Old India in Bristol, City of

Table ordered at 8pm. At 21:50pm our food arrived.

Food was good quality but whole experience ruined by waiting nearly two hours for food. Get the feeling we had been forgotten and take away orders prioritised

The food was excellent, from the chutneys to the kulfi! The service was good albeit slow but this didn’t bother us. The building COULD be stunning but is in dire need of renovation, and in places a good clean! The toilets were disgusting! I’d say the best thing this business could do is move!

2.5hrs for food. Ridiculous. Been here many times on a Saturday but this was beyond slow. Place couldn't cope. They forgot3 of our curries as well.

It was nothing special. Food tasted decent, but £12 for a basic curry (£4 for rice seperately) with 3 small pieces of gristly chicken was pretty shambolic. 2 poppadoms each, (sauces cost £1 per pot seperately again), + 1 beer. Worked out £30 per person for party of 4 all having same thing, so very expensive for what it is. Also be careful - we had drinks added to bill that we didn't order and it was only when we wanted to scrutinise the bill that we spotted it. Can't help but feel the staff were trying to pull a fast one thinking we were like the other drunk parties in there. Wouldn't go again, much better places around.

Mixed quality, lousey service, don't go on Saturday night, AVERAGE.

Food are excellent in The Old India. Their services are friendly and professionally . Their place is in a spacious historical building. Its a amazing experience in the restaurant with a reasonable price.

Incredible food, service, & decor! Very keen to come back again 😋

Fantastic jackfruit curry and a step back in time with the building - great place and great old loos!

Essen war sehr lecker und das Personal war sehr hilfsbereit. Wer scharfes Essen liebt kommt hier auf seine Kosten, einziger Mangel ist, dass der Name des Lokals auf das Gebäude zutrifft, allerdings sollte dies nicht vor einem Besuch abschrecken.

Got a takeaway meal for one. Order was taken over the phone and I took delivery in-person. Good food and quick service.

Great find on the off chance. Food amazing, staff were lovely - shame no atmoshere- maybe cos we’re in a heatwave - although sitting in an old stock exchange was really nice. Recommended

Drinks were served in 1 minute, nice Indian music, tasty food 🥰🥰🥰. Highly recommended 💛💙❤

When we walked through the door of this restaurant, I really wasn't sure what I'd walked into. The place was deserted apart from a waiter mopping the floor. It's a unique building with lots of history. Quickly our first impressions were put to bed. The service was excellent and the food just WOW. One of the best Indian meals I've had.

A must visit!!!!!!Food was amazing!!!!!I had a lobster in a beautifull sauce!!!!was a bit hesitant at first but no worries my husband and I really enjoyed staff so nice and polite when in Bristol again I will def visit!!!!!

We arrived by accident as we had just walked out of Mowgli; we are so glad we did - as the food here at Old India was absolutely delicious ( that's from Brummie curry snobs). The service was excellent ( they got us drinks straight away - after we'd been ignored for 15 minutes in the previous restaurant). There were 6 of us, and we had a great time. Thank you for making our evening so special.

This was the first Indian we went to when we moved to Bristol in 2010 and in all those years theyve never failed to make us feel welcome. Good food at a great price with good service. Whats not to love (well its a bit cramped when busy but you can and should overlook that small negative)

Friendly and attentive service, absolutely delicious food and a cozy ambience in an opulent old building. Highly recommend!

We had a lovely meal in this beautiful old building with attentive and polite staff.

The place is worth visiting.each and everyone here is very friendly and professional.And the food was so amazing.I felt the care and effort that was given by the chef in every curry.I can't describe in word how good was it.It was such a great experience that it gives me goosebumps while I am writing this review.

Fantastic authentic curry for table of 4. Lamb was the best.Thank you again will be back.

Another exceptional meal at Old India. The food is just sublime - easily amongst the best Indian meals I've had. Well priced for central Bristol, good options for vegetarians, and staff who are consistently friendly and helpful in a way that feels warm and genuine. Highly recommended.

This is a really stylish place for dinner. It's the old Bristol Stock Exchange building, with its wood panelling and original features. Great atmosphere, good service and some very nice food.

Excellent food in an amazing building.

