Rivaaz Restaurant in New Forest

From being a really good Indian restaurant which we have always rated highly, the restaurant from today s experience is very poor. Food had been cooked too quickly so meat was very tough and lacked flavour. The description of the food on the menu didn’t match with the food we ate. No bursting flavours . Bland and glutinous. The taka dal was liquidy and tasted only of garlic, the aubergine dish was undercooked and tasteless. The plain nan was burnt. I could go on . The restaurant is trading under the same name and with awards displayed. It has changed hands and is not the restaurant we loved . The only similarities are the name and the prices.

What amazing food. So good we ordered twice and were not disappointed indeed far from it. My husband had Railway lamb curry on both occasions and I had chicken chilli achari and the gun powder chicken The portions were large and packed with flavour Highly recommend this restaurant

Outstanding food, great service and nice atmosphere. We both had their special curry, which was probably the best curry I have ever had.

The food here is really great. The staff are all friendly and very helpful. They are very helpful when you are trying workout what to order. They are busy but you still don’t feel hurried. The only downside is you do have a set time to eat your meal and vacate the table. The upside is they are so helpful and professional you don’t need to worry.

Food was very tasty except slightly too much coriander on certain dishes (which made certain foods natural flavoursharder to taste ) however was very good quality and service/atmosphere was friendly,welcoming and a pleasure to be apart of

When I collected the meal from the restaurant, on my way back to the car, I had a quick check in the bag and realized that the Naan breads we ordered were missing. I went back into the restaurant and they were very apologetic and provided the Naans and I thought nothing more of it. When we got home, we realized that we were also missing a main and a rice dish from the order as well. After calling the restaurant they were again very apologetic, and did send the food out to us, and did compensate by providing 2 beers, some poppadoms and 2 onion bhaji’s, and offered a discount on the next order which was good, but the family meal was disrupted as 2 could eat and 2 couldn’t. Another issue I had, when I placed the order I asked for the Butter chicken I ordered to be slightly hotter as it was described as mild on the menu. The food I received definitely had no additional heat, and was quite bland. Overall, the restaurant did fix the issue, and provide additional food to say sorry, but we shouldn’t have had to go back to them twice in the first place.

lovely welcoming staff and really good food, i had a korma and my partner had a masala, was perfect. would definitely recommend and will definitely be coming back!

Food has gone downhill. Had a curry a couple of weeks ago and the rice was horrible. I now cook my own rice. Ordered tikka masala last night for delivery my partner ordered two onion salads which cost 95p each and the plastic container was minute. Held about 3 slices of onion, couldn't see any cucumber. What a rip off. My chicken was chewy. Unfortunately, we won't be using Rivvaz again. Too many mistakes. It's a shame as we have been using them monthly for the past two years.

Interesting variety of dishes on offer. Beautifully prepared and served Excellent service. Definitely recommend. I'm a vegetarian and there were enough choices for me.

What can be said, what a night… a family reunion with my brother and dad, the atmosphere was the perfect accompaniment to the lovely food, I personally had the Chicken dhansak, and it was 10/10 a perfect balance of flavours and just the right amount for me, would 100% recommend for any occasion. An amazing restaurant and I will definitely be visiting again. A beautiful occasion thank you rivaaz !!

A really nice place to go out for a meal during the evening, the food tasted amazing and the presentation was really well done. The service was also amazing, all the staff were really friendly and helpful.

Visited with a couple friends and had an amazing experience, felt very welcomed and the staff were so friendly. I will say the curry was some of best I’ve had, perfect levels of spices and couldn’t recommend this place highly enough . No disappointments whatsoever and overall a 10/10 experience.

This place is so good we went there two nights running I am from Leicester so I think I know about Indian food. I have also stayed at the Taj hotel in Mumbai The food in this restaurant is the I’ve ever tasted and the service was amazing You should try this restaurant and I’m sure you will not be disappointed Bill Carpenter

After walking in and feeling incredible ambiance i wasn’t surprised to find the food was just as good, i can’t recommend this restaurant enough, and i personally cannot wait to go back!

Great spot has everything you’d want, staff were impeccable and service was rapid. would recommend to anyone who’s looking for a nice evening out in the area

It used to be the best curry house for miles around. Went for my birthday and it’s changed hands! Now a run of the mill resturant with a disappointing g menu. No awards will be won by this new organisation. Bring back the original Rivazz

Came for family dinner on a Friday night. Service was a little slow but great when it came. Good very good - some unusual dishes and well prepared

Ate here end of January and have to say this is a great place for Indian food! We were both really impressed by the atmosphere, staff and menu. We had a relaxing evening, and definitely enjoyed the food which came out looking great and tasting even better. I enjoy Indian meals and have eaten at a couple of places and this one is definitely in my top 3. Everything came it in good time, well prepare and was served with a smile. We didn't feel rushed as sometimes happens at restaurants, despite the place being busy. 5/5, will absolutely dine here again!

