Royal Gurkha Spice in Teignbridge

We had a food delivery yesterday Monday 28th October. The delivery was 1/2 hour late.( Last time food came 1/2 hour early ) I stood in the road so they would know where we were all that time . We phoned back + were told in bad English - Sorry we're closed .It was for my neighbour and friends birthday . I mentioned to the driver & he smiled and was happy to say we are closed Now . All the food was COLD . What we could eat we had to warm in the microwave. More importantly it was very Bland and had little ot no flavour . Even my vegetable Corma was tasteless . The chicken baltu was tasteless. As we're the other meals . I've always gave top reviews and sing praises of this place . Was it because it was Monday & quiet as you closed early or changed Chef. I'm sadly very disappointed with it all and will think again before I order food or go for a meal which we've done quite a few times and it's Not cheap . I would appreciate your response. Thanks Derek

This was actually a take away delivery experience and one which we cannot recommend. Firstly the meal was delivered on the wrong day albeit on time. The second attempt was delivered 2 hours late although we had been advised of a delay The food was not of the standard we would expect particularly the lamb bhuna which had very little taste. The order was incomplete in that onion bagees we ordered were missing. Based on this experience we cannot recommend this place but we may possibly give them a second chance.

The food was amazing and the menu had plenty of choice. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. We will definitely come back.

Great food, great customer service and always ready quickly. Best in the south west ! Cannot help but find myself going back.

This review is based off of our delivery experience. Our family reviewed their menu and thought the menu looked lovely, lots of options for our tastes/dietary requirements. Our order was put through via a delivery company, the order was accepted by the restaurant and the food cooked and ready. We then received a phone call from the restaurant to say the driver that was allocated to our order was busy, they did not know where he was. They did not offer an apology, just asked us to pick it up if we could. As we had used a separate app, which costs more in view of delivery we anticipated some compensation for this issue, however none was offered, and again on coming into the restaurant no apology was given for having to have to come out and collect even though we had to make provisions in order to do so as we could not collect. The food. I have a low level spice palette, my partner a spicier palette . We both agreed neither of our dishes had any flavour or appropriate spice levels. I had a chana masala, and mostly I could taste chickpea water. A lot of our food did end up going to waste. I would like to think this is a blip night, but we have used this restaurant before and had similar concerns. Maybe a recommendation from this review would be try the direct restaurant and see if the food is better.

Ordered food at 2030 this evening for the first time to be delivered to my home. Arrived at 2235 after message on fb and calling them to chase what was happening. The food was late, luke warm and tasted really bland. Poor

Thought I’d give them a second chance after 1 bad experience and this time it was even worse

OMG what's has happened at the Royal Gurkha. We have had some good meals here in the past but last night's takeaway was terrible it was very a watery curry very hot spices but no flavour . The nan bread and the mushroom rice were good but the curry's were terrible.

OMG, I ordered a lamb Rogan gohst, chicken balti, pilau rice and alloo ghobi. The food was awful, no flavour at all looked and tasted like soup. The aloo ghobi was all mushy. The service was awful and waited for one hour for the main courses.

Food was very ordinary, we have order 5 different dishes from menu, chicken, prawn, mixed vegetables and chickpeas but all taste and colour are same. It seems same mixture are been used for all menu. It can’t be Nepali or Indian recipes.

Amazing restaurant. The food here is excellent. We drive a long way to come here. The staff here are so welcoming and lovely. Would highly recommend.

Food was delicious and would recommend. Red wine was warm so asked for ice bucket and got ice.

Fantastic Indian restaurant, Very friendly family run. Good deals on the meal bundles. We are now a regular here ! Can't wait to come again

I normally opt for the biryani but for a change had the ghurkali chicken for the first time and was really good. Would recommend this place for a takeaway as they for some dishes not in your normal menu

Please DO NOT eat here, possibly the worst food of my life. The King Prawn curry that I had was essentially very overcooked prawns in a tomato soup- it was horrific. My partners lamb dish was not edible. The garlic rice that was ordered- I’m not even sure it was rice. PLEASE DO NOT EAT HERE

We went there for a dinner with my two other friends. We love the place and the food was delicious and tempting . The service was nice and friendly ambience. I would really love to go there again with my family as well. I would really to recommend my other friends to visit that restaurant.