I am usually lazy about writing reviews, however my experience was so average that I believe it’s worth taking time out to let others know of my experience. Me and my wife arrived at 7:20 on a Friday, from the outside it’s a grand building but made to look tacky and cheap by the multi coloured lights. As we entered the building we were greeted with beer kegs, hot plates, chutney trays and just storage area in general. We looked around and there was no one to greet us, we had to get back out to the street to look for a new entrance as we thought it might have been the staff entrance. Unfortunately it wasn’t, and it was very dark and dingy. Once seated we were waiting for our friends to join us, so we had a quick scan of the place. Inside was also very grand, however you had electrical cupboard doors left open, hotplates all over the place and carpets that haven’t been changed over 30 years. This is definitely not the place if you want the romantic setting for an anniversary or a special occasion. There were 3 servers, and initially they were prompt with the drinks order. I must say the mango lassi was very good. However trying to get their attention after this initial interaction was pretty impossible. Once the menu was handed to us, it was falling apart and had curry stains on it. The tamarind sauce for the poppadoms were nice and different, however they didn’t even wait for us to finish the poppadoms before bringing the starters out. Once the starters were done, we left the plates and cutlery on the for the servers to clean but after 30 min it was still there, I called all 3 servers individually over to ask them to take it away but non of them did. The toilet had a foul smell of urine, really unclean and didn’t look like it was cleaned for weeks. So much so told my wife not to go and use it as she would be disgusted by it. The mains were very plain, my karai was very bland and my wife’s sag prawn was the worst we ever tried in an Indian restaurant. It feels like the chefs/ owners don’t have quality control or passion for food. I’m very critical as I have worked in an Indian restaurant for many years and it’s not hard to keep on top of all the things I have mentioned. But this place doesn’t care and is just interested in serving mediocre food to its customers.

Went to Old India expecting an authentic dining experience but was bitterly disappointed. The starters were ok but my main was 100% from the microwave and tasted like Bistro Gravy - The microwave worked overtime. The toilets need inspecting as the mould smell is atrocious - The toilets at a festival are more bearable. £51 Total was way too expensive.

I recently dined at old india restaurant in The Bristol and was thoroughly impressed. The food was exquisite, bursting with authentic flavors. The service was impeccable, with attentive staff who went above and beyond. The hospitality was warm and welcoming, making for a memorable dining experience. Highly recommend for anyone craving exceptional Indian cuisine.

The food and serivice was amazing . Will recommend this place .

Old India Restaurant is an absolute gem nestled in the heart of Bristol. From the moment you step inside, you're greeted with warm hospitality and the irresistible aroma of authentic Indian cuisine. Each dish is a culinary masterpiece, bursting with bold flavors and fresh ingredients that transport your taste buds to the streets of India. The ambiance is cozy and inviting, perfect for intimate dinners or gatherings with friends and family. Whether you're a seasoned Indian food enthusiast or a newcomer to the cuisine, Old India Restaurant promises a delightful dining experience that keeps you coming back for more. With exceptional service and impeccable dishes, this restaurant truly deserves every bit of its five-star rating.

Your windows are filthy. Your street entrance is filthy. You are filthy.

The food was very delicious and service as well. I recommend to visit the amazing restaurant..

This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to go back since before the pandemic. Perhaps it’s changed hands. The food was really lacking flavour and the chicken was over cooked and dried out. The food was swimming in oil and the rice just tasted of ghee. We booked a table online and they had no record. They were able to seat us fairly quickly. We ordered and watched as the popadoms we ordered were given to the table next to us… they even said that they didn’t order them. We waited, and mentioned we’d been waiting 15min… then watched as our popadoms were delivered again, to a different wrong table. 30min after ordering, we got our popadoms. Our food was a long time coming after that too. The quickest bit was the delivery of the bill as soon as our plates had been cleared! The atmosphere is nice, but cramped. Do not bring a wheelchair here. All the popadom accompaniments were left open to the air in the hallway, where anyone could touch them, which wasn’t great. 5min after leaving the restaurant, a member of the party was unwell (no alcohol involved). This place used to be excellent for flavour. It’s a real loss for Bristol.

Last minute, late evening booking. Great food, We were the only table in there so made our own atmosphere.

My favourite Indian restaurant, lovely food and nice waiters.