We were down in Lymington for a weekend away for my 40th birthday. We have 4 kids so wanted to make the most of the 2 nights away. We decided to take it easy on the first night and get a takeaway. There's lots to pick from in Lymington but we decided on an Indian. Rivaaz had the best reviews and also several awards so decided this was our best bet. The online menu was easy to use and the delicious sounding options made it really hard to pick. We went for a mixed shared grill, a lamb on the special, the mushroom rice, Peshawari naan. I've eaten a lot of poppadoms in my life, but I was at least 2 deep until I realised they had missed a couple of bits from the starter. My partner called them and they couldn't be more helpful. They not only delivered them, we also got extra samosas, and best of all, more of the best poppadoms I've ever eaten. This isn't just the best curry house in Lymington, it's probably the best curry house I've ever had a takeaway from. Week done, keep up the good work! Yum yum

A great, varied menu and the food was delicious. Brilliant service from the staff, who were very welcoming and dealt well with allergy requirements. Would definitely come back.

We chose to come to Rivaaz after reading all the reviews, and we were not disappointed! Amazing food! Some of the best I have had, you must try the zaal makani, it’s mouthwatering! Accompanied by some gorgeous cocktails and amazing staff! We were well fed, and looked after wonderfully and the resturant is beautiful. Thank you so much Rivaaz, we will come back soon!

Sunday night. Ordered on website for delivery for first time. 6.20pm delivery time. 6.05pm message to say running 15 mins late. Delivery driver had 'Sat Nav' issues. 7.05pm food arrives cold. Rivaaz offer 50% refund within 5 days. 7.07pm (ish!!!) Serve food. Its very poor. Portion sizes smaller on meat, which is flavourless apart from the surface as has not been properly marinated. A whole 90% raw onion in the shashlik. Dal was inedible, we binned it. Rice dry. Appalling. We loved Rivaaz until now. We drive 20 mins to go there instead of local as the food always so good. They must have 'forgot' our refund, as we had to call and chase it 5 days later. All staff polite on the phone, but all other outcomes terrible. Won't be back.

This review is based on my experience on the day and could be different for you. Booked a table for New Year’s Eve. Had read the mixed reviews on Trip advisor, and went open minded. Arrived early and were seated almost immediately. Service was instant, after reviewing the menu, we placed our drinks, starters and main course order. The service was good, as was the food, and no real complaints to speak off. They allocate you a 2 hours meal time slot to eat and drink and then you have to leave to allow other people the chance to eat in the restaurant. This seems to be the norm now in busy restaurants and if a large party book, a deposit is required per head. Again this is the norm now. But then we had booked on New Year’s Eve which is going to be a busy time. Overall a good dining experience. Would I eat there again ? Yes but not on a heavily booked night.

After a bad experience at a different restaurant the night before we decided yo play safe and go all out for a curry. And what a curry! From staff , ambiance, value and most of all the food it was simply Fabulous.. Tandoori king prawns , spicy squid curry and best of all, the speciality Dom Pukta. Oh dear god it was so delicious. Best ever, simple. On a mid Christmas break from Kent of go back in a heart beat See soon x

Probably the best curry ive had in 2023. We were staying after christmas and were recommended by locals. The awards seem well deserved as the food was excellent. We loved the king prawn , chicken shashlick and bhuna whilst my daughter thought the korma was ok. Chapatti was fresh, portions were generous and the ambiance was nice with soft goan trance music and the faux floral wall covering it felt like ibiza. It wasnt cheap with curry between £ 16-20 but quality justified it. Didnt tell us the af was heineken instead of cobra but nevertheless we'll come back again, :)

four of us ate there sunday night, the food was amazing, the taste, aroma, presentation, the service, very happy we ate there will definitely use again, the staff were very polite and helpful.

It was a birthday meal and we looked for a great restaurant as we don’t come from the area we took a chance. What a chance the staff were so friendly and helpful as one of our party has celiac disease. The food was the best Indian meal we have had in years it was all freshly cooked spiced properly that it made you want to keep eating till it was finished. Would definitely go back when we are in the area again in 2 months time.