Have been using this Indian for a takeaway while on holiday over several years but this year June 2024 while on holiday with my lovely wife I went here to get a meal to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary!! I think it must have changed hands over last few years !! Everything was tasteless as if forgotten spices !! My Monk fish curry contained about 5 -1/2 " cubes of fish and was swimming in what can only be described as tomatoe soup, my wife's Tandoori king prawns didn't taste like they seen the inside of a tandoori oven !! Gurkha Tiger Prawn starter was tasteless didn't contain any special herbs and spices !! Onion Bhajee had a strange flavour as if cooked in stale oil and wasn't fully cooked, lemon rice didn't taste of lemon and had a burnt flavour !! the whole meal was really not enjoyable and most of it ended up in the bin !! If we had been eating in I would have sent the whole lot back to the kitchen and refused to pay !! This experience was a total waste of £60 and would definitely not recommend after this experience shame because we have had some lovely meals from here over the years!!

The service was ok they didn’t seem interested in making you feel welcomed when you are taken to your seats. The atmosphere could use a little bit more positivity but I got to say to my surprise their food is completely surreal and appetising!

Came down for dinner as on holiday in the local area. Absolutely beautiful. The tandoori mixed grill was delicious. Meat was lovely and tender with a nice punchy tandoori spice. Service by the waiter was what you expect. Very relaxed atmosphere and the owner came over to have a chat. Would highly recommend.

Wow!!!! Wonderful experience. Friendly and welcoming but most importantly the food was superb! Full of flavour and the meat was cooked beautifully, particularly the lamb. We will be back!!! Thank you .

The owner told me that the recipes have just had a revamp following a few negative comments and I can only say the change is very much for the better. The tikka masala has a better thickness and they offered to adjust the taste to how I wanted it. I would strongly recommend trying the new food!!!

We ordered takeaway from here in the assumption that this restaurant couldn't possibly be as bad as previous reviews suggested. Yes it really is that bad. Overall tasteless, greasy, inedible lamb, vegetable samosas 99% potato and tasteless. One of the 'special' items in the special mixed Tikka turned out to be an onion bhajee. Nuff said...

Ordered for the first time for a delivery through Just Eat, the food arrived around the time stated which was the only thing to go right! The delivery driver rang my mobile and insisted I had to walks out my house and up the road because he was not going to drive down the cul de sac and look for the house in the rain ? I got soaked through so I rang the restaurant to complain and they just apologised. Then the food.. DISGUSTING..!! The chicken tikka masala is just tomato soup with hard chicken chunks. The bhuna is bland and had a vile taste to it. I can at least say the pilau rice was normal. Evening ruined tonight, will not use or recommend to anyone at all!

Tasty food, with a good choice of specials that I have not had the opportunity to try before. Friendly and polite staff. Recommended

We had dinner here the other day, the service was excellent, the food was fantastic and very flavoursome. Try the chicken momo!

Never been so angry due to awful service. Ordered takeaway for delivery on their website on a Wednesday evening at 7.15pm order nearly £50. Estimated delivery time between 7.30 - 7.45pm at 8pm I called to see if they had an eta? Person on the phone didn't even ask my name or for order number just stated he has no delivery drivers tonight as he sent them home. I asked why he hadn't called me and his reply was that he was busy, I asked if the order was ready which he said it was so thankfully husband hadn't had a drink so could drive up to collect. Total joke, I will never order from them again. To top it off restaurant was empty and parts of order missing. Oh but they have us a free bottle of beer haha

Do like it here such nice people love their food

Had a lovely curry,my wife and I.staff were very friendly, great service and lovely food. Gd selection of drinks 5 stars from us

I have seen it is the best curry house in nearby areas. It’s best for family or friends get together or to organise a small party.

