Mela Indian Takeaway in Bristol, City of

Little family takeaway place. Just happened to need a fast bite while around the corner and the owner was so friendly and was able to whip up my food very quickly and even threw in a complimentary curry. Saag Paneer was one of the best I have had in ages. Everything was so delicious that my friends and I were burning our mouths because we couldn’t resist the next bite. Would highly recommend. I look forward to going back!

Delicious fresh food every time, excellent value for money. Recommend this place wholeheartedly. You will also be greeted by the friendliest person and if you’re lucky, an interesting chat.

Amazing spot. Authentic Indian food cooked with a lot of passion and love. Staff are so friendly and really care about their customers. My friend said it was the best Indian he’s had in Bristol.

Amazing Indian and wonderful front of house!

Mela is a fantastic take away in the heart of Montpelier much loved by local residents for the friendly cheery service as much as the reasonably priced delicious food. Well worth a visit

Really delicious food and friendly service

Pretty bad food. Doesn’t look or taste fresh. Really greasy- I didn’t think you could make a bad naan bread but this place has achieved that. Soggy and greasy. The chicken is over cooked and the lamb is gristly and fatty. Flavours are pretty bland too. Most of it went in the bin, couldn’t stomach it.

Secret of the st Paul's area Not always open But food is great Family business for over 30 years Love it

Great take away, friendly people, brilliant vegan menu!

Best curry in Bristol, hands down.

This place is incredible… been visiting for years and it’s the one!

The classic mela takeaway. Always loved their food and the service from the longstanding family takeaway. Impressive vegan menu too

An absolute gem of a restaurant - authentic flavours, great value, not heavy or creamy. The meat thali can’t be beaten for value - fees two for £10 no trouble. We honestly don’t go anywhere else now as they’re so consistently good. After going on and off for a decade it still very much like a well kept secret. Customer service also has to get a mention as the owner is so genuine and friendly.

Home like authentic Indian food. Hidden gem

Been eating here years. Best curry, very cheap. Lovely staff

Love the taste of curry here; favourites are madras and jalfrezi

Good prices, waiting time not bad, really nice food, they do Thalis. Have lots of veg and vegan options.

They are absolutely fantastic! Food is ALWAYS amazing and customer service is friendly and quick.

Still one of the best Indian takeaways in Bristol. Their Thali is simply divine

Over lockdown we tried out loads of local takeaways and for each we were disappointed - hour long waits, food missing, salty food. Then we discovered Mela! Week after week the food has been fantastic, utterly delicious, and hit the spot every time. It’s also incredibly good value. It’s so consistent we don’t bother going anywhere else now, and we recommend Mela to everyone.

Food that arrived was mostly tasty except the popadoms that were very rubbery (plus £1 a go). Food had spilt all over as none of the pots were sealed well. The restaurant missed two items and when we called them to ask to resend, they failed to acknowledge any error, claimed it was packed under camera saying they could email the footage and were very sexist and patronising calling my friend ‘my dear’ continually before they hung up on us. We’re still waiting for the CCTV footage... Would not recommend ordering from here. We have attempted to raise these issues with the restaurant directly, however the person we spoke with was rude, sexist, incredibly unhelpful and eventually hung up when we asked for the video footage that he kept referring to! As such, I anticipate an equally as unhelpful response to this review.

Often get curries from here. Great vegan selection clearly listed (although they have non vegan too), good prices, always friendly service with excellent communication about waiting times. The only food place I can think of that me, my partner and my parents all like the food!

Love to get a vegan Tali from here. Loads of vegan dishes, they even do the creamy ones like korma vegan if you want.

Having read the reviews and having spoke to people who recommended the Mela, we decided to order a takeaway last night for the first time. We picked up the meal came back to chill and enjoy the food. There must have been a stand in chef last night because i was pretty angry by the lack of any flavour. The way my dish (Chicken Tikka masala) was produced was wrong with way too much tomato and nothing else. The onion bhaji's were just tasteless dumplings. The vegetarian biryani was also tasteless, which my wife likend to bad chip shop food, I thought my wife's comment was way too nice. The samosas again were just tasteless! i love food, i love to cook, i love it when i find a great place to eat. I am a very tolerant person who needs to be pretty shocked to even take the time to write a review, let alone one this long. I'm looking forward to chatting to the manager as soon as it opens and will put an update once i have.

Nice food, good price, excellent service.

Great range of vegan dishes. Wholesome and tasty eats. Good value for money. Big portions. Friendly staff. Bless x

Great food and very friendly service

best priced food with very friendly staff. make sure you have cash as they don't accept card payments

Tried Mela for the first time and the food was amazing and reasonably priced. Curries and bread looked and tasted homemade, not the usual Indian takeaway that has loads of cream and sugar. I will be coming back.

One of the worst Indians I’ve had, I had to bin most of it. I would not recommend this take-away to anyone. Cash only as well, it’s 2019 get a card machine.

Not one meal tasted like it should and they only take cash

Sorry Mela. I gave u a bad review 4 years ago. You make incredible veggie food. It was the questionable meat i couldnt deal with. But youre great at veggie and vegan.

