Spice village in Havant

Great Indian restaurant in a lovely small little town, fantastic service, amazing food highly recommend if you're in the area

Booked a table for two online but we arrived early - we were made most welcome and given a choice of tables. Restaurant looked modern, very clean and well laid out. Plenty of pleasant staff, they had a laid back approach - we were not interupted every 5 mins by being asked if everything was OK. The vegetarian food that we ordered was well presented, very tasty, and not served up too quickly, which we prefer as it doesn't make you feel like they want a quick turnaround of the table. We enjoyed our experience at Spice Village and would definitely return if we revisited the area.

So after reading some unfair criticisms about this restourant we decided to give it a try. We are not local but we were passing through on the way through to Southampton where we live. The manager Alam was very welcoming but the food..omg..was amazing. I noticed the latest COBRA pint glass and although I had suggested to Alam I would pay money for it he refused and gave it for free. Of course I gave a tip on my bill!! So lovely place with lovely staff..we will definitely return..the food was fantastic. Well done Alam and your staff!!

I visited spice village for the first time. The food was excellent. The chicken was so tender, it was almost melt in the mouth. The portion size was lovely and service was friendly and fast. I would certainly come back. I'm of Indian background and the food was close to mum's whilst growing up. Well done spice village

I had a takeaway last night, the food was below standard,no taste. the service is erratic they need someone to take charge, lot of unhappy people complaining and leaving the restaurant. I will never go back.

We booked for 1930 but Alum did not seem to know about our booking. He said to wait 5 min. We were given a table but did not get our food till 2120. Food was nice. When we asked for the bill I requested an adjustment due to the near 2 hour wait, and received a blank refusal. When I went up to pay we were offered a free baileys which none of us wanted ( we had ordered beer while waiting). Alum eventually offered a £10 discount which we did accept. We won’t be coming back. Poor customer service from Alum, they were busy but he is very ungracious

Best Indian food around. Tasty and fresh food and staff very friendly. Good value and always lots of meat in the dishes. Wouldn’t go anywhere else. The food is anything but bland so I don’t believe the reviews saying it is. I have been coming here for nearly 10 years and have eaten all over the world and this is tasty food.

We have always eaten in the spice village in Drayton which is great, so having recently moved to the area and seeing they had the same menu we thought we would give it a try. We couldn't have been more disappointed, It was the blandest and most tasteless Indian food I can remember eating for a very long time and the portion of rice was only two thirds full and luke warm at best. we will not be returning.

We visit this restaurant often and never disappoints. Staff friendly and efficient, food always delicious and reasonably priced.

Always friendly, lovely service. Food always hot, tasty, never been disappointed. Excellent service. Wouldn't go anywhere else, best local Indian restaurant.

Ordered a takeaway, ordered at 1720 for collection at 2015, to ensure that it woukd be ready intime for a large group. Was waiting 25 minutes for the order! Was told it was a big order that why it was delayed. Exactly why i ordered it early. Got it home and was missing the nan bread. Very dissapointed.

Very poor,half way through starters,was asked if we wanted our mains yet! Only had starters 5 minutes,poor mains,bland and not great,definitely would not go again.

Have been using this restaurant for many years and it has always been the best for miles around. Had a fairly bland takeaway meal from here a couple of months ago which made me question the quality. I usually have a prawn dansak. I have tonight visited for a sit down meal and ordered a prawn dansak and it was inedible. No spiciness and no sweetness to it at all, very bland and without doubt the worst Indian meal I've ever had and Ive had plenty over the years! The waiter came and asked if everything was all right with the meal and I told him it was not good. I said in fact this is inedible. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I will never set foot in this restaurant again!

1* for night out and take away very miss more than hit Think it depends on what time of year what chef is brought back!!!

BEWARE. The first time I went here about a year ago, I vowed I would never come back as they could not add up the bill correctly(overcharged). But I gave it another try, and would you believe it, a £40 bill was added up to be £60. The manager did not seem to care one jot, especially as he had the addition. I am convinced this might be a standard try-on, rip off. So beware check your bill !

First off were served with the wrong main dishes, rice and number of pops. When we actually got what we had ordered the food was served piecemeal, and was bland and only luke warm. We ate some of it as we were hungry but this was the worst Indian meal I have ever had in 45 years. When the bill arrived they had upped the cost of each item ordered and then argued they were right when it was clear from the menu they were not. Dreadful never again.

