Taj Mahal in Southend-on-Sea

Amazing food and service couldn’t reccomend enough! Lovely people and atmosphere First time and I’ll be back again!!!

We had an impromptu visit and had a lovely friendly welcome ..We had delicious food ..and very good service in a relaxed ratmoshere ..and the toilets deserve a mention too ..emmaculate loos ….Look forward to going back for another fine dining experience .

Been using this fine Indian restaurant for 20 years now!!! It never lets us down. In fact the food is as good now as it’s ever been. Always greeted with a warm welcome by the owner and his staff. Our youngest daughter’s firm favorite and is fondly remembered as she’s come from ordering a plain no meat sauce and rice to a full blown madras with all the accompaniments and a Cobra beer! A family favorite for a night out and special occasions.

This is a seriously good Indian. Been three times and it sticks out a mile these guys take this more seriously than your average Indian. From how well they look after the draught cobra beer which is hands down the best I have ever had, to the freshness of the ingredients and the overall feeling that everything has that home made quality. The chef is extremely adaptable as we have ordered dishes that we are familiar with in other Indian restaurants and despite not being on the menu, they make it happen. Keep a look out for their special dishes as well as you’ll generally find stuff that would easily belong in Michelin star restaurant.

Our orderTook over an hour to be delivered and we ordered before you opened, it was cold and the food wasn’t that nice we ordered 2x chicken tikkas the sauce tasted like watery sugar.

Very friendly helpful staff and really tasty food, highly recommended for an enjoyable time.

Definitely recommend! Such a lovely restaurant. The food is amazing quality, staff are super friendly and great for an evening out.

Home style delicious Indian foods! So so tasty. Service was 10/10!

rhe food was beautiful fast delivery

King prawn??? No. The price was king prawn but was actually pinks -artificial prawns made with fish meat, water and starches. Very disappointing, chewy and not king prawn! If you want prawns do not buy

Divine is one word to express my thoughts on this lovely restaurant. Been a customer for many years and Taj Mahal is by far the best Indian restaurant I’ve eaten in within my adult hood. That is an unbelievable achievement over many years of eating out. If you want to experience high quality then this is the place to visit. See you soon

Been coming here for many years and within that time they never disappoint. All 100% in every way possible. Thank you for giving us the experience that we get every time we visit your lovely high quality restaurant.

Excellent Indian restaurant serving a range of high quality traditional dishes and a good selection of chef's/house specials. We've been here several times, and ordered delivery a great many more. Each time food has been excellent, as service friendly, relaxed, and welcoming.

Food is always so fresh and flavours are delicious. Staff are always so attentive and can't do enough to make your dining experience the best Been coming here for years and it never disappoints

We had a family celebration at our favourite Indian Restaurant the food was excellent and the service was first class there was 12 of us for dinner and the food came along all at the same time was piping hot.We had a great night

An amazing restaurant, incredible staff, gorgeous food

Food is lovely, you can tell care and attention is paid to each dish which makes a difference when it comes to Indian cuisine. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Will definitely be going again.

Wonderful evening at the Taj Mahal, had their special Ramadan meal this evening, beef with rice, brown chickpeas, spinach fritters,, and onion salad. Authentic cuisine with great flavours 💗

The food is amazing every time I go, either eating in or taking out. The staff are all lovely and there is never a problem with anything I need. Brilliant place

Just had.a takeaway and all the food was completely cold and potatoes over cooked and mushy. Not cheap either so definitely wouldn’t order from here again and would not recommend.

Came in from far away to visit Southend seafront and we all got hungry and searched online for the nearest highly reviewed Indian restaurant and we found Taj Mahal about 5 mins away from the seafront. Was able to book in seconds with short notice and got our table for 8. The food was outstanding and delicious. Best onion bhajis I’ve had for a while, chicken jalfrezi, just full of flavour and fragrance. They had vegan/vegetarian options for one of us who has dairy allergies. Madras sauce when I sampled it was nice and rich with a comfortable level of spice. Presentation of all foods, how it was plated up, was a very nice touch. Next time I’m down in Southend, I’ll definitely consider coming back!

