Masala Hut in Lisburn

We decided to have dinner in this restaurant and dropped in early evening. We ordered two main courses. Chicken Tikka Masala and a Lamb with sag dish which was requested medium hot. When the food arrived it looked good but was totally lacking in flavour. The only word I can use to describe both dishes is bland with a capital B. So very disappointing considering the meal for two soft drinks plus rice and a popadom cost £50. Also the restaurant was cold which didn’t help. Sadly this restaurant will not see us again.

The gentleman who met us at the door and who gave us our table thought he was doing us a favour, the cutlery was reached over to my wife in a fashion that even Mc Donalds would have thought was poor ! the water was brought to the table in a bottle and not poured when I asked for a soda water and lime he proudly broadcasted "no soda water". The price for 2 courses which we shared and a coke was £44. When we went the gentleman behind the counter seemed to question us as to how we paid ,my wife assured the man that the entire bill was paid on the saucer on the table / he then announced that we had indeed the wrong bill to which I announced yes that I thought it was expensive. He then highlighted that either we were owed a pound or we owed him a pound! Im sorry sir on a Sunday I dont have the strength for such nonsense. Pretty much a v bad experience the waiter must go and go immediately. Any body can make a mistake. Bad manners and incompetence has no place in this market segment I would have thought. If you think Im putting up with that my friend u aint on this planet.

Very bad service , the Indian waiter has zero personality. very long wait on main dishes , no spice in any of the dishes, disappointing.

Part 2 To the owner that is replying to reviews. There wouldn’t be a column for patrons to review if they had a specific opinion toward the food, service etc. You are rude in your replies. I don’t appreciate that. You are suppose to handle criticism as this helps you in making ur restaurant better. Don’t come after me and insult my intelligence. I’ve traveled the world and u and your restaurant isn’t my first. If you can’t handle the heat, then don’t show Up on google. In my first review I clearly mentioned I’m not here to bash you or ur fine dining restaurant. So why you coming after me vindictively???? Whether I’m new here or not, my opinion matters. Please don’t reply as now I know you have some issues with honesty. I want to see your business better in food not with your words

First time at this location and it wont be the last : excellent attentive service by the staff and fabulous food. Very pleasant surroundings and a nice easy going atmosphere. Highly recommended

One of the best indian restaurant i have ever seen. Food, and service are awesome.

Ok, but nothing to write home about

Had the prawn puree starter, a chicken risk korma, pilau rice and peswarmi naan. All ok, but nothing to write home about. Won't be rushing back

A lovely evening the food was nice though could have been a bit warmer. Attentive staff. Will definitely be back again.

I have ordered takeaway from here a couple of times. Any time I get an Indian I always get lamb rogan Josh, but that is not what I got. What I got was a yoghurty sauce that was practically inedible. I chanced it again a couple of times giving them the benefit of the doubt that it might have been an off night. But, nope, awful every time! Cannot understand how this restaurant is getting great reviews. The food is awful!!

Booked a table here on 5th December for Boxing Day - which they said would be fine. Got a phone call today - almost three weeks later - to say they were in fact not open on Boxing Day and had taken the booking “by mistake”. Cancelling a booking with three days notice is unacceptable and extremely poor customer service. Such short notice for Boxing Day also means it is impossible to book anywhere else and has messed up our entire plans. Avoid and book at a restaurant which actually knows its opening hours. I don’t be using Masala Hut again.

Ordered a takeaway korma tasted like baby food naaan bread absolutely freezing and you’d expect it to warm with living close by food freezing chicken tough bland I sometimes order from here food sometimes okay some not but always cold waiting 20 mins to half hr very expensive

I had a takeaway meal from this restaurant and feel that the standard of the food has gone downhill. The meal was very bland, luke warm and to be honest I will not be back. I am GF and there is a notice as you go in to tell you to make the staff aware. I was informed that there was no GF food even though the chicken curry stated that it was GF. I eat in Indian restaurants quite a lot and as long as I avoid the breads there is not a problem.

Amazing decor, great food and atmosphere and service. Reasonably priced! BYOB is great, so you're not charged more than your dinner for a couple of glasses of wine.