I ordered Chutneys and Poppadoms, lamb biriyani and peshwari naan bread. My partner chose a very hot curry (I can’t remember what). Chutneys were mango chutney, onion salad, lime pickle and raita yoghurt sauce served in little dishes (but plenty to eat). Poppadoms were fresh, large and crispy. The lamb biriyani was delicious. The biriyani is served as “dry” flavoured mixed rice and lamb (it wasn’t dry but isn’t saucey) then a simple mild saucey vegetable curry is served on the side to pour over if you wish. The lamb itself was good quality and cooked perfectly. The fat had rendered, it was incredibly succulent and tasty, the texture was melt in your mouth, there were absolutely no nasty fatty bits at all. The biryani was absolutely delicious and didn’t need the curry but I enjoyed both. The peshwari naan bread was delicious and sweet. I can eat a lot, had missed lunch and was making up for it at dinner time, however even for me this was a generous amount of food so I wrapped up the naan in a napkin and enjoyed the following day. The building is beautiful, it’s a grand room, small floor area but very tall ceilings. The dining room still manages to feel cosy and homely. It’s worth a trip down to the toilets just to see a bit more of the building. I also had a glass of red wine which had strong enough flavour to stand up to the meal. Very good value. I will be back! And bringing other people!

Food was dreadful, quite possibly the worse Indian food I have ever eaten. The shashlik was bland and had one small bit of pepper on it, the lamb shank wasn't cooked enough but more worryingly, the place is filthy. Such a shame as the space (old stock exchange) could be amazing. Looking at the other recent reviews, these people must have been eating somewhere else. Even some friends of ours went in the same week and also agreed with the above. It's one to avoid.

Exasperated at the behaviour of staff towards disabled persons. Staff, asked our disabled 4yr old son to get down from his wheelchair and "walk" into the restaurant, this was even after I explained to them that our son could not do it. Insensible and outright disrespectful behaviour (one of the staff recieving us was visibly in an inebriated state). Shameful.. Avoid like the plague.

Food great and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Awesome building

delicious indian food in the gorgeous old stock exchange building ! staff were very attentive, definitely deserves more recognition

I organised a Christmas Dinner for 40 colleagues at Old India and couldn’t have been more pleased with how it went. The food was great, the service responsive and Bodrul and his team catered for our changing numbers and dietary requirements without fuss. Top notch hospitality, thanks!

Absolutely superb Best Indian I've had in many years. Original dishes full of depth and flavour. Had the vegetarian jackfruit which was incredibly rich and tasty. Beautiful venue, really friendly and attentive staff. Very highly recommended.

This was my first visit to the Old India. The building is very impressive and almost worth going in for a meal to spend some time in the Old Stock Exchange building. The food was very nice indeed but I am only giving 3 stars as the dishes were smaller than average and the service was OK and a service charge automatically added to the bill. But as I say, the food itself was very nice.

Very popular restaurant, food was lovely in an amazing old building. Good old fashioned Indian restaurant. Highly recommend

A really good find in centre of the old town. Just needs more people.

Restaurant is lovely, service and portion size let’s it down, 4 pieces of paneer 3 prawns extremely disappointing

Excellent service, food was yummy. The dining room is decorated opulently. Not too expensive. Definitely recommend a visit.

Delicious food, freshly made. Lots of flavour and texture. Great atmosphere snd friendly staff. Best meal I've had for a while.

It got off to a bad start, as despite booking a table, we had to wait 20 minutes. The starter was quite good, but the main course was seriously lacking in meat. Given the prices they charge, this is unacceptable.

Absolutely fantastic service and top notch food . The food was excellent the madras I had was tasty and not to hot . Can't recommend this place enough. Kurt from Leeds

A lovely building, and very nice food.

The food at the Old India is very reliably high quality in my experience. Great for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike.

Lovely building with all sorts of interesting features to make it a memorable occasion. (Check out the gents' toilets!!) The menu was very varied, with lots of dishes that were different from the average Indian restaurant, which made a nice change. Food was excellent. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Looking forward to going back!

We stumbled upon this place by accident and it turned out to be a delightful twist of fate. There was a very extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes. You order the main dish and the side separately, so you can mix and match as you please. The portions were not huge, but we had enough to eat. You can't beat that for the price. Very friendly staff and cozy atmosphere.