Best Indian I've had in ages, the MOST reasonable prices, excellent staff, I had vegan stuff and my mate had lamb and both were perfect. Quick as you can expect with food that good

Lovely staff but this is where the positivity ends sadly. Ordered two chicken tikka Pathia after reading some of the other recommendations, can’t describe them as a curry as tasted like thin tomato cup a soup with curry powder in and the chicken tasted boiled and bland. The kebabs were nice but looked a bit past their best but were the best thing on the order. The onion bhajis were very floury and had to throw most of our food away . Sadly disappointed after reading all the great reviews , hopefully this is a one off.

Even after moved to outside Bristol, we always order from Mela when we're in the area. Nothing could match their vegetarian/vegan menu.

First time having food here absolutely amazing, full of flavour will be ordering again from here

Amazing food and very friendly staff. They never disappoint and have a great vegan option. Would highly recommend

I've visited this place a few times now. Here's the lowdown: - £5 per main. (!!!) - Excellent food quality (Good quality of spices, as you can taste, and the food is cooked fresh) - Friendly, warm service - Quick turnarounds - Every dish is available as a vegan option The one con? - No 'chilli rating' system or equivalent, so the spice level of your dish, while always consistent with itself, may differ from what you're accustomed to. For example, I ordered the 'garlic chicken', typically a very hot dish, but was surprised at how mild it was (though extremely tasty!), and the next time ordered a pathia - usually a medium kind of spice - and was blown through the roof. Therefore, it's worth asking how hot the dish is when you order. The real charm here is that mains are £5 and rice dishes £1.50-£2.50, so you're looking at £7 typically for an Indian without the extras. As such, you can have an Indian twice as often. It's always great food and I'm becoming a regular here. Definitely worth a visit! You'd be challenged to find better value or freshness, or vegan options.

Lovely family run take away. Great prices and vegan options.

I would recommend Mela for any Indians in Bristol if they are looking for typically Indian taste. The attendant was quite friendly and engaging. On the other hand food was made fresh on demand and have been able to customize on demand. They have been able to cook food for me considering my allergies to tomatoes without any hesitation and which proves that they can customize any item your way. I have ordered Veg Jalafray and Okra Curry (Bindi Sabji) and they were testy. And they have a menu which consists of wide range of items both for vegetarian and non-vegitarain food choices. Thanks for the service!

I have eaten Mela’s food many times and have never been disappointed. Try their Lamb Tikka Masala, Brinjal Bhaji, Mushroom Bhaji and Lemon Rice. They are absolutely delicious! Staff are very friendly and prices super affordable. Love it!

The food was perfection and the variety for me as a vegan was amazing, money for value and delicious food cooked with care and seasonings. Friendly staff and it's always busy, truly a hidden gem with outstanding food. Please open a restaurant.

Top quality food ,would definitely recommend hot wings but everything there is great aswell. Nice staff, not too long to wait. Very nice food.

This is the best place for take away indian food. Sadly I just spent a few weeks in Bristol but OMG i was so happy when i found this place! The Service is excellent and the food was also! Prices are super cheap which is also great! LOVE IT!!!!

Authentic flavours, tasty food. Everyone must try!

Very good service and delicious food!

Good service and choice, home style food. Very reasonable prices, meat and vegetarian thalis available.

I love this place - only been using it for a few months, perhaps have had 10-12 takeaways. Odd thing is tonight was my second sunday visit and it was awful, as it was on my only other sunday visit- no seasoning, barely a whiff or taste of spice. Fantastic food every other time during the week! 5 star usually but summat is up on sundays!

Great traditional indian food at very affordable prices. Some of the veggie dishes you will find in bristol

Fantastic food and there is a great variety!

Mela might not look like much from the outside, but there is a great selection of authentically prepared dishes served by passionate, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Definitely my favourite takeaway in Bristol.

This small indian food restaurant is one of the best in Bristol. The menu is really complete and they cook everything gently. They are always up to explain any dish and recommendations. It's just take away. 8

Great variety and will tweak dishes if needed. Fresh, authentic and home made, with very reasonable prices. Friendly service. A hidden gem.

Friendly staff and Good Food! The only reason I don't give 5 stars is because they don't have card payment.

Always good food. And really friendly people. Great prices also.

great curry at excellent prices must check them out. Staff are lovely and very good to talk and chat too. Me and my partner went in to get curry and even came out with a film recommendation from a very pleasant and polite gentleman who served us. The Dansak was delicious and very reasonably priced. I would happily visit again and get another lovely curry.

This place is AMAZING! cheap, tastey and really reallly friend staff. Would recommend to anyone - a must

Mela takeaway is family run and serves a great selection of Indian food. Lemon rice is not listed on the menu but is available on request and is very good. The Beaufort pub next door is a fine locals pub to drink and wait for your order.

Not the best.. I wouldn't recommend the Bhuna. A strong 5.

Great service and a very tasty vegan menu!

Authentic flavours, incredible value, generous servings and not an oil slick curry or overfried bhaji in sight. Spices are complex and fragrant and service is friendly and super helpful. Staff were kind enough to offer us a sample of their chicken tikka and i heartily regret not including it in our order- perfectly tender, charred and seasoned. Won't be going to another takeaway in the area ever again!