Food was delicious, service was slow and no card payment was a pain

Excellent cuisine , well priced

Absolute shambles of a business, booked and reserved a table. The guy hung up and didn’t even take our names so we had to call back to make sure they knew who we were. Still unconvinced that they took a reservation, we called up again and he said yes booked again, without confirming our names then told us the card machines were down and hung up. Called back again to say I was phoning to make sure I was booked in that was that. After all that. We arrived tonight to find out that the restaurant was closed despite the opening hours saying 4pm-11pm.

Had to wait about 100 years for pretty decent Indian meal.

First visit with my friend. Nicest Tikka Masala I have ever tasted. Wonderful evening. Lovely staff and great service .

Lovely meal. Staff were so friendly and helpful too.

Food never disappoints, fresh and tasty. They serve smaller portions if desired and have a byob policy with no corkage charges.

The food was very good, the service though was a bit too slow. We had in fact to wait for about 50 minutes. Overalls it’s a good restaurant, but definitely not the best Indian restaurant I’ve been to.

Very tasty food. Beautiful decor inside.

Very good service and the waiter was beyond excellent. 10/10 would definitely recommend :)

Decided to get takeout haven't been for a while as food went down hill. Food seems to have improved except most of the two meals were made up of onions (quartered and not cooked) and peppers so overcooked inedible. Once you removed the inedible food not much left and extremely pricey. Nan not even cooked through so left most of it. Shame, won't return- can't afford to !!! Beware not anywhere near value for money.

Had butter chicken which was 5 small cubes of chicken breast swimming in a tasteless gunge. This is neither authentic Indian or Bangladeshi curry. The poppodoms aren't even fresh- from a packet. The coca cola was flat and I visited their loo with diarrhea before departure. All for £25 like get a life. If you want a decent curry get up to the Indian Ocean in Glengormley or Mayur in Carrickfergus.

We got a takeaway in May 2023 for a family birthday. We ordered the tandoori mix grill, chicken korma and lamb rogan josh - all dishes were disgusting. They were unrecognisable as what they should be. Overcooked and very greasy. I never write reviews - but I have to let people know not to go to this Indian restaurant.

Just had my first takeaway from here and it was disappointing... Korma sauce was lovely but chips were so hard (undercooked) we couldn't eat them.

Watch your bill, a takeaway order started at £15 as normal but when challenged it was £13.50 and asked to check again it was £12.50 Do not get ripped off, only thing they can say is it was a mistake… not the first one I’ve had

Decided to call in to masala hut for a change, didn't book but we got a table! We've been before and thought we knew what to expect So basically the prices have went up and the portions have decreased since our last visit, tasted great but could have ate more and on this experience i doubt i will return

To begin with, I’m an Indian with a great love for Indian cuisine. I’m disappointed that there is no option for 0 star review. I happened to dine at this restaurant on a road trip & I can’t help but share the worst experience of Indian cuisine. The food was bland, unappealing & disgusting. The Chef has no clue what Indian food is like. My English friends can make better Indian dishes than him/her. End of the day, we just threw £45 in water for the most distasteful food ever! Please DO NOT EVER TRY THIS PLACE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TASTE INDIAN FOOD.

A lovely atmosphere, great service and the food was top quality. This is also a very reasonably priced restaurant that now offers BYO (with no corkage fee). We will definitely be back very soon.

I rang the masala hut to order a take out, one hour I was told, ok, I arrived an hour later and waited an hour on my order, iv arrived home to let's just say a really bland meal most of which my dogs enjoyed, I'm now eating a pot noodle ,chicken and mushroom flavour which is so much better than the masala huts pasanda.

Food is delicious and staff very friendly but unfortunately service slow when busy. I think an update from service staff informing of possible delays would have been appreciated.Ignoring customers is not great. Sorry! Probably not so noticeable if in a group but as a couple the long delay between courses just spoils a ‘date night!’ . We had ordered the popadoms/dips, a starter and main course. We noticed others who had arrived after us eating their main and leaving before us. Maybe having just a main course is easier for the night! The BYO is not clearly advertised on their web site but luckily there is a local wine merchant near by. I think being able to go buy wine and actually consume a bottle of wine before main course is served says it all. Definitely would get a takeaway and maybe on a quieter evening I’d love to try this restaurant again. Hope this helps.

