The Coriander in Epping Forest

Excellent cuisine and exceptional service are complemented by the availability of a party room capable of accommodating up to 30 guests, making it an ideal choice for hosting private events. The quality of the food is truly remarkable.

We've had a big family birthday meal in Coriander this evening and it was superb in every way. The food was agreed by all as delicious and the service was spot on. We had a great waiter called Ata, a lovely friendly and funny personality. If we lived nearer we would definitely be regulars. Look forward to going back as soon as possible. Definitely worth a visit if you haven't been before. SUPERB 😀

Honestly one of the best Indian restaurants I've been to for a long time. I'm a local to Ongar so we came here about 18 months ago and have been itching to come back. Finally decided to return for my sister's birthday and everyone round the table gave 11/10 reviews. Great food, courteous staff, complimentary end drink. Like all the benefits of an old school traditional Indian restaurant but with that modern trendy atmosphere we all like being spoiled with!

Very nice place. Like the food and service:)

This place is so nice I'm a regular I'm always buying vindaloo and foul thought I would try the buffet and it didn't disappoint was amazing quality at a very good price the service was quick and every time I ran out of drinks or anything I didn't have to say they just looked at the table and said would you like more drinks so they knew straight away what I wanted amazing staff and management keep up the good work 100%Honest review .

Love the place only place i will have a curry can't beat the service and food . Staff are always happy to see you and helpful

Great service and food - highly recommend.

Had a really great time and food was amazing!

Great food, good service and reasonably priced. Thank you!

Amazing food for a large group. Will definitely be back again.

Have eaten ian many Indian restaurants and have to say the quality of the service and the food was amazing . The flavours were completely different. Would highly recommend

Food and service was excellent would wholly recommend!!

Went for a date night with my fiance yesterday and the place is gorgeous and staff were so attentive and really looked after us we ordered the garlic chilli chicken as one of our mains and I had 3 pieces however the chicken looked grey and was really tough and we sent the dish back and wasn't charged...... we only live 10 minutes away from the restaurant amd travelled home.... once home I began to have stomach cramps and was extremely unwell vomiting and something else I won't mention on here and i spent the evening in severe pain and very uncomfortable and am only now feeling slightly better..... contacted the restaurant today amd explained the situation and asked for a refund as due to the superb service and atmosphere I really didn't want to be forced to make this review however I have and for the sake of them refunding me £49.50 this review is now live for everyone to see I'm not saying avoid the place as its truly lovely and staff amazing but was this poor review really worth losing £49.50 over ????? Not really .... I'm disspaointed

Had a lovely evening here for my Birthday. Great service from Rashid and the other members of staff, lovely atmosphere, food was amazing! (July) As of a more recent review two weeks ago, the service here wasn’t great so not very happy. Food wasn’t as good as the first time. Had a problem but guy fobbed me off. Said the chicken is meant to be that dry. So won’t be going back here again. (Nov)

overall experience was good, friendly attentive service, main courses however had very small amount of chicken which is the only reason I won't be returning

Lovely food, nice atmosphere, waiting staff very friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.

Caters incredibly well for gluten free/coeliacs - the staff even read the jars and called me back to tell me that the sauce had "may contain" on the back of the jar. Incredible attention to detail. Food was very good, the peshwari naan being a real highlight!

Ate in here this evening. Staff were excellent and very friendly. The curry was amazing and all the the other dishes tasted great too. Really enjoyed the king prawn puri. This was my first time here and I'll definitely be coming back 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Booked for a large group from the local sports club, was given a lovely private room at the back. Food and service was excellent throughout and the team really looked after us well. Will certainly be back again!

We experienced a terrible service while dining in. Also, most of the basic curries are under cooked and when we asked them about it, they were of no help. They are playing a blame game - pointing us that you should have asked for it while ordering. It is basic that we expect the food to be cooked, especially the curries to have with bread.

Really good food. Reasonable prices. Friendly staff - they care about the restaurant!

We dined on a Friday evening to celebrate my wife's birthday and this was our first visit since this restaurant was reopened as the Coriander. We were not disappointed, it was easy to book online with a prompt confirmation email. All the staff were friendly and welcoming and service was attentive with a cosy, intimate atmosphere. The menu is excellent and while predominantly Indian, also offers some Bangladeshi and Nepalese specialities. All our meals were delicious and perfectly cooked and presented and very reasonably priced. I can recommend the Chef's Special Biryani which is a mix of chicken and lamb tikka with vegetables, spinach, basmati rice and a vegetable curry. At the end of our meal, my wife was presented with a lovely ice cream cake with an impressive rocket candle on and the staff sang "happy birthday" which was much appreciated. With a number of Indian restaurants to choose from in Ongar, this is now definitely our favourite. If you haven't been there, give it a try, I hope you won't be disappointed.

First visit here and we were very impressed, great food and amazing service. We didn’t even book and the restaurant was very busy and still we were looked after. We will definitely return 5 star 🌟

Full of water on my plate, cold... will NOT be getting this again

Wish we had found this place sooner. Fresh,hot and the best Indian we have been to in a long time. Will return without a doubt.

Amazing butter chicken! I FEASTED!!!!

Great service, food and price, would recommend

Very good service and a great curry

Great service. Excellent food. Had a lovely evening Thank you :)

Sabbir was amazing, 6 star if possible !

The coriander was a warm and friendly restaurant and I would highly recommend it to anyone!! I will definitely be back soon :) thank you to the attentive staff

Great food and great service !!

Lovely group meal, food delicious and fresh and staff lovely :) will definitely be back

Myself and 15 other people attend this restaurant for my mums birthday on the 25/11/2023. When the meal was served we found a staple to be in one of the meals. On the 26/11/2023 (late evening) we started to become ill. By the 27/11/2023 12/16 people came down with food poisoning unable to attend work. We visited the restaurant to explain what had happened and they refused to accept any blame saying we could have got it from anywhere. (6 different house holds are in their restaurant and all came down sick, very unlikely it wasn’t from there) The manager was extremely rude saying they could not compensate us in anyway as there food hygiene inspector had given them the all clear between when I attended to complain at 8pm on the 26th to when he called me at 2pm on the 27th. He was not willing to show me any record of the food hygiene inspection. They also informed me they had called every other person who attended the restaurant that evening to check they were all okay. Again they were not willing to show any record of this. DO NOT ATTEND!

Really authentic delicious food, good extensive menu and great atmosphere with very attentive service. Had a very good evening, thank you.

Great food different from other Indian restaurants and staff who are attentive and friendly.

We had a lovely meal here with friends It was a Sunday evening but nearly every table was full! We enjoyed the variety of Bangladesh and Nepalese option . Staff were very attentive, will be back soon @

Went to the Coriander for a family birthday. We sat in the back room, which is decorated really nice - good atmosphere, attentive staff and the food was outstanding. You must visit.

Great service, always on top of things, food is brill can’t fault!

Prepared us a table even though we hadn't booked on a busy Saturday night. Service and food great, staff quietly attentive. Top restaurant in Chipping Ongar. Thank you to all at The Corriander.

Staff excellent Food excellent Top notch

Excellent restaurant, Best food i have ever eaten. Fit for royalty.

Lovely staff, brilliant for big groups

I can’t fault this place! Sabir and his team have a fantastic new eatery in the heart of Ongar, and there’s parking directly opposite - so there’s no excuses not to go! The food is fantastic - the litmus test is their onion bhaji - delicious, and not greasy at all. What more you could you want? The menu has all manner of options, and ranges to Nepalese and beyond. They also have vegan and vegetarian options. Don’t hesitate to pop here! Thanks and we’ll be back for sure!

The restaurant itself was excellent I thought the food wasn't the greatest quality and expensive as were the drinks

We’ve had yet another fantastic meal here again tonight. Great food with great service as always thank you guys see you soon 👍🏻🤗

Brilliant staff, delicious food , 😋

Nice freshly cooked hot food, took time to prepare so you know all was cooked fresh. Nice curries with lovely tasting spices, I had the chicken madras that was cooked superbly well. My family had chicken tikka that was succulent and well cooked. Rice and Gobi dishes cooked well also, nice music also in the background with a little style of India. Will definitely go back, 100% recommend this lovely Indian restaurant.

Came here tonight for a sit in meal as a couple for the first time in 25 years! Used to come here regularly when it was the Kismet many years ago before we had our daughters. We were very impressed with the standard of the food - nicely presented and very tasty indeed. The Keema Naan was lovely. Service was friendly and attentive but not intrusive. The restaurant was busy and had a nice vibe. The manager and staff were very welcoming. It's good to be back after so many years. Looking forward to our next meal here.

Food was excellent, service was great, will be back! Especially enjoyed the vegetable sizzler, but all the dishes including the naan and tandoori roti was cooked to perfection

Fantastic restaurant, great food, lovely service. Will definitely be back.

Simply delicious. At last a brilliant 5* Indian restaurant in Ongar with a lovely atmosphere. We’ll be back…

Mouth watering foods and excellent customer service.

Good choice on the menu. Some different items to a usual Indian but all the favourites there too. Amazing flavours.

Best curry I’ve had in a long while

Had the best curry for awhile madras and Korai. Thoroughly enjoyed both. Staff were very attentive and food wasn't expensive.

Fabulous food and great service from really friendly staff. Nice to have some different items on the menu - the maharaja lamb and northern chilli chicken were delicious.

The Restaurant is wonderful atmosphere and with top class cuisine.

Really good quality food and excellent service.

Great food, great service and great atmosphere! Will definitely come again.

We used to live in Woodford and Loughton so when we saw that The Coriander was finally open in Ongar we decided to get a take out and it didn't disappoint, The food was fantastic and fed us for 2 nights! If you get a take out they give a 15% discount too which was a bonus. I had the Paneer Tikka Masala which was amazing with the Sag aloo. Will definitely be back and maybe next time will eat in as the decor is lovely. Thanks for your support of the Ongar Town Festival too!

I went to the coriander onger yesterday evening I was so surprised that how beautiful its looks and the food was very delicious and the service was spot on is one of the best in onger I am very proud that we have a one of the restaurant in onger I will go there again Saturday.

Great food. Very friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere. Will go there again. Highly recommended. A+++

Great atmosphere, as historic buildings, food matches the ambience

Best Indian food in Ongar! Would highly recommend everything was cooked to perfection amazing flavour!

A real disappointment. Was really looking forward to a meal out in this restaurant but unfortunately the service was atrocious. From forgotten beer, ice, tap water, it really was embarrassing. Completely understand that on a Friday night it can be busy, and you can expect to wait a little longer for food, but an hour and a half with no food at all on the table? If the restaurant can’t cope with the capacity of people, then they either needed to not allow anymore people in (a group of people came in after us and had food before us!) hire more helpful staff, or should have told us to come later. The staff really didn’t seem to care. Ended up having to walk out and leave hungry at 10pm! A real let down.

Probably the worst service in any restaurant in 50 years of going to restaurants. An hour and a half and no food despite other tables around us being served, and the only excuse was they were busy. It took 30 minutes before our drinks were served correctly, and over an hour to get tap water. No apology, nothing. In the end we just got up and left, nobody tried to stop us, in fact i think the waiters agreed with us as they just let us go. Honestly, do not eat here at a weekend.

Superb Indian. Very friendly staff. Going back again tonight with all the family.

Brilliant Indian restaurant. I went there with my friends last Sunday. The staff were very nice and their food was delicious. I would recommend it to my friends and family.

