The Lion of Asia in Hambleton

Absolutely amazing isn’t even enough praise for how good everything was from the moment we stepped in- service from the man was incredible on the 24/10.

Far better food than Red Chilli, every dish tasted different & the staff were happy to make the dishes to your preferred heat. The two lads front of house were great & we had a lovely meal. They sent us home with the leftovers that will go down well, they even wrote a little joke on the lid

Never fails to exceed expectations! Like a home from home

Delicious and the service was incredible!

Javaid at the Lions Den is a top guy - always excellent food and friendly ssrvice.

Looked at the reviews and seemed decent enough so gave it a go as Leicester based Indians we craved a good Indian after a week. Anyway walk through the alley and up the stars on a very warm Friday night at 6.30 pm and it was empty but greeted by a muscular friendly macam. Ordered a chicken pakora for the kids, popadoms and Main was saag paneer with sides of daal and aloo chana, plain rice, 2 naans and 2 chappatis and 4 soft drinks. This would have been a 4 atleast as the service and food was decent BUT when we paid it was over £74!!! I dint pay this much in Leicester let alone Northallerton!! I'm still in a state of shock and nearly returned back to question the bill, but as it's the last day of our holidays just thought I'd take it on the chin! £74 for that really???

"Prepare your taste buds for a rollercoaster ride of flavor! Master Chef Javid's magical hands have crafted a symphony of spices that'll make your taste buds break into a happy dance. Matradee Alli deserves an Oscar for holding down the fort with charm and grace at the front of the house. Service here comes with a side of unlimited humor and smiles – it's like dining with your favorite stand-up comedian who happens to bring you delicious, fresh food between laughs. Warning: you might leave with aching cheeks from smiling too much, but it's totally worth it!"

Decided to have some late dinner after a night with friends. We had heard this was a nice place so off we went. First impressions weren't great as it's down a narrow alleyway and up a set of metal stairs, like a container unit, but we thought maybe the food speaks for itself Staff were really nice and couldn't do enough for us. Starters of poppadoms and seekh kebabs were nice, although the kebabs were very small. The main arrived but it just wasn't nice. It was quite tasteless to be honest and too watery. The roti I had wasn't crispy, it was like just a warmed up wholemeal flatbread. Again, tasteless. I left most of it. As I was with friends I didn't say anything as I didn't want to ruin the mood, but it was disappointing unfortunately.

Great little curry house. Upstairs down an alley way. Doesn’t look that promising but once you get up those stairs it’s top notch. Really good food, proper portions and many thanks to Ali, really looked after us, proper good bloke, proper good curry.

This place is really well presented. Have been here a few times. The waiters are absolutely brilliant they take time out to talk to you and ask if the food is good and if you require anything. The food is cooked well and is very tasty. I would recommend the keema biryani. The chicken tikka bhuna is really nice also. Overall opinion brilliant place to eat. Family friendly. Would recommend to anyone.

Beautiful place and loved the service. Food came quick, very delicious!

This spot is great for traditional cuisine and the dishes have authentic taste, staff is friendly and very helpful and service is brilliant.

Takeaway. Our second visit and not let down. Lovely food. All dishes lovely and fresh. Good conversation whilst waiting for food. Knew it all been cooked fresh. Good portion. Value. Certainly recommend. Will be back .

First time ordering a collection. So easy and friendly. Food was amazing, so fresh, authentic and no artificial looking curry. You’ve got a returning customer

The best in town, still... Fabulous 👌service and food brilliant!!

The best place to eat and have a good conversation with the two front of house staff members. I came in with my friend for a business meeting, we were seated next to the window which me and Reuben enjoyed the view. Food was fantastic, thanks alot guys.

Amazing. Curry was superb, meat was cooked to perfection. Vegetable naan is highly recommended! We often go here, and we are never dissatisfied.

Excellent food, superb service and fantastic staff. Always have a great time here, excellent value for money. The toilets are always clean and fresh smelling, that’s a plus for me.

Great take away from here! Tasty food and friendly service. Will eat here again I'm sure.

Amazing old school curry house, by far the best in town. Brilliant food, friendly family staff. Been coming here for 17 years now, still great.

Always reliably good. Don’t be put off by the fire escape entrance - once get inside it’s an honest traditional “English Indian”. Restaurant manager always friendly and helpful and utterly reliable chef. Gets my vote for best Indian restaurant in the area

One of the worst Indian takeaway I have ever been. Food was not fresh, and the curry was not what I was expecting. It was worst experience, not a worthy one!

Friendly and polite staff, and food was delicious

Good food from top boys - Chicken Pakoras with mint yoghurt sauce amazing 👏😋

It’s not somewhere you take someone you like .. portions were small and food the worst I’ve ever had for a sit down meal out . They need a new chef …The restaurant itself is dark and dingy. looks like it’s not been decorated in 30 years … only one toilet that is disgusting ….one to Avoid sorry 😞

Very good service and enjoyed the Tandoori chicken which the big man suggested. Thank you.