Quite possibly the worst curry I have ever had!! The food was cold tasteless and quite frankly disgusting. On top of that the air conditioning unit sounded like a tank coming at you. Horrible do not go try next door

Used to come to this restaurant when we lived locally. We moved far away and were in the area visiting relatives.. The old adage never go back was never more true. We were shown to a table, then sort of ignored . We weren’t even offered a menu. There was one on the table from which we took turns to look at. After the starter, which was fine, the waiter took away our cutlery and we were left with a spoon to not only serve our meals from but also to eat with. We had to take cutlery from the next table. Sadly the mains were bland and practically tasteless. Some of the clientele had also changed. A group of two couples were seated two tables down from us, and we were forced to listen to loud conversation, littered with foul language. This really put paid to our quiet evening out. So would we ever return? No. A very disappointing evening in a restaurant we always named the best Indian restaurant we’d ever been to.

It was a late evening dining after 23.00 upon finishing late at work with colleagues. We were the only customers, food quality and service was brilliant, will definitely return (Jan 2019).

Reading the reviews we were looking forward to a decent curry. What we got was average at the best. Their customer service was poor and not very welcoming.

I've been a semi regular to this place for a few years, but when I attended last time it was disappointing. We got there at 7, got the starter at around 7.15 and then the main course showed up at 8.05. Several times I asked where things were and all I got were raised hands and promises of 'five minutes'. When it did show up I got no apology and the waiters seemed clueless and unable to communicate. And if the restaurant people are reading this - I forgot to leave a tip - so here's one now - get yourself some people that know how to run a restaurant. My last ever visit.

Service is really slow. Shaslik was weird. Never had what was a bit of chicken and hot dog type onions. Onion Bahjis undercooked in the middle. Brilliant korma though. Had to wait ages for the bill.

We don’t usually use this restaurant but thought we’d give it a go.. what a bad decision!! We waited 40 minutes to even order and that’s only because I got up and asked! Service was absolutely shocking! Food came over an hour later which was bland and the rice had to go back as it was under cooked, Han bread tasted bitter and if yoghurt. No one came to check everything was okay. I would have returned the lot. Not worth over £113 that we spent. Never again we will stick to next door!! If you are thinking of going I wouldn’t bother!!!!!

Came here for my 30th took 2.5 hours to get my mains. When they came out they forgot half the dishes. Had to ask them for the rest of our meal. Explained to them after the meal how dissatisfied we were and they shrugged and pushed the card machine in our faces. Would avoid. Darbar down the road is slightly more expensive but a much better experience. DO NOT GOT HERE.

Short measures on the draught beer, I had to ask for my glass to be filled, at the same time I mentioned that we had been waiting 1hr 10mins and had only been served poppadoms. Staff stated that we had been told there was a 1hr wait, we had not been told this, we arrived at 7:20pm on a Saturday (table for 6). Two dishes did not arrive with the main order, one main dish and one side. I complained on the way out and staff were reluctant to even acknowledge that there was a problem. Restaurant obviously overbooked for the number of staff in attendance, I would strongly advise to avoid.

Always good here, nice service and great food - very reasonable too - we go approx once a week and at new year we ordered a takeaway for 8 of us - it was perfect Definitely worth the visit 👍

Would never go to this restaurant again. Customer service isn’t their strong point. When ordering we asked for the side to come out with the main to which we were told that they are cooked at different times and we weren’t allowed. Within the salad you get with the poppadom there was a hair didn’t say anything. Within the onion bhaji there was another hair. Complained to the staff to be told it’s not their hair. Explain we didn’t want to pay for the food but in the end because we were not getting anywhere we paid for our food and left. The customer service is truly shocking.

The Spice Village has never disappointed. On both of our visits we were made very welcome. I always have the Chicken Himalayan. It's not too hot but very flavoursome. Excellent curry, excellent service, excellent restaurant My only slight whinge is the (background) music on one evening was a bit loud. Thank you, Spice Village. We will definitely be back.

We loved this restaurant . It is situated in the Main Street in lovely Emsworth , in the evenings you may be able to park easily on the street . The restaurant is large and easily spaced for distance in Covid . The staff are...

