Masala Indian Cuisine in Purbeck

Great service. Gorgeous food. Throughly enjoyed our meal. Highly recommend. Best Indian restaurant in Swanage. Hands down!! See you next year xxx

I have eaten dhall in so many restaurants including in india and i must say this was the worst meal I have ever eaten. Don't waste your money. Two mains 3 sides bottle of wine over £100 pounds

Recommend we will be returning the food was great and the service was so friendly all in all a very nice meal and it was definitely the best curry we had for quite a while.

We ordered takeout from Masala on a Saturday evening. Having telephoned the order I was asked to collect it in 40 minutes. After arriving at the correct time, I then had to wait a further 15 minutes as they were busy. The journey home was only 2 minutes but the meal was cold so we had to reheat everything. Whilst the sauces were very flavoursome, the two chicken dishes had very little meat in them; but what there was was tender. The meat in the lamb dish was extremely tough and inedible. The naan bread was burnt on one side and soggy, and the onion bhajis not like any we had had before. The staff did apologise for the delay explaining they were busy and threw in a couple of free poppadums - unfortunately this did not make up for the poor quality of the meal. I’m afraid we will not be returning.

Ordered a takeaway from Masala. Lovely friendly welcome. We ordered Chicken Bhuna and Chicken Palak, Egg fried rice and Peshwari Naan. All were excellent. The food was lovely and spicy but not so hot that you could not taste the excellent flavours. Would highly recommend. Thank you

Love this place. Honest and up front owners. If they are busy they tell you, if you are late they roll their eyes. Food was great they are super people running a business, family and life.

Decided to have a curry whilst staying in Swange, and this was a great find, just up from the seafront. We had the Tandoori Butter Chicken and Chicken Korai, both were really good and the waiter was friendly. Didn't have to wait long for food, and although the bill came out quite quickly after we'd finished, it was fine. I hate waiting ages to get someone's attention for the bill. It was a little pricey, but this is to be expected in a seaside town and generally indian food can be more expensive, would definitely eat there again. They also offer takeaway.

We thought that the curry was really good and had a nice level of spice but that’s the only really good thing to say about this… The staff were really rude and not enthusiastic, The food took ages to arrive and to actually place your order in and finally I thought that it was a tad bit overpriced for what it was. I would eat at this establishment again if they improve their service and price

Masala was very busy. We were asked to come back and we would have a table in 10 minutes as we had not booked. The restaurant was really really hot. We were seated by the window which did not open,lookec grubby and were left with menus. The soft drinks are from large bottles and are not draft. They arrived. We eventually ordered, 2 curries, 2 rice and 2 naans. I summoned the waiter/owner to open the door which had been closed and he offered to put on the air con,which was a blessing, but run for around 10 minutes only. We waited 45 minutes for our food. The curries and rice arrived and some time later the naans. The food was nice, it was hot and fresh, but the service was dire! One waiter/owner, a female who seemed to work between front of house and pack telephone orders for collection, of which there were many. The issues are; The heat Poor organisation Inadequate staffing Juggling telephone orders and seated customers unsuccessfully I totally object to a 10% service charge being added to my order. I asked for it to be removed as the service was poor. The female staff member challenged me, i told her the service was not good enough and to NOT add it to my bill. Her argument was 'we have been busy'....all i can say is get more staff, all eating houses are busy, its the Summer! Spolied what could have been a nice evening.

Akbar and his team looked after us so well The food and the service was amazing Everyone around us in the restaurant were in great spirits and really enjoying the food and the atmosphere

Fabulous Indian restaurant, felt very welcome as soon as we walked in. The food was so good, wife had buttered chicken and I had a masala. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Only one thing would make it better is if there was some authentic low background music. Just a personal preference. We will definitely visit again.

Food was very good but we were not too impressed with the noisy children in the restaurant, as noted in previous reviews. There were only four people in the restaurant when we were there but the bill was produced without us requesting it and while we still had half a bottle of wine to drink. The four stars are based on the food alone.

Staff welcoming and food excellent - highly recommend - have eaten here a number of times in the past and will definitely be back - thank you

Went there on a Saturday night (13th) for a birthday celebration.. Excellent meal in this curry house, don't let the external looks put you off the food was really good and well cooked, I had a chicken vindaloo and it was spot on the birthday girl had chicken tikka main course - turned up on a sizzle tray and that all went as well. The couple running the front of house were sharp & happy to do anything to assist. We were only in town for the weekend but looking forward to going back for more in November. Thanks for the night out.

Great for families had a really good jalfrezi myy wif a top class Tika 👏 son enjoyed the chicken tandoori . The service was very attentive, couldn't do enough for you.

Great food and ambience Excellent service and staff Great value for money Wide variety of Indian food Highly recommended

Been coming here for maybe 7 years when we visit Swanage. The food is lovely and staff are always very friendly, no complaints from us..

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. We came here for a nice evening out in Swanage and we were not disappointed. The staff were friendly and sociable, the food arrived quickly and everything was absolutely delicious. It was the perfect spot for the five of us looking for a nice meal in Swanage. Open late and great location. We will definitely be here again!

We booked late on the same day and managed to snag a table which was great as there aren’t a whole lot of eat in tables. The restaurant’s dining area is basic but has all the essentials. If you bring good company then who cares. The service was attentive and clearly family friendly. They made jokes with the kids and made us feel very welcome. The popadoms with accompanying toppings arrived very quickly and were good, standard fare. We ordered our mains and they arrived within a reasonable timeframe. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The kids had a Chicken Tikka Masala between them which they describe as slightly sweet, slightly spicy hot but not too hot and very flavoursome. The wife had a dry, sizzling tandoori dish which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had a chicken madras which is a “go to” for me. It was different to other establishments that I have been to before but very tasty. I do like hot curries but nothing ridiculous. This hit the spot. It was very, very tasty with just the right amount of spice heat for me. I also had a Chana Masala side dish which was equally delicious. Price was fair at £90 for 4 meals plus drinks (which included 4 alcoholic beverages) The bathrooms were basic but clean which reflects the dining area. I got the impression that this is a family run restaurant and I really like that. In summary, if you are after a high end eating experience don’t visit Masala Swanage. If you want a very tasty Indian meal delivered by an Indian family (and I apologise for generalising, they may be Bangladeshi, Pakistani or from somewhere else from the Indian Sub-continent) then do visit. It was an excellent meal and I will return when I make another visit to Swanage.

The food on offer is bog standard such as you can get anywhere, but my main problem was with the waiter, who seemed unfriendly. The tables were quite small and close together, and it was when I was trying to attract the waiter's attention that I knocked a plate to the floor where it smashed. I apologised as it was my fault but I did feel rather uncomfortable in the space. It transpired the waiter was preoccupied with a toddler belonging to one of the staff, trying unsuccessfully to get the kid seated within the dining room. The child was therefore allowed to roam between the kitchen and the dining room, meanwhile loud voices could be heard within the kitchen. Then a chef seated himself in the dining room and carried on a loud conversation audible to the customers. Meanwhile the waiter was barely polite to us as we were leaving.

Came here for my aunt’s birthday and had the loveliest time! The service was fantastic and the food was amazing, the best poppadoms I’ve ever had! Would definitely recommend

Fabulous food every time & great service. We always book here when visiting Swanage & have always had great meals. Need to book in Summer.

The food was standard for a high street Indian. Our waiter couldn't cope with the fact that we are an older female couple. When he arrived, he gushed, "are you friends - or sisters?!!'. I answered 'partners' (although it was none of his business) and this made him confused, so he became even more false and gushy. When we got the bill, he guessed which of us was going to pay i.e. which of us was 'the man?? Again in a performative over the top manner. We were just out for a quiet meal together. Hey guys, it's England in the 21st century! We can go out and pay for a meal without having to deal with treatment that straight people never have to encounter.

Great Indian food, freshly prepared, tastes amazing and authentic. family run, very friendly staff. Highly recommend!

We visit Swanage regularly and always have a meal in Masala . Lovely food and a nice welcome from Akbar and his niece and her husband who is the chef.

We have dinner at the Masala at least every 2 months and always find the food refined, tasty and beautifully cooked. The range of dishes is wide. Thank you Akbar for the good service, too. We would highly recommend this restaurant.

Went for a family meal on Christmas Eve. We received a really friendly welcome and all had a really lovely meal. Our host/waiter couldn't have been more helpful and attentive. If you want a lovely Indian meal I thoroughly recommend the Masala.

Thank you Akbar for your attentive service this evening. Good food as always. A fun evening for our yearly Christmas trip! The sisters

Regular visitor to Swanage. Have had sit down meals in the restaurant and take away. Very friendly owner. Remembers us from previous visits. Good food. Enjoyable visits.

Although a year since my last visit (as we do not live in Swanage), was nice to be remembered by the waiter. We returned because we enjoyed the food previously and were not disappointed this time. Tasty food, good service, what more can I ask for?

Nice atmosphere, scrummy food and lovley friendly server Akba! Will be returning. Cute little restaurant with authentic inidan foods, reasonably priced and delicious.

Had a lovely evening which was aided by great food. We had chicken tandoori biryani, which was absolutely delicious. The owner was very helpful and friendly. highly recommended. Malcolm/ Paul

Traveled down from Surrey for the weekend and had a takeaway. A wonderful reception as we entered the restaurant and our food was there and ready for us. We all enjoyed our meals and remarked how lovely and tasty they were, even better than our...

One of the best Indian restaurants we know - we don't live locally but always come here when in the area.

We have reviewed Masala previously as we often visit and always enjoy delicious food, takeaway or dine in. Tonight we loved the delicious Lamb Korai and Chicken Palak with side dishes. Absolutely first rate cooking, and the house Sicilian white goes with it a treat.

Had a takeaway from here. At £40 for three people thought it would be good, unfortunately not the case. Husband and son said their's were OK my chicken tikka korai was so bland and salty it was unedible. No herbs,spices,questionable tikka meat ,even dips were...

I called tonight and asked for delivery for my food was rudely told no!! and he hang up from me so I rang him back and asked why he hang up from me and told he doesn’t care so I hang up from him very...

My wife and I had a lovely meal here while on holiday and highly recommend it , great choice on the menu and lovely food . Great location and comfortable seating , food came out quickly and was reasonably priced .

We went to this Indian restaurant 3 times while we were on holiday in Swanage. The service given by Akbar each time was friendly, polite and professional. The curry was the best we have had for a very long time and we would highly recommend...

We visit Swanage once a year and always go for a curry at the Masala indian. we are never disappointed, always a lovely tasty curry. The waiter always remembers us even though we only go in there once a year.

Visited here while we were in Swanage for a couple of days - long way from Essex, but we were still up for a curry. Lovely tasty food with excellent/friendly service - what more can you ask for. Well, the only thing I would say...

Lovely food here, very hospitable front of house. Recommend to anyone fancying a curry. Reasonable priced. Ambience could be improved a bit. ( lighting/candles etc) but all in all happy customer

Yet another fantastic curry in a lovely family run restaurant. Fresh tasting currys with incredible depth of flavour. Highly recommended 👌

We always visit Masala on out trips to Swanage and have had takeaways as well. Good food reasonably priced and a welcoming atmosphere. Never disappointed.

We always enjoy our visits to Masala on our breaks away in Swanage, and this time was no exception! On a rather grey and cold Sunday night, it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy a seriously-good curry. We loved our poppadoms, and I...

Great food, well priced! We really enjoyed our visit- the staff were very helpful and friendly, the atmosphere was good and the food was excellent 😊

We were looked after so well this evening and enjoyed a delicious feast for dinner. We are holidaying from west London and this restaurant meets the high standard we are used to. Thank you Akbar. 🙏🏻

After our second visit to Masala we have decided that this is definitely going to be one of our regular dining spots. We are moving away shortly but will drive an hour to come back for dinner at Masala.It has to be one of the top Indian restaurants in Dorset.

I wanted a takeaway curry and I got a superb meal. The Chicken Ceylon was delicious, so was the Onion Bahji, Nan and Poppadums. Don't be put off by the bland look, the staff are lovely, the menu is great for a small restaurant, the igrendiants are fresh, nothing is too difficult and the service is swift. The price is very good for such wonderful food. Best takeaway I have had in years - Simply the Best!!

Excellent evening, amazing food and excellent service. Very friendly, comfortable restaurant and a great range of food. Perfectly cooked, fresh ingredients, hot plates, enjoyed by all. A very good chef and great hosts. A brilliant experience in a great, relaxed and welcoming restaurant. 5 stars one of the best Indian meals we have had for a long time! Many thanks

This is the most amazing restaurant with a very comprehensive menu choice. I ate here last night and the atmosphere was terrific with so many satisfied customers. Very very busy so need to book. They also offer deliveries locally.

Just enjoyed one of the nicest baltis in many a long year. The house special. Can't recommend it enough. Delicious. The staff were really friendly and efficient too. I really nice evening.

Lied about delivery minimum, doubling it from what was advertised, and not delivering to my area despite it being very clear on their website that they do. Refused delivery.

I have been using this restaurant for 11 years, and I can assure you that the food and their customer service is the best I've ever had. I recommend this restaurant to everyone who wants to visit Swanage and looking to experience an authentic Indian meal. Look for Salim and Akbar and they will give you the best window seats in town.

Great service and food. Akbar and Salim always makes us welcome. The best Indian restaurant in Swanage. I have tried the rest but always come back to the best.

The service was efficient and friendly. The choices included all the usual curry options, but some interesting specials too. The smells of the different dishes were delicious, especially from the sizzling platters! Slightly lacking in atmosphere and a bit on the pricey side, otherwise great.

Ordered a takeaway where we were staying on a caravan park the food was great and service was friendly and very helpful it was delivered by a friendly driver quickly on time

Small restaurant, the food is good. This place is very near our house, so it's great to have a decent 'local'. Akbar runs it, does a good job. Recommended

Excellent meal- always mine and my partners favourite takeaway restaurant when we come to Swanage. Would highly recommend.

We were asked to sit in between two other couples less than a foot away from us. I said that it was too close and asked if we could sit elsewhere he said no those tables were for four people. The other couple thanked us as they looked worried too. The waiter didn’t care for anyone’s safety just squeezing in as many people as he could. We left .

Akbar and his team work hard to make you feel welcome and serve up great food. Would definitely recommend. Best place in Swanage for a Curry!

Well what a find. Highly recommend. Chef came to personally take our order and was more than accommodating to tweak the menu - best Indian by far

Pleasant very clean restaurant. Very tasty food with a broad menu. Very busy waiter. will use again.

This was my 2nd visit returning friend that had been before and introducing some new friends.The Masala team were friendly and and helpful managing to squeeze the 9 of us in at short notice.We are a visiting dive group from Nottingham.The food was as good as the last time I visited. It was hot , tasty and service was excellent.Next visit to Swanage we will be back.

Wonderful food, friendly and courteous staff. Particularly Ahmed who went out of his way to assist Restaurant very clean and organised. We were made to feel welcome

Charged on two different cards, the first apparently got “declined”, when I checked the money had gone out of both accounts. Was made to show my bank transactions in the restaurant in front of other customers which was embarrassing. They refused to refund me on two different occasions. Outcome: Payed £70 for cold, tasteless curry and a greasy onion baji.

Lovely food, a wide variety of Indian dishes. Helpful and friendly staff. Would definitely recommend 👍👍

We were struggling to find somehwere to eat and came across Masala. We were offered a table at 9 p.m. and we excpeted. When we sat down the service was attentive and the menu looked great. We ordered three different curries and all were superb. We would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

We have suffered during lockdown like everybody else but it was so great to be back and enjoy our favourite Indian restaurant Thank you Abdul

Well first of all this is an honest review ,me and my wife had a meal there yesterday we booked for 830pm .we were seated at 830pm the waiter asked for are drinks and poppadoms . About 5 minutes later are drinks were served then the poppadoms he took are main order at that time then 20 to 25 minutes are main was served . So when other people said they had to wait I experienced at very good service and a very pleasant experience.as for the food it was very good lots of flavours. I will definitely be eating here again .a very big thank you to the staff for keeping this business going through these hard times . See you all soon paul emily and Bridget ps the total price for 2 starters 3 mains 3 drinks was under £50 which I think is very fair

We have been coming to Swanage for many years and always visit Masala. Akber is welcoming, and the food is excellent and reasonably price. I would highly recommend. Thank you for another lovely evening!

First and foremost, the food is good. However, this restaurant is let down by the non existent service.The waiting staff are too busy to give service. It took a long while from being sat to being asked if we wanted drinks and then even longer to place a food order.I'd love to give this restaurant a good review as the food deserves it but there are not enough staff and what staff there are are too busy, stressed and need to up their game.Could be fantastic but need more staff and to understand the importance of good service.

We visit Swanage frequently and always have a meal at Masala . Friendly welcome , lovely food and good wine. Highly recommend.

We booked this restaurant the day before and were quite surprised when the waiter asked us if we were definitely going to turn up. Yes we were. We arrived on time and were seated and served drinks. We waited 40 minutes and asked could we order our food to be told by the same waiter please wait . After a further ten minutes still ignored we gave up paid for our drinks and left and so did the table of 6 beside us . The menu looked lovely but sadly we didn’t get a chance to try it . The waiter comes across as very rude and stressed not just to us but to all of the customers.

Had a nice meal here on Wednesday evening. Food nice if not slightly pricey for a basic restaurant (e.g. £15 for a KP Korai). Drinks however a rip off: £16.90 for pint & half of Cobra + 2 lemonades, is it really necessary to charge nearly a fiver for a glass of kids lemonade?

Had an amazing takaway last night! The food was freshly cooked and one of the best takeaways we’ve had in a long time! Would absolutely reccomend! Being a local it’s our go to takaway!

This was our first time trying this place as we don’t live in Swanage but it was absolutely lovely we ordered at 10 pm and it was ready to go and be picked up by 10:20 pm. The staff on the door were very nice and friendly and wished us a good evening as we left. The food is delicious and full of flavour we ordered 2 pilau rice and plain rice with a chicken korma, chicken tikka masala, chicken jalfrezi, popadoms and garlic naans. The korma was so tasty and sweet with huge chunks of chicken in every single curry we got.Would definitely order again.

Brilliant food brilliant service good quality food fast delivery and cannot complain Once again thank you

Excellent food the nicest tandoori chicken I’ve ever had if you like a bit of kick in your food this is the place to go authentic traditional cuisine highly recommended

We had a really fun evening here on a late Sunday evening, and the food was really great. Everything we ordered was fresh and tasty, they were very helpful with the vegan ordering for one of our party, and the staff were really fun, which made the experience brilliant. We’ll definitely be back

Stopped in on a Sunday night. Fantastic jalfrezi and very friendly staff. Lovely evening and would highly recommend.

Absolutely lovely food and great staff. Set in a secluded part of town with easy links to the beach and a plethora of local pubs, masala truly provides the Indian experience on the south coast of the Uk. A Wholesome end to a wonderful trip.

Had a great evening here. Tasty food, great service, would recommend the jalfrezi or methi, veg thali also cracking.

As if India landed in Swanage. Excellent food and a lovely host. Perfect location right by the beach. Thoroughly enjoyed by me and my friends

Right in the centre of Swanage, if you fancy an Indian meal, this is the place go go. Great choice of traditional dishes and lots of different dishes to try - we did try some of the chefs specials and the restaurant adjusted the spice strength to our taste - superb! Service was great throughout the evening, and a good atmosphere.

We went into this unassuming restaurant as my husband really fancied an Indian meal. What can we say - the service was friendly and efficient and the food was really really good. This was one of the nicest impromptu Indian meals we have had whilst on holiday - my chicken shashlik was perfect and my husbands Morghi Khazana Chicken was perfect too - just the right heat and tasty! Would highly recommend this restaurant- although I would recommend booking in advance as there are not a lot of tables.

Wonderful food, such a fun atmosphere, made to feel so welcome here, 100% guarantee you will enjoy a meal in or takeaway, if you like Indian food you will love it here, always busy and bustling and such a laugh, thank you all of you for another great night out xx

Best curry in Swanage no doubt - would be happy to find this restaurant anywhere - fast service, friendly staff and excellent food

Genuinely one of the/the best curry house in Swanage. Amazing food, service and value for money. Well worth the visit if you like curry and you're in town! Also, beer is great!

Ordered a takeaway to celebrate our return to Swanage The food was once again awesome Beautiful Tandoori Chicken, a Lamb Tikka Jalfrezi and a Chicken Tikka Naga, Garlic Rice and a Keema Naan Thank you!!!

Thought we would have our first curry takeaway in swanage and were not disappointed great food hot service great very happy reasonable prices for product was great

Really tasty food and excellent service. We've had several meals from here and they have all been super tasty, delivered quickly and still hot. Best Indian restaurant in Swanage by far.

We try to eat here regularly. I love the Chicken Darjeeling but tonight had a Chicken Jeera special. My wife had Jaipur Chicken. Saag paneer, mushroom rice and a naan.always tasty and right now only takeaway or delivery.always happy with the food and the service is very friendly.What more do you want? Good food from good people.

It was my Wife’s Birthday on 4 January and Nazir brought to our home a very special meal. He knows our tastes having been regular Customers for many years. I instructed him to surprise us and he to choose our food. Well he certainly surpassed himself. A plateful of delicious tandoori king prawns followed by one of his specials mixed Nawabi. Excellent. So pleased during these difficult times he is able to offer deliveries and takeaways. Long may Masala survive.

I visit regularly, food amazing staff kind and friendly, a lovely experience never dissapointed very large portions. Thank u

The masala is the best Indian in town! We had dinner tonight and was so lovely! The staff are amazing and the food was amazing! Definitely get the onion bargies! Definitely 10/10

Superb curry! First visit to Swanage. Had a takeaway as we were staying very close nearby. Delicious fresh Chicken Tikka Dhansak & Chicken Tikka Channa Gosht which I’d never seen on a menu before. Definitely one of the best curries we’ve had! Very friendly service. Definitely be back.

This is our local curry house. We've been eating here for years and have never been disappointed. Great food and excellent, friendly service.

We ordered a number of dishes that were all delicious and full of flavour. The staff were attentive, friendly and very helpful by providing us with recommendations for dishes. Would definitely recommend when visiting Swanage- we will be back!

The food is very high quality, the customer service is excellent. Still open in lockdown for takeaway service. I would highly recommend the restaurant.