Seated by a waiter whom then disappeared. Waited a lifetime and was asked what drinks we wanted. Waiter disappeared. Second waiter came and asked about drinks. Then disappeared. Waited a second lifetime. First waiter bought drinks. Then disappeared……. Eventually ordered popadoms. Finished popadoms. Waited a third lifetime for waiter to ask us what we wanted (we had read from the substantial amount of choices which had absolutely no discriptions unlike every other restaurant in the world). Took order and waited our fourth lifetime. Food came out. Mrs curry was absolutely bland and tasteless. Mine was death by chilli. They were very very quick bringing the bill. All in all took two hours for two drinks, two mains and two rice. Oh, and four lifetimes! Went next door to the Spar and bought chocolate to cheer ourselves up. Would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. Ever. Not even someone I hated.

Dreadful service … after ordering from her for over 10 years …. It’s gone down hill! I have waited for 2 and half hours for a delivery on a Saturday night.

My wife and I and another couple who are our friends, visited the Royal Gurkha Spice on Saturday evening of the 3rd February and enjoyed a lovely relaxed meal following a day of activities in Bovey Tracey. The building is ideally placed on Fore Street, so just a short walk from local pubs and the whiskey distillery. On entering the restaurant, it was cosy and intimate and we were placed in the area to the rear. The staff were attentive and friendly and we were very quickly offered drinks whilst we decided on what to eat. Most mains are around the £15 price range with rice and other sides extra, making a typical meal around £25pp. Once we had chosen our meals, we were offered poppadoms to pick on whilst our meals were freshly cooked. The service is unhurried, so plan for that. But we actually quite enjoyed having the time to chat and enjoy our drinks after a busy day. The meals arrived piping hot and were very tasty, however the spice level is more delicate than were used to, so if you enjoy hotter food you may want to go for the 3 chilli options. If spice isn't your thing, then Royal Gurhka Spice will be perfect for you. Nonetheless the flavours were delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed my Murgha Moghlai. During our meal we also had entertainment! A large middle-class family party sat in the front section and were obviously feeling a bit tight that day as they kept complaining and complaining about all and sundry until they reached the conclusion that they didn't want to pay for their 10+ meals that they had mostly consumed. At one point the 'Dad' character, let's call him Jonathan, was up in the face of the restauranteer bemoaning that a smaller party had been served first. Eventually they left in disgust, albeit with full bellies. Jonathan mustn't have quite the fat wallet he expresses whilst driving his white Audi, hence the performance. They had all obviously been tanking the Peroni and G&Ts all day as we saw them again later outside the Cromwell Arms pub nearby; this time Jonathan's daughter, India (?) was in tears in the street... no doubt after some prosecco-fuelled spat with her floppy boyfriend, Oliver. All very chav-tastic with entitled mid-management vibes! Overall, I enjoyed our meal, and although I would plumb for the 3 chilli Trevor Korai next time, I would definitely recommend a visit to the Royal Gurkha Spice... just don't get drawn into the dramas of the Waitrose-Wannabe Family when they look over for social support. The restaurant is lovely. Enjoy it for what it is... calm, relaxing, and unoffensive. Namaste.

It was a last minute drop in to pick up some food, the special biryani and keema naan were exceptional. Would recommend over any local take away

Staff are very polite. Service is also good. Talking about food its really taste good and it’s hygienic. Special curry,rice and briyani are the best which I will recommend.So beautiful, so elegant, just looking like a wow.😱

What a great,friendly place.took my family of 7 out tonight,for dinner,food was great,very tasty,staff were brilliant, great place to go…

Staff are very friendly. Food is delicious and hygienic. Service is also very good. The best curry house I have ever visited. Thank you Royal Gurkha Spice for everything.

This spot is amazing for casual night and food is so very good 👍 The staff were soo king and generous 🙂 Just loved the ambiance 🙏

Unfortunately a real dissapointment. I read the previous reviews and felt they were quite mixed so decided to book and make a decision for myself. I booked for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children- all of whom love a good curry). I ordered my all time fave Chicken Tikka massala, children went for Korma and hubby a biryani. Initially I was a little surprised that the curry dishes were served in cereal bowls. My daughter (who is 15) sampled hers first and said it was bland and didn’t taste of anything. I thought she was just being a picky teenager but on sampling the Tikka Massala this was no different. Full of colour but absolutely no flavour to any of the dishes. Such a shame! The byriani was also very bland. The Naans didn’t feel home made (they were dry and something you would pick up in a supermarket). On a positive note the staff were very friendly and attentive and wine was reasonably priced but unfortunately wouldn’t recommend to anyone looking for a tasty meal out.