On a week-end visit , it’s a summer night market Friday and Bristol was buzzing. I was looking for a vegetarian and conversation friendly place for a catch up after 10 + years. Great choice. Thé atmosphere was calm, service attentive and loved the wood surrounds. The dishes we selected offered real variety, everyone was happy with the choice. So good we’re returning. Thanks for having us.

Had one of the nicest curries that I have ever had. Beautiful lamb dansak, bread, rice, and aubergine side dish. Washed down with a couple of beers. The only thing that could have better was that the first beer could have been colder but the quality of the meal trumped that.

Great building (old stock exchange) efficient service with good food (possibly a little under seasoned). Menu interesting and varied, plenty of vegetarian options.

Super nice staff and food was soo good!

I hadn’t been for 15 years and although the building needs a tiny bit of work, the food was great, the service brilliant and atmosphere, great. This building has so much history attached to it. If you want a good curry in Bristol city centre, this is the place to be (and the lobster was delicious).

One of the best Indians in Bristol! Lovely dishes, all cooked to perfection and different flavours. Friendly staff! Now they have a little cocktail bar at the bottom, the cocktails were actually some of the best we have had, they have made it quite cosy down there just need to tidy it up a bit.

Tasty food, excellent service and nice location ...a must visit everytime in Bristol

Food was good, very tasty. The building has all the hallmarks of a beautiful venue, but it's just a bit dirty and has not been maintained for the past 20 years. It's a shame, it could be fantastic, the food is there but the venue isn't. The service wasn't the most attentive.

Used to be a lot better, the food isn't as good and the service is pretty slow

Don't judge book by it's cover. The food was amazing. Brlliant service and attitude. From a very start you might find this restaurant not attractive in comparison to others but once you have tried their food you will come back again and again so did we. Food was delicious and mild. Spicy level match it description and this place is suitable for kids who don't like spicy food. Also there was a very spicy food and I tried very spicy food next day and found it very spicy and very tasty, thanks! Staff was very friendly and portions was massive, I would say that this is one of my family favourite places now. I wish they could open a restaurant in my local area.

Liked the taste, still retains Indian aroma despite long distance:)

Best Indian restaurant in Bristol by far! You must try the lamb chops! Food is amazing and the staff are so wonderful and accommodating. We go here often for booking of up to 30 people and they always deliver quality food. Thank you Bodrul!

Wow, the food here is just amazing - we visited as a group of 12. Every person commented on how their chosen dish was probably the best Indian food they'd ever had. One of our group even asked for the chef so that he could thank him personally- we will definitely be back

we had a reservation and spend time in a uncomfortable space, and the place smell and seems dirty. The toilets were awfull. The food was ok .

Been to most curry houses around Bristol centre gave old india try and always go back my wife is fussy with her meat likes it to fall part ,and the lamb was just this tastes are bang on to my preference till next time

Possibly one of the best Indian meals I’ve had! Been here a few times over the years. Tonight, amazing!!! Sorry no pics ate it all before I realised I should have took some! It’s was really good 👍

Found this place completely out of the blue. Absolutley amazing building. Very reasonably priced food, very attentive and friendly staff. Excellent range of veggie and vegan options. The food was amazing. Nothing bad to say about it.

Not a great experience here. Upon arriving we were turned away despite having a reservation as they 'didn't believe us'. Our fellow guests who were already inside then had to come outside to actually let us in. The food itself wasn't amazing either, the paneer dish was very bland and there weren't many veggie options other than that

Friendly people full of kindness and heart

Food is under average. Service was great. Inside entrance is a little weird and uninviting. I won’t return.

Delicious food served by attentive staff in a fabulous building - we'd definitely visit again. The wine was reasonably priced, the advice regarding our menu choices was excellent and helpful, and the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. As a side note, the gent's toilet was an amazing journey back to the Victorian age - quite spectacular!

Food was nice, however,quite expensive, had 2 starter one was a shared dish £10.50 which was disappointing as it would have been a portion for one person, we had 3 mains 3 rice 3 side and 6 poppadoms, 1 beer 2 soft drinks all for £97, plus £10 service charge, which generally are added to a group of 5 or more, is it that expensive here in Bristol .

Entrance will have you wondering if you’re entering through the wrong door as it’s full of junk & scrap. Kitchen didn’t look overly clean. Main dining area undoubtedly grand, guessing it was a former bank. Dirty great hole in the roof. Various restaurant paraphernalia stuffed into any gap they can find in main dining area rather than tidily stored away, a bit of a mess all over really. Food was OK, nothing special. Waiters rather rude & abrupt barging you out the way to deliver the food & reaching over your head. Feel bad for Bristol if this is the best Indian they have to offer.

We went like 13 people.we got the worst customer service.The staff are very rude.The taste of food is not good and didn’t meet the quality standards.I request all the people not to visit this restaurant please..

Very good dinner in this restaurant where the staff is very attentive. Rare restaurant that did not close its kitchen in Bristol at 9:30 p.m.... it saved our little family. Children and adults alike were delighted with the meal. Beautiful restaurant room too.

Great food good service recommended it

It was ok. Fine for a Saturday night curry in town.

Amazing food. Easily the best curry in Bristol! Will be back.

There were 13 of us with a set menu. Two of us were vegetarian. No choice or indication of what was on the menu. For the starter, it was OK however first time I have had potato curry in addition to bhajia, some salad. Normally would expected potato curry as part of the main. For the main, one curry identified as vegetarian although there appeared to be other dishes placed on the table. Would have been good if it was made clear by the waiters. Naan bread and rice provided. Personally a bit expensive for what I got. In terms of taste, middle of the range. No offer made for dessert and would have expected as part of the set menu. Waiters could have been more engaging.

Great food and fantastic people!! I definitely recommend you to go there.

Been a couple of times now and the food is fab and the service brilliant.

The old bank decor of the main dining room is impressive but the food is, at best, average. Too heavy on the ghee. Don’t expect ‘fine dining’, I’ve had better in small, provincial curry houses. The Victorian toilets downstairs are worth a visit but these too have gone downhill recently and need some repair work.

Took some colleagues and close friends out for an Indian here and it was out of this world. Amazing food

Food was good, but service was shocking. Waiter was surly, orders when finally delivered were wrong. Took 20 minutes to get the bill. There are plenty of other Indian restaurants where the food is just as good and the service is way better, I'd try one of them

Group of 7 booked at 6.30 and at the point we arrived, nobody else was around. Waited a long time for food, the waiting staff were not engaging..asked for drinks, and the waiter said he would be back..10 mins later, and nothing ...same with the bill and the waiter argued with me about the fact he was not willing to bring the bill until everyone finished eating Given the delays with drinks, how busy it became, almost waiting an hour for the main course, then the main was brought piece meal with the main and had to wait for rice for another few minutes. It was chaotic with extra breads and rice that we then didn't order being brought to the table As an organiser of the work do, I had high hopes but was left disappointed. On the basis of our experience, and a decision not taken lightly , asked for the service charge to be removed This brought a complete look of disgust from the waiter. Appreciate it was busy, but a more somewhat engaging and friendly attitude might have resulted in a different outcome The food was nice and saved the rating from being q 1, but also questionable hygiene , particularly in the toilet Will unfortunately not be coming back again

Great food and interesting building , would recommend and will definitely be back!

Amazing good & great service. Couldn't recommend more.

Were in Bristol as tourists and went in hoping for some great Indian food. But a particular staff member was extremely rude and suggested wrong portions while clearly knowing we will not be able to consume it. Food was below average. No value for money. Rude behaviour when trying to converse with staff. Definitely do not recommend.

A group of 14 of us visited on Saturday evening. We were very well looked after and the food was great - made a brilliant start to our evening out in Bristol. A great venue, thanks for looking after us so well.

Curry was good, good value for money and quick service. Starters not so good and toilets could be cleaner.

Delicious food in a beautiful building. Music a little too loud.

Tasty Indian food with plenty of flavour in a fantastic building.

Amazing building. Standard decent curry fare. Staff seemed to struggle a bit with our group but there were 8 of us, on a Tuesday, and we didn't book

The customer service of this hotel is very good apart from this, food was good 👍 but hotel washrooms were downstairs which they should improve. Overall a good experience.

Very rude staff member (his colleague was visibly embarrassed at how unpleasant he was). Food comes slowly. It’s a shame because the food’s great and the building is amazing, but when service is actively unpleasant instead it’s hard to ignore it and concentrate on the food.

Excellent service, food and staff

Very interesting location, Old stock exchange. Food was good and service friendly and efficient. It was a bit cold in the restaurant though, mind you it was a cold day.