Taj Barming in Maidstone

Had a terrible experience. The owner is a rude person. Don’t ever consider to visit this restaurant

I took my wife and two young children this evening. The welcome was really friendly and welcoming from all of the staff. The service was very attentive, but not too rushed. The food was excellent. We were really impressed and will be returning very soon 😁

Do not eat upstairs as this has all the ambience of a shed, it's just been refurbished with just white paint on the walls and a cheap bar at the end where the waitress swigs coke from a glass bottle. The background music is disco that's too loud, clearly the owner has taken his mind elsewhere. The lights in the loos are motion activated so if they go out when you're sitting down in a cubicle you wipe in the dark as sensors are in the open space. I ordered water and they don't even take the cap off let alone pour the first half glass. Downstairs has a better dining hall but the reception bar area where you go in has stalls and customers slouch back as if they own the place whilst talking to the manager and drinking beer. So there you have it an unsweetened true appraisal. I hope they pick their game up which would cost nothing and get an extra star or two !

We had a lovely meal with friends. All of the dishes tasted amazing with fresh ingredients. The staff were friendly.

First time here. Used the take away in Aylesford which is always good and was not disappointed here.

On this occasion. The food was really nice, as it has been in the past, although there was one dish that a friend had, that typically comes out sizzling, but here it did not, which was disappointing... but still tasted good, I was told. The colours changing lights are a little disturbing. Especially when they go a shade of blue, makes the food look a little unpleasant. Service was not terrible, but there is room to improve (it was fairly busy, but not heaving). One of my party asked for no coriander in anything, that was a fail. And on the bill the drinks are all lumped together as "All Drinks", and ours allegedly came to over £40, which for a soft drink for four people seemed a little ott. So we challenged, and then we're told we'd had this and that, including cokes, which none of us had. So there was a little confusion there. But they did fix the drinks bill and gave us a shot of something or other each on the house, which was very tasty indeed. So that was very nice of them. Minor niggles, overall, would definitely recommend.

Big birthday party but service and food were exceptional. Staff very welcoming and efficient. Really enjoyed our evening and will definitely return. Huge improvement on previous owners. Highly recommend.

Now the Melad Tandoori Excellent Food and service. We have not visited since the change of ownership and was certainly impressed by the service and the food. Under the old ownership the service was crap to say the least so we will definitely return.

Staff very attentive but the food was poor.The chicken had been pre cooked then dropped into a thin onion gravy.It was dry and tastless. I wouldn't recommend eating here. It looks very nice but that's as far as it goes.

Under new ownership and renamed. Much better than my previous visit (over 3 years ago). Service has improved. Food is much improved. Good priced tasty food.

Had a fantastic out of this world family meal here with 5 of us. We had the veggie Jalfrazi, Dansak and Balti that were off the scale for freshness and flavor, mushrooms in coriander and bombay aloo really really tasty, peshawar nan really sweet complementing the hot curry mix that with their special fried rice and its just awesome. The fish eaters had the butterfly prawns and it soon disappeared it was that good. Fast friendly service excellent place to dine and a really great selection of beverages too wash it down. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but I was really delighted when all the dishes we had well exceeded our expectations and then some. Really great value for money too. What can I say but you have to dine here. Looking forward to my next visit and take away. 1000/1000.

Poor customer service Order placed through Uber Eats got cancelled by the restaurant ,when tried calling the restaurant staff on the phone was very rude.

The food is never a let down at the Taj and even when they have a full house, they are attentive and prompt.

Food was disgusting. Curry's were watery with absolutely no flavour, all the naan's were burnt with no flavour once again. The only thing that was ok was the bahjis but they were tiny and basic for what you pay. Considering the cost of it all it was atrocious. I'd give 0 stars if I could.

Great food and service. Have used the restaurant and take away, both top class.

Great restaurant , friendly staff excellent food ,good service ,highly recommend

Had a lovey meal at Taj Barming last night. Very impressed ! Great food and superb service - very clean with modern decor. about £90 inc tip and bottle of wine and 2 courses for 3 people - would highly recommend. We will definitely go back

Mix up with order but they kindly delivered a replacement within 30 minutes. It was hot and very tasty. Would order from there again

Nice quite restaurent, friendly staff, and quality food. Highly recommend.