I dined at this restaurant with a group of friends in August ‘22 and my credit card was charged twice. I contacted the restaurant the next day and they said they’d look into it. Three weeks later after numerous phone calls and emails they still...

Nice clean bright restaurant, we dined in, staff very slow to take your order we waited 30 minutes for this to be taken, even though it was early and only one other couple dining at the time. However, once order taken and food arrived, all...

The food was poor, waiters didn’t know the menu, food was all the same colour, our order was wrong. Too much turmeric on everything.

Terrible service . Very slow. Bill was wrong. We had starter only and left. No apologies given. We will not be returning and suggest you dont go there

The food is good, however the service is shocking and if your up for waiting 20 mins for 4 popadoms then a further 50 mins for the mains, then this restaurant is for you. The restaurant wasn’t even a 1/3 occupied.

Very pleasantly surprised by the friendly, smiley staff after reading a few of the negative reviews on here. The food was excellent - I can’t believe how good the simple mushroom rice was! Great atmosphere in there too, just the ticket. We’ll be back for...

Excellent food! Very friendly staff! Very clean and neat! We had samosa and shami kebab, keema aloo and vegetables madras. Plus chapatis and the chef special rice! All very good!! A special thank you to Alam for his professionalism and sympathy. I strongly recommend this...

Good service and was not disappointed when the food arrived full of flavour. will certainly return again. thank you spice village for a wonderful night.

I went for my 60th Birthday meal with my friend,we ordered one chicken korma and one vegetable korma,when they brought it out it was two chicken kormas.we sent it back,we waited 15 minutes in which time my friend had almost eaten hers.we waited another ten...

This was my first visit in over a year. Six of us were shown to our table and we prepared for our curry evening. Orders were taken, drinks and poppadum's delivered and we waited for our meals. The food arrived after a while and We...

We visited here 2 weeks ago whilst staying in nearby Hayling Island. We had previously booked but on arrival were shown to our table immediately although the restaurant was very busy. We can only say our meals were excellent and the waiters were very attentive...

Waited over an hour to be presented with an unclean table , barged by customers passing through , and runny inedible food . Please ! Go elsewhere !

I have been to the Spice Village in Drayton 100s of times and understand that there is usually always a wait on food but this isnt a problem as everyone knows the food is great. Considering this is the same chain I just presumed it...

Ordered a takeaway online not knowing the restaurant was closed, emailed as soon as it advised me the order wouldn't be for filled until the next day... This was replied to. To then recieve a vile text late the next night from a personal mobile...

Have used this Indian restaurant many times. Tonight I was very disappointed. The food was good but unfortunately service was very slow. We eventually placed our order. Our food arrived some 45 minutes later. The nan bread arrived 10 minutes afterwards. Very disappointing experience.

We've been here lots of times. The new management have never let us down. Friendly efficient service and lovely food. My chicken Madras was wonderful, my husband's King prawn by bhuna was absolutely delicious. Best Indian restaurant in the area.

I've not been here for a few years but as it is now run by a Mr. Miah, apparently a new manager I thought I would give it a go with a few friends. I won't waste much time except to say nothing has changed since my previous reviews. I honestly have no idea how this dump has kept going since 2007 because the service is still slow and the food average at best. It must be the tacky decor, or maybe it's a front for gun-running or smuggling in Bangladeshi illegals? Who knows? Either way Taste of India two doors down is ten times better.

We were assured we would get food delivered in 1 hour, it took over 2 hours and when it eventually arrived it was cold. They give zero f^&*s about timings or about customer satisfaction. When I rang to chase the order up at the 1...

We ordered take away 2 and half hours ago and have still not received any food. We live 5 minutes away and would have collected if we had had any idea how long it would take. £28 spent.....will have to be excellent food to offset...

Disgusting cold food. Waited hours. Tasteless if I could rate it zero I would. Avoid avoid avoid !!!

Takeaway ordered at 6.18 pm, delivered at 9.10 pm. Two hours 50 minutes We thought we were ordering from our local in Emsworth, it turns out that restaurant is shut and it came from a sister restaurant in Drayton. Arrived lukewarm. Would not recommend

When the restaurant first opened we ate in several times and each time the food was good but the speed of service was really, really slow. We stopped eating in but have had some good takeaways, with varying delays. This time we ordered on line,...