Always go here once a year with friends as we take part in a sporting event. Food and service is good. But the card machine has been broken every time we visit so we have to either troop to the supermarket to get cash or one person has to pay using online banking and we reimburse them.

Use for takeaway and find the food and service good. No complaints.

Tiny little restaurant, nice food.

Worst Indian we have ever had! Like the other reviews, no flavour, no spice, very different curries clearly based on the same sauce. Chicken and mushroom balti tasted like a stew, and Murgha Makhani tasted like gravy, no hint of tomato. Nans were hard and chewy. Positively chicken was succulent, and it arrived hot and on time. But definitely will not be returning!

A fantastic fresh great tasting Indian takeaway. Best curry I’ve ever had. Staff always friendly and the food is always fresh and full of flavour. A must for anyone passing by or in the area

Very nice curry and fair price , really enjoyed the food

Have not been in for a curry for awhile. I had a Chicken Tikka Masala it was very tasty. It's a slightly different style to my own but still very enjoyable. I could really taste the ground almond in the food which is great because that's one of the things I like about Tikka Masala. More red in colour than I normally have but, I would buy again. The Peshwari Naan was really nice. It would be more exciting if the resturant used the pilau rice red/green food colouring trick were two lines of colour are added in but it might have an effect on rice quality is it has to sit for a awhile before giving it a quick stir in the dish. You would have whitish rice with a few red and green rice in there. The rice was tasty and not oily. Thanks guys. The delivery driver with just going out on a run and he was friendly. They deliver to a farily wide area.

We bought a takeaway and it was very disappointing. 1. Tandoori prawn was swimming in oil and hadn’t been near a tandoori oven 2. Prawn biryani was basically some spicy greasy rice with prawns thrown in 3. Naans OK (but difficult to spoil these) I’m sure that is just as easy to cook in genuine Nepalese and Indian style and as it is to cook in this disappointingly dumbed-down way for Britishers who don’t know any better

Really very nice. Good service, heaps of vegetarian food choices, decent portions and modestly-priced.

The owner who was only staff serving as it was a quietish Wednesday night, went out to local supermarket during our meal to celebrate my son's birthday and brought back a cake to present at the table. He was not aware it was a birthday meal as we had not prebooked. It was a lovely gesture which made our evening.

Always great food with a pleasant service sometimes a little late but worth the wait

Food was fantastic but restaurant was very quiet.. we were the only diners. Use it or lose it people of Bovey

Food and service were great thanks all

Excellent service, excellent food, plenty of options for rich flavours rather than just hot. Absolutely superb - can’t recommend enough.

Great to be back friendly service and food very nice and tasty.

No problem with the standard of the food or the staff either. Unfortunately, there’s no longer a 10% discount for takeaway, and also the prices have risen on the menu too, so in effect they have implemented two price rises. Whilst we all understand that there is a cost of living crisis and that prices do rise, the fact that this is two price rises in one is unfortunately too much for a loyal customer of this business for 25 years. I noticed that there appears to have been a refurbishment inside and I guess the owner has to recoup the cost of this. I wish them well but sadly we will not be continuing to use them.

Lovely restaurant, interesting choices of food some different dishes to the usual Indian Restaurants. Staff very friendly. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone.

Fantastic curry from here tonight. Thank you, will be using again soon!

Decent food. Ignore the negative reviews about chicken tikka masala: it's not even a real Indian or Nepalese dish but a UK concoction.

Lovely little restaurant with exceptional food. What's offered here really is special, with Nepalese staff providing some wonderful menu options. Standard Indian style food is available as well as Nepalese dishes. Perfectly cooked and pleasantly served. Don't forget the authentic beer, even if it's not on the menu, do ask. Take away is also available and that is made to the same high standard. Definitely recommend, and we will certainly visit again.

Excellent service, good food (except the mango chutney). I recommend the 'Trevors special Korai'. Not sure who Trevor is but he likes a spicy curry and this one was as good as any I've tasted.

Thought we would give this place another try and it's got worse!!! I've just binned mine as it was inedible Not the fault of the lady who served us she was lovely and clearly embarrassed but i was given a bill with one amount and told another apparently the owner is no longer giving take away discount but the till still prints this! The rice was super dry like it had been heated in the microwave and the lamb in my curry was burned to the point it wasn't edible. My husband had a Chicken Tikka masala and it was bland and horrible. He had the mushroom rice and this was the only thing half descent about the meal. I should have guessed it would be bad still as i was entering a group was leaving and the gentleman said to his friend "we can chalk it down to experience and just not come here again" I would recommend venturing out of Bovey Tracey until we get a better restaurant or new owners.

Always spot on - whether you go for takeaway or a suit down dinner. Great service, great food

Having eaten in many curry houses and even eaten Gurkha curries in Nepal, I can honestly say this food was delicious. Everyone in our party commented and enjoyed they food, service was great, a real gem on the outskirts of the moors. We visited by chance as we were all on a course, and shall be recommending to the next course to visit, it was that memorable.

Great friendly service and tasty food

Passable curry, alright for a meal but nothing special, nothing to write home about.

Food was tasty enough but wasn’t convinced at how clean the place was the toilets were dirty particularly the light switch which given the high levels of recent cleaning you would expect in the pandemic suggests that cleaning isn’t a high priority here.

Wouldn't recommend this place ordered butter chicken & house Biriyani very salty chicken the sauce on top yukky.. ordered a gin & tonic got it in a Jack Daniels glass! The girl on duty was very nice which made the experience better.. The guy did knock £10 off the bill so a little compensation.

Thank you we had a lovely meal recently. Great choices and the food was piping hot. We will be back and highly recommend :)

Absolutely brilliant food and dining experience. Staff were very friendly and welcoming

Nice food, Venu is quite small though, take away is popular.

Fabulous food and excellent service but £5.90 for a can of Thatchers?

Food ok, musical chairs most of the evening whilst eating in to let others get to their table or service staff pass. They are not giving emergency services/ Key workers the 25% off permanent discount they promised on their Facebook page anymore. Toilets not particularly inviting either.

Extensive menu with lots of choice of dishes. Good food and great service in intimate surroundings.

So good and couldn't finish I all.

Friendly staff, amazing service and the food was absolutely amazing. Very tasty.

Very disappointing take out meal. Way too salty, generic and tasteless. Literally just brown mush; could have come out of a jar! Couldn't taste any spices or authenticity. Will not be returning, sorry.

One of the loveliest Indian meals out I've ever had and really friendly staff. Would 100% recommend!

Nothing to write home about. Chicken tikka masala tasted like a generic curry. As mentioned on other reviews, that I wish I read before ordering, I think it is worth traveling slightly further for a curry. Also the order was delivered incomplete. A refund of the missing item was offered, and after giving all the details, it was never paid back on my card. Shame really. Won't use again Update: refund received eventually

Outstanding service and delicious food. Restaurant looks really good, I have used the takeaway service, front of house is friendly and professional, the meal served was second to none, I absolutely will use again and look forward to it. I cannot recommend this establishment highly enough. Every section of the meal was packed with flavour and good portion sizes with a real depth of choice. Really is a cut above the rest.

We ordered a takeaway for my partner’s birthday. The delivery was prompt . The service was great and the food delicious and plenty full .it was a lovely special dinner treat. We will definitely be back . So we’ll done Gurkha Spice. We will pop by next Week for a delicious take away . See you then

Hi had a lamb biryani and keema naan, the lamb, rice and naan were all very nice. BUT the curried vegetables weren’t curried, what I was given was tinned vegetable soup, it was vile.