Have ordered takeaways from this restaurant quite a few times in the past and food has always been adequate, however after my mum and her friends experience last night eating in the restaurant, none of our family or friends will be returning. My mum and her friend visited last night and when receiving their bill found that they had been charged £9.00 for two soft drinks, one small Diet Coke and one ribena and soda water. On questioning this, it was ascertained that the Diet Coke was £2.50, meaning that the ribena and soda water totalled £6.50 alone. The waiter and owner/ manager argued that it was £6.50 as it was a 'large' one. A) when ordering they did not get given the option for a large or small (they were just given the drink in a pint glass when it arrived), and B) Even if it was in a pint glass, that may mean that the price is doubled from small (£2.50) to large (£5.00) at the most surely..... (!) so where does £6.50 come from?! This is just a ludicrous amount for a ribena and soda water which they stated repeatedly in no uncertain terms. The manager then presented the drinks menu pointing out that a soft drink is £2.50, therefore they had been charged over double for a larger drink, despite not actually requesting a larger drink. (£6.50). They then proceeded to justify their position by showing them how much half a pint of king fisher would be, compared to a pint, which again my mum and her friend pointed out that that this logic regarding alcohol couldn't really be applied to a soft drink?! Anyway, they stated what they were prepared to pay which was for two soft drinks, and the waiter said, "you can't tell us what you're going to pay, you have to pay what's on the menu". It was again pointed out that this was NOT on the menu and that they're making it up as they go along. You cannot serve people a soft drink in a pint glass and then decide you'd like to charge them £6.50?! My mum and her friend paid after some argument, said they were very disappointed and left. At the door as they were leaving, the manager/ owner tried to take their bill back from them after they said they might post it on local pages, and as he was unsuccessful then shouted at these two women as they walked down the street, "don't come back!" Absolutely disgusted to say the least. The argument got really heated and this is just so unprofessional. There were other customers eating in the restaurant at this time which the staff seemed unconcerned about.

Disappointed service not as friendly as previous pre covid will not be rushing back

My wife and I went on Monday for our wedding anniversary meal, clean, tidy, great service and superb food, and the bonus of being very reasonably priced. After trying the others locally, we've found that Spice Masala is far better than the rest... We'll definitely be back

Very poor customer service, been going here for a few years now but used to ignore the customer service as the food was lovely but the last two times it was so bland and the rice was watery, not impressed! I phoned them up and they didn't seem to care which I find appauling as during this pandemic im pretty sure they would need all the custom they could get ?! Never going here again, rude staff and very poor food now

Ordered food at 19:00 this evening and still no sign of the food delivery. The customer service is appalling. I waited until 8 and then called few times every time to be told that the food will arrive in few minutes. Now their phone is permanently engaged. Don’t bother ordering if you actually want to have the food. If they said they couldn’t deliver I would have ordered from someone else. Never had such a bad experience of food delivery.

Delicious friendly...best Indian in Ongar by far!!

Excellent fantastic service and great food

Great staff and very good food all at a reasonable price. Families are welcome too.

Very rude staff! Food was ok. Definitely would not go back

Great food. Lovely atmosphere . Good service

Six of us ate here last night(golden wedding aniv) Every thing first class.

Nice place I like the short bloke funny guy

Amazing food!!! Excellent quality great portions Excellent service and fair prices. Clean and tidy and easy to read menu. Can't find fault tbh.

Great food best Indian in Essex. Staff are great too!

This restaurant serves a very nice range of curries.

Small restaurant, but great food!

Amazing food, great service, very clean and fun staff!! Highly recommended!!

Very good customer service. Excellent food

Excellent place love it great service fab food cannot wait to go againe

Brilliant food and as for the service it's incredible. Prepare to be treated like royalty

Always great food and excellent service

Visited Spice Masala this evening with my better half and my mother. I must say this is our second visit to Spice Masala and we have enjoyed both times. The food and service has always been 10 to None!! Perfect!! The manager there is excellent!! Hilarious and very entertaining and one of the reasons we returned. This is definitely one of our favourite restaurants for an evening out!

Nice food good service. Fair price

Food great. Service very good this time can be slow but food worth it.

Loved the food. Loved the service. Really friendly waiters and quick service. No complaints here. Will definitely return.

Fantastic curry house. Never disappoints. We go back time and time again

Always good food and the staff are great...always worth a visit.

A nice curry house, happy staff

on way home from work thought we try spice masala . so gald we did food was excellent fall of flavours and the staff were very friendly and the bill was the best bit very reasonable. Will be going back with my friends next time.👍

Stop the clock meal deal makes this very tasty Indian great value.

Pleasant surroundings and very good service and food. Will visit again.