Raj Pavillion in Tendring

Needed somewhere to eat on Sunday night, and everything we tried was "Kitchen Closed" except for this place. It's down a narrow side street, but easy to find as it's very well lit. It was absolutely empty and stayed that way except for us. Staff were friendly, and the food was amazing. we were not disappointed with our food at all. We would eat here again.

This place wil try and trick you out of money. When we arrived we were given a table straight away, although we'd noticed it was extremely busy. One of the waiters joked with us about this, however no-one at any point formally warned us that we would be waiting a long time for food. It took around 1 1/2 HOURS for our simple order of one main course each to come, for which we received no apology until we were so frustrated we got up to leave at which point our food was belatedly brought out. After this, astonishingly the owner had the cheek OVERCHARGE us £8.50 for the meal. We weren't given any kind of receipt despite asking for it, which I found very unusual and rather suspicious. When we added up the items we had ordered from the menu they came to much less than we had been charged. When we politely pointed this out, the owner tried to dismiss this several times, until we were eventually reluctantly allowed up to the bar to add up the meals on the calculator ourselves. Even once we were there, we were ignored for around 15 minutes, and we had to add up the meals three times until the owner eventually unapologetically accepted he had made a "mistake", however not before, staggeringly, he had told us "if you have a problem don't come back", an unbelievably rude and arrogant attitude to take towards customers, especially ones you have kept waiting (patiently and politely) for 2 hours and then tried to scam out of money. Even when we were eventually given the extra money back, it was £2 less than we were owed because the owner claimed there was an extra charge for a simple request I'd made about my order despite the fact it didn't say this on the menu and I was at no point warned about this. Worst of all, whilst we were adding up our meals on the calculator we noticed the owner and his waitress JOKING ABOUT US BEHIND OUR BACKS. We left feeling extremely disappointed and upset about what should have been a lovely experience being ruined by the unbelievably poor management of the restaurant. Would give zero stars if I could. There are much better curry houses in the area including Rose of Bengal in Brightlingsea and, especially Saffron in Wivenhoe (who deliver to Brightlingsea) who know how to treat their customers. I say this with a heavy heart as based on the quality of the food alone I would have happily returned, even considering the length of the weight. But based on the atrocious management I have to say ONCE AGAIN AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Staying at nearby touring park , friendly staff , free complimentary starter, food was lovely, would definitely recommend and visit again

Amazing food, full of flavour. Bombay potato was delicious. Very clean restaurant and staff were very attentive. Hidden Gem 💎 - Highly Recommended. We will definitely return on our next holiday to Clacton.

Sunday lunch here was excellent. Well served food really tasty. Unfortunately for the owners really quiet but we were served in a timely prompt manner. We will definately be back.

We came here for a meal out for Valentines, we literally phoned up last minute as where we had originally booked had sadly let us down & as we were all dressed up with nowhere to go , we thought we’d see if Raj had any tables! Very glad that we did as we had a lovely night , food was very tasty , service was extremely good & all staff were very pleasant & polite. Was a very good atmosphere too. We ate off the normal menu that was offered to us. The staff cannot do enough for you. We received a complimentary starter & dessert & I was given a red rose 🌹 too. Food servings were so generous we took home a ‘ doggy bag ‘ We have been here before as is so local to us & will visit again. Thank you for a very pleasant night.

This takeaway was to celebrate my parents 61st anniversary, the order was ready when I arrived (they deliver too) the food was hot and the flavours were amazing. It was a large order, the owner was very appreciative and generous too, I even had help carrying the order to my car, no one could fault a thing.

We had a wonderful meal at the Raj Massala tonight. The level of cleanliness was really good with spotless glasses and cutlery and the kitchen also looked clean. The food was full of flavour and not greasy at all. we were treated to a complementary vegetable pakora (first time trying this dish and i would order this myself, it was soooo good). The staff are attentive and very helpful. The restaurant was really busy from when we arrived just after it opened and they clearly also have many online orders and deliveries going out. The manager appears to be keeping everything organised well and leading his team (sitting here watching him running about all night and gicing clear orders to staff). The menu states it is under new management and the hygiene rating is 5/5. Yes, the decor could do with refreshing but dont let this fool you, the food is fantastic. I will be honest and admit that i am fussy in terms of cleanliness and taste/quality of food and this restaurant was 10/10. Thanks to all the staff.