We have eaten at this restaurant many times and the food is always excellent. Cannot understand the bad reviews as we are happy to strongly recommend this restaurant. Food and service as good as it gets.

We used to get take aways from Spice Village at least three or four times a month. Since lockdown the food has gone really downhill. They seem to have forgotten the spice and the chilli. We were absolute fans of the Chicken Tikka Jalfrazi amongst...

We went here in our group of 6 last night. COVID measures were in place and were followed throughout. The service was very quick and the food was fantastic. Great flavours and variety on the menu. If you are looking to go out for a...

We visited for dinner recently and we always come back to this restaurant for the absolutely delicious food. The portion sizes are large and the food and drinks are so reasonably priced. The food is always served piping hot and the range of food available...

Ordered a delivery for a birthday party at 5.30pm. It arrived at 8.30pm after three phone calls and a manger who was only happy to shout down the phone rather than listen to what we had to say! Disgusting behaviour. No offer of a refund,...

My granddaughter Birthday celebrations were totally ruined by the terrible service and rudeness of this takeaway. We ordered from Spice and from a Chinese takeaway. Both ordered for 7pm. Chinese turned up promptly 8pm we phoned spice to ask were our order was told it...

I visit the Spice Village 2 - 3 times a year, and have never been disappointed. On arrival, we were asked to complete 'track and trace' details and quickly shown to our table. The Cobra beer (of course) arrived along with the poppadum's (of course)....

Really bad management. Ordered takeaway for nieces birthday. Two hours late they made a mistake. Would not accept the mistake and put phone down on me twice and refused refund. Never order again from them so bad and do rude.

All of the best. Fresh poppadoms, a decent pickle tray. We shared a mixed starter and it was very high quality. The mains came and the keema rice was superb, rather than a mushy red mince mixed in with greasy pilau- this was decent sized...

We wanted an evening meal in Emsworth on a Tuesday and found that many of the local eateries were either closed or fully booked due to the “eat out to help out” scheme. Fortunately the Spice Village was able to reserve a table for us. The food and service were both very good and the draught Indian lager was excellent. With the added bonus of a discount we were more than happy with our evening out and cannot agree with some of the negative reviews on Tripadvisor.

Where the hell do I start with this place under new management it’s basically the same hands but even worse the manager is so so so rude shouting at his staff very very rude and unprofessional as a eating in customer.....so so slow it’s unbelievable however the list just goes on and on and on drinks takes forever you’re could of gone to co op up the road to get 1 quicker..mains you could had a heart transplant the time the food came to our table .... Neva ever again next door TASTE OF INDIA beautiful Learnt my lesson from coming here again . Would of gave them a 0 but you can’t sorry spice village sort your SERVICE out and your team .

We had a really lovely meal, until the waiter put a family on the next table...less than 2 feet away. No social distancing. We didnt bother finishing our drinks or have dessert. The menus are not being disinfected either after each use. These places HAVE TO realise there is still a pandemic.

I have never seen an indian restaurant so packed and it is very large. Monday evening it was full, and turning over tables rapidly. The staff were at full stretch but happy and friendly. My tandoori chicken and aloo bhaji were excellent and my friend's chicken korma and mushroom bhaji also. Good beer, poppadoms and nan bread. A real treat!

Came along one evening for the Eat Out Help Out - booked in advance, had a really enjoyable evening and the food the four of us ordered was all most enjoyable. I had Lamb Shashlik and it was one of the best I have ever had. Will definitely be returning in the future as well as use their take away service

Waited so long for this restaurant to open. It was worth the wait. The best Indian meal in the area by far. Always receive a warm friendly welcome. Staff are very professional and the wine is always a very generous size! Already booked in again. Can not recommend this place highly enough.

On a long weekend trip to Hampshire, we had the good fortune to discover this fantastic restaurant Indian Restaurant at EMSWORTH.The food would compare with any of the best Indian meals we have ever had, with a brilliant and varied menu. The Naan bread also deserves a special mention.On top of this, the service we received from Mr Bodrulalam was second to none, making every guest feel welcome.I would thoroughly recommend.

