Raj Bari in Stockton-on-Tees

I have to say, people are too quick to say bad things about all their experiences! Seriously people. I don't know if you are so piss poor that you can't afford to eat out? Or that you just love to complain? Read all of my other reviews and you will see I speak the truth!!! "THIS PLACE IS FU $#@NG AMAZING!!! smiley warm welcome from olinda, then all of the staff are so commited to serving excellence! The food was bursting with flavours and spices! The beverages were chilled to perfection! If I were to score this experience it would most definitely be a 10/10! So people, don't be put off by negativity! Please try this place, its awesome! Food, fresh. Staff, attentive. Surroundings, warm and confortable, overall......absolutely taste sensational fantasticly delicious! Cant wait to return!

Had a meal last night, food lovely but kitchen very loud and an argument between waiter and girl behind bar/reception escalated; Very unprofessional!!!

All had poppadoms and dips starter .Very nice .4 main meals ,3 chicken and i prawn and shared 2 pilau rices. Had not been for a year but shocked how expensive it was and noticed on website later takeaways have gone up too . Used to be the one of the cheapest places in Yarm but Unos is cheaper now. Food didnt seem quite as nice as in the past either so wont rush back.

Had a meal here … food was ok, nothing special . My husbands curry was tiny the smallest Balti ever. My tikka was ok. However I was HORRIFIED to see waiting staff using a knife from a set table to access a store room with no door handle and then PUTTING THE KNIFE BACK ONTO THE SET TABLE. If you sit on the corner setting nearest this door, beware your knife has been used multiple times by different staff to open the door. HORRIFIC.

We pre-ordered our takeaway online on New Years Eve, on this busy night it came on time, everything was hot. Chicken tikka Masala, Lamb Bhuna and Chicken Jalfrezi, plus rices , samosas and onion bahjias, all were delicious. Will be visiting the resturant soon.

Ordered dishes for delivery plus cost for the delivery service. Food was 30 mins late and had to be heated in microwave. There were no breads etc as ordered and when called restaurant afterwards was abruptly and unapologetically informed to seek a refund for the missing part of the order via the website. They they would not deliver missing items and could not be arsed to go back to website. I will not use again.

A lovely takeaway. My husband and I ordered a takeaway for us and my parents. Food was fabulous and the service was excellent. We will definitely be returning. Thank you.

I haven’t been to this restaurant for years and always thought the food was basic at best. I’m so pleased to have enjoyed authentic Indian food on a Friday 8th October with my family. I love ‘good’ Indian food and everything was excellent. Sanjay was very engaging and the young waiting staff were a credit to the restaurant, well done everyone we will be back!

Greeted warmly. Served drinks quickly. Onion rice superb, exactly how I requested, slivers of caramelised onion in fluffy rice. Nan perfect, hot and tasty. Railway Lamb a bit ordinary, lamb was succulent but sauce lacked any texture.

Every so often you fancy something tasty, however the takeaway we purchased was mediocre .the onion barge was just one solid mass of stodge. The rest of the order was overcooked.

In our happy household we have had the pleasure and treat of ordering take-away food from Raj Bari about 6 times now. Without exception, every time we have order since moving to Kirklevington, the food has been absolutely delicious. With our love and respect for all living things, we are all vegetarian and are all in full agreement that Raj Bari offer the best Indian food we have had. The team on the phone are lovely, so much so that I popped in to meet them in person a few months ago to say hello in person, having moved here from Newcastle. Thank you good people at Raj Bari. We will continue to champion you :)

They might be good at some things, but the samosas are awful. In fact almost as awful as the way the staff treat you.

Ordered 5 curries, rice Nanna etc for a get together for my Mother in Laws 76th birthday. All curries tasted very bland and had very little meat. We were a bit upset as we have eaten in the restaurant on many many occasions. A different choice next time.

We ordered on a Saturday night veg samosa, popadoms, cucumber and onion raita, lamb jalfrezi and pilau rice via just eat which was very easy. The food arrived promptly and hot. All delicious and we will order again.

Accepted the online order. No food delivered and no response to calls or messages. Please don't spend your money here.