Ordered to home. Food was ok, but a couple of the items we ordered had a strange texture to them which indicates that the meat has been frozen, so it’s not fresh. One even seemed to have been microwaved. Tikka was dry, Naan was yummy, onion bhajis were nice, but probably won’t order again.

Lovely, friendly, family restaurant, the food is authentic, especially the home cook menu. Well worth a visit.

Haven't been back here for so long! Once upon a time this was our Friday night staple. What the food here lacked in colouring it always made up for in real flavour. I'm pleased to say nothing has changed. My wife had the liver and I had King Prawns on puree to start. Both dishes were superb and the roti was the best I've had in such a long time. For our mains my wife had the Chicken Biryani and I had the Butter chicken. Again everything was totally on point. We won't be leaving it so long to return. Thank you for a lovely meal.

The food was absolutely delicious. And we are quite fussy eaters. Perfect proportions too.

I used their website to order a delivery as they were not listed on Just Eat or Uber at the time I placed the order, which is fine as I’m happy to support local restaurants that use their own systems. However, my money was taken (£41) but then the order was cancelled immediately by the restaurant, saying they were too busy to fulfill it. I phoned the restaurant to let them know and requested a refund. They flatly refused and were adamant that they had not received my order or my money. Oh and then they suddenly appeared on Just Eat and Uber! Funny that isn’t it? Anyway… I popped into the restaurant the evening after and provided proof that the order had been cancelled along with proof that no refund had been given and once again they flatly refused to refund me. Blaming it on their wi-fi and the ecommerce platform (Stripe) They mentioned that this has happened before and that I have to wait for a week and I MIGHT get my money back! Well, little did they know that I actually develop websites that use Stripe and I know that refunds can be initiated instantly. I did as requested, waited a week, because I play fair and still no refund was given. I had to raise a dispute with my bank (Monzo) to finally get refunded. Not an ideal situation to be honest. My concern here is that other people will experience this. This restaurant clearly has a problem with their online ordering system and a distrust of its customers.

I used their website to order a delivery as they were not listed on Just Eat or Uber at the time I placed the order, which is fine as I’m happy to support local restaurants that use their own systems. However, my money was taken (£41) but then the order was cancelled immediately by the restaurant, saying they were too busy to fulfill it. I phoned the restaurant to let them know and requested a refund. They flatly refused and were adamant that they had not received my order or my money. Oh and then they suddenly appeared on Just Eat and Uber! Funny that isn’t it? Anyway… I popped into the restaurant the evening after and provided proof that the order had been cancelled along with proof that no refund had been given and once again they flatly refused to refund me. Blaming it on their wi-fi and the ecommerce platform (Stripe) They mentioned that this has happened before and that I have to wait for a week and I MIGHT get my money back! Well, little did they know that I actually develop websites that use Stripe and I know that refunds can be initiated instantly. I did as requested, waited a week, because I play fair and still no refund was given. I had to raise a dispute with my bank (Monzo) to finally get refunded. Not an ideal situation to be honest. My concern here is that other people will experience this. This restaurant clearly has a problem with their online ordering system and a distrust of its customers.

Amazing members of staff, incredibly helpful and unbelievably polite, food was unreal. 100% recommend. All in all incredible place

We had such a lovely evening, the staff were super friendly, attentive and helpful with our food choices. We will definitely be returning

Authentic Indian food with great spicing and taste.

The food served was old and reheated. They dismissed when we said it. The manager came and said that we should have said and wasn’t helpful at all. Bad service, people not friendly and food quality very bad.

Really nice place to eat, good food, staff were great

am currently reporting this place to the food hygiene authority, and going to the bank to halt payment. having worked in indian restaurants i guarantee the food is way over-stored. not fresh- the vegetable curry had cauliflower that was going off sour, the meat was days old mushy tasteless stringy, all was cooked in days old sauce. the samosas were not prepared, but cheap ready made, just defrosted and fried. the carrots were still wet from bad defrosting. when i pointed out all the food's remaining un-eaten on the plate, the staff became intimidating. the friend i was with even suggested calling police. for a 50£ meal gave just 6£ discount. insult to injury.