After waiting many weeks to re open after COVID. It’s just as it was before. An amazing curry! Same quality Can’t recommend more

I have eaten here several times per week for 6 months or so (since the management changed)The new menu is absolutely superb. I have had almost everything on it and have really enjoyed each dish. The Kashmiri curry is the best example I have had and the balti jinga massala is a masterpiece. There is ample parking behind it and th service is quick - the tandoori stuff cooked fresh takes some minutes to cook but otherwise things are fairly quick. In 100s of meals I have never had a bad one.

Friends decided to book a table for us. Previous visits have had high expectations, the restaurant is attractive and the ambience cosy. but the service was painfully slow and the food Luke warm.So we approached with hope that the new management had turned things around.We were quickly shown to our table and drinks orders placed and poppadoms brought in, so far so good.From this point the service became slower and slower. we arrived at 7.30 and did not get food until after 9.meals did not come together so 1 person was eating whilst others waited.We had asked several times how long food would be..Stating our concern at the slow service.The food was ok.. not particularly hot. We expressed our displeasure at the long wait for food, to several staff members and asked for the bill.It took about 30 minutes for a bill to be produced, and that was prompted by us leaving our table and threatening to leave without payment!!For goodness sake!! You have a beautiful restaurant in a great spot.Why, even after all the complaints over recent times have things not improved. I do not see any improvements brought in by new management.Sadly, I cannot think of returning here again, because nothing was good enough. in all good conscience I cannot recommend you establishment to anyone else.

Been a few times. Food is nice but nothing spectacular. Good for large groups and this is quite a large restaurant.

We did not have a booking but the restaurant was not busy and we were quickly shown to our table. Service was prompt and friendly. The menu fo vegetarian dishes was disappointing in both the descriptions and choice. Description merely said the cooking method and heat level and no mention of what vegetables each dish contained. I could not tell you what vegetables were in mine. Anyway we had a nice time and the bill was very reasonable

We arrived at approximately 8.30pm, the restaurant was very quiet and we were immediately shown to the table. We ordered the Himalayan and we were not disappointed. A good fairly hot curry with loads of flavour. The service from the waiting staff was excellent. Thank you Spice Village. As good as ever.

A busy Friday evening before Christmas and although we had not booked we were found a table. A very good choice of menu options, excellent sized portions and prompt efficient service. Couldn't fault anything of our visit.

We booked a table here for 18 of us, we understood that being a large group we would have to wait for food and drinks, however, we waited nearly 30 mins for our drinks, the food order was taken shortly after but it all seemed to much for them. Some of us got our starters and others had to wait another 20 mins. It took so long for the mains to come out that the nice hot plates we were presented with were now stone cold. Rice was brought out, which again was cold by the time the accompanying curry was brought out. Biryani with no curry, missing sides, none of which was rectified. After 2 hours, two of the group had to ask for their mains to be brought out as they had to collect their daughter from a party, they finished their meal, paid and left before the other 16 had even got a plate and 1 of our group had to ask for their meal to be changed to a take away, he couldn’t wait any longer as he would have missed his last train, (when he arrived home it wasn’t what he had ordered) The bill was also very concerning, “drinks £145” no breakdown of what we had ordered or been charged for. The most time the server spent with us was when he wanted us to pay !!! It just seemed completely chaotic. The food was ok, not great, and not worthy of the extremely long wait. Unfortunately none of us will be returning.

If I had read previous reviews before visiting we might not have bothered but have to say we enjoyed our evening. No problem with food, orders taken promptly and not an excessive wait. Staff were polite and friendly. There was a rowdy group in but they were seated at the far end of the restaurant and didn’t bother us. Price wise, plenty to eat at a reasonable price.

Cannot understand all the negative reviews ?My experience was good service, good food and a large selection on the menu.The Manager and staff were attentive albit it wasnt very busy as we normally eat quite early in the evening. I will be going back to this restuarant !!

Really good food (vegetable biriyani and tarka dal). Pleasant staff and good prices. What’s not to like...

Decided to try this restaurant, seated at far end of place next to an extremely rowdy, foul mouthed group of diners, admittedly not the restaurants fault, but not very comfortable, decided to ignore it and asked our waiter what kind of Indian food they serve,, he laughingly replied "I dunno". Ordered a bottle of wine which waitress slammed down on table without even opening it. That was enough, we left and went to Dhabar up the road, a truly authentic Indian experience with first class staff and food.

Food was average but the staff were very polite and helpful. A shame one of the owners made us feel uncomfortable. Apart from this it was a great evening.

