The Crown of India in Stafford

We ordered a takeaway last night and we're really disappointed with the curries . We ordered 3 different curries and they were all the same apart from one had large pieces of onions and my chicken balti had a few sliced mushrooms, maybe tinned ? All three curries were bright pink so looked like chicken tikka with a few changes but they all tasted the same . Such a shame as I used to love the Chicken balti .

I have been a regular patron of this Indian restaurant (Crown of India, Stone) for quite some time, often bringing large groups with me and also ordering takeout frequently.The service has always been great and they are very hospitable and attentive. In the past, the food quality has always been exceptional, which is why I was surprised by my recent experiences. A few weeks ago, I ate in the restaurant and noticed a significant decline in food quality. The dishes I usually enjoy lacked flavour and this was consistent across the starters and other dishes ordered by my friends. I considered this to be a one-time occurrence, assuming perhaps the chef was having an off day - it can happen to the best of places. However, my disappointment continued when I ordered takeout recently. The food was subpar in every aspect. The dishes seemed to be filled with excessive onions and tomatoes to compensate for the lack of meat, and the naan breads were burnt on the outside and undercooked inside. Additionally, the flavours were either bland or overwhelmingly spicy. Considering my previous positive experiences, I hope this decline is temporary. I plan to give the restaurant some time before returning, with the hope that they address these quality issues. It's disappointing to see such a drop in standards, especially since this place used to serve consistently delicious and high-quality food. Here's hoping for a positive change upon my return and if the food does become as good as it was once before, I will update this review.

I usually only ever come on here to leave good reviews but I just had the worst takeaway I’ve ever had. We were notified that the food was on its way from 5 mins down the road, 25 minutes later it turned up and everything was cold. We were absolutely starving so tried to eat some. The rogan Josh had no flavour at all, the mango chutney had a very strange taste as did the naan. Go to Streat instead!

We ordered a delivery from the restaurant, and it was VERY disappointing, and we won’t order from there again. The popadoms were burnt,. The Pratha was very thick and doughy. The Aloo Chat had NO flavour at all. The Butterfly Prawn was one mass of breadcrumbs, which again was overcooked.

Magical, the service the food and the atmosphere was excellent. We will return. They also do take out, life in Stone has just got better.

Extremely sweet tandoori chicken mix on both starter...ie chat...and bhuna main...exactly the same sweet food on both meals. Obviously from same pot. Not impressed.

Top notch quality food. Prompt delivery and lovely friendly staff . Second time now and not disappointed . My new favourite Indian takeaway.

Awful. Uncooked food delivered. Undercooked chicken. Raw bhaji. Naan was still dough. No reply when I messaged. Terrible customer service. Awful food. Avoid this resturant.

We felt the food was of good quality and we all enjoyed our meals. Staff are attentive but they can be a bit miserable. They don’t smile that much or make you feel welcome. Watch the wine though as they sell wine at £22 per bottle but you can buy the very same wine in major supermarkets for a fiver.

We had been really looking forward to visiting here and it did not disappoint. We shared starters and mains between the two of us. The food was really well presented, came out in good time allowing us to enjoy our wine beforehand. We tried new dishes we had not tasted before and these were great too. The food was really flavourful and the portion sizes were perfect for the price. The staff were friendly and attentive and nothing was a trouble for them. We would definitely recommend and will be returning.

August Date night with the Mrs and each month we have been going around different Curry houses to try them out and sorry guys we wont be coming back. Staff were friendly, took our starter order quick enough but not the mains order until we asked if we can order our mains, We both just had a Chicken Korma we dont go over the top with spice we just like a standard Korma but sadly i have a piece of grizzle in mine and it put us both off, granted i didnt find it till towards the end but still it made us feel uneasy. The naan breads were also not the best, had a plain and the garlic naan and the garlic one was dripping but it was the Korma that soured the meal sadly. But thats one of them moments im sure it would not happen again but its enough for me.