Much improved dining experience now under new management- food was very good and the service was attentive and courteous. No waiting for food to arrive. We would visit again!

Buffet lunch Sunday, excellent food. Starter main rice and Naan included. Extremely tasty 😋 food. Very good size portions. Value for money

We have eaten at Raj before and are never disappointed. We fancied a takeaway and ordered it to be delivered. The food was lovely. With Good portion sizes The meat was tender and cooked nicely, we asked for an extra spicy masala and chef cooked it specially. The mushroom rice is lovely and flavourful. Everything is always done well and we will chose to dine in again when we are in the area. The staff are friendly and attentive when we eat in and we sometime get offered complimentary food or drinks. I highly recommend Raj Thank you !

Food was very nice and the service was great. Definitely recommend visiting if your in the area. Free starter was a nice treat!

Just passing and we thought we'd just pop in as we were hungry. So glad we did, the service, attention and food was excellent. Next time we're in Brightlingsea we'll definitely visit.

Friendly service with some excellent food whole family was stuffed. We will definitely go again for sure

Awful food, rude staff, but, i felt for the male manager, who begged me not to do a review. I certainly know it is not authentic indian food.

Came out for a well deserved date night, was going 5o go for the buffet menu. Instead opted for the regular menu not disappointed the chefs specials did not disappoint both left completely stuffed. Thank-you. Best Indian I've had in a long time. Everything tasted fresh hot and tasty

staff wonderful, atmosphere lovely, food still good but not as good as it used to be in terms of quality of chicken i had. Would still go back, still v good. Was before lockdown but I can't scroll back further than Mar 21

The Raj always used to be the ‘go to’ local Indian Restaurant…then something went seriously wrong. The food hygiene rating went from a 5 to a 1. Dishes were swimming in oil and despite valiant attempts by staff this was no longer a good call. Fast forward to February 2022! We thought we would have a takeaway from the Raj just to see what they were up to as we had heard some favourable reports and their hygiene rating was back to a 5. GREAT NEWS…The Raj is back and in style! We ordered 5 main dishes, Peshwari and Garlic Naans, a number of side dishes and the almost mandatory Onion Bhaji’s and Poppadoms. All dishes tasted as they should do, were piping hot, with containers filled to the brim. All the meat was good quality, tender and tasty. The mild dishes were mild and the hot dishes were hot enough to keep the most died in the wool chillie aficionado happy and unlike many Indian restaurants ALL the dishes had their own individual flavour. Yes…The Raj is back and back in style!

We were so looking forward to our return visit bit it was sadly disappointing. One of the dishes was more like sweet and sour Chinese style The service was extremely slow and the bill far higher than previously. Not a great evening and not one we wish to repeat

Always use this place. The guys are so incredibly friendly and professional. The food is out of this world.

What a find!!! Wasn’t too sure about this restaurant from the outside as it’s in a very narrow residential street and didn’t look very inviting, but we’d made a reservation so went for it. There was only one other table occupied, with 4 people, so it was a real shame they weren’t busier. Our food was amazing. I had chicken biryani and had asked that the accompanying vegetable curry was a madras heat - it certainly was!!! My husband had chicken vindaloo and was delighted at how hot it was. Both dishes had an abundance of chicken and, unlike other establishments, the vindaloo wasn’t full of potatoes at the expense of the meat. We were even given a complementary small chicken samosa each! The food portions were extremely generous which was great as the food was so delicious! When we finally asked for the bill, we were offered a complementary after dinner drink, but declined as we were so full. We fully recommend this restaurant and will definitely be returning.

I love this place. The people are so friendly and they serve delicious food. It's been such a long time since we had an Indian and we can't fault any of it, right down to the Tarka Dahl. Great atmosphere 👌 we had such a...

great food, polite staff and a lovely environment would recommend to anyone looking for a nice meal out

When ordering, my partner was getting rushed by the person speaking down the phone who was taking our order, and speaking rudely down the phone. We chose to ignore it, however when the food arrived we was missing one of our dishes. We called back,...

Had an amazing meal here tonight, fabulous food, great service, looked after by imran and co-workers… we will definitely be back next time we are in Brightlingsea

Smashing find in a small local place, welcoming and friendly staff and awesome tasty food. Well worth a visit even if your not immediately local to area.