Superb food as always. Service was very good. It was great to be back.

Me and my husband ordered food from here spent over £50. The food was disgusting we’ve ordered from a lot of Indian places and never tried food like this. this place was such a let down how is this place rated 4.1 all the dishes we ordered was really bad no taste or no effort to cook the food. Never using this place to eat.

Absolutely fantastic curry. The best around. The service is second to none and any particular requirements are catered for. Could not recommend more highly.

Such fantastic food and service. Was very quiet at the time we went, which was straight after work at 5.45 but a few more people came along as the evening wore on. Cannot wait to visit again.

Came here two years ago the food was very tasty. Came again at weekend the food was so bland that that the dish I ordered was so bland that it was not the flavour I recognised. The chicken was supposed to be cooked in a clay oven and red the chicken at the weekend was just chunks thrown in. Very disappointing.

Biryani amd curry was balnd. It s NOT INDIAN food at all. The menu had Bangladesh food names. customer service quite awkward at times.

Good quality food at a reasonable price. Friendly but respectful staff. Nice décor and ambiance.

Definitely the best Indian food we have found.lovely venue with great service. A must visit restaurant.

Recently visited Taj Barming for celebrating family function. Food was awesome. However the attitude of people was not right. There was sense of uneasiness throughout our 1.5 hr dinner time in Taj Barming. After entering we wanted to settle for some time but the waiter was standing on our head to place the order. The moment we did our cake cutting again the person came and asked for order. The tone of language wasn’t good and it made us feel uncomfortable. And the music 😡😡😡 they were playing sad Gazals of Pankaj Udhas. I requested for change which he refused completely. For a happy moment who want to listen sad gazals. We asked to serve biryani later after finishing eating nan and gravy. We wanted to wat it hot. But again they refused to do the same. I needed salt and I called out in decent loud voice but the waiter again went ahead as if he didn’t heard. I had to go the reception to ask for salt. Overall it wasn’t a good experience. In front of us the management was paying good attention to local people. This made us feel even worse . With this kind of experience will never go again in person to dine in. The restaurant has amazing food but need to have some more hospitality to adapt to customer suggestions

Sorry to post this but we were disappointed with our takeaway last Eve. My lamb was very hard to eat as it was full of gristle and some of the dishes were really lacking in flavour. However the raita was lovely. Again sorry to say this but hope it will lead to improvements.

Expensive dishes, small portions. Nice staff

A bit like the star wars bar, far to much glitz and glam however the food don't reflect this but the cost certainly does. Very expensive, curry's all tasted similar. Only option we had on a late Saturday evening and we now know why they could fit us in. (Apologies to the Tandoori Mahal in Maidstone for even trying this place as we should have just skipped an Indian that night)

I hadn't visited The Taj for a good few years, ever since a disappointing New Year's Eve experience. Four of us dined on a Saturday evening with the table booked for 7.30. The owners have improved the decor in the main dining room, although everything else was as I remember, slightly cold and bland. We duly ordered and our long wait began. The salmon tikka starter was bland with hardly any taste to it. Following a wait of over an hour, my chicken Madras finally arrived. This was watery with an unusually sweet taste. Just to seal the deal, Irish coffees were ordered (to keep us awake more than anything) and these were truly terrible. I get the feeling the owner is just marking time until he sells out for the proposed roundabout and to be honest, with food this bland, the sooner the better.

Best Indian restaurant in the Maidstone area in my opinion. Great food and regularly eat there

Very nice food. Not the cheapest, not the biggest portions but well worth it. Service has really improved since last year.

We love the food at Taj, would never go to any other Indian in town.

Rude staff. Doesn't treat its customers well. Would have given 0 if possible. Stay away from this restaurant.

Great Indian food, something I have known for a while with regular takeaways. However I was a little disappointed at the very poor selection of non alcoholic drinks, only coke. It's a personal thing, enjoying a good meal with a pleasant drink to accompany it, and drive home with a clear conscience.

Awful! Food is so bad do not go here.

Loverly food good friendly staff will be going back soon

Service very slow, but food amazing

Ordered from here tonight and OMG amazing. Literally the best Indian I've ever had. (And bonus of a super cute delivery driver 😂)

Had a lovely time, food has always been good when we go. A little pricey but for a treat one in a while its worth it.

Lovely meal for father's Day. Staff very friendly.

Expensive compared to other indian restaurant in the area, but food was really good.

Would give a 0 rating if possible. 4 of us went today (inc child of 2 year age). Ordered a couple of items as only 2 adults. Manager comes and says we have to either order more or asks us to leave as we have not ordered enough in his view. Then has the cheek to charge us for two extra main courses which we never had. Rip off merchants. Avoid at all costs.

Place looks amazing on entering, customer service is ok. Food nothing special for the "best in kent" long waits for food. Would not honour NHS discount that they have online - despite saying its a old post from 9 months ago but its still on the website - very deceiving - im sure im not the 1st NHS staff to raise it in 9 months. Its a shame because overall it was ok but felt let down by misleading information and the food was nothing special - definately had nicer elsewhere. Very unlikely to return based on that experience.

Wonderful evening out. Great food, excellent service and good atmosphere. Would highly recommend.

New to the area....it could of been our regular local indian for a family of 6. Food was ok. They refused to honour NHS discount as advertised on their website. For the sake of £20 they have lost our custom for many years to come. Their loss.

Great food, very friendly service! Would recommend to anyone, be it eating in or takeaway.

I’ve been coming here since it was Spice Fusion and now since it changed hands. Tonight we called for a takeaway delivery which we do fairly regularly only to be told that we are “outside of the 5 mile radius”. We’re actually 2.3 miles away in terms of radius, google maps says 4.7 miles for the journey, and they have delivered to us on multiple past occasions. Staff told us their route would take 5.6 miles by going an absurdly long way. We are in East Malling so not far. We won’t be bringing our custom here anymore as they clearly don’t want it.

Had a takeaway tonight for the first time. Taj delivered and not only were they on time the food was amazing!! Will definitely use again and highly recommend.

Very enjoyable meal. Will definitely be going again. Staff very friendly

Nice food with very good flavours. Definitely worth a visit. We will be back!

Ordered through Uber eats with discount code. Called up to enquire about how to pay. Restaurant cancelled the order without telling me so I waited two hours for delivery and after calling again was told that it would be delivered within 20 mins. Nothing arrived once again. Called again to be told that the order had been cancelled. They however told me that I could reorder but they could not deliver as it was now “too late” at 2040 hours..... I’ve ordered three/four times prior to this with no problems but very disappointed with the customer service this time round. Unfortunately this has put me off now.

I visited here with 4 others for dinner, and it was rather busy. Service was a bit slower than expected, however the food was nice. My starter was absolutely delicious, but my main was average. Everyone else enjoyed their food. Beautiful interior with pleasant atmosphere. Staff were friendly too.

Very clean premises and very tasty well presented food...well done

After a dreadful experience in this restaurant I sent them the following email. I had no axe to grInd, make your own mind up. I don't know if it was you I dealt with tonight but I have never encountered a worse example of customer service in my life. I booked a table using your app, only to have Haque respond to me with a confirmation for the wrong date. First sign of incompetence.I mailed him back informing him this was not the date I booked, he acknowledged his mistake and confirmed the correct time and date. (See his mail admitting 'his mistake' below.)When my family and I turned up tonight at the correct time and date we were greeted by an extremely angry little man who informed me that I had booked two tables. I informed him that it was in fact your mistake not mine, he looked furious. We asked him if we were still ok to take the table, to which he replied, "I have now got two tables booked, it's not ok to just stand there and shrug your shoulders". At this point I realised that your restaurant was not the kind of establishment I would be happy to eat in, given the rudeness of its staff. I would be very wary of the quality of the food I would receive, not to mention the standard of service. At this point we left. So now you had two lost bookings.Needless to say we will never be using your restaurant again. Plus I will ensure that my wide circle of friends and acquaintances hear about your terrible service. I am also a member of a number of local Facebook groups, trust me when I say I will be telling them, repeatedly, in detail about the disgusting way my family and I were dealt with. I will also be reporting chapter and verse regarding my dreadful experience of your tawdry little restaurant on TripAdvisor. I am taking this insult extremely personally as you dishonoured me in front of my family, and I will, at every opportunity, inform as many people as I can what a sub-standard establishment you run. I will not let this drop, I will treat this as a personal mission to warn as many people as I can to avoid your inhospitable little businesses like the plague. BR

We called up in the hope of a table that same evening to celebrate my partners new job and we thought it'd be fully booked as it was eat out to help out as well, the managed to fit us in at 7.30. We arrived on time and a slight delay for the table but that was fine so we had a drink at the bar. 15 mins on we was taken to our table. Bearing in mind that is was fully booked, the staff did so well (only 3 staff) with the drinks and food service. Ordered our starters, delicious, ordered our mains, even better. So tasty, very good quality and not oily or watery like other places. Sides were just as delicious. Everything was great, if you haven't been, please go! Lush. Will definitely be returning! Thanks Taj Barming!

Starter, was onion barghee was very dry and tasteless. No sauce offered with it. Main, was chicken vinderloo which was average and nice with the rice. Chicken tikka for wife was nice she said. Very slow service, 45 minutes between starter and main. Tables a bit close together for me with this virus about. Chose this restaurant as its says best in Kent. Booked for 7pm, left there at 21.15 after a two course meal. Was going for three course but thought we better not as two course took to long. I say its average and ok but nothing special really as I been out to a lot of indian resturan in kent area. Not somwhere i would go back to.

Good Ambience but food was not good for Indian taste. We were forced to order 1 main dish per member (including children). Paneer dish was very sweet, daal was very bland and veg biryani was not good at all

Six of us friends went to eat as I suggested to go there. Poor service, waited 40 minutes for starter to arrive, then another 45 to 50 minutes for the main dishes, also had to ask numerously for cutlery to eat food with ... not at all happy with the service received. We are a group of friends who eat out onec every month. We have been to numerous restaurants in the Kent area. This is the worst experience we have had. Portion sizes could be improved along with the service. One particular management could do with more manners and better attitude. Food was average, but service and attitude let everything down. All together I was not proud to take my friends there. Pricewise it was little more expensive than others. 1 out of 10 from me. Hope they will change for good.

We were 6 friends for a dinner night. Food was delay for 45 min for stater. than another 1 hour wait for main course. what a joke. when we told the owner about the delay and that. his replied was he don't care about service. "come, eat and go" that was his reply. What a shame . we didn't drink any alcohol but the total bill was 175 pounds which is too much we believe. for me its a total waste of money and waste of time. Big No for me and my family and friends.

For a change we tried the veg options 'SHOBZI PRODAN ONGSHU' at Taj Barming. Unbelievable! we opted for three of the main veg options and a mushroom side dish topped of with rice and nan. Never believed a total veg meal good be so fantastic. Recommend to everybody. However back next week for traditional tikka and chick dishes....

Service was amazing cannot fault that at all, everyone so friendly. Although the food was nice, I just didn't feel like it tasted as it should. This was my first experience at an Indian resteraunt but the tikka masala just didn't seem the same as a takeout tikka. A bit more creamy and watery to my liking. I guess that is what I get for being weak and ordering a mild curry lol. I found it to be small portions for the price too. Would still give another chance though.

Only had take out. Food is lovely and authentic 'British curry at its best. Great decor and the staff are very friendly. Fully recommend a visit.

Was extremely happy with the taste of the food damn 👌

Lovely food, lovely staff, lovely decor

A quiet meal for two in walking distance from home. Excellent food and service, and such a friendly atmosphere. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Amazing food ! Great value great staff! Will be returning again! Very quick loved it ! Very attentive

Nice atmosphere, attentive waiters. Food is 'okay' tasting and small portions.

First time here, came for family meal on Saturday (18th January) table was booked for 20:00 , took an age for waiting staff to ask us if we were ready, and then only after I had to ask them if they were going to bother taking our orders, we finally got our food at 22:00!!!, upon taking my first mouthful it was barely warm, so complaint now in , I did receive a complete new meal and this was hot and actually nice, only after did others say their meal was also only Luke warm!.This may have been just one of those nights, but it has put me in no rush to come back, or indeed recommend to others. Not good

Beautiful decor friendly staff and good food. Generally good all round. Did have a long wait for food but it was very busy.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE HAD BETTER AIRLINE MEALS Visited news years eve, the most disorganized dysfunctional cheapscate place I've ever had the misfortune to eat at in this country. 100 Quid each including drinks. No Menu Sat down waiting for starters for about 20 minutes after which a waiter asked if we enjoyed the starters we never had. The starters consisted of 6 pastry shells filled with something I'm not sure of but was obviously easily knocked up for convenience and was not eaten. Other customers had to get there own drinks from the bar. No individual slimline tonics the cheapscate poured ordinarily tonic from a large bottle. I was expecting a tapas of mixed Tandoori meats as a starter. Then the main course was plonked on the table by some headless chicken waiters that consisted of a tarka dhal like substance with about 4 pieces of over coloured cooked dried out chicken tikka in the middle that had obviously been cooked earlier. Now I know most food is precooked being in the business for 30 years but for the money a choice of a fresh made dish should have been available. A batched cooked lamb curry stew with a raw onion garnish and vegetable curry acompanied it. The desert was mixed flavour half melted ice cream. Coffee was served without milk which took about 5 minutes to arrive after the coffee and to add insult to injury cost EXTRA. I booked the table for 2 people but was billed for 3. One meal must have covered the whole cost of everybody there. I took the owner aside and told him the meal was the worst I've ever had and paid for in this country. He replied well theres always a first time for everything and there's always one that complains and was very patient with me. Say no more if he gets someone always complaining what his food is like. Just stay away if you know your food and dont want the pee taken out of you. It was mentioned that he owned another 2 Restaurants why I dont know when this one was only half full. Mr owner you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself and you know it.

My daughter and had the pleasure of a first visit to the Raj last night. I wanted to eat vegatarian and my daughter normal. The service was very good indeed. Quick and effficient and the staff were very welcoming. I had a great choice of vegatarian meals in the menu. Main was Dhansak and I recommend it 100% it was very tasty as was the Naans and everything else. We pushed the boat out on the wine and didn’t regret it. An excellent poilly fuisse They also organised a takeaway for my wife and coordinated a taxi for us. I would give the restaurant 6 stars if I could. Definitely going back. Just finished the doggie bag they gave me with my Bombay pots and onion bharji. Delicious.

This is by far the best Indian food in the area. Always reliably excellent. We have never been disappointed. Very pleasant and welcoming staff. If you haven't tried them you're missing out! Try the Balti.

I came here in November, and thought I must have made the wrong choice as the meal was tasteless and a real let down. All the reviews raved about this place, so I decided to give it another shot, and I returned in December. I made a completely different choice, but alas, it too was a disappointment. Both times the food was dense and claggy. The chicken was questionable (very strange texture), but overall it lacked flavour. I suspect this is not freshly made, and on both occasions I felt I could have made better at home.Such a shame as I used to love the food here when it was under different management. Overall it's definitely lost it's way.Also worth noting that on neither occasion did I feel the service was great either. Communication is difficult, and delivery is perfunctory.

Meal was okay. Wines expensive

Food very good. Portions small especially rice. But everything was very nice. We had 2 drinks each and the only thing that will 100% stop me going back wa sthe price. £95 ... I understand food was lovely and actually curries themselves were not overpriced but everything else was espcially drinks so the bill was a huge shock.. I think the table next door were having the same conversation too. Such a shame as food was lovely but far far too expensive.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE HAD BETTER AIRLINE MEALVisited news years eve, the most disorganized dysfunctional cheapscate place I've ever had the misfortune to eat at.100 Quid each including drinks.No Menu Sat down waiting for starters for about 20 minutes after which a waiter asked if we enjoyed the starters we never had.The starters consisted of 6 pastry shells filled with something I'm not sure of but was obviously easily knocked up for convenience and was not eaten. I was expecting a tapas of mixed Tandoori meats.Then the main course was plonked on the table by some headless chicken waiters that consisted of a tarka dahl like substance with about 4 pieces of over coloured cooked dried out chicken tikka in the middle that had obviously been cooked earlier. A batched cooked lamb curry stew with a raw onion garnish and vegetable curry acompanied it.The desert was mixed flavour half melted ice cream.Coffee was served without milk which took about 5 minutes to arrive after the coffee. I booked the table for 2 people but was billed for 3.I took the owner aside and told him the meal was the worst I've ever had and paid for in this country.He replied well theres a first time for everything and there's always one that complains and was very patient with me.Say no more if he gets someone always complaining what his food is like.Just stay away if you know your food

Often get takeaway and it is always delcious. The dishes have not always been made in the same way, however it is not something that would stop us ordering from them.

Delicious Indian food, lovely atmosphere and great staff. Totally recommend. Would definitely return soon.🌟💫⭐️👏

A good atmosphere in the restaurant. Excellent service and delicious food. My wife, who accompanied me and my two sons, is not a regular curry eater, but she found something on the varied menu she liked. The restaurant is in a good location and nicely presented. Will certainly go again

Food was pretty good. Service is slow and it is overpriced. Would recommend if it was slightly cheaper.

We wanted some takeaways and phoned TajBarming. The service was excellent and we were able to collect the meal exactly when it was required. It's a long time since I have had such tasty Indian dishes - well presented and handed over by a very friendly "manager". Will definitely use this service again.

Visited with friends and had the worst experience ever. The food took over 2 hours to arrive and only arrived when it did because it had been chased 6 times as we were getting a little impatient and hungry, although they were very attentive with the expensive drinks. When the food did arrive it was the blandest curry that I have ever eaten. I will never return, its just not worth it.

went with friends for an early sitting on a friday night. was not disappointed i had chosen perfectly. greeted by Rubel a host & and also a chef. polite intro to the restaurant and what they offer. Just amazing food was served, with Rubel making us a signature roasted stuffed pepper, delicious.I would highly recommend and i will be returning, thank you to all the staff & chefs who made our evening great. :)

Used Taj Barming for a take away last weekend and was so impressed with quality, service and decor my wife and I returned last night to eat in.

First time at the Taj Barming celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. The food was awesome and great service thank you.

Best Indian restaurant you will find!

I’ve frequented many an Indian restaurant but this one is by far the best I’ve been to. The food was beautiful service excellent owner very polite and friendly. If your visiting the area or live in the area this is a must to try.

Excellent food. Pleasant staff and reastaurant. Worth a visit if in the area and can highly recommend

Fabulous food as always, never fails. Cheerful, friendly staff and great atmosphere. Super way to end a great day. Thank you.

Went midweek so the restaurant was quiet. Really tasty food with a high standard of service.

Lovers this place. Excellent service excellent food relaxed warm atmosphere every visit x x

As a result of the need for Indian food after a long day, I braved a return to the Taj after a previous bad experience. Forever hopeful I suppose. Having, like most, regularly eaten Indian food at various restaurants and take-aways over the last 30+ years, I can comfortably say that this was the worst food I have ever experienced. I'm not even sure what they served was meat, I suspect it could have been Tofu!! I mean poppadoms have to be the easiest thing to make (or unpackage) ever. But they all looked different in size and colour and were not crunchy. The dips were like water and extremely lurid colours.

Went here for a meal last night. It took them 45 minutes to take our order and 45 minutes to then get the food. The drinks were also so small that you were constantly asking for another and hey weren’t cheap. No apology for the delay. We finally ate at 9:40 having booked a table at 8. The food was average and not worth the wait. Very disappointed as had very high expectations. I would not recommend this restaraunt.

Lovely place, excellent food and very friendly service! Definitely recommend.

I visited this restaurant on Saturday evening 20th July. I had originally booked for 8pm but was delayed getting there I contacted them at 7.55 to ask if I could put the booking back an hour and they agreed without hesitation. On arrival we were greeted by a polite member of staff who went to check our table was ready another very polite member of staff serve us drinks at the bar.

Our group of 5 was visiting Kent from Ireland for a wedding and extending the break to a week to enjoy this lovely county. After a long day of driving and sightseeing we had the good fortune to visit Taj Barming, Indian Restaurant in Barming, Maidstone near where we were staying. Food, service and ambience were all of a high order by any standard and lifted our mood almost from the moment we arrived. We had a Mezze in order to sample as many dishes as possible and it proved to be an inspired choice, all dishes being truly excellent. I would say that the food matched the best Indian/Bangladeshi cuisine I have ever experienced. It might have ended there and if so we would have been more than satisfied, but we finished the evening with a most pleasant and informative chat with Kiron before we left. Well done Taj!

Unable to give more than 2 stars for this restaurant. Staff were very friendly and service was good, but the food was below average and the drinks were very expensive. There are much better Indian restaurants in Maidstone than the Taj Barming. Very disappointing.