We visited this Indian restaurant for the first time last night as we were staying in Lymington. We are both fans of Indian cuisine so we were looking forward to our meal. We both chose the lamb specials, which were delicious, especially the Railway Lamb. It’s a shame we don’t live locally as we would probably return on a regular basis, particularly as the manager grew up in the same area as my partner and was great company! It’s a very small world… Highly recommended.

We loved this Restaurant and have eaten in and had takeaway several times. Not nearly as good now. Customer service poor and quality of food has fallen. That will be our last ever visit.

Absolutely amazing! The food, atmosphere and service was top notch. Will definitely be coming back!!

From the first minute we had a very warm and friendly welcome . The food is top level and as good as I have ever had ....and I have had a feww curries . I would definatley go back on my next trip to Lymington , I highly recommend .

Could not fault our meal . Skipped the pops and starters which was a good move as we had plenty of mains and sides . Each main course was super with very tasty and spicy food , and excellent accompaniments. Best curry we have had for a long time. Friendly service and an all round great meal.

Wonderful food, beautiful restaurant, and lovely staff. One the best Indian meals we have ever eaten - some unique menu options and tonnes of flavour.

My experience at Rivaaz was amazing the service was great, for that reason me and my family go there every October! I think that Rivaaz is the best Indian restaurant I’ve ever been to! The food is perfect everything is seasoned well and is enjoyable.

We ordered a takeaway on Saturday. Portion sizes were much smaller than usual. We usually order a dansak, which is relatively mild and quite sweet. This time, the Dansak was very hot, not sweet at all and was very dry. We also ordered a Sag, Madras and Jalfrezi, all of which were nothing special, quite dry and not up to their usual standards. The naan was burnt on the bottom. No complementary papadoms or raita, which used to be the norm at Rivaaz. Such a shame as we have always enjoyed Rivaaz but think we'll be looking elsewhere in future.

The menu is original and different, and the food we had was all excellent served by friendly and attentive wait staff in a nice dining room. Shame its 90 miles from our house as we’d return in an instant.

We had a nice dinner in Revaaz in lymington. We had onion Bhakti .Somosa veg , chicken jhalfiazee & chicken tikka Masala.Taraka Dall .Kima Nan .Mushrooms Rice all are very good .we are happy food & service.we will back soon

We ordered chicken Tikka with pilau rice as a takeaway and as always it was absolutely beautiful. We detected no difference in the portion size, in fact if anything, there appeared to be more chicken not less. We were a little apprehensive having read the previous review. However, we need not have worried, the old standards have been more than maintained.

We have used Rivaaz for years and have always loved it, one of the best restaurants around. Unfortunately it has been taken over and it has gone downhill. We had a takeaway last night. Portions poor, chicken and lamb dry, chewy and fatty. Rice hard and dry. Flavours not so nice. No popadoms, no naan bread as bread machine not working. Disappointing to say the least. We have given it a few chances since being taken over. Sadly we won't be using them again.

Fantastic, as always amazing, came here tonight for my 40th birthday celebrations. The food is beautiful. Staff are amazing and such a lovely atmosphere. Until next time hopefully soon

Fantastic service and the most delicious food ever - a real treat - thank you it really is a cut above xxx

This is clearly a popular place. We’d booked for 6,45pm and the restaurant was already full, including one large group. The decor is very smart and the staff were welcoming. Due to how busy the restaurant was (including the number of takeaway orders being dealt with) we did have a bit of a wait for our food and for the bill. When the food arrived, we were happy with our choices. The lamb and chicken were well cooked and sauces were tasty.

We just walked off the street fancying a curry. The welcome was great, the staff were all very friendly and the food was really really good, some really interesting new dishes, not just the same old chicken tikka. A great experience. Well done team we’ll...

Bearing in mind I am a chef and specialise in Indian cuisine....Well, we ordered poppadum's and drinks, which arrived quite quickly, then after 20 minutes we asked if we could order our main courses (they were too busy to come to our table to ask)....

Outstanding Indian food. Every single dish unique, imaginative and nicely presented. Simply one of the best meals I have enjoyed. Thank you

Rivaaz was recommended by our BnB and definitely worth going to. Luckily we booked online because the restaurant was full. Our meal was delicious, service excellent and decor very attractive. Altogether a good evening out.

Ate at Rivaaz on spur of moment at the end of a family catch - up, despite not having booked staff were fantastic in seating our party of 4. Pappadums and pickles were great and all 4 curries: lamb Passanda, chicken korma, lamb harial and...

I came across Rivaaz after seeing how well reviewed it was, and it did not disappoint! The venue is just stunning, the staff are wonderful, nothing is too much trouble for them and we felt incredibly looked after. Now for the food…. I had the...