Absolutely gorgeous food. Piping hot, flavourful and well priced (we had a takeaway). Will be back for more that’s for sure!

Lovely evening .. fantastic service and a fabulous menu to choose from. Particularly the ‘Bombay Duck ‘ not often on the menu at Indian restaurants in these modern times . I recommend this restaurant that retains all the character of a traditional ‘British’ Indian restaurant.

We ordered take away on 10th April. This was absolutely the worst food we have ever ordered. The only thing that was OK was the poppadoms. Greasy soggy and bland bhajis, bland prawn puri and the puri was so soggy and greasy it was inedible, didn't eat any of this dish as didn't trust the prawns due to the rest of the food being so awful. The curry itself was also bland with a thick layer of grease on the top. We will never order from here again and would never dream of recommending. When we ordered from here previously it was bland but thought we had just chosen badly, how wrong could we be. We had to throw everything bar the poppadoms away.

Brilliant service from the moment we walked in welcomed from the owner Mo.Very quick getting food out and it was lovely.Brilliant meal will definitely be returning.

We’ve been coming to the Crown for years as we live in Stone. Usually once or twice every couple of weeks, most recently last Thursday with our eldest daughter. It was packed and we hadn’t booked so lucky to get a table. Drinks order taken straight away and delivered in minutes. Food arrived promptly after ordering and was delicious. We’ve never had a bad meal here whether busy at the weekend or on a quiet midweek night, whether just the two of us or with family and friends. Jim and the staff are friendly and polite and we’re treated as valuable regulars. Great staff, service, food and vfm, which is why we keep coming back.

I have never been treated as badly as I have been at this ‘restaurant’. Service was absolutely appalling. Waited for an hour for starters. Large group and whilst 2 starters came no others arrived for at least 40 mins. Time between starter and the point we gave up for some of us was 45 mins. The other members of the group still hadn’t had their starter at that point! The response was that it was our fault for having separate tabs. No one tried to apologise or sort the issues out. They just blamed us and walked away. We were then told that we’d upset them! Horrific absolutely horrific. To the ‘lady’ on the next table who said we were embarrassing for complaining and that we should just put it on trip advisor- here it is! I just wish I’d read trip advisor before I’d set foot in here! You live and learn - be warned!!

Crown of India… Where do I start… Having been coming to crown of India for at least the past 7 years, maybe 4/5 times a year, we’ve never had an issue. However, last night has thrown away all of the respect I had for the establishment. It was my 25th Birthday, there was a group of 20 of us, which we had pre-booked two weeks in advance. Upon arriving (6:50pm), we were asked what drinks we’d like, and if we’d like some poppadoms. 15 minutes later they arrived. No real issues to report up to this point. We explained that due to there being a large party, we would like to split the bill into 5 groups as some were drinking, some had kids and so didn’t want to unfairly overcharge someone. We were told by the waiter this isn’t an issue. By 7:15pm we had ordered our starters. This is where things started to go wrong. 7:50pm and four starters had arrived, 35 minutes later. This is already too long in my eyes. However, by 8:15 (an hour later) over 10 of us were still waiting for ours!! I approached the bar to ask if everything was okay. They assured us they’d be out very shortly. As we were still waiting, they were bringing mains out for those who had already had their starters! I then proceeded to ask at the bar again and said we’d like to just have our mains to avoid any further delay on our evening. They agreed. However, 5 more starters arrived and no sign of a main like we requested! It was now 8:45 and almost two hours into the establishment, at least 5 of us hadn’t had anything more than a poppadom and one or two drinks! This is where things got spicy, and it was nothing to do with the food!! We conferred as a table and all agreed we’d had enough of the poor service and wanted to leave. I approached the bar for a third time. Expressed my annoyance at the situation, told them we were cancelling our food, and assured them I’d happily pay for the drinks and poppadoms but will not be paying for any food, I explained to them at this point that as long as this was adhered to, no bad review or anything would be left, and we would put it down to just a bad day. The two women behind the bar then reared up with their hands in aggression and said “oh I hope that isn’t a threat!” I kindly responded, “no, it’s a promise so as not to jeopardise your business”. Things started to get heated at this point, every waiter and bartender was surrounding our group. Things were being said in a different language and could only feel we were being offended racially as they proceeded to laugh at each other. My grandmother at this point, who is 68 years of age, was trying to establish a resolution with the members of staff, who then became very aggressive in their words, were shouting in her face and aggressively pointing her and shifting her out of the door! I have never found myself in this situation before. We left the premises. Our night ended in complete disaster, having people come from as far as Southport for what was meant to be a lovely, annual birthday celebration. It literally ended in tears, I have never seen my grandmother in the state she was in. I will never forgive the way this establishment handled this situation. It could’ve easily been resolved. I didn’t want to have to leave a review, but feel I have no other option than to warn people of their horrendous persona.