Very nice food and used the ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme. Staff attentive. Only thing is the restaurant decor is very shoddy. It looks like it was closed and then rushed to get ready for the scheme and the paint is all over

With local takeaway shut, I decided to give Raj Bari another try... glad I did. It was much improved from my last takeout and was even delivered on time. Couldn't fault, price or taste of food keep it up

Food was good. However we had a shock when the bill arrived which was not only expensive, but there was an extra line for VAT of 20% - in our case £25. Beware. We shall not be going back,

hadn’t been to this resturant for a long time but a group of us decided to give it a go even though it had mixed reviews !Big mistake :1. Decor was dated and uninviting 2. not very busy for a Friday night and no atmosphere 3.food was very bland and no more than basic mass produced curry sauces with a smattering of meat 4. the bill was not correct after selling us the idea of a set meal £21 (£21.90 on bill) , we were charged another £12 for poppadoms and they also added their own £25 service charge on without mentioning it . they reluctantly removed £12 but a £275 bill for 8 of us with only 9 beers and basic meal left us all feeling ripped offi had been to Akbar’s on A66 2 weeks previous and the difference was night and day ..Akbar’s was fantastic both for good and service . Raj bari you need to up your game and treat your customers with respect ...start by removing the service charge from your bills and let the customers decide if the food and service is worthy of a tip....one thing is for sure me and my other 7 friends won’t be back !

Good find in a good location in the main high street, spacey restaurant with plenty of room. 5 dips with the popadoms, tasty starters and a good choice of mains. The food was delicious and very tasty. Will be returning.

There is a new owner and a new head chef, both Indians, and the food is very much improved.The chef will provide more traditional Indian dishes which are not on the current menu on request. I think the menu will gradually evolve towards proper Indian food.The ‘Indochinese’ dishes are excellent.At last, a good curry house in Yarm again.

Often very busy, and advisable to book , as there are not many indian restaurants in the locality . Food is good

Food is OK if a bit bland.. Hardly any taste.. Loud noises and arguing from within kitchen.. Finally tried to charge me £7.60for 3 poppadoms...??? If you visit here, please check and question your bill. Its not the first time its happened to me..

Our friends love Indian food. We went expecting a good night. The wine eventually flowed and conversation was great. Sadly this came during a significant wait for drinks and a delay of 75 minutes for our food to come. This was not the best either and was not hot when it did arrive. The restaurant is tunnel like and people are constantly passing your table whether near the door or on the way to and from the toilet. Were it not for the comradeship the night would have been poor.

First visit. Will return. Fast service friendly staff. Chicken saag best I’ve ever tasted. Lovely excellent.

Came here with my mum for a late dinner one evening.Service was fast on this occasion and we both enjoyed our curries.Prices are reasonable.Great place for Indian food.Also does a buffet on sundays.

We came here on Saturday after being let down on our 8.30 booking at Akbar Dynasty (overbooked). The staff were eager to help us and although they didnt have tables free they set one up for us. Outstanding service! The food was superb and I thoroughly recommend the mix grill. Will definitely be back. Highly recommended

As always an excellent evening g in Yarm, The Chicken Biryani was loverly and the Keema Naans beautiful. Always a good atmosphere and the service is outstanding. Never felt rushed .

After reading some of the reviews I was a little apprehensive of eating here, however, I was well impressed with food and service, I had the Lamb Tikka Shashlick absolutely spot on. The decor had been updated since my last visit which made a massive, positive, improvement.

I've been to raj bari numerous times going back about 25 years, it goes from excellent, to good, to average to poor on a regular basis. Visited quite a lot last year and earlier this year and the food was excellent after quite a few dodgy months, however I visited last week and its gone right down the pan again, don't know whether its a new chef or whatever.

Gorgeous food, good selection and friendly service. Good value for money. Really enjoyed our visit here and recommend to anyone!

Had a takeaway delivered from what I considered to be a good curry house. Ordered 2 chopped onion for popadoms and only 1 arrived. All 3 different curries all tasted very similar. Chapaties were not home made and came from a packet. Doubt I will use them again.

We were in town for 1 night only and wanted a decent Indian. We’ve been here before many times last being a couple of years ago and has always been good. It was 9pm in a Saturday night so expected to be easier to get served/find a table.