My father in law was visiting so we decided to try this restaurant as we had just moved to the area.

Poor service, Terrible Food, Manager is greedy and extremely rude. Staff are ok , but clearly over worked and under paid

Excellent food, service a little slow due to a large party of disabled people, We didn't object to this as the staff were very attentive to their needs and kept us updated on the status of our order.

I was disappointed with the whole service. After ordering drinks they delivered the wrong tables drinks, then gave us our drinks with more drinks than we ordered. Served poppadoms with no plates cutlery when we asked for some, tea saucers where stuffed through the hand rail while passing by. We then proceeded to wait an hour and half for food while waiting the table adjacent where served with no cutlery or plates they waited 10 minutes till could ask someone for some. At this point we just paid for our drinks and left. There was no attention to customer service or care just over priced experience that we will not be repeating.

Fantastic food, didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. Staff friendly and attentive. Food fresh and tasty. Will definitely be back.

Excellent meals - visited again and food was just as good, very consistent. Some staff more attentive than others but excellent food, good value. Sag aloo and veg balti excellent.

Avoid this restaurant.terrible slow service.my wifes butter kitchen was not nice very lumpy sauce.Only a few tables in use on a Saturday night should have raised alarm bells.Surrounded by five staff at the reception area who were extremely rude when I complained about being left with no service for drinks,dessert and coffee at the end.Had to ask for bill which never came

Throughout the evening, service was slow and incredibly poor. Upon arrival, we waited 20 mins before our food order was taken. It was then almost an hour before we had any food, which, when it arrived, was slightly bland. We ordered drinks, but eventually had to go to the bar to collect them. When we mentioned this to the manager in a non-confrontational way, we were told “you come here, you wait”. There was no attempt at an apology, but he begrudgingly offered us just £6 off of our meal. We will not be returning.

We were a table of six for dinner. This is a spacious, well appointed Indian restaurant with very pleasant, friendly, cheerful and efficient staff. All the food items ordered were delicious, well presented, hot and appetising. The gluten free issue was readily addressed with much choice available. There is good access for the disabled. This restaurant is known to be very busy at weekends and it is not surprising. We went on a Wednesday and it was very quiet and comfortable. I have no hesitation in recommending this venue.

We went tonight and first had to ask for plates etc after they served the popodoms and pickles. My partner picked a popodom up turned it over and it had curry on the back of it where it had sat on top of a dish. There was no explantation when we asked if this had been used on a customer's dish before being served again.not good enough. We walked . This is the last chance. Twice before we have had problems there lately and had very poor service. And the food was not good. Darbar restaurant is the way to go.knowledgabe about their food no food colourings unlike spice village.

So glad we found such a good Indian restaurant nearby to where we were staying. Good atmosphere, wonderful food and very competitive prices. Would definitely recommend.

We attempted to go to the Indian next door but they were fully booked so popped in here for our evening meal.

Went to this Indian restaurant on Saturday night took best part of 2 hours to have a starter and main course so not impressed. My husband had to ask several times when our food would be ready, if we had known beforehand would have gone elsewhere. Actually saw a couple leave as they waited so long just to be asked if they wanted a drink let alone a meal, we nearly followed suit but were starving so sat it out. Waiter was very apologetic and food was ok but really spoiled our evening.

1st time I'vs had a meal from here although my son has recommended it many times. Definately not disappointed. The meal was excellent and could not fault anything. Chicken was so tender it just fell apart. Will certainly be using this one again! Would highly recommend!!!

Came in with no reservation, so expected a little wait. However a plethora of free tables gave me hope.

Stayed away from here for 2 years as last time we went we waited 1 hour 40 minutes between ordering and receiving our food.

Looked through the window and looked on Trip Advisor for advice. Had heard bad reports about diners cars being clamped in car park so parked on street. . Poor reviews, empty restaurant, staff standing around speaks volumes. Went to Taste of India next door where we had a lovely meal with friendly staff and other diners.

I must admit that the only reason that we did use this place was because it was the only one that answered the telephone.

Went with 5 friends for NYE and was very quick service and friendly staff. Curry was unreal, sides were also really good!!

The worst meal ever had . Servise was very bad . Rude customer service and a most horrible experience. I tried to find chicken in so called curry which came as a sloppy mess.totaly dreadful