Another music night at the Taj, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves again, the food is always faultless and the staff are brilliant

Went to the Taj Mahal on 29 June when they had entertainment in the form of Trio. The entire experience was excellent - food very good, entertainment first class and atmosphere great. Wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant.

We visited for the restaurant's 50th anniversary, a generous set meal perfectly cooked and with after dinner entertainment with drinks and cocktails, what an excellent evening. For regular meals the restaurant is still a cut above the rest in the borough in food quality, staff and decor of the restaurant. I have never had a bad meal in over 20 years of coming here.

Another great evening at the Taj Mahal, Leigh, with delicious food and friendly and efficient service as always. Last Thursday was a second party night at the Taj which we (3 couples) all enjoyed. We are always made very welcome by the friendly staff. Great food.

Great night of entertainment and food. The service was spot on all evening. Well worth a visit if you haven't been before.

Brilliant evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Great food as always and fabulous entertainment.

Really nice place. Had plenty vegan options and staff were first class.

This was a fund raising event and 50people attended lovely restaurant and food . One small criticism buffet dishes could have been labelled

Consistently great service and food. Easily the best Indian food in Leigh. They concentrate on a smaller menu with fresh ingredients no food colourings and home style freshly cooked curry. Highly recommend. The lamb is always tender!

We went for a charity night meal and id not expect the full works, but it was still poor. There was very little choice and when people first went they were not sure if they were going for staters or the main course. It turned out it was best to grab what you wanted as it was the only course. The choice was very mild chicken curry, very mild vegetable curry or (not very) spicy potatoes. Obviously they have to have mild curry as not everyone likes it hot but this was mild to the point of being insipid. Only one meat curry dish is not really a choice and because everything was on one small heated stand, the queues were very long, as was the wait. Drinks were OK, well, my lager was, but that came out of a bottle. As it is near home, I was using it as a test to see if I would go for a normal meal. The answer is a definitive No!

(Written by jasmine - 9) “You can be relaxed, and the food is really nice. Also the staff are very friendly and welcoming.” (Written by Hugo - 5) “The food is very good I give it a 10/10” (Written by Fletch - 41) As you can see great for the family - we come here 5 or 6 times a year and it’s consistently good for adults and kids alike.

We come here sometimes with our young family - very comfortable restaurant and accommodating to the kids (our 5 year old only has rice and a bowl of cucumber!) Food is 10/10 staff are 10/10. No wonder they’ve been here 50 years. Best Indian in the area by a mile 👍

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough .the food is amazing and the staff are just superb..Definitely my favourite restaurant in Leigh on sea Nick Payne

Food was absolutely amazing. Very friendly atmosphere and fabulous service. Could not recommend enough 👍🏼

Great 50th anniversary evening. The food was delicious as usual and the entertainment was 1st class. Congratulations to you, your family and staff for this massive milestone and for providing us with excellent food & service over the years.

We've been regular customers of the Taj Mahal for over 40 years and have always enjoyed good food and excellent service. The icing on the cake was the 50th anniversary (of the Taj) party on Monday. With live music it was a fun night with, as always, great food and friendly service.

Food was very good and well presented. Pleasant and efficient service. The freshly baked naan bread straight from the oven was delicious and such a contrast with the packaged “naan” you buy in a supermarket! Recommended.

Great Indian restaurant and food, best one in Essex and Leigh on sea! Specials are lovely, No added colouring in the food and they cater well for vegetarians and vegans. Service is good and they have a cocktail menu available as well as drinks menu. Definitely would go back, well done Taj Mahal! Takeaway also available but we always dine in.

Visited on a Sunday evening during a bank holiday weekend. Staff very friendly and food very tasty - would recommend

Lovely Indian meal, nicely sized portions and plenty of choices for vegetarians. I had a tandoori chicken starter and the Lamb Sag Curry for main, along with a really fresh and tasty garlic naan. We also had the draft Cobra and some rather nice merlot.

Looking at reviews I thought I'd give this place another try after a few years since I last tried after got recommended by someone. Mistake. Very bland curry's, one lamb, one chicken from the house specialties. When ordering, we usually have samosa and poppadom for starter so no need to order mint sauce as should come with samosa, however taj mahal didn't give any mint sauce (or chopped onion/ toms/coriander) you usually get... Will not use again and definitely get anywhere near their rating.