Went for a nice family meal during my visit to my aunt's. Arrived around 7:30pm only to be met by the waitress who had no interest in serving anyone, drink order taken fairly quick then waited around an hour for out food order to be taken by a male who had no clue then about another hour and a half for food to arrive. Food was barely even luke warm and no waitress/waiter even checked back for more drinks. We all heard multiple complaints from around the room and the management didn't even know where to start sorting thing, he asked us 'what would make you happy'. First and last time here absolutely shocking service and food!!

Arrived at the restaurant, three waitresses stood at bar area. Finally one looked round & showed us to a table. We read menu, ordered a drink & poppadums. We had to ask two separate people before someone finally took our food order. We finished drinks & poppadums. Having waited over an hour & thirty minutes warm plates arrived, no food just plates. The waiter was asked by my husband to clear table first before laying them down. We cleared table for him! Of the 4 dishes we ordered all were cold, with the exception of the naan breads. We asked for another round of drinks we are still waiting. The people at the next table were waiting even longer! Food was cold, dry, tough, the sizzle platter which normally spreads smoke throughout the restaurant didn’t sizzle even the bed of onions which the meat sat on was totally raw. In disbelief we were approached by one of the incompetent waitresses to ask was everything alright. To which my husband responded absolutely not, he’d like to see the manager. He arrived, asked what would you like me to do - really! ! So angry, we paid part of the bill & I feel we were more than generous.

I walked out after 1 hour 15 without any starters the couple opposite had been waiting 1 hour 30 . Another very drunk couple were snogging their faces off about two metres away which put me off . Restaurant used to be good but now appears not fit for purpose and descended into a badly run seedy dive that might be ok for the hoardes of drunken guests at the weekend but not for a proper meal .

Used to visit the Raj Bari on a weekly basis but stopped going about a year ago due to falling quality of meals. Decided to pop in with the family for the Sunday buffet and were thoroughly disappointed. The 5 main curries on offer all tasted the same, were extremely mild and not much more than Luke warm. On the positive side the staff were friendly and attentive. They do need to get their act together to bring the restaurant back to its former status as a quality curry house.

Lovely tasty buffet for lunch at the Raj Bari. The owners and staff were very welcoming and encouraging to us and our children to try some different dishes.

Another great meal tonight, great food, 7 of us all happy. Service was great too, all round spot on.

A young waiter very pleasant and helpful running around doing all the work whilst others watch. Food well, rice overcooked and with crunchy bits.The curry's seem tasteless dry meat poor sauce flavour. Popadoms and beer is the only meal to have. What a shame ..

A restaurant which is very much resting on its laurels as the only ‘Indian ‘ in Yarm.

Been eating here for years. Great food, but on the last 2 occasions, we waited an hour to have order taken, while everyone was obviously too busy with takeaways & home deliveries!! Surely people in the restaurant should have priority!! Disappointing!

First of all the staff didn’t know anything about our reservation ( I rang today to book a table). The bar staff were totally oblivious and didn’t know what they were doing. We eventually sat down, had to ask for menus and knives and forks - it was total mayhem. Heard that it had new management but it was absolutely shocking. I will go elsewhere next time - sorry

We'd moved away from here, it used to be superb, seemed to go off, but is certainly back. I've been in three times since New year, and excellent every time. We've had a little group of us at work touring the local curry houses, and, with the guys from outside the area offering an unbiased view, it's coming out near top if not top. The last visit was around 12 of us. Thinking about popping in for a takeaway tonight, impromptu, which says it all. If a place can make you think of it while away, then it's all good...

Had an amazing meal here first time and will be back. Staff 10 service 10 location 10 food 10. This place ticks all the boxes.

Food can vary but always nice and staff are all lovely. Perfect for takeaways and they deliver right to my door. I travel all over to try Indian food but always gravitate back here.

Used to use a restaurant called Goa until it closed recently, The Raj is equally as good with better service, takeaways and eat in are just as good.

Great location on Yarm high street and the service was ok. However, I have eaten at dozens of Indian restaurants in the UK and abroad and I can only describe the menu and quality of the food at this restaurant as below average. The poppadums did not appear to be freshly made. The naans were slightly soggy, small, tasteless and not hot enough. The chicken Byriani I had was only warm when it arrived and the vegetable curry quite tasteless. Disappointed overall.