Really nice food and good service. Imran was very friendly and very attentive, made sure were very given takeaway menu’s and let us know that they deliver to our area.

Excellent meal in a friendly atmosphere. Our waiter Imran was very pleasant and helpful. Pleased to find such high standards in a little village.

We have visited Raj several times over the years but yesterday was the first time we visited for nearly 2 years due to covid. The food was just as good and tasty as always and the staff were very friendly and attentive. The prices are...

Great service, lovey people and they even gave us an extra meal. Quality music as well with great food to top it off 10/10

Had a lovely meal at Raj spice The food was very good Had chicken wings starter Lamb tikka main and chicken tikka masala main Mushroom and coconut rice Bombay aloo and keema naan All cooked to perfection! Waiter was very friendly attentive Would recommend and...

Had a great evening with the family staff go above and beyond to make us feel welcome and the food was absolutely amazing. Thank you for a great much needed evening.

Visited whilst seeing a relative. Was easy to make a reservation via their website. Staff were attentive and took orders within a good time. We ordered a few curries, garlic chicken tikka, keema rice and naan bread. Portions were a good size and the food...

We go every year and every year they NEVER fail to disappoint! Such a lovely evening with delicious food great service and content welcoming staff. Would definitely recommend to all friends and family. COVID procedures in place and felt very comfortable:)

A lovely takeaway, delievered hot and on time The different tastes of the food were lovely. The chicken was tender and mushrrom rice very good

Lovely food and fast service. Lamb so tender and sauces so tasty. So pleased we could get in for our wedding anniversary as everywhere else so busy with the government eat out scheme.

Excellent curry, best we’ve ever had. Jalfrezi and Dupiaza curries, with melt in the mouth chicken. Can’t praise highly enough. Truly exceptional. Highly recommended, we’re so lucky to have the Raj in Brightlingsea.

Another great takeaway for all the family as a Father’s Day treat. Food is delicious and great value. Imran always goes the extra mile to introduce us to new dishes and always remembers us. Wonderful food and top customer service!

Not very nice at all. Told to collect at a certain time and had to wait another half hour. Very mediocre food

This is great little find, food is of a very good standard and very tasty. The service is outstanding.

Beautiful late evening dinner with my mum and sisters ! Amazing food as always and great service and atmosphere :) would definitely recommend for all families 100%

Had a takeaway tonight for the whole family, 6 adults 4 kids (5 to 9 yrs). Food was fantastic, the kids loved the butter chicken, rice and naan, fantastic way to get them eating a wider range of food, a great intro to Indian curries!! Rest of the food was awesome too, madras hot enough but not to hot, Imran also threw in a new dish from the new menu, chicken and sweet potato curry, it was fantastic, highly recommend. Great food, great service, our Indian of choice in Brightlingsea!

We ordered an Indian on Sunday evening for delivery Imran was so nice to talk too and sp helpful, the food was excellent, not at all greasy and tasted great, will definitely be ordering again, cannot recommend them enough

Imran is always very helpful and friendly. He always makes the effort to find out what the customers love to eat and try to introduce them to new dishes. He always goes the extra mile.

Amazing as always ! Great service and outstanding food would definitely recommend for all families brilliant atmosphere :)

Just celebrated my Birthday with my family. As usual Imran went out of his way to make it a special time. Great food,great atmosphere and a special complimentary dessert. Can't wait to come back

Food and entertainment was good but with a packed restaurant the maitre d/owner took advantage and overcharged us for the drinks bill. The drinks bill was not itemised and we reluctantly paid the bill as difficult to prove without resulting in a scene at the end of the evening. The next day, after discussing with other attendees, it has come to light, that this overcharging happened to many people at this particular event. For this reason, we will not be frequenting the restaurant again. Apologies to the waitresses who worked so hard on the evening but we did not tip due to their boss’s greediness and blatant dishonesty.

We often get takeaway's from here, and occasionally eat in, and the curry's are always lovely and a very reasonable price! My favourite dishes are the aloo chat to start and the vegetable dansak for main. The lamb saag, chicken jafrahni and chicken madras are also very popular in our household! Imran is great and provides the best service.

Imran was very friendly and helpful. Food was great (I ordered 2 birianis) because it was freshly cooked.

Best curry in the world !!!!! It’s amazing and the waiters are lovely , friendly and respectful !! Well worth going and the food is outstanding !!!!!!! Really really good

Celebrated my Daughters 10 Birthday at the Raj Spice and as usual Imran went out of his way to make sure we had a great evening. Superb food, great service and excellent desserts. Thank you.

What an amazing meal at the raj!!! Brilliant Service and outstanding food! Imran is a lovely guy. Always look after us when in for food!!!

This is a lovely restaurant and the only grievance I’ve got is the front of house waiter that is usually there is abrupt to the point of rudeness and is very impatient.

Imran, Thank you for looking after my family and I on Monday night. We really enjoyed the experience. The food was presented well and we all had an enjoyable experience. We look forward to visiting again soon. Kind Regards, Mike.

Went here on a Tuesday for banquet night service good food ok thought portions a little on the small side but for £11.95 each very reasonable and although small everything was good

Brilliant service and fantastic food. The banquet menu that is available on Tuesday and Wednesday is great value and definitely enough food. We have both eaten in and had take away in the past and it has always been amazing. I can’t recommend them enough. I can’t wait to eat there again

Me and my husband visited tonight and we were well impressed with the food...one of best curries we have ever had. Will definitely visit here again no doubt whatsoever!

As always had a great meal friendly staff excellent service I’ve tried a lot of Indian restaurants since we moved here 18 months ago and this is by far the best never had a bad meal and we always use the takeaway service if we can’t get there both are excellent

Had a lovely Indian in the Raj tonight. Service was outstanding and food was delicious. Imran is a fantastic host nothing is too much trouble. Will definitely be going back thank you

Top quality food and great service from Imran. The kids enjoyed it and always find something to please them all. Can't wait to come back.

This is much a review of Brightlingsea as it is of the Raj Spice.

Excellent food, excellent service and Imran very accommodating and friendly! Would order from here again!

The food was really good and at a good price. The waiting staff were lovely and Imran was making sure everything was in order and making it a welcoming evening. I would definitely recommend!

We use this restaurant a fair bit. The food is good, but is becoming pricey for where and what it is, Service is good, but the manager seems to stop staff from performing their role and wants to control everything too much instead of letting them get on with it. Best value due to their prices is to visit on Banquet nights as a better deal. Drinks again are getting pricey, hence its rarely full now, A main dish and rice will cost about £11 each, Indian food hasn't changed just the prices seem to have escalated. Price increases could be counter productive.

Very good food lovely workers there. All the workers were talking to us keeping us company whilst waiting for our food I will come here again. And also a big shououtout to imran our waitress he played with my baby very well Thankyou again.

Ate there tonight Imran looked after us well, had the banquets off the Tuesday night special, great value and well cooked Thanks for the service

Terrible beyond belief looked like slop all microwaved reheated . There excuse chiefs car was sick so he having bad day . Don't eat here worst meal ever my cat vomit more appealing

Raj Spice is highly recommended! The food is great and there is a fun and friendly atmosphere. Imran the manager really looked after me well!

We called up to ask if they have a vegan menu and it was explained to us that they can make most thing's vegan if given some warning. So we went into the restaurant and let the staff show us their recommendations for dishes that were vegan already or could be made vegan. We ended up with a great selection of foods and all were really tasty. We've been back since to try more and again they didn't disappoint! Great local place!

Had a great new years meal here, staff were brilliant and funny! Food was good as always, will be returning.

We had Lovely food and a great service. We would come again any time! P.s think the shots were great!

Food always great , never a problem Have been many times over the years. Give them a visit and try for yourself

Food was excellent as usual, brilliantly cooked and presented. Imran and Kirsty were excellent host's. On the whole couldn't fault the evening. Many thanks

Great night with great food. Imran and his team always looks after us well. We have been there many times now and always good. Thank you.

10 of us celebrated by sons 18th Birthday at the Raj Spice. The food was outstanding and Imran looked after so well and made us feel really welcome. A great night was had by all.

My and my family went out to raj for dinner, we didnt have to wait that long for our food and when we did get it it was very enjoyable.

I've eaten there before and thought it was ok. The last time several people were complaining but our food was ok.