Excellent service and good food

I hadn't eaten here since before the first lockdown. Well the food is absolutely first class as it always was and I can't wait to go back.

I loved my supper here, brought by a local who used to come regularly

This is by far the best Indian restaurant in the area, food is always amazing. Staff are extremely friendly and professional.

The food is always amazing, service is second to none. We've eaten here for many years and by far our favourite Indian.

Beautiful food every time! We have been visiting this restaurant for as long as I can remember and we have never had a bad meal. Not to mention the staff are always attentive and happy to serve you with a smile and a chat! I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

This was honestly one of the worst Indian takeaways I've ever had. Cold, bland, small portions.

Fantastic! Friendly, efficient service, superb food and atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Order off of just eat it was bad the mixed grill tasted like it was cooked droped on the floor and then cooked again dry and burnt ,onion bargy was a ripoff the chick pea curry was a complete rip off bland never going back ill stick to my local or ill just cook it my self awful

Now, I know what most cynics would say, "this is probably one of the employees making the review", well it's not, it's someone who has tried a lot of Indian restaurants. Firstly, the food is delicious and authentic. If you are looking for your artificial luminous red Masala, please go somewhere else because the Taj Mahal only offers authentic, tasty Indian cuisine comparable to Vivek Singh's Cinnamon Club in London . The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the staff are always a joy. It was honestly a pleasure to dine here.

Fantastic meal last night, fresh vibrant and delicious. Vegetable samosa starter, light crispy full of vegetables I could have eaten a few more of these. Tandoori king prawn korai which was excellent huge prawns and plenty of them with a fluffy garlic naan. Service was friendly and efficient.

Good food , attentive service. Nice ambience.

Started visiting the Taj a couple of years back now as the quality and presentation of the food is streets ahead of ANY other Indian restaurants in and around Southend area. Was bit anxious on returning after lockdown but needn't have worried

The food is Usually good so I ordered £80 Worth of food to be delivered for my friends to my home. We were all disappointed as the food was over cooked and tasteless. I was embarrassed to recommend this restaurant and will never do it again. I left a message for them but they never replied. Shame on you Taj Mahal !

We've been going to the Taj Mahal for years. The food is always excellent and the staff always friendly and professional. Our take away yesterday was no exception. Can't wait until we can actually dine in again

Spent £60 on food (Thursday 18th March 2021) but they only put 2 prawns in the prawn masala felt like I was being made a mug they could of put more prawns in the dish called PRAWN MASALA Basically fish is expensive so they gave me 2 prawns and a container full of sauce to keep costs low Felt very unfair as I finished the prawns in 2 seconds and was left with sauce..... The other food I ordered was great DO NOT ORDER THE PRAWN MASALA ITD NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY AS YOU ONLY GET SAUCE ANS ONE OR TWO PRAWNS Shameful

Believe me I eat a lot of curry and the Taj Mahal is definitely one of, if not the best in the area. Portion size is really good (we always have left overs) and the food is always fresh and has depth of flavour. The owner is really taking the pandemic seriously and cares about the wellbeing of his customers, staff and community as well.

We ordered a special lamb dish for a takeaway, and this was absolutely delicious. This is the BEST INDIAN IN ESSEX! Portions are generous and no artificial colours are used only authentic spices and flavours are wonderful! We will be back and will tell our friends

Was really looking forward to this tonight what a disappointment, paid £60 small portions, not great service on the phone the guy was very rude food rating( 2 out of 10) it was disgusting best part of the meal was the rice ... won’t be using you again and what a waste if £60 pound

First time ordering from here as our usual one is closed it was double the price we usually pay for less food and we ordered a madras and it was no hotter than a korma chips were horrible the rice was very hard very disappointing considering the price

Tandoori chicken starter did not have a hint of tandoori flavour and no colour. Onion Bhaji was over cooked and vindaloo chicken had little flavour and a runny sauce and the chicken had not been cooked in the sauce and was pale and bland. No effort or expertise went in to these meals . All really poor

Never had an Indian meal delivered before and never eaten in this restaurant. Delivery chap was very pleasant and the food, excellent. Great flavour, plenty of good quality meat and definitely plentiful. To cap it all, pretty decent value. We would certainly order again.

