The Ancient Raj in Canterbury

Service most recently in comparison to service 10 years ago remains consistently excellent. This is a great restaurant for anyone who appreciates good food in a pleasant environment.

A very nice old building with a very comfortable upstairs lounge for drinks or coffee. The staff are very attentive and the overall atmosphere is good. The food was fine, but not at all special. The chicken and meet was of a good quality, but the curry sauces were all rather bland.

Great Indian restaurant with a great menu, friendly staff and an eclectic collection of images of India.

The Ancient Raj is "our" restaurant when we visit our family in the North of England (we are from Germany). The food is absolutely superb. We always have starters and mains. I had the Hyderabadi lamb naga and my wife had the Begun Masala. The quality is high and so is the service. The staff are friendly and courteous. As we visit our family every two years, it is clear that we will dine here again next time. Can't wait. Last time I forgot my flat cap. I contacted the owner when we were back in Germany, the cap was found and sent to Germany. Perfect!!!! So stop reading - visit this Indian restaurant in Canterbury and enjoy. Have fun

Had a beautiful meal, service was brilliant, atmosphere was lovely, would highly recommend, will definitely go again soon 👍

Great place to eat. Excellent service. Tasty food. Very pleasant surroundings. It was a Friday and very busy, therefore took a bit longer for food to arrive, so give yourselves plenty of time if you have theatre appointment etc. Would highly reccommend this place.

I would have liked to have given no star at all AVOID.

Enjoyed a lovely ancient raj dinner this evening for my mothers birthday. Service was lovely and food was equally as delicious. Especially enjoyed my lamb gosht which tasted of a lovely fresh coriander and mint combination.

Mixed meat mashed potatoes and rice, really delicious! Asian stomachs are satisfied. The most delicious British cuisine is Indian food. This sentence is confirmed here.

Very friendly reception and very taste food. Highly recommended!

Didn’t find the food that tasty, starter was overdone a bit. Still waiting for them to ask me what I want for dessert.

Visited the Ancient Raj yesterday evening... it was excellent, from booking, to eating, to heading home! Our welcome to the restaurant was courteous and friendly, our umbrellas stored (it was chucking it down!) and we were given a moment to settle with friends before our drink and poppadom order was taken. The service was first rate, professional and with a smile. We ordered four different chicken dishes and had a table laden with breads, rice and bhajis. The food was great, well presented, tasty and filling - we all wanted to share! Our table was booked for 6.30 and four or five tables were occupied when we arrived, with a steady increase in customers over the following two hours. The atmosphere was very enjoyable; I thoroughly recommend this curry restaurant. The bill for four covers, with two drinks each and good food was £124, which we were happy to round up to £140. Definitely recommend and will definitely return!

Lovely food tonight on a takeaway, it did take a while but they were busy which is always a good sign. Last time we ate in, takeaway was equally as good!

Ordered a delivery tonight for the first time in 3 years. Have been using Deliveroo lately and thought I’d go back to an old favourite as my kids asked for a curry for the first time. Has this place changed hands lately? Curry arrived *stone cold*. The chicken korma was so sweet it was inedible. Everything else was so mild it was bland: barely spiced at all. My children asked if this was really curry - the one they have at school is spicier. They used to include poppadoms but there were none included this time. I don’t know what’s happened to the place but it was a poor introduction to curry for my kids and we won’t be ordering from here again. Such a shame.

Awful takeaway. Took 2 hours to arrive and when it did the chicken was inedible (overcooked), the day paneer was watery and everything was cold. Tried to call and there was no answer. Really disappointed.

I remember the menu being larger, but there should be something for everyone here. The restaurant was busy on this Saturday evening, but both the service and quality of food was excellent.

Food excellent, service excellent and very friendly atmosphere. Definitely going back.

Came for few days Staff so lovely best food wish if you were in my town

Simply put, the best curry house in Canterbury. Service is good and food is excellent, provides everything I want in a curry house for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended visiting when you can.

Great curries and other dishes and nice atmosphere!