So, our takeaway (less than 300 yards away) was promised within 45 mins - 1 hour max. 80 mins later I phoned to chase up to be told by the guy who originally took my order "oh, haven't you received it yet?" He then went away for a few mins and came back to say another 10 mins max. 25 mins after that I phoned again to chase up and the same guy told me the delivery driver had left 2 mins ago ... when I tried to question him why he'd not kept to any of his delivery time promises he slammed the phone down on me. When the delivery driver eventually arrived (from 300 yards away!) I almost told her to take the food back unpaid but my wife (who'd been in hospital the previous 24 hours) and I were hungry. I started to tell the delivery driver about what had happened and she immediately said "he put the phone down on you didn't he, I've told him so many times before that he can't do that". The only reason we used Raj Spice was because Kovalam (with 100 times better and much friendlier staff and much better quality of food) is no longer open. I'll never make the same mistake and waste our hard earned money on this rude liar again. Disgusting way to treat a cash paying customer.

Amazing food, amazing service, the music in the background really suited the ambience. Imran was really helpful and made us feel welcome, there was a lovely female waitress who looked after us all well. Would definitely eat here again!

I loved the restaurant! They served us such wonderful food and the service was vey good. The staff called Imran was such a funny person I just had such a fun time and hopefully I will be back soon to have the delicious curry.

We tend to mainly eat takeaway from the Raj and the delivery service is pretty good. I love the achari and the green masala the most.

We ordered take out from Raj Spice, had a lot of great dishes my favorite was the Lamb Vindaloo, very tasty.

Food taste great and good customer service fron the staff, especially from Imran who looked aftered us. One of the best Indian restaurant I have been to.

Had a meal here recently. Early evening so not busy. Good service and very good food. Reasonable price for everything.

We are currently staying with our grandparents (4x of us) after a long day we needed a quick bite to eat as had not eaten since a late breakfast. Came here and the service was lovely, food so tasty and hot with plenty of it. Complementary side along with a drink before leaving. Served by Imran and another lovely colleague who both where friendly,chatty and very welcoming.

Service was good, the staff were lovely. They catered well to my needs and the food was amazing! Imran was a very friendly guy who provided a lovely service. Would definitely recommend!!!

Lovely meal at The Raj Spice, food was delicious and service was impeccable . Big thank you to Imran who listened to our suggestion for adding “Family Nan” to the menu. Looking forward to our next visit!

I am coeliac and as always, worry about eating out. The gentleman that served us was very good at helping me to choose food options, making sure I could have it. Fast service for takeaway and helpful staff. Food was pretty good.

Excellent delicious food and service! Really enjoyed our lovely meal, one of the best we’ve had. Imran is always friendly and very helpful.

My boyfriend bought me here Friday night, it was amazing! Imran was a great host! Will be back soon!

The people are brilliant, especially Imran who cant’t do enough for you! The food was served fast, we weren’t hurried and it tasted superb. Will definitely be returning

Just had dinner with my family at this lovely local restaurant. Great staff, great food, lovely and clean. I highly recommend. Thank you for looking after us all tonight!

First visit here since the restaurant became the Raj Spice, and was not disappointed. Fantastic food, with friendly, unhurried service. Will definitely return....

My wife and I went here for our anniversary on a Wednesday which was.banquet night We had a.very nice meal and.since changed management and now called Raj Spice had good food will be back again soon

Was recommended this place after visiting the kings head.

This place is great, great customer service and the food was delicious. I really recommend the Chicken Tikka Green Massala or Chicken Tikka jaipuri if you really like spicy food. The waiter, Imran, was amazing and friendly to my family and gave great recommendations.

Been going to this little restaurant for many years now. It's now under new ownership and the staff are so friendly and welcoming. The new co-owner used to just be a waiter but he's taken his new role like a duck to water and runs the place with true professionalism. The food has always been good but it's now great. I'm a seasoned curry eater and I'd rank the Raj right up there. Well done chaps, keep it up. The delivery driver girl can be a little coarse at times though and spoils the ambience when in the restaurant

Not been for year or so. Under new ownership. Food was ok but my meal did not seem all that hot - hot in the heat sense rather than spicy. Very friendly service and the food came quite quickly. They have some good meal deals on a couple of nights each week I noticed. Worth a visit.

Very enjoyable meal CTM and rice for me and my young son very tasty quick and reasonably priced. Worth a visit

Struggled with the lighting , made me feel a bit ill. Starters tasty and really nice , mains disappointing , sauces good but chicken tasteless .