Thought I’d give Taj Mahal a second chance - last time I ordered takeaway, an entire meal was charged for but missed and my guests ate without me. Took further 45 mins for them to rectify and bring the missing meal. Too late. Ordered takeaway for delivery tonight. Was advised it would be one hour, which is fair enough in current times. After two hours, cancelled order as no show and no call updating on situation. Apology was made but no offer of complimentary meal/discount. My family joke that I was weaned at Taj Mahal. Never again. With sadness I Will vote with my feet and take my business elsewhere.

Firstly, we never write reviews unless incredibly good or incredibly bad BUT...Food was ok but very oily, cost was extortionate and service was absolutely unbelievable appalling. When the bill arrived, we questioned the mouth-dropping charge for the two lime and sodas. The co-owner/customer service manager became very rude and refused to explain how soda water with a drop of lime cordial could cost more than two glasses of wine. We were made to stand in front of all the customers trying to make sense of this with the rude service manager telling us "just leave it"! We pursued this query and were then told it was because they had had to use a particular type of soda water! We asked to be shown the bottles they had apparently had to use for our drinks but sadly these bottles had now been thrown away and were irretrivable in the short time we had been in the restaurant! We tried to negotiate and pay for just one but again the service manager told us again "just leave it"! We always tip when we dine out and would have probably tipped more than the price we were disputing. Sadly, due to the total lack of customer service from the CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER and mediocre food, we will never go there again. So incredibly disappointed. Advice to resturant....get rid of the customer service manager (glasses and bald headed man). Advice to customer service manager...the clue is in the title. Advice to customers...if he's there, dont go in and check the cost of all items AS you order, or you'll be in for a jaw dropping surprise at the end.

Great flavours with special street food dishes on a Friday and Saturday. A busy restaurant not your typical curry house. Very clean and tidy.

After enjoying the food at the Taj Mahal in the past, I was flabbergasted that their standards had slouched from an apparent award-winning Indian restaurant, that kept ahead of their rivals with interesting, consistent and most importantly, tasty cooking to become a sad, atypical bland Indian restaurant. Lacklustre doesn’t begin to convey the experience we had. The assistant manager couldn't accept constructive criticism either. Which is a shame as being busy isn’t an justification for poor food and certainly no excuse for feeble customer service.

This was our third visit to the Taj Mahal since October 2019 and it was just as amazing. Great selection for vegetarians and vegans. Polite, friendly, well informed staff. My husband loves hot food and the chicken vindaloo did not disappoint. The brinjal barjee is a must for vegans. They were fully booked on Saturday night so would recommend booking a table in advance if dining at the weekend. Great atmosphere and lovely management. This is now our go to Indian restaurant.

I will eat my own hat if this place has a following from the so said award wining garb I had read about. We dined there the other week, we were so shocked at unrecognisable food, both visual and edible I asked the Manager/owner if we had been given the right dish? Yes he replied so I asked him to please taste the food, again he shook his head indicating this Is how it should look, taste and smell. He proclaimed we don't use colourants and artificial flavouring and that is why it was different. Well blow me over with a feather why don't you, it was truly the worst tasting Indian I have ever had the displeasure of eating......... So NEVER, not EVER again. If you want the finest of Indian cooking try the next place I found and so worth the journey. New Delhi in Orset Road,Grays.... wow, now that's what I call GOOD food.

I live in Leigh on sea and love good Indian food.Look no further than the Taj Mahal in Leigh Road.Great food without colourings and additives.The staff are friendly and extremely welcoming even my mum loves the place and she’s fussier than me and I’mFussy!Give the Taj a visit you will not be disappointed if you live fab Indian food!Almost forgot they have just won an award for best chef

Waited over an hour for food. Complained... Ended up with not everything we wanted. Very poor service. Give it a miss.