We came down to Canterbury on the Wednesday 7 of us and was recommended to this restaurant , I’ve got to say it was the best curry I’ve ever had in fact it was all lovely I come from Flixton in Manchester I wish it was my local curry house , the service and atmosphere was brilliant 10/10 👍Longyn from Flixton

Everything about the place is great except for the main reason everyone is there: The food. They charge 3.50 quid for a single store-bought quality naan. The Tarka daal was too salty and the chicken jalfrezi was all spice no flavor. A definite disappointment.

Ate there last night with my brother. Had an excellent meal. Nothing was greasy and there didn’t seem to be any food colouring used at all. Sag gosht was great. Meat was cooked very well still had a little chew but far from being tough. Tadka dhal was divine tasted slightly different from what I am used to maybe some fennel? Special rice was great not at all greasy with a lovely fragrance and taste. Nan was nice and light. My brother said his paratha was spot on again not at all greasy as they can be. Service was good. Attentive but not overly and very polite and happy to engage. All in all do highly recommend and hope to return in the near future.

Nothing to fault here. Great food and friendly service. Always worth reserving a table as it is extremely popular.

Great at the basics. Still one of the best restaurants in town. Good service, good food, good atmosphere.

We love this restaurant one of our favorite places to eat in Canterbury. There was five of us and the food, drink and service was excellent.

Lovely staff, really attentive and polite. Food is amazing and the portion sizes are huge! Highly recommended a visit.

Wow… honestly what can I say about this place. Every time we have been it has been a pleasure from start to finish! Upon entering you are greeted graciously by the host (who I believe may also be one of owners?) and taken to your seat. The menu has a great selection of classic favourites and traditional dishes, I don’t think I’ve had the same dish each time I’ve been there! The poppadoms come out warm and fresh tasting with that mix of crunch and melt in your mouth! The staff are speedy and attentive, sporadically checking how you are and whether you’re ready to order, they space this out enough to ensure that you aren’t being constantly hassled during your meal or aren’t being forgotten about. The food is just cooked perfectly. The meat is never chewy, the blend of flavours and spices is done in such an elegant way that even the harshest of flavours blends well and tastes absolute amazing. Overall, this place is top tier, and cannot be faulted! We will always be coming back here!

What a great place! Turned up without a reservation, and was seated within minutes (was very busy thou). We had a young trainee as our waiter and he was great. Next on to the food, one of the condiments for the poppadoms was very different it looked dry but was full of flavour and was moist, it was delicious. The two mains we shared had a very good potion size of meat in them and both were great in taste. Very difficult to fault anything.

Fantastic food! I had lamb padina which was gorgeous . My husband had chicken balti - tasty, but a bit too spicy for me. Very attentive service and friendly atmosphere. Just outside the main city centre. Great value for money.

Delicious food, well prepared. Service a bit slow, but very friendly.

This restaurant is far from an authentic Indian. We ordered a few dishes. Starters were ok but chicken was too chewy. For the mains, the butter chicken was reheated and had an after smell and taste to it. The garlic naan was a plain naan with some garlic spread over it. The Raita was yoghurt with tonnes of mint sauce added into it. We asked for chutney we were told this would cost us extra. We agreed but did not touch it in the end, due to the poor quality of the food. We could not finish our food after the first bite. We spoke with one of the colleagues who said we should speak with her manager. The manager was confused as to why we had complained, she had an attitude and after much explaining only agreed for the butter chicken and raita to be taken off the bill. A waste of £40!!! Please avoid if you are from London, or a regular consumer of Indian food. This is a VERY British take on Indian food.

An ABSOLUTE SHOCKER. Me and 4 others used this place last night. At first the service was attentitve and friendly ith our beers and poppadoms etc arriving quickly. After that nobody came to check how we were doing and it wasn't until I asked where our food was ONE HOUR LATER that they started rushing about. This resulted in one of our party having to gobble his food down as he needed to get back to Folkestone in the last train. I guess they could have had an excuse if the place was full but it was half empty. There was no attempt to make an amendment to the bill. We have been here before but won't be back. Poor!

The staff were very friendly and attentive, the ambience was nice and the wine selection is fantastic. But I’m actually feeling unwell today from the excessive amounts of salt in the dishes. That said I’m grateful the staff brought me a new main dish cooked with significantly less salt and deducted some money from the bill. The owner/ manager should review how much salt is being used and take steps to reduce this, in particular in the tarka dhal which I could not eat.

I often eat in this restaurant, tonight I came to collect a takeaway. Unfortunately my car broke down in their car park, the staff couldn't have been more helpful. Their delivery guy also helped me re start my car. A huge thank you to you all.

Amazing food, attentive friendly and professional staff, good atmosphere, located just out of main town centre so easy to access. My husband and I are both vegan and we were so impressed by food and staff knowledge. Separate (extensive) vegan menu and staff picked up that we were vegan and stopped us from having a drink that had milk in and a dip with yogurt. Great portion sizes too. Cannot fault it!

Food seasoned and flavourful sauce tastes correct and very polite service, I really enjoyed the chicken butter & dakeshwari the naan bread was decent

One of the best Indian meals we have ever had and that includes going to India

Still great restaurant ! Probably the best Indian in Canterbury

Restaurant was excellent. Food was delicious and an amazing choice. Staff were friendly and efficient. Happy to recommend. It was very noisy but that was due to a large group who insisted on shouting and swearing!

Some expensive but taste is great.

Agree with previous review. The owner makes you feel like you’ve made a new friend. All the staff are great including the trainee. Food was delicious. The chefs special chicken dish was particularly tasty. I’d recommend getting a starter as the food is cooked fresh & takes a while . Overall - Best restaurant experience we have had in Canterbury so far- living here 9 months.

Great food as usual both eat in or takeaway

As much as I remember this was nice. I think maybe a slight overuse of chilli...

The Ancien Raj is my favourite restaurant in Canterbury & I can't fault the place. The food is always perfectly spiced and cooked to perfection. The staff are incredibly polite and welcoming, you will enter as a customer and leave as friends!

Very attentive front of house, continues through to the waiting staff.

Fantastic food and service. The inside is also very nice, don’t judge from the outside. We went twice in the week as we enjoyed it very much

Went here with a few classmates, no reservation. However, the service was startlingly fantastic from the very beginning. We waited for approximately 10 minutes before getting a table, and right away we were accommodated to our needs. Ie, a friend of mine is allergic to chili, so we asked the server whether there were any options to change anything in the menu up, and they ended up working around it. It was a very lovely atmosphere, and the servers were super nice, and of course, the food was absolutely delicious. I would rate this restaurant an infinity stars if it were possible!

Rocked up without a booking and they found us a table even though it was busy. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Food was superb. Whole vegan menu available on request. Thanks for a lovely meal!

Always the place to go if in Canterbury best service and lovely food.

Got 4 tiny pieces of Paneer and thats their normal Food was disgusting service was terrible DO NOT COME HERE ITS NIOT AUTHENTIC INDIAN FOOD

Vegetarian food is very tasty. Highly recommended. We'll certainly be coming back.

Had a lovely meal at this Indian restaraunt last night. It didn't look very much from the outside but I was nicely surprised. Came in without a booking but we got a table before it got very busy. We had the lamb jelfrezi and Chicken...

I had a takeaway that I collected. I've used the restaurant for many years, however on this occasion the food was not up to their usual high quality. The Dahl was watery and my curry tasteless.

I had an absolutely wonderful experience at the Ancient Raj Indian Restaurant. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warmth and hospitality. The atmosphere was charming, creating a perfect setting for a delightful meal. The highlight of my visit was undoubtedly the Naga Curry, known for its intense spiciness. As a lover of spicy food, I decided to take on the challenge, and to my delight, the waiter noticed my choice and was genuinely impressed by my ability to not only handle but thoroughly enjoy the fiery dish.

This restaurant was recommend to me after a fabulous tour of Canterbury Cathedral. I can't thank them enough. I asked for a good Indian restaurant and they gave me The Ancient Raj. We looked it up on Google and found it was near Canterbury West...

Called in on the off chance, and was ready for the apologies as all the visible tables were reserved, but we were offered a table right in the middle of the restaurant. Service was friendly and good, and the food was out of this world. Definitely look at returning. The manager was really great, giving a personal input into the menu.

Absolutely fantastic food but disappointed by the price of the wine. I really don't think there is need to charge nearly £24 for a bottle that I buy in my local bar at retail, for £12.50.

Lovely place very friendly and helpful and let us stay and chat until closing thank you

Fantastic meal! Great service at a reasonable price! Huge portions that we couldn’t do justice to, but loved every mouthful!

Super Personal, leckeres Essen, sehr engagierter Chef, nur zu empfehlen.

Great food as per usual. We Always use the ancient raj for Indian take aways and the food you can never fault. I have eaten in the restaurant as well and it is lovely. The staff are exceptional and the atmosphere is lovely.

The staff were friendly and the atmosphere in this beautiful building was lovely. It was clean and smart, excellent price. The owners had gone all out to create an amazing dining experience, which showed in the fantastic food. We sampled curries, rice dishes and vegetarian...

I have never been to such a friendly Indian restaurant. We were visiting friends in the area and they very kindly brought us here for my birthday, and what a lovely treat. Superb food, atmosphere and service. You really must try it, you will be shocked at how good it is. Thank you to all staff.

I was not going to write a review as I have previously reviewed this restaurant, however, reading the previous review I could not just leave it. This is an authentic restaurant, with good quality Indian food meeting personal needs of mild, medium or spicy hot....

We visited this establishment on a Monday evening and found it busy - always a good sign. The food was excellent, much enjoyed by all members of the League of Spicy Gentlemen Curry Club. The head waiter was very welcoming. Excellent cheese Nan breads, decent curry dishes - an all round good curry house, the Gentlemen will visit again!

الايجابيات الجو العام للمطعم مريح تحس كانك في بيتك الخدمه عندهم فوق التقييم صراحه تطلب ويجيك الطلب على طول والويترز جدا ودودين ومتعاونين يعلمونك الاكل الحلال والحرام ويحددون لك افضل الاكلات الي في المنيو القائمه جدا واضحه وبسيطه مافيها تعقيد وفيها كل الي تشتهيه حجم الاطباق معقول جدا وكريمين بكميه الاكل نظافه المطعم من الي شفته انه نظيف جدا ف كلوا وانتو مرتاحين الموقع ممتاز على حدود السيتي سينتر السلبيات الاسعار جدا مرتفعه البترتشيكن لحاله ب 13.95 يعني 90 ريال الاكل عادي موب سيء ولا رهيب ف اذا كان هدفك الاساسي اكل لذيذ انصحك ماتاكل بكانتينبري بدالها فيه مطاعم احسن بلندن اما اذا كنت طالع تغير جو ف راح تستانس جدا لكن نصيحه بشكل عام الاكل الهندي في كانتيربري موب لذيذ

Amazing food and service as always!

Absolutely wonderful food. Very authentic. Spiced perfectly. Moderately priced so excellent value. Service was very exceptional. Highly, highly recommend!!! Lovely hot towel and mint to finish. Best Indian food I've had in a long time. So good I forgot to snap pics!

Friendly and attentive staff. The food was very average-which I was surprised at as it is highly rated in Canterbury. The food was presented more how English people like it rather than how Indians would eat it. It was decent, but the medium curries weren’t...

A wonderful night out at this fantastic restaurant. Staff exceptionally welcoming, professional but relaxed with it, making the high level of service feel genuine rather than forced. The food was excellent from start to finish, a different selection of chutneys, highly spiced koftas, a complex...

We were so happy to get a table here on a busy Saturday night, in the past this place had been our favourite curry spot and I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint. We really enjoyed the popadoms and dips, especially the coconut powder that...

On the off chance on a busy Saturday night without a reservation, we were made very much welcome and provided with a table for two very quickly. The staff were very attentive and the management absolutely outstanding! We hadn’t been here for 10 years as...

Stunning building, incredibly warm and attentive staff. Good value and good food.

So, I've always heard great things about this restaurant so we thought we'd treat ourselves. First let me say curry is my favourite takeaway so we've tried all the local ones, I've even eaten in this restaurant many years ago and the food was much better quality. I feel mean writing this because the man who we spoke to on the phone was so polite and courteous, however, and I hate to say this, the food was bad. Only one dish had any real flavour. The other three dishes we got tasted so, so plain. The saag aloo honestly tasted of nothing...not even spinach. The korma was bland and...just so average. The naans were nice, I'll say that, but the samosa were soggy and bland. The delivery took ages, which is fine, it's Saturday night and busy, so that's fair enough but honestly there are so much nicer takeaway curries in Canterbury. Food is so expensive currently! Please spend your cash wisely and avoid if you want flavour.

Pretty decent, if a little standardised. Fairly expensive for what is just above average British Indian food. Nice experience all together, just a little overpriced for what it is.

We had such a good meal at The Ancient Raj. The staff were absolutely lovely, the atmosphere was great and the food was delicious. I honestly couldn’t fault it. The problem was I ate too much! I couldn’t leave it!!

We had a really lovely meal here - the staff were so polite and professional, the atmosphere was relaxed and the food was excellent! I couldn’t fault it.

Great service and delicious food!

Better than Brick Lane in London.

Go there and enjoy everything about it .

The place to eat when your visiting Canterbury. Great food.

Wow, wow and more wow! We had a fantastic meal here last night. Fresh food, tasty food and impeccable service. There was even a history lesson over the speakers in the toilet 🤣 We wish we lived in Canterbury so we can go again. Highly recommend this place to anyone. Yummy!

Interesting menu with some unfamiliar dishes but all the old favourites are there too. Good food and ample portions. Friendly efficient service and they actively encourage you to take food home if there's too much!

Beautiful ancient building, delicious food, and lovely staff! Also, it’s the first time I have ever been to an Indian restaurant and seen female staff. And I have eaten in many many Indian restaurants! So that was really nice too!

While eating our popadoms we was asked 5 times are we ready to order and was told on each time ok take our time and constantly got asked on ordering the guy brought our food and even served it on our plates instead of leaving...

We were a walk in. Service was very good, the cuisine was as we would expect. No complaints on the food. Friends on a night out and this nicely finished off our evening. Price wise - average £30 a head with one alcoholic drink.

Delish food, welcoming and friendly.

Great meal with friends. Prompt service, great food.

“I was so impressed with the ambience and the taste of biryani is like a heaven We both finished our whole meal and were so impressed with the quality of the food and the short amount of time it took to receive it. The staff were sweet and helpful. I will definitely be back.

The service from booking to being served at the table was lovely and the restaurant itself is a really nice traditionally decorated room. I booked the table here due to the incredible reviews and were really looking forward to it. However I began to have...

Been here three times now and 5 starts every time! Food is always delicious, staff very friendly and polite. Food comes in decent time and great vegetarian options. Does always seem to be very hot in there. Will be returning for certain!

Excellent food, service and atmosphere, our party of 7 loved it. Thank you to all at the AR

Really nice meal, delicious hot chicken Chetinand. We will be back!

Top quality classic curry house, you won't be disappointed.

Most scrumptious Indian food I've ever eaten, very authentic! Good service and gorgeous 15th century building!

5 star rating for this wonderful indian restaurant! There was a reason this place was packed; All the staff were friendly and food was just awesome!! - next time I am visiting my son (he's at uni in Canterbury) we will be re booking a table here 100%.

Delicious food and such lovely staff

Excellent food very friendly staff and helpful.Very enjoyable evening.

One of the nicest Indians in Canterbury We have had dine in meals and takeaway here.