The worst experience I've ever had in a restaurant. The staff were intimidating, aggressive, racist and rude. I would not recommend it to anyone and I'll never eat here again!

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal here recently. Great food and service. Plenty of choice on the menu, and was busy when we arrived. Will definitely return here.

Disappointing- ordered poppadoms to start with additional relish and sauces along with two curries and 2 naans. Forgot the actual poppadoms but included the relish etc. Bit pointless when they forgot what the relish etc goes with. Curry was nice enough though

No focus on dine-in guests. Scores of take-away bags leaving the restaurant while we waited half-hour to order and another half-hour for the starter. Shockingly slow and then the wrong food.

Ordered waited 1 hour 30 minutes food was freezing and missing half of what we ordered. Customer services was the worst I have ever experienced rude unhelpful. Will never use them ever again.

Ordered a tikka massala takeaway specified NO coconut, completely ignored the request, Husband had an allergic reaction. Extremely rude staff when I phoned to complain.

Went with the better half last night. Absolutely first class service and food. Had ppd’s and chutneys then tandoori mixed grille, mushroom rice, garlic naan. Missus had keema and tandoori chicken curry. All really really good. Large portions and ended up bringing some home which...

The food tonight was Very very good keep up the good work can't wait for my next curry thanks 😊😃👍

Came here on a works Christmas party. Was good, food was nice and the service was spot on. Only thing is the restaurant itself needs updating.

Ordered a take away tonight was told not to order a take away ever again because we had cancelled before but the only we cancelled was because we were told a time to collect only to be left outside for an hour has it was...

Checked the Crown of India website and saw that they offer 10% discount for takeaway over £12.00. Didn’t want to set up an account so ordered over the phone. Order delivered but was more than expected. I rang them and asked why I did not...

Awful arrived at 7.30 mine and my husbands first night out in months to celebrate our anniversary, we got our drinks and poppadoms within 20 mins ordered our starters and mains after wards, by 9.10 pm we still hadnt recieved our starters and asked for...

Been going here for years Xmas time with the family etc but now when ordering a take away you become second best only to have to wait up to an hour longer than you ate told when you arrive to collect it really pissed off...

Staying locally for work and I've only tried the take away option and haven't been in to restaurant, but food was beautifully cooked and piping hot on delivery and staff member who delivered it was very friendly. Portion sizes are large and good value for...

The Food Was really nice. We were welcomed by “What do you want?” We were sat at our table just inside the door, I attempted to go to the toilet with my 9 year old son, but because we didn’t order our drinks we were...

This place is going down hill fast Big time order wrong again meal below standard chicken cut up small balt served in a bowl not a proper dish

We arrived at the restaurant on a particularly busy Saturday evening, however we were still greeted by friendly staff and were made to feel very welcome. We were in a party of five and all our meals were tasty and cooked to the level of...

On arrival we were harassed on what we wanted to drink. Then constantly pursued by different waiters to order our food. The one star is for the food which was fine. We ordered a £25 bottle of wine and they brought us a bottle that...

Regular customers, saturday night takeaway for family. First arrive home to find 5 large pots of mint sauce with no other chutneys for poppodums. Travelled back to the restaurant to pick them up...rest of the meals had been unpacked and put into the oven by...

Had 3 different meals delivered for our family last night. As always it was amazing. Has to be the best for miles around! Never fails - consistently good.

We ordered from here on new years eve. We ordered on the website and the order was accepted for delivery. It said 1 hour 30 mins which was fine. After 2 hours we called them to see where our food was as by now it...

Absolutely stunning Thankyou. Absolutely lovely food and great service. We had the garlic tikka masala, lamb chops and peshwari naan. Will be back!

Always good food, tasty and reliable been a lot of times and never had a bad meal Typical old type traditional Indian food with fresh nann

It is always busy on a Saturday evening so best to book. The service is welcoming and friendly from long serving staff. Great selection of meals, chef's specials and all the traditional curries too. Nice ambience and atmosphere and recommended. The Crown of India serves...

First time I went last night , I was surprised to see how busy it was for a January when people are skint because of Christmas, it just shows how nice the food is there . I went with family and friends , the restaurant...

Visited this restaurant for a staff meal, we all received the correct dishes, hot, delicious, will be returning.

Walked through the door into the 1980's! Staff very friendly and the smell of food was lovely. I went with 9 friends and the service we had was great. Served quickly with very nice food, we all had the set meal which was £18:00 for...

Food not good, service absolutely appalling. Staff stated they were busy but restaurant half empty. Had to go to find staff to request another drink due to them not returning to the table. Meals were served some time apart so we had to eat separately....

Went here for the second year for an alternative Christmas dinner! Absolutely terrible! Staff rude and service horrendous! Nearly two hours to get a second drink, meals arrived separately due to the incompetence of the staff member taking the order incorrectly. When complained only excuse...

Again good quality food , service a little slow but nothing to complain about Good value for money , not as plush as some of the other Indian restaraunts in the area but certainly holds it's own against the competition.

We arrived around 9pm on 06/11 and the place was empty, this didn't put us off. Oddly the waiter put us at one end but we had no issue with this. The service was good and the food was great. Popadoms to start with the...

The Crown of India is a family run restaurant where you can be certain of friendly service, tasty food and excellent value. Try the balti dishes, the daal and wide range of naans.

We arrived at 6pm to enjoy a evening meal. We were sat right next to the front door, ok if you wish to feel like your greeting all new customers We were promly asked if we wanted poppadoms and a drink, which we ordered Looking...

This restaurant offers a vast menu choice. They offer everything from Balti to Karai dishes with the Chicken Chatt being my recommendation for a starter. They prepare the dishes to whatever spice level you want and get the levels spot on. This is also the longest Indian restaurant that I have ever seen. It goes on forever although it looks small from the outside. You should never have to wait for a table in this place. Overall a great dining experience. I will go to this place every time I am in Stone.

It was 9.30 pm and needed food. Found this little gem up off high street that served up some great Indian food. I had a lamb Tinderloo which is hotter than a Vinderloo. Lol Husband had a tandoori mixed grill. The food came out so quick and really hot. The staff very friendly and took time out to talk to us. Very extensive menu. They had some Australian wines also and good prices. Overall will come back to try some more items on the menu.

Feels like being in a railway carriage. Food typical Indian Restaurant fare. Good and tasty. Service very good. Always enjoy our visits. Reasonable priced.

Knowing how popular the restaurant is, we booked a table for a Friday night meal. We were greeted as old friends, shown to our table and drinks were promptly served. Once ordered, the meal arrived quickly. It was piping hot and tasted amazing. By far, one of the best Indian meals I have sampled in the area. The menu is vast, with plenty of choice, with English dishes available too.

Called in with my partner and we were wonderfully greeted and quickly seated. Popadoms and drinks appeared in minutes of ordering and the mains arrived shortly after our popadoms were cleared away. I love this restaurant as it’s long and narrow layout makes you feel you could be on either a narrow boat, train or quaint village pub. Delicious food and superb service made a good evening great. We will be back.

This is by far one of the best India Restaurants I have ever been in. The Owners and Staff are exceptional and the good is amazing. I highly recommend this place.

Had a lovely meal here last night, the food was lovely, the service was great and the atmosphere was really pleasant too

Difficult to locate as it is in a unusual kind of location, then again gems are hard to find!

Was very dark inside it felt like a dungeon. Food was extremely tasteless and not very hot in temperature. It felt like walking through a train because was so narrow. Only positive was the atmosphere was good.

Friendly and cosy. food well cooked, hot and plenty of it.I had Paneer Chana as a starter and it was to die for! For mains I had Lamb Madras which was the correct heat and tasty although quite tomato based which I thought was more than other restaurants do it, suited me because I like it that way but may not suit others. Wife and friends were pleased including the one who had a Phall curry to which the waiter added, at the table, (with permission!!) Naga pickle as a challenge!

Visited with friends on a Friday night. 16 of us in total. Restaurant was very hot. People sat next to radiators were unbearably hot as chairs backed onto them.

Went with a group of work mates for a leaving meal.

First visit to the Crown of India in Stone with my partner my brother and sister in law had a most enjoyable evening. Good food good service.

Don't be put off by a slightly frosty reception on arrival. The waiting on staff are best described as efficient but not overly personable. However, if you are a regular I suspect you might get a slightly warmer welcome.

Delicious indian food in generous quantities and cold beer. The staff is very serviceminded to ensure that you leave pleased. Perfect place to eat and relax after long travels from abroad. And if the owner is there you can be sure to get the warmest of welcomes.

This place has gone down hill. It has always been a a baseline of other restaurants in the area. Never exceptional but usually okay. Last few visits have been poor. Hot with no flavour for some dishes, and bland and tasteless for others. Overpriced for substandard quality

Now the owner is back from his government sponsored “holiday” the place is getting back on track.

The waft of spices drew me down the alley to The Crown of India. The dark interior felt like another earlier era, however the welcome was warm and engaging. Pappadam cane with the usual mix, however it was the incredible chicken balti and light as a feather nan which stole the show.

Myself and three sons had a fabulous meal, I’d love to say it was because the Mrs was away in Benidorm however the food and service was excellent!!!! Rogan Josh, Chicken Bhuna & Chicken Tikka Massala Balti were all fabulous and we decided don’t leave a scrap!!!!!

Everything I would expect from an Indian restaurant, we have dined at hundreds over the last 12yrs as we travel UK widely for work. reaĺly thankfull they have not got a shiny floor and bistro style furniture, please keep decor!! Great pickles (again lacking in to many Indian restaurants)Good draught beer,Fresh Spiced and plain Poppadoms, Tandoori goods fresh tender and delicious including the lightest fluffiest Nans with crispy base. Staff asked immediately if we needed more drinks, service was attentive and Staff helpful and polite, opening doors too. Keep up the good work see you when next in Stone.

I last visited 2 years ago & found the service dreadful. I only returned as friends had booked a table for an evening out.

The food was excellent (We were drawn to the restaurant by the delicious aromas, before we could see the building!) and the staff attentive

Having passed through Stone on two or three occasions on our narrowboat stopping for grocery shopping, we decided to stay and find out what Stone had to offer, we were lucky enough to come across the Crown of India, where we had one of the best Indian meals ever, the service was prompt and attentive and the food was superb, it will definitely not be our last visit.

Ate here alone whilst travelling on business. Staff were helpful and the food was fantastic! Will be eating here again !

Food was not the best, however, the waiter did not know how to smile, he was ignorant and miserable.

Firstly the staff need to communicate with each other as in who is taking the food order (no one seems to know what they are doing ). Very rude and abrupt staff . Found quite a few bones in the curry which I have never known before and considering it was a special curry it was very bland . Also now they only take cash not card ! Will not rush back in a hurry .

This is an interesting place to eat. Not only have we used it for everyday meals, we also took a Christmas Dinner here too. This was quite special and we would consider doing it again one year!

Ordered a take away for the first time from

Excellent takeaway food, they passed the acid test of Indian takeaways with flying colours: the quality of the meat in the lamb rogan josh was outstanding.

First and last visit ...very bland chicken tikka massalla and my friend had balti which tasted same ...not cheap either 32.00 for 2 curries one portion of rice and a couple of popadoms and 2 Half's of lager. Won't be returning think I'll stick to my usual curry house the blue Tiffin in Meir

The one way I tell a great curry house from a good one is how fresh the naan bread is. Whilst the Crown of India may be in need of a refresh of it's decoration, the food was excellent and the naan bread was a delight - Peshwari naan at it's best. The tandoori starter was freshly cooked and very tasty as was a new one on me a chicken Methi - with added mint. Very tasty.

Have been visiting for years and went in on a Saturday night. No change in quality since Mr Mia”s extended vacation and all was pretty spot on. Busy on a Saturday night in jan which is a good sign.

Awful place desperately in need of cleaning , staff are abrupt and need training, food is average and cold.

Perplexed to how this has got so many stars, in which alternative Galaxy did they grab them from? A plateful of Chilli Heatwave Doritos and Bisto instant gravy would have been greatly desired, instead of the lumps of meat in a sauce with i am sure was PAL/Pedigree Chum inspired. The blandest food served in a restaurant i think i have experienced. The only thing that was nice was the naan bread which looked lovely and tasted great. I have eaten in this restaurant before and i recall being unimpressed then. Entertainment was first class as we were quickly in a scene from Faulty Towers, imagine in slow motion Manual walking past with a hot chicken korma in his hand and then for some reason this is dripping down the back of unsuspecting customer! Nice one. Sorry this may seem harsh but the food is appalling and its not cheap and people visiting this town should be aware.

I regularly eat at this restaurant with friends and can say without doubt that it is the best Indian restaurant I have ever been to.

Great menu, unique layout, friendly staff, quick service, good price, excellent food. The vindaloo was very tasty, fresh popadoms, nice side dishes. Nice merlot house wine Thanks

Have been here multiple times and always get fantastic service. Great food, freshly cooked, piping hot. Just delicious. And the set menu for 1/2 is great value, always leave stuffed!!

Party of eight on friday17th November at 20:30. Treated very well, food was excellent, up to the standard that we have come to expect , staff were very helpful and polite. definitely one to visit again!!

Probably one of my favourite Indian restaurants in the country. The food is always very good. Service as a regular is superb. Dishes all taste different and are not all cooked from a "stock pot". The difference in tastes in very very good!

Two minutes walk from the canal and easy to find if you head to the library, we nipped in and got a menu, spent a while perusing the extensive range on offer, then phoned the order which was ready on time.

First time eating here, and on a busy Saturday night. The food was lovely and the service was brilliant. We will definitely return here.

Went as 4 girls going out for a quiet meal

Without a doubt the worst experience I've had in a restaurant last night. We went to enjoy a family 40th birthday meal. The staff where abusive and incompetent. I've never seen anything like it and would highly recommend that you avoid this 'restaurant'

Went for a curry. Food is good value for money. Would like to see the waiters smile a bit more, couple of them are so miserable. Charlie is great though

We spent a most enjoyable meal with friends.

We visited the crown of India last night with our children 9 and 11. The Resturant has a great friendly atmosphere and welcomes families. The choice of food is excellent and service friendly and professional. A must if you enjoy a curry ! One last thing great value for money !

Has a really nice meal deal for 1 here starter main meal rice naan pudding n tea or coffee well worth the money perfectly cooked and enough for dinner the next day taste better next day too

Visited 13th July, had not booked but although busy managed to get a table, service excellent and the food was extremely tasty.

Easily the best and most consistent curry in town. Staff are really friendly. The Tandoori mixed grill is spot on if your up for a big meal!