We ordered a take away this evening including a prawn vindaloo & a signature dish of butter cashew murgh, as well as other dishes. All the dishes were lacking in flavour & floating in oil.The vindaloo had absolutely no heat whatsoever. As someone who cannot eat spicy hot food I was totally able to eat the vindaloo sauce on this dish , which was orderd by another family member! The pilau rice also had some glutinous lumps in it as though reheated . We chose to order from the Taj Mahal as they had just received an awrd for their Chef.We are left thinking it must have been his night off.Utterly disappointing.

Been a while since we ate at The Taj, unfortunately on this occasion I found the food to be a little underwhelming. Two of us choose dishes from the chefs special section which are significantly more expensive than the regular dishes and neither were great. The Nimbu Chilli Murgh was extremely sour and unbalanced and the Haleem was stodgy and the key flavours as described just didn't come through. The other dishes we ordered were average. A shame as I like the restaurant itself.

Had ordered King Prawn Balti and King Prawn Biriani. Prawns were sooo meaty and delicious I’ve never had them this big, and the taste was great! Will definitely order this again at this great Indian restaurant!

Never again food was cold got a masala that was more like a madras rice wasnt at all edible and keema nan was just brown meat not red tikka meat trust me save your money go elsewhere

Very good food and service. A different menu than the norm. Nice atmosphere.

We visited here for my friends 60th we were afforded a very courtious service, and a menu that was different from the normal curry house menus.

Decent enough curry house, good selection of dishes, fair pricing. Personally I'm not keen on the management but can't quite put my finger on why. Worth a visit.

Fantastic Food best in Leigh by a country mile,good attentive service from head of house no hard sell just very knowledgeable and passionate about their restaurant.

The Taj is my local Indian restaurant and we’ve been going there for years. I was delighted for the guys when hearing about the National Asian Foods award they have recently won. It is well deserved as they put a lot of thought and effort into their menu and how they present the restaurant. It’s also worth taking menu advice occasionally. Like most people I guess, I have my 2/3 dishes that I typically order but a couple of weeks ago I was in a rebellious mood and challenged them to come up with something different for me, but still in my vindaloo range. A Nimbu Chilli Murgh was duly served up and was a wonderful explosion of taste with lemon and green chillies complimenting perfectly cooked tender chicken. The surprise didn’t end there as the accompanying dish was a chick pea, tamarind flavoured dish called Imli Chana, which again beautifully complimented the main dish. I don’t think I would have naturally chosen either but so glad I had these. I now have 3/4 favourite dishes, at least until my next rebellious mood! Try it! Just give them a couple of pointers towards your preferred meat and spice level then trust them to deliver. You won’t be disappointed because this place is top top drawer.

We have been going to the Taj Mahal since moving to Leigh 9 years ago.

Another visit to this lovely restaurant this evening, and now every Friday and Saturday they are doing extra street food dishes on top of their menu. We had vegetable pakoras for starters which were light, scrummy and full of flavour.

We decided to try this restaurant after reading that they have recently won an award for best chef at a national Asian food awards. We found it to be the best Indian food we have had in a long time. Especially their special panini puri, which was incredible. The naan bread was great and big enough for 2 to share. I had a fantastic king prawn balti and my husband had a chicken vindaloo, which was hot and flavoursome.The staff were very friendly, attentive and helpful. Definitely worth a visit.

Best indian I've had in a long time. Veg korma and garlic naan. Really good service!

Best indian in leigh-on-sea. Beautiful food and amazing service. I had veg korma and garlic naan. Will be going back for sure.

We were in Leigh on Sea and wanted to visit a local restaurant; as curry lovers the reviews were good and we decided to book. The restaurant looks quite insignificant from the outside but inside is very modern and smart. Upon hearing how long the Taj Mahal has been a fixture in Leigh I was expecting quite bland unspiced food as quite often happens when an Indian restaurant dumbs down its flavours to appease unadventurous customers. How wrong I was. The food was deliciously hot and spicy, staff were friendly but unattrusive and we had a great night. This is our new favourite Indian restaurant and we will certainly be back, (often).

Leigh fire station always order our Indian takeaway for here and are never disappointed. Always punctual, food is fresh and hot and delicious. All 4 watches across the station use this restaurant. We have also visited the restaurant many times and find the staff very friendly and the food at a sit down is just as good as a takeaway if not slightly better. Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant.