red Romanian wine with a good friend; nice ambiance, music, very friendly staff.. but I was most impressed by Penne Carbonara - the best I've ate anywhere in the world.

Wonderful atmosphere, great food, friendly staff, life music tonight. Great entertainment. So far I introduced this place to a lot of my friends, Romanian, Portuguese, Jamaican, Turkish, English and they all LOVED IT. I recommend this place from the bottom of my heart.

We have organised our Son's firts Birthday Party at Mahala Restaurant and we were extremely happy with the service,food and atmosphere! Staff extremely professional, polite and helpful!I would allways choose it for any other event! Highly recommended!

Had a lovely lunch here today. A stew and palenta followed by the most gorgeous Papanas. All washed down with a couple of Romanian beers. Pleasant and quick service also.

A frustrating restaurant. I was the only customer during both visits. One on an evening and the other at lunchtime.No complaints about the speed of service and the staff were friendly enough. Though the wifi indicates it is for guests I was advised by the waiter it was not.On both occasions I was told they were out of stock of Romanian beers.The stew on the first visit was vert tasty and of a generous portion. Tried stuffed cabbage rolls on my 2nd visit and this also did not disappoint. Overall I would say the food is tasty. It is a large restaurant and needs to be filled to give a nice atmosphere.

I’ve been here several times since first discovering it about six months ago. I was attracted by a blackboard outside advertising a two-course lunch for the £10 mark. It feels more like a pub than a restaurant inside. It’s a large plain space comprising tables, a few banquettes, bar and large TV screen today showing downhill ski-ing from Innsbruck won by a Pole. The menu is earthy and authentic Romanian cuisine. After starters of roe salad or tripe soup, think bean casserole with pork shank off the bone, my personal favourite. Roast duck cabbage and polenta, Romanian carp, pork and beef sausages would do just as well. Amongst a small selection of desserts cheese and raisin pie stands out. Was disappointed today that Romanian beer from Timisoara was unavailable and I had to make do with Staropramen from the Czech Republic. Service from a petite waitress was polite and efficient.

Been here a couple of times. Last time I went, I went with a friend and we sat in the beer garden and had a bottle of wine. The wine cost about £14 and it was a nice white wine. The beer garden is quite small but is nice if you're going for a quiet drink. Had food there a couple of months before hand and really enjoyed the meal. Good value and something a bit different. Staff were friendly. Would eat there again

Very good food, very nice atmosphere and excellent service. Also, very kid friendly!!! We wholehartedly recommend.

Visited with my friend and my baby on Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed our meal in the garden as the weather was nice. The food is tasty and authentic and also the service we received on the day has been really friendly and efficient. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who would like to try Romanian food and atmosphere :)

its really nice, this one makes the difrence in Croydon, you can eat at normal prices in a delux restaurant, and the staff is really great, I hope they will have a big succes!

London is bursting with restaurants from virtually every corner of the globe, but this is the first Romanian I've ever come across anywhere in the capital. It's an odd rather characterless place. Its name sounds like Masala so I was surprised to discover it wasn't an Indian restaurant. The large rather monochrome space has bare brick walls whose only adornment are large television screens advertising images of the restaurant itself. I was handed the regular menu with no sign of the two-course lunch deal (bean soup followed by chicken schnitzel and chips for £9.95). Passing the likes of tripe soup or fried chicken livers for starters I chose instead Romanian bean casserole with pork shank (off the bone). I'm not sure what the beans were but they were a thick bright yellow purée possibly including carrots and lentils. The pork comprised five or so chunky slices. It was not a dish I've ever had before and certainly felt authentic. Bread rolls (without butter) were served at 30p each although my third was complimentary. I had a pint of staropramen and a double espresso. A bill of around £17 represented good value for money.

From the moment you walk in to the moment you wave goodbye to the friendly staff, everything is flawless. Stunning design and delicious food will surely make for a night to remember.

The journey time was 2.5 hours but that was due to switching off the brain and letting sat nav take us. Have to say it was well worth it. A great venue, superb décor and tasty food plus the extra of live music which made it. I am biased of course because my Mrs is Romanian but I would recommend people to try the Carp or Crap as its called back home. Wash that down with some polenta and a brandy and you will enjoy your night. The music will make your body sway and if you are a single chap then you may well strike lucky :)I would definitely suggest this is the place to go in a group as you can have a boogie after the grub ....a good night done

Great to finally have a restaurant in this part of London serving the best of Romanian cuisine. Service is very attentive and the decor very modern. The extensive menu is obviously cooked fresh for each order which might not suit people in a rush, but if you're looking for well-cooked delicious food with lovely regional wines this really can't be faulted. I've come to love Romanian food, especially sarmale and mici (mititei) with papansi for desert.

Staff was friendly although not a great comprehension of the local language (English). The place looks really nice but their menu is way to extensive and the quality of the food did not support the price tag that came with it. I might stop by for drinks but wasn't to happy to return for a meal.

I just popped in for a drink and thought I had walked into the West End I didn't eat but will come back for food and will review it. It is the antithesis of The Gun which was the pub it replaced. This is a cool, relaxed bar that demands your attendance. Leather sofas, relaxed music and great service. I need to come back ☺ #Croydon

Very nice romanian restaurant with a warm ambiance and good atmosphere! The food was great! Will definitely come back!

Our Romanian friend took us there to try their cuisine. The restaurant is amazing, food is fantastic and staff very friendly. We will definitelly come back with another friends and family.

The decor in Mahala is absolutely gorgeous - even the bathrooms are beautiful! So much attention has been paid to detail and the lighting and atmosphere are really inviting.All the food we tried was delicious and my Romanian friend thought it tasted very authentic. They offer sharing platters but we just ordered a variety of stews, meats, vegetable rolls and spreads and shared everything so we could taste it all.The staff were attentive and the manager was very friendly and came over to welcome us personally.Lovely atmosphere and food - can’t wait to go back!