Fab birthday dinner.. great service.. tasty food 🎊

this place is very very bad bad food waited over an hour for my main. i got 4 wee bits of chicken with no spice at all they handed me 2 chillies on the plate couldn’t believe it

Lovely tasty food, quick attentive service and lovely authentic decor. Gorgeous at Christmas 🎄 but also year round food and also it's bring yer own 😉

Cold food pre heated rice and burnt not going there again

Food outstanding. Very busy while we were there on Saturday night hence the service was slow. However, the food was delicious.

Food was great as always and service was second to none, Saag Paneer in particular was outstanding. Highly recommend to anyone.

We dined here last night and it's the only time I have ever worn my coat all evening in a restaurant! When asked, the waiter pointed to a tiny little portable heater over at the window, 6ft from our table....the lady beside it had just lifted her sweater and put it on and another diner directly in front of the heater was wearing a puffer coat for the entire duration of her visit! Thank goodness for the candle in a glass holder on our table which I cupped til the food arrived. When we left into the dark wet night we agreed it was warmer outside.

Worst experience ever - waited 95 mins for main course and sill didn't get served: very short staffed, won't be back,

Get the selection of dishes on a Tuesday night

Why isn't 0 stars available, pathetic, bland, cold food. I could have bought nicer out of a tesco jar. Next time I want to waste £35 I'll go outside and burn it rather than paying for disappointment.....AVOID AT ALL COSTS !!!!!

Dreadful Worst restaurant experience I have ever had. I went with my husband to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we were so looking forward to this meal as we love Indian food. We were seated at a table and given two meal choices seriously two meal choices in a restaurant. The waiter was hurrying everyone along it was like a production line one lot in one lot out. My plate still had the prices sticker attached to it. I will never go back there

The waiter was rude, the table wasn’t set, my cutlery was dirty, the food was mediocre. I would have walked out only we had guests. I will not be back and I could not recommend. I hadn’t realised it had only 3 star hygiene or I would never have booked.

Visited Masala Hut tonight 5th July to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were initially "greeted" by someone masquerading as a waiter! Would have had a warmer greeting in an igloo! We hadn't even taken our seats when he informed us that they didn't sell alcohol on the premises? This was a surprise but off I went up the street to purchase some beer, leaving my wife to peruse the menu. Upon my return we both had made our minds up on our food and this guy came down to take our order. There was no banter or chit chat with him at all...everything seemed to be a chore for him. Anyway we placed our order and didn't have to wait very long for our meal...which in fact was very nice indeed! We ate as much as we could and intended to take the remainder home to enjoy later. When we asked the waiter to box up the food, he seemed not to be pleased with this request, but proceeded to do this operation at our table which I thought was quite strange. I was considering a dessert but decided that we had spent long enough at Masala hut and was going to ask for the bill. The waiter arrived with the bill before I had a chance to request it and placed it on the table and walked away. He did return quickly, we paid and left. During the entire visit, he barely spoke two words to us and didn't ask us if we had enjoyed our meal..no common courtesy at all! This guy has absolutely no idea how to deal with the general public and appears to be in the wrong profession! The food was great but because of the indifference shown by your waiter, we will never be back.

Absolutely beautiful food, the fish starter was amazing my husband loved the vindaloo I had the rogan josh. We had rice naan and chips everything was pipping hot. Will definately be back!

not worth the price, little or no flavor, starters very very expensive but very less quantity. Will not visit again.

The meal that I had last visit was quite disappointing! I had visited a few months before and the food had been good. I don't know what has changed but I was very disappointed with my meal!

Went in 16:30, the time they open. Waiter/waitress had not arrive yet. Was waiting 10 minutes, then someone from the kitchen comes out and says to come back in 25 minutes

Decor sweet and so flowery, intimate and food delish. Easy parking too

Food is amazing, I could eat here every day. Go.and try now

Restaurant was busy when we arrived to meet friends at 8pm. Table not ready and then was set for 2. Did say to the waiter who added 2 more places and brought more poppadoms. Chutneys and dips messy. Took a while for someone to take drinks order, once I added mine it was forgotten. We only ordered main courses, after perhaps waiting around 40mins to do so. When it came, approx 915pm, it was well presented and tasted great. Such a shame about the timings but we'll put it down to a busy night, plenty of take away orders coming in and perhaps another member of waiting staff would be of benefit. Nice to sit in as we get take away from here regularly. Will try it again some time. Decor nice, bright and modern

The food was excellent and I would deffinetly recommend it but the service was quite slow alough the decor inside was lovely and the waiter was nice and friendly it's just a shame the traffic was busy anyway overall it was a good place

Probably the worst Indian food I have ever eaten. Sauces from a jar out of Tesco would seriously be better. The lamb Rogan Josh was okay but the butter chicken was terrible and the colour of the chicken Tikka masala was artificial.

I feel that they could of been a little more quicker with the service while sitting in. One of my friends had to leave and request for her food to be taken out instead which wasn’t very good. We arrived at 7pm and where not getting served till 8.50 I do know that it was an extremely busy night which is understandable but they where making takeaway a priority over the restaurant. They kept asking for drinks orders and it almost felt like they wanted us to drink more and honestly all we wanted was the food. Food was good but it was dampened by the fact the service was mediocre. Maybe they need to consider hiring more staff in the future or atleast prioritise the restaurant first.

A really great restaurant with good service even when dealing with a large party of people! Good food with vibrant colours and authentic flavours! Comfortable seating and a relaxed modern setting, much enjoyed! I'd definitely go back!

I enjoy the take away out of here. Service is alway top quality! The sit in part looks great. Will have to try it sometime.

Very long waiting time. Told to collect in an hour and had to wait an additional hour after that.

Beautiful food and pleasant staff

12 of us booked for 7pm. 2hrs later we left as told our main course only meal was going to be another 30mins+ at least. We asked for a bill, as we had had a couple drinks. They even had the cheek to put extra drink on it (extra £86) which we never had, which once pulled up about they apologised for and removed. So basically stealing by chancing their arm in our eyes!!!! This place is a disaster, takeaway customers seem to have priority over sit in, as dozens of meals left the place while we sat with empty plates. Ignorant staff don't make for a pleasant experience either. I won't be back.

Waited 1hr 40mins and ended up leaving. Rest of the party left 20mins later when staff said it would be another 30mins for food (so would have been 2hr 30mins for mains only). More interested in pumping out food for takeaway customers. I'll not be back

After standing for over an hour, while other people came and went, even though I pre-ordered, I was knackered. It was okay when I got it, but there was only half the meat your would usually get, and the aloo gobi was a disappointment. Also for a supposedly spicy dish there was a lack of any spice whatsoever. Definitely not worth the price.

Great food, but could do with more varied vegetarian/vegan options. Why not a paneer masala, veg curries, etc.

Great me and my 2 daughter love it

Tasteless! Got a takeaway tonight, £35. Would have been better going to Tesco's for a microwave meal.

Food was OK staff need a smile on their face

Lovely food but was expensive for 4 of us

Service was pathetic. The waiter drip sliding up and down past our table making the dining experience very uncomfortable. Food was mediocre. Decor really nice but spacing of tables very poor proving difficult to social distance. Waiting staff not very pleasant, when asked for assistance it seemed like an inconvenience to one in particular.

Amazing experience and great food

Went for a meal at Masala Hut tonight , it was FIRST CLASS, the restaurant was spotless and clean the service was excellent and the food well it was amazing , highly recommend this restaurant and personally rate it 5 star - 100 out of 100 . Can’t wait to go back .

So glad we chose here for our first post lockdown meal. Great friendly service, beautiful decor. Our family of 5 had varying meals and each were exceptional. Very reasonably priced too. Looking forward to seeing you again Masala Hut. Great evening.

Terrible service. Only got half my order but had already got back home. Wait time also ridiculous. Sad to say we won't be back :-(

Rang at 6 and placed order was told it would be ready for collection in an hour, we waited and waited and waited so we called in, nearly 2 hours after the ordered was placed was it ready. During my time waiting inside the restaurant the phone never stopped ringing and orders were taken, I hate to think what time they were getting their food. Although the meal was ok the long wait certainty put a damper on it.

Lamb was not fresh at all very disappointed with the lamb jalfrezi

Asked for roti and got a naan instead

Doing carry out during covid phone to order us best

Ordered at 6 15 Saturday evening arrived at 9 20 cold . If you can’t cope don’t take the order . The driver rang bell and run , leaving food at the door .I ordered lamb and it tasted suspiciously like beef . IF YOU CANT FULFIL ORDER AS PROMISED DONT TAKE PAYMENT

good food, however their precautions for the covid regulations are awful, four people came in, in the duration of our wait without masks on and the staff just ignored it, one man actually sat right next to me without a mask and honestly at this time during the lockdown I dont think it's fair for a business to slack on the regulations, would it be possible to make it a bit more safe? Even to put up more signs as there are vulnerable members of the public still entering these buildings

Ordered during covid when very busy so had a long wait. Understandable; however the food quality was bad, I'd a feeling they were rushing the cooking. The onion bhajis were chewy and my tikka masala just tasted sugary; there was little other flavour. From ordering from here before I knew the dishes weren't as good when compared to Lisburn Spice but the price is much lower. Tonight however was unacceptable and I'd have gladly paid more for an enjoyable take-away. Was going to mark two but perhaps tonight was just a one-off.

Amazing food will order more offten

Highly recommend the meal for 2 food was excellent and great value for money only complaint is that drinks weren't sent but not a big issue

We love the masala hut! It’s our local Indian and we absolutely love it. Super clean, super food and super staff!!! We’re lucky too have rashal and his staff so close to home!!

Love the new look interior 👌 food excellent

What can I say apart from. - outstanding. We love everything about this restaurant, the food, staff, location, decor and the service and atmosphere. Can’t praise it enough... but don’t just take my word... go and try it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. 😊❤️

Pre ordered by telephone..they told me to turn up in an hour which I did ...then I had to wait another 30 minutes in a small area with up to 20 - 25 people in the middle of a pandemic i got a refund and left ...no system they are telling everyone to turn up in an hour...no system...milking it...

Another poor experience at the Masala Hut! Rang to place a phone order and the manager Rashul took the order and then said it would be 50mins. I said no thank you as too long to wait. He then asked how far away was I and I said 5/10 mins to which he said he could do it in 20mins so I agreed. My husband went to collect and when he paid the guy said the food would be a few minutes...45 minutes later my husband left with the food. From point of order until receiving the food it was 1hr and 20minutes. We had an awful experience during the Eat Out scheme back in August but gave them the benefit of the doubt as it was busy. But after tonight it is clear the management are greedy and don’t care about customers. Not only did they lie about the waiting time to get our business but they also charged for additional items which I didn’t order and unfortunately we didn’t realise until my husband got home and because it was cash payment no receipt. No point complaining to the management as they don’t care about customers just making money. I am all for supporting local businesses during difficult times such as these but I will be avoiding the Masala Hut.

Nice guys and excellent food everytime

Have to say, average at best. Its the first time I have tried masala hut in moira and I got a takeaway due to the restaurant not being allowed sit in's due to covid lockdown, so when I ordered it over the phone I was told it would be 20 minutes, I arrived in exactly that time and had to wait a few minutes as it wasn't ready which is not a problem at all and suggests that its still being cooked fresh so all good there! I got the order and drove straight to my accommodation, literally 5 minutes and opened and started to eat the food, which was not hot, it was luke warm at best, by the time I was finishing it was stone cold which for being cooked to order is strange it was so cold. The food quality was fine and was pretty good value but I wouldn't be in a hurry back due to this experience.