Not what it used to be. We have been coming here for years and always thought it was one of the best Indian restaurants. This time things seem different. We waited a long time to be served, whilst the next table came in after us...

Friendly restaurant serving traditional and unique Indian cuisine. Excellent service and friendly. Amazing fresh food with attention to detail with starters and mains from this award winning foodie hotspot.

Amazing food. Dom Pukta was amazing but so too the daal and jalfrezi. Highly recommend! Great family meal and will be repeated

This restaurant is absolutely amazing! The food tastes delicious and it is just a fabulous place to eat. I definitely recommend it. The actual restaurant itself is really clean, well decorated and just has a really nice layout. The owner and all the other staff...

Wonderful authentic food, great service and a pleasant atmosphere. We are in Lymington on a weeks break and as the sun was out, lots of people were enjoying it, hence restaurants were busy. By chance we managed to get a place in Rivaaz and we...

We often have a takeaway from here (a great option), but ate in the restaurant for the first time. It lived up to our expectations, the food was delicious and the staff were very attentive. The peshwari naan was one of the best we’ve had....

We opted for a takeaway last night and followed the exact written instructions on how to order on line using a discount code RIVAAZ15, but at the end when payment taken the 15% discount wasn’t applied. I emailed them thru their contact form but received...

Fantastic. Chose to order a Takeaway from here based on TA reviews but also not a huge amount of competition in Lymington. Mostly positive reviews and I can see why, the food was fab. We had a special mixed platter to start with and then...

This is the best Indian restaurant in the New Forest, service is friendly and efficient and the owner is on hand to make the experience even better. The food is exceptional and we all look forward to our next visit.

We hadn’t booked for a Saturday evening but even though the restaurant was very busy they found us a nice table. The service was excellent, very friendly staff, great curry. What more would you ask for 😀. Highly recommend the chicken tikka masala (so much...

I was so gutted that it wasn’t as good as everyone had said! :( popadoms we’re amazing but Vegetables still frozen in masala. Had to ask to order our mains after waiting 10 mins after popadoms. Then had to ask for plates to be cleared...

Whilst delivering to a local business in Lymington on a cold Thursday February evening I thought I’d finally get round to seeing what all the fuss was about. All I can say is I can understand why people rave! QUITE SIMPLY THE BEST INDIAN MEAL...

Very warm welcome , clean and most of all great food . Can’t wait to book again whist away at Milford on sea on weekend away again .

We just keep coming back here as it’s the best Indian restaurant in the New Forest. The food is delicious. The staff are friendly and attentive. I highly recommend eating here.

Having had many great meals in the past we were disappointed with the food on our recent visit which was certainly not up to the usual high standard. The king prawn puri tasted quite bland and my lamb Dhansak was quite different to how it...

The food was absolutely delicious! Good service and very well presented by a few men, the reason for 4 stars is because the cocktail let me down, it was to watery and didn’t taste right but overall absolutely marvellous!!!

Really enjoyed visiting this restaurant. Staff very friendly and helpful. Dishes on the menu I’d never heard of. Saag bhaaji the best I’ve ever had, plentiful and not at all greasy. Rice perfect and veggie’s very well catered for. Looking forward to going back to...

Could not fault the food at Rivaaz or the service, both excellent, but felt the price of alcohol was somewhat high

Absolutely delightful evening! This highly acclaimed Indian restaurant is well worth a visit. A smart restaurant set in the charming Hampshire of Lymington. The real reason to visit though is the excellent food and charming service. All the classics superbly done with some interesting specials;...

We live in Birmingham and have high standards for our curry! This was as good if not slightly better than many of the balti and curry houses in Brom. Food was served on time and it was delicious. The Vegetable Naga was not dumbed down...

Excellent food, attentive service. Rajastani lamb super as are all the dishes. Always enjoy our meals here.... Keep up the food work folks

We often get takeaways from Rivazz, but this time had a meal in the restaurant. All the team are really friendly and helpful - even lending me a pair of reading glasses as I hadn't brought mine!! The food is fantastic, especially their own specials....

We are so lucky to have what must be one of the best Indian Restaurants in the country on our doorstep, in Lymington. We have been coming here for years and the food just seems to get better and better. Sha (restaurant owner) is very...

I very rarely write reviews, but feel it would be an injustice not to. We are currently spending a few days in Lymington. We made a reservation in another restaurant, upon arriving and studying the menu, decided nothing appealed and thought to try the Indian...