We visited early evening on a Wednesday. The staff were welcoming and helpful with the menu which is much improved with new dishes. The food arrived promptly snd was delicious. The place has definitely improved in food quality, taste and service. We will return.

We opted for the £17.50 set menu Shared starters Any mains with rice and naans Good service Food was lovely. Would recommend

We were at Raj Bari last night (Tuesday) for a family meal and it was excellent again. 8 of us were looked after by Salims men with great food and drinks. Thanks again we will be back soon!

Visited the raj bari on sat 6th oct for a meal. What a fantastic indian, the food was excellent quality and the staff very friendly and did not rush us which was nice and we like to take our time over a meal. We started with poppadoms and pickles all freshly cooked and crisp as they should be. Then we had the best onion bahjis ever all lovely and tasty, crisp and round and full of flavour and not greasy just delicious. Then I had a chicken tikka Balti which was probably the best I have ever had, lots of fresh flavour and a good size to with lots of lovely sauce. my partner had chicken tikka jalfrezi extra spicy and 2 chicken tikka masalas. We had mushroom and egg pilau rice and garlic nan, and a keema, garlic and chilli nan all of which were the best. We carnt wait to go back here for another meal. It is about the right price and food in my opinion is excellent with lovely staff. Look forward to seeing you all again very soon and will recommend you to others. Thank you for a lovely meal.

I love the Indian food here.I make a special trip every time I visit my family in the UK.Food is great.Service can be slow at times but a great place for dinner.Can be busy at peak times and the restaurant is small.For anyone who prefers a quieter meal perhaps go later or earlier.

Hi I recently visited the raj bari with friends I can honestly say that I was disappointed with the service and the food.Firstly the waitress failed to take our order properly they was an item missing we had to ask three times for it it took about twenty minutes the food when it arrived was just warm .All together it spoiled the dining experience they are better Indian restaurant's in yarm than this one I can not recommend.

Went to Raj Bari for diner, hadn’t been there for a while. Food was really good, I wanted a hot meal and I really got what I wanted. Very spicy and as you would like an Indian meal to be, will defo go again.

Nice curry, good service ordered Madras, and Dupiasa with pilou rice Bombay aloo and garlic naan, good portion sizes we'll cooked.

Service slow - after quickly and efficiently getting drinks, waited long while and eventually got up to get a waiter just to place an order.

Visited raj Bari tonight after seeing there sign for Sunday night buffet. The restaurant was quiet but were told we had to wait for the buffet to be refilled before we could go up. Starters we ok, zero meat in the korma, masala etc , everything was bland. 30 minuets after mentioning dishes had no meat just sauce we were told they had been replaced, too little too late. We were ignored all evening, no offer of more drinks, dessert or coffee. On questioning this we were told they had to answer the phone !!!! Told the waiter of our dissatisfaction but he smiled and was uninterested. Would not return.

Had a good curry meal for a family birthday. The poppadums and dips were exceptional. The service was very friendly and fast enough, considering the quality and care taken in presentation of the food. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Raj Bari has been around long enough to earn credit, the food and service is always spot on located In Yarm high street it’s perfect, staff are friendly along with the food.

Use to love this restaurant gone downhill quickly,had buffet then had to wait for.poppudums as none left then had chicken tikka but was. O chicken in it just sauce then my drink didn’t come then charged us for three when was two !worst meal ever won’t be going back bad service and food.

The restaurant was clean and welcoming but the service through out the meal was slow and haphazard . We had to ask for our drinks 3x before they arrived?! The food was acceptable but not memorable. Not sure I’d rush back.

Very nice restaurant in Yarm. Also does take away and delivers. The chicken tikka ginger jalapeño massalla is absolutely delicious and my favourite.

We visited Raj Bari on a Monday evening. The restaurant is a decent size and the decor is nice. The only slight grumble we had was the time taken for our mains to come which was about 40 mins even though the restaurant wasn’t too busy.

We ordered a takeaway to be delivered which took over 45 minutes to arrive and when it did all the food was virtually cold, had to reheat the curry ourselves. The onion bajis were the worst I have ever eaten as they were incredibly dry like they had been reheated and were also cold. The chicken tikka masala was also dreadful as the chicken was dry and the sauce was very bland. Would not recommend to anyone else as there is much better Indian restaurants and takeaways nearby.

Had popadums and pickles to begin, then waited an hour for simple starters. Garlic squid and prawn puri. Garlic squid was good and the prawn puri was tasty. But then we had a one and half hour wait for our mains and there were only us 2 and another couple! I asked for the lamb chops medium they arrived cremated. The prawns were bland. I did complain about the chops and they took them off the bill. The tadka dal was nice. The staff see more focussed on takeaway rather than seated guests.

We stop all over the UK and have an indian most weeks and this place is a great little indian right in the middle of yarm high street. Great food, very friendly staff and great prices! Will come again!

Ordered a takeaway meal for the first time from this restaurant. We eat a lot of curries from various places and have to say these were by far the blandest and most tasteless curries we’ve ever eaten. We ordered korma, tikka masala and Dupiaza. Very disappointed. Even our 12 year old described it as being tasteless. Sorry but won’t be returning

Visited here on Tuesday 23rd Jan '18 at around 9.00 pm.

This is a great place to visit with friends. Plenty of options at all differing strengths - prices at OK

We visited early on a Wednesday evening. The place was empty but the decor was much improved from our previous...

Saturday night visit that was pre-booked. Staff were busy but very very miserable, not a single smile among them all?...

We thought we would give this a try as we've eaten in most of the restaurants in Yarm. It was...

We booked a table for a birthday party at our favourite Indian restaurant. The whole night was awesome, the staff...

I went here last night after using this place for many years,the food was totally tasteless,the garlic naan bread what...

Visited here a couple of years ago and found the curries were very bland and the waiting staff were weird....

Had a takeaway on the weekend. It was as good as sitting in. Best Indian around in Yarm. Defo recommend it even for big orders. Thanks Linda

Recently had vegetarian food from Raj bari and the food was of very high quality !The Aloo Tikki starters were mouth watering and were the best I ever had ! Their Egg Biryani (not in their usual menu) was prepared on request and of good quality. Paneer Tikka was soft and succulent ..... Overall very pleased with the food !

This restaurant is better than most others in the area for its vegetarian food. The veg biryani and paneer tikka are particularly delicious. A big thumbs up for Raj Bari - I will be eating there again.

Opted for a la carte even though there was a buffet available.Service was good and the starters excellent. The curry dishes were OK but nothing special and a bit tasteless. Prices were reasonable and would probably go back if in Yarm of an evening - but would not make a special visit to eat here,

I used to live in Yarm was back for a friends wedding we thought we would have a few drinks in the old place then go for a meal we decided on a Indian, big mistake every thing we had was all to spicy my main meal was lamb biriany you could not taste anything but spice I had to leave it as my mouth was just burning told the waiter he said oh I don't know how they cook it and with what never again will we be going back

This was a random birthday trip, as soon as we got in everyone was friendly and seated us. We ordered our starters and mains together, everything came nice and fast! The food was absolutely amazing! All the dishes were spot on. Will deffo's be going back. Great service with great food! Would deffos recommend! :-)

Something has changed and certainly for the better. Ordered the mix starter, South Indian garlic chilli chicken, rice and naan. Food was really tasty especially the curry, lamb was perfect, really tender and not a bit of fat or gristle. Definitely seems to be on the up again and very reasonable prices.

Ordered via just eat for 6.55 pick up time, got there 5 minutes early but nobody saw me until my pick up time. He then answered the shop phone rather than sort my order for me. Almost given someone else's order but eventually got mine.Once all of this was out of the way the food was excellent. Nicely portioned and very tasty. Would definitely go back, just hope the staff are a little more receptive to customers

I had been used to chef of a long service. I found that two new chefs were in situ.The food was excellent I have to say we enjoyed our meal. The sheek kebabs were excellent. Service matched the meal. Spicing was perfect as were the portion sizes

Called after staying in area for business trip. Good selection on menu which are even marked with allergies, this being good as I'm GF. My colleague & I had different meals and wasn't disappointed. Good portions & great taste. Very nice would call again.

Not the best surroundings and the inside is practical rather than palacious but the food is always superb. The mixed grill starters are amazing! Authentic spices leave the taste buds zinging. Great staff ad lots of smiles!

Went on Saturday night, 12 of us food was all perfect, the staff couldn't have been more helpful or friendly, we will return one day.

First visit to Raj Bari after walking by on many occasions. Called in early evening on a bank holiday weekend, the staff were very helpful and welcoming, soon seated and drinks order taken. The seating arrangement a little cramped, would not like to see it when busy, would suggest elbows would clash? The deco looked a little tired wallpaper taped to the wall. Food serve was quick, food being hot and average, price was ok.

Went here after a night on the drink the food and service was very nice. However I was disgusted to find that the tips are not shared between the waiting staff even though they work very hard and kept by the management. We took our tips back.Lovely meal but stinks that tips are not handed out between all staff !!!!!

The food was nice but half way through I decided to visit the toilets. The place is disgusting. The walls are filthy. The doors are sticky and filthy. I couldn't finish my meal knowing what a dirty filthy uderbelly this place has. Yarm needs a decent indian. Thus place is surviving on thd past reputation.

We had to wait until exactly 5pm before entering. Tables have branded paper tablecloths. Good menu. Nice poppadoms with lots of pickle & dips. Really tasty mains, and large naan.

Whilst this place could do with a bit of TLC in the decoration dept, you cannot fault the food. My husband and I ate hear last Saturday and had two courses each, all of which were delicious. Best peshwari naan ever!!

Came here on a Saturday evening and found the place virtually empty which came as a a surprise. Service was very slow and the waiter seemed disinterested. Food was OK but the portion size was terrible. My friend ordered king prawns but was served what looked liked four shrimps. When he mentioned this to the manager she simply said this was standard restaurant portion size.Don't think I will be returning to this restaurant as there are far better indian restaurants in the area.

Food is fantastic,staff are friendly and polite,prices are reasonable,portions are good,overall this has to be one of the best indian restaurants i have visited,i highly recommend this place and i will return.

Recommend this Indian restaurant. Service was exceptional, food was hot. Lovely and clean, and very welcoming. Food was amazing. Will definitely be going back

In my experience of dining out if you want to know how good the staff are go on a weekend, if you want to know how good the chef is go midweek; so I went on a Wednesday.The restaurant was possibly 1/4 capacity so I was hopeful, and my optimism was justified. The meal was superb - quality produce, perfect portions and cooked expertly.Indian food is so personal it's virtually impossible for a restaurant to please everyone, but this place did exactly what I wanted; pleasant but understated staff (i don't want to be their buddy) and cracking food.It's averagely priced £35 for a pint of Cobra, tikka starter, king prawn main, rice and a chipati.Well pleased.

Having had a few poor experiences at the Raj Bari in the recent past, we had heard that things had improved so decided to give it another try. The food was tasty and the menu interesting and not over-priced. All our table enjoyed their curries and the service was good, although a little unsmiling by the male waiter. We weren't asked if we wanted starters (it was assumed we'd just want poppadums) or desserts/coffee, but apart from this, it was a good meal and we will return.

There has been a massive improvement at Raj Bari since I last reviewed it (sadly those two things aren't connected, I'm not that influential). The quality of the food has greatly improved, the menu has been refined and it now offers a range of specials you won't find anywhere else. No doubt these improvements are in large part due to the new head chef and it definitely comes through in the food. Larger portions, more meat and better flavours are the order of the day now. While there are marked improvements in the quality of the food, the layout of the restaraunt is still a bug bear for me. They could do with taking out a few tables and creating more space. I wouldn't want to be in there at maximum capacity. If you're unfortunate enough to sit near the central aisle then you get a lot of thoroughfare very close to you. Finally, i have to take issue with the price of the poppadoms and pickle tray. 75p each poppadom and 75p each for the pickle tray, that's really high end for a curry house. All in all though, pleasantly surprised at the improvement.

Disgusting all round!!! Food, service, price...whats worse is the ignorance they have... Food is crapPortions are even worseThey've never been to india or Pakistan They serve shrimps for the price of king prawnChicken has never seen chickenCurry is as bland as baby foodThank the lord I didnt eat the chefs special.... god knows what that would be... !!! STAY AWAY...WARNING!!!!