Did you know a veggie thali here feeds 2? I don't know how this guy isn't running the Thali Cafe chain instead. He's not just undercutting their prices, he's swiping their legs from under them.

the currys in mela are fantastic and the customer service is impeccable. the guy who works FOH always brightens up my day with his amusing anecdotes. the vindaloo is spicy.

This hidden gem deserves more than 5 stars! It never fails to produce some of the best curry dishes I've tasted in Bristol and the warm, friendly service compliments the food perfectly!

The best Curry I've had all blooming year and then some. There were such naughty flavours in my lamb pasanda and the paneer saag. The best part of the service was the lovely chap who runs the curry house, up for a chat and was really sound. He gave me some great knowledge about the menu and what each dish's name means. Go to this curry house if you want your experience of curry to be revolutionised.

Very good and authentic food, much better than you would expect for the price.

Amazing Indian food. Usually ordered VERY spicy dish which you can feel even after 3 days 😂 Afordable prices and nice staff.

Really good vegan selection, very nice helpful team

I have been coming to Mela for years. Best Indian take away in Bristol! Tasty and a good, home made quality.

Run by Jey, one of the friendliest chaps you'll ever meet this place is a local's gem. The selection is great, the price is very reasonable and the portion size fine. Am rarely disappointed with the food and don't need to go anywhere else.

I walked past this place many times before even noticing it, as it doesn't look like much, especially compared with the glitzy Thali Cafe on the other side of the street. Don't be deceived by appearances though - Mela's food is much tastier and for a fraction of the price. The guy taking orders is always happy to discuss the dishes and give advice, and service is pretty fast (apart from Friday and Saturday night when they get really busy - I would advise ordering an hour in advance). As a vegetarian, I love the vegetable side dishes which are each big enough to fill me up as a main. Payment is by cash only.

Great home-cooked Indian food from a family-run takeaway at very reasonable prices. When the cook learnt that my pregnant partner was overdue he came out of the kitchen with a recipe for bringing on labour and the spices I would need as ingredients - no charge.

Great food! Very cheap and high quality (not swimming in oil). Great vegan options and no cross contamination.

nothing special - exactly what you want from an indian takeaway. good quality though. the Lamb Dhansak however is pretty good, nice, well cooked pieces of succulent lamb.

I love mela. It's brilliant, never fails and it's really reasonably priced.

Before i even go into details about the food, the service is spot on! The main man on the desk is always so friendly! Describes the meal for you so your always a happy customer. I've been many times but now they served me 4 meals and extras past closing time which sparked the need for his review. Top food, not just meat in sauce, great prices and not pretentious like the place over the road. Traditional down to earth cheap great curry!

Exactly what I want from an Indian takeaway - great service and tasty tasty food at a good price. So lucky to have it as our local!

Great fresh homecooked food, friendly staff, Amazing price

What an outstanding family takeaway. Lamb tikka pathia that sets a benchmark. I love this place, have done for years.

Amazing Indian food at cheap prices. Very friendly service as well. Used to live closer than I do now but I'm more than happy to drive a short distance rather than go somewhere closer that's not as good. Much better than the Thali over the road.

Top food and really cheap prices with lovely service? What more can you ask for?

Amazing food, friendly service, excellent value. Better than the Thali!

Friendliest staff in the world. Absolutely lovely homely food without the grease and ridiculously low prices. Has been stopping me cooking at home on a regular basis for a long time. Thali option is lovely, and the veggie one is uber cheap. Damn fine Jalfrezis and Pathias too.

Absolutely quality! Best Indian food this side of Bristol. Home cooked and never too oily like some take aways. Highly recommended!

Excellent flavours, incredible value and personal service. If your looking for a quality Indian takeaway without the grease, then this is the place. Can't recommend it highly enough.

So nice, cooked fresh and friendly staff. Don't be put off by the outside! Proper homecooking, I love it!

La familia que dirige este negocio son muy humilde. la comida es deliciosa y auténtica. Algunos platos pueden ser muy picante, pero si te pregunte por los platos son más que contentos de ayudarle a escoger algo que te guste.

Been going there for years. Always great freshly cooked food.Can be spicy so order with care. Vijay and the team are spot on. Lamb jalvrazi my fav. Thanks0

I have ordered food from Mela on several occasions. It is very good value and the food is always tasty and filling. The staff are also lovely. There can be a bit of a wait for food on Friday or Saturday nights as they are so popular, so it's best to order about 45 minutes before you want to eat. We usually get the veggie Thali and maybe a side dish, but the Thali will feed 2 people for about £6.

Brilliant take away and very friendly staff. Food is very good, and the staff are very friendly. The' veggie mela' is a good deal, offering a selection of curries and a portion of rice for a pretty amazing price.

Fantastic Indian takeaway which never fails to impress. Really good food, plenty to choose from and always served piping hot. Tiffing portions are bigger than the Thali as well! Definitely recommend it.

Excellent food, friendly staff, great prices, Amazing!