The entire table cloth was replaced and the table was wiped down before we sat down. The food was goodThe portions were largeThe biggest selling point? The friendly staff who gave us free shots and had one with us at the end of our meal! Had a great time and a great chat.

Fantastic quality take away food. Wonderful portions , great staff and excellent quality Indian cuisine. So impressed with the chicken tikka and curries which have flavour and a great sauce. Very genuine rather than ‘fake’ Indian. We live locally and enjoy it.

I won’t eat here again until they improve their hygiene rating. It has allegedly been given a food hygiene rating of one (MAJOR IMPROVEMENT Necessary) following an inspection by the Food Standard Agency in September 2020. This is the second time in two years, so clearly the owners don’t care. Check out the gov Food Standard website for details. I live locally so would be a regular customer but I will not be returning until their standards have improved. Bovey has other food outlets who take hygiene seriously.

Very impressed. We rang to ask if they deliver to our area and told ordinarily no, but as they were quiet they would. The guy who delivered was very courteous.The food was delivered quite quickly and was delicious. Shall definately have food from there again

Service and food was really nice. Had a chicken biryani and hubby had lamb jalfrezi. He found the lamb a tad tougher that he would have liked but otherwise really tasty. We do recommend if you are in the area.

Booked here for our granddaughters 15th birthday. First visit as we are new to the area. Different dishes for us to try which we all enjoyed. Far too much food and brought the leftovers home!. When they k ew we were celebrating a birthday they brought a birthday cake which was a lovely touch!

We booked family of 5 for dinner to be told we couldn’t have 6pm but could have 5.30 which we went with To start the tables are not socially distanced apart and there was no track and trace and no members of staff were wearing any kind of face masks We were then given menus The drinks menu prices had been altered and significantly increased in priceWe ordered food came quickly Can’t fault the food all was hot very delicious We was watched the whole time made to feel very uncomfortable before even finishing food plates were taken awayConstantly being asked have you finished?When we quite clearly hadn’t Clearly we were being rushed as the restaurant had been over booked seeing other guests being turned away being told to come back in 30mins as we were sat in there table made us feel very uncomfortable Wasn’t shown or even offered desert menu or any other drinksA meal for a family of 5 took less than 1 hour we don’t get to go out often so was really looking forward to this but I feel it was ruinedI understand it’s a difficult time and restaurants need to make as much back as they can but surely it should also be a enjoyable experience In my opinion only go if you like super fast food and are prepared to eat like you are in an eating competition

My takeaway was on time and piping hot but the curries were a let down. Very watery and extremely salty.

Plenty of food and all tasted fresh and delicious. Friendly staff

Had a fantastic meal deliveted to our b @ b in Holbeton. Thoroughly reccomended, reasonsbly priced.....such good value, quality and service. Thankyou

Could have been a 3 or a 5. The vindaloo was proper hot which was good but the flavour was ruined by a serious overdose of cardamom. I gave it a 4 as portions were good. The staff definitely don’t present as friendly tho. Just collecting a take away, and the phone order was hard work and they didn’t note the poppadoms.

Incredible value and great food, the tandoori I ordered came with a naan and a beautiful veg curry included.

Spot on last night and Vindaloo is next level 🔥

Excellent quality lamb rogan. Great flavour. Not too much oil. Excellent naan bread too and Dahl. Try it !

I have ordered twice from here. The first time was an awful korma but i thought id try again but I was disappointed a second time and won't return again. This time a different curry and it just had meat, no veg and was runny. It was hot but not tasty.It was also 50% more expensive than my local curry place which is much better. I really wouldn't return.

Beautiful food, full of flavour! Was ready with in 30 minutes of ordering for takeaway. Will be sure to have a meal in the restaurant in future.

Delicious and lovely food. Thank you

The restaurant is a little uninspiring although the staff are always friendly. Good selection of Indian choices although few Gurkha options. Quality of food and quantity very good and prices about average. 15% discount for takeaways.

We have eaten takeaways from the restaurant on many occasions and pleased to see they have maintained the quality of food.

This is our local Indian and have been a few times before, but the last time was absolutely fantastic, new chef and he's doing a great job, usual great service and prices as well