Put simply, the best Indian Restaurant in the world. I've enjoyed going out for a curry for almost 30 years all over the country and indeed the world and nothing compares to Rivaaz. Sha's dedication to making Rivaaz a best in class offering and his...

Been coming to Rivaaz for 12 years now and they have never failed to please. Food and service is always outstanding. Shah runs this place so well it's success is a credit to him. Keep up the great work and food 11 out of 10.

Ordered early online and got a discount which is always appreciated. Food was on time and hot. We had two of the specials both of which (Dom Pukta and Zaal Makhani) were seriously tasty! The Zaal is quite hot but flavour is great. Dish of...

Popular venue with locals. Charming ambience. Menu interesting with some unusual items. Most dishes we ordered were delicious though the chapatis were a little hard. Service was friendly-enough and effective

I been restaurant with my friend for dinner .we had a some staters main & side rice & nan .all are ver good & testy we are very happy about food & service we will come back again soon

I got a take away for the whole family on Saturday night, It took about 45mims from order. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent had loads of flavour and cooked really well. You can taste the spices and like...

We ate at this restaurant twice while in the UK visiting family. The food, service & atmosphere was fantastic. We wish the Indian Restaurants in Australia were to this standard. We would highly recommend this restaurant to people who appreciate good quality Indian food.

We always receive a warm and friendly welcome from Shah and his team when visiting the restaurant. The food is exceptional with excellent flavour and beautifully presented. This is not your usual curry house. This is a place to visit with friends, family or as...

I am a regular visitor to Rivaaz, but recently I visited with a group of work colleagues on a busy Friday night and we were all so impressed, I thought I would write a review. The restaurant was fully booked, we had a really nice...

This is a really great restaurant to visit. The service was excellent and the food high quality Would highly recommend

The BEST curry in town! This is not my first visit at Rivaaz nor will it be my last. Upon my recent visit, we ordered their famous Railway Lamb curry, Butter Chicken and paired it with a garlic naan and pilau rice. It did not...

The "Tava" was bright red and tasted sweet but, I had some and a chick pea dish that was also bright red. We left around 9.20PM, watched tv and retired to bed. 2.30am "VESUVIO" erupted with bad stomach pain and , I spent almost the...

Fantastic! A Lovely birthday meal with friends. Actually booked again. The best Indian we've had in a very long time can't wait to go again.

Me and my wife had two different chicken dishes, the chicken was excellent quality and a very generous portion size The flavours from the spices used are incredible I genuinely have never tasted anything so good in all my years of eating Asian food and...

I came with my friend RiVAAZ Indian in Lymington we ha some stater some main & rice.nan bread All are very testy & good .we are come back soon .owner shah Grate

Don't believe everything you read about Rivaaz . Wow. Unbelievable how they can pocket £160 deposit and make out a mistake was us paying for what we thought our meal was worth. None of would ever have left a £200 tip. Stale poppadoms that were...

Fantastic food, I had the mixed meat starter which was tender and packed with flavour, followed by the chicken balti, so tasty! This place is fantastic

First time visit. Excellent food and service. Very clean too. Thank you and we will return with family and friends.

Great food! Loved it. Would go again. Was booked up but they made a space for us. Great service and staff.

We looked forward to dining here after reading previous good reviews and we always enjoy quality authentic Asian food and trying new dishes The menu here Isle you extensive and perhaps could be reduced to allow better quality. It must be a challenge to prepare...

Excellent service and food at very reasonable prices. Good portions presented well with a great ambiance in the restaurant. What’s not to like?

One of the best curries we have ever had! So tasty, lovely friendly staff. Would highly recommend a visit but would advise to book as so popular.

Wonderful food, best Paneer this side of Bangalore! So well looked after by Shumon and his team! Dropped a knife and within seconds it was replaced, I thought I was the only one that heard it fall! So impressive, first class service!

Fitted us in at short notice,amazing food,staff very tentative,probably the best Indian food we’ve had,restaurant is exceptional and worth every award it’s received

Ate here on Saturday evening. Was very disappointed. For the prices they charge you would expect beautiful food. This wasn't the case. Old rice which had been reheated. It was like boil in bag rice with ten tonne of turmeric added. Old nan bread. Too...

Table we had booked was ready upon arrival, the staff were quick to take our orders and serve drinks, the food was amazing and very good value for money. Parking can be troublesome but there is a pay and display car park which is a...

Excellent meal really delicious ,very attentive staff could not praise this restaurant enough thank you so much for making our day special.

Lovely staff, absolutely amazing different level of Indian food. Nice atmosphere. Definitely going back again!Thanks guys, you're amazing!