Ok so tonight after a long week of work we decided to order a takeaway. We ordered from the Masala hut as Indian is our favourite food. I have lived all over the uk including the east end of London and Birmingham which are the uk curry capitals. I have eaten in this restaurant in the last two weeks and if you look at my profile I have previously gave positive reviews! My motto is support local!! Always!!!However after what I have experienced tonight I will never eat from this restaurant again! I ordered a takeaway, the restaurant is about 800m maximum away from my house. The food arrived and it was freezing! Not cold actually chilled as in it had been in a fridge or stored in a cool box. The onion Baji was like a snowball, the pilau rice was freezing and wet the bread was as if it came straight fromA freezer! Honestly it was 100% not freshly cooked!We called them and asked If they could replace the slop we were sent and at 9.15 roughly ten minutes after the food arrived they said we could have 30% of our next order which to be honest wasn’t acceptable! So we asked for the food to be replaced they said the takeaway driver had finished!!!! At this point they said they could not refund us unless they physically had our card. So we walked down which to be honest although was unreasonable wasn’t a real problem. Instantly on arrival and asking for the manager with the food in hand we were faced with an aggressive manager who was less than repentant. I let him physically feel how cold the food actually was and instant dismissal of my complaint, yes I was annoyed and said that the food was bloody disgusting! Instantly he said I swore! Not true, and refused to acknowledge the poor quality. He refunded us! Previously this was probably the best Indian in NI. Thankfully in Northern Ireland we have the food standards agency and a really clear food hygiene rating system, if in doubt have a look at the food hygiene rating of this establishment. I had never noticed it before, however tonight has taught me a very clear lesson always check.Until they get a new chef, management team and hygiene rating we won’t be back!Gutted!!!!

Lovely restaurant, very helpful staff and cater for gluten free with no hassle

Great Indian, highly recommend - the staff are lovely and the food is amazing.

We hadn't been in Masala Hut since before Covid lockdown.So pleasantly surprised by new decor. They have done a great job and still some work to complete - great ambience in the restaurant. Food really delicious -Starters of Prawn Puri and Onion bahjis Main courses equally delicious with special fried rice and some Bombay Aloo.Nice of bottle of Chilean Red wine.All for £42. Service so good, staff so friendly, and an authentic Indian restaurant. Can't wait to next visit.

Table booked for 8pm.Before parking, drove past and thought the takeaway must be busy as so many standing outside.Walked round, everyone waiting outside had a table booked! No staff available and no one popped their head out to say they had a wait time. (Weather - absolutley pouring). Waited until 8.30pm. No sign of the 30 people outside getting their table anytime soon so just left as it looked very crammed through the window and was too risky to not social distance with a heavily pregnant woman in our party.Won’t be dining here again!

We were packed in like sardines in a tin. No social distancing in this restaurant tonight. The service was unbelievably bad,rude. What we ordered was not what we got. I ordered a lamb dish but got a onion sauce with 4-5 pieces of chicken. We wouldn't recommend anyone to go here.

Almost a year since eating in at Masala Hut I was pleased to visit when the Eat Out to Help Out scheme was on.I had the onion bhajis and a veggie Mariana (spelling all wrong I’m sure). Both were excellent. My wife went for the bhajis and chicken biryani. Again excellent.Good food, reasonable price - even before the deal.Well worth a visit. Support your local businesses, they are there when you need them!

Took advantage of eat out to help out and have been venturing into the wild again bit this was the worst case of social distancing I've seen by a mile. Crammed on like sardines and anxiety inducing. Disappointed to see somewhere I've eaten for years practically throw safety to the wind.

I went there Tuesday 19th August, 6.30. No complaints about food or service or price, pleased with all that. Really anxious when I first went in as there was too many people, no social distancing, debated whether or not to leave but the table we were given was close to open window & I got table beside wall so I stayed. However as soon as I got home, straight into shower & washed hair & put everything I was wearing straight into washing machine. Will go back when money off offer is over & pay full price & feel safe

we went last night for the help to eat out 5 of us we had a table booked for 6.30pm . When we first got there it was very busy with the tables too close together but we had to wait so we waited outside . When we got called in the table looked in a good place so we was happy enough but i would just like to say the tables was too close and as you came in the door there is a table too close for passing customers i don't think it should of been there plus the one's round the bar area. The only other thing was the staff wasn't wearing their masks properly just over their mouth and not the nose mostly the men not the girl who served us. But overall our meal was lovely we all enjoyed the food and service but just had to mention those few points to feel its a safe environment.