1st class service 1st class food.

Amazing food this is the best curry house for many a mile, great value and service. Chicken Tikka Ceylon, Garlic rice and a Keema Naan wins every time!

This must be the worst Indian meal we have ever had. It was tasteless and expensive for what we got . Our main meals came on very small dishes almost like side plates the chicken tikka was thick wrong colour and no taste, as was my husbands chicken dopiaza the coconut rice was nothing like coconut rice , the garlic nan was like cardboard. It was no better than a supermarket meal deal ( in fact that’s an insult to the supermarkets , their food is better) The decor is awful so old and tired, it’s dirty in fact we nearly turned and walked back out but we were told the food is nice. Now I wish we had. I certainly would never recommend anyone to eat there. With response to your comment to me being extremely drunk I take great offence to this as I’m a 61 year old lady, if I was as drunk as you imply why did you serve me ? As this is against licensing laws ? . I was not drunk I had one small bottle at your establishment as I was driving, so if that’s all you can come back with I feel this is very petty and wrong of you. We did not have 3 courses we had a starter and a main meal each and we couldn’t eat the food as not up to standard Yes we paid the bill in full simply for politeness. I feel you should take on board a little criticism and learn from it , speaking from a couple who have run numerous food outlets. Also maybe read some of the genuine comments from others Caroline

Ordered food for delivery. Chicken Madras with Keema Rice and a Vegetable Masala with Pilau Rice, a Naan and some chips. Food arrived fairly quickly (within about 30 minutes on a Sunday night) Unfortunately the food was terrible. The Madras had no flavour whatsoever and no spice either, it looked watered down yet somehow had the consistency of spaghetti Bolognese. The Keema rice was pale and flavourless. The Vegetable Masala was just a generic curry "sauce" and not a Masala at all. The chips came pressed into a foil container with a cardboard lid and were soggy and cold. The Naan was edible. The worst curry I have ever eaten. Utterly baffled by all these reviews. The other Curry place in Northallerton is hit and miss but when they get it right it's miles ahead of this place.

Great food and always friendly service!

Have dined here & had takeaway a few times from Lion of Asia & the food is always of a high quality & man on front of house is always polite and welcoming. Decor in the restaurant is quite tired & dated & could do with some refresh, but otherwise a highly recommended Indian restaurant/takeaway.

Well very lean, muscular and friendly welcoming, however I was very disappointed with the food , extremely lacking in any flavour whatsoever , it was the worst Indian food I have ever tasted .I actually thought I’d just contacted covid it was that tasteless .

Haven't been here for a while. A pleasant surprise compared to other local Indian restaurants. Food was excellent and there was more meat than at others...and less sauce. Plenty of sauce but the meal was not swimming in it as can be the case. Really enjoyed our meal and this is now our Indian restaurant of choice

Not the fanciest of surroundings but the food and service definitely make up for that. absolutely amazing. Will definitely eat there again next time we are in the area

Erm,not one for complaining But it was very poor.

Not only is the food first rate the service is second to none. The food is consistently good and you know that they genuinely care about giving their customers a great dinning experience.. On a personal note your kindness was the highlight of my night. Happy New Year and thank you.

Very very poor 😢 and £35 don't go.

Worst curry ever. Starter(mixed kebabs) was pieces of chicken tikka meat you buy in a supermarket and random other small pieces of unidentified meat. Chicken tikka masala was again pieces of chicken tikka from what looked like supermarket meat. The only positive was the one and only waiter who was friendly and had a bit of banter about him.

First time eating here and we really enjoyed our food it was also lovely to be recognised with a huge happy welcome from the staff after seeing them earlier while we had a lengthy wait in a nail bar lol. The volume of people collecting takeaways and arriving to eat in tells you just how nice this place is. Lovely staff lovely food we will see you again soon just hopefully not after a 2 hour wait in the nail salon hahaha.

Walked in without booking, got a lovely table with a view! The chap looking after me was really good, as I hadn’t been here before I wasn’t sure of the spicing and I asked for a Balti, he said it was hot but could be done medium, which I opted for, after he served it he brought me a small bowl of yogurt sauce to mix in if it was too hot? I didn’t need it as the spicing was spot on! Very tasty and great value!

Brilliant food again from the crew. Best Indian in Northallerton by an absolute country mile. Excellent customer service and food came out very fast. Beautiful curry as always. Authentic food

Fantastic service, fantastic food, and great value, will be back if in the area again.

We went for a takeaway from there during our staycation. Very welcoming, friendly, informative staff who gave us recommendations of dishes when we asked. Not too long to wait but had a drink whilst waiting. Food given well packaged. Food hot, just right amount of spice and delicious. Rice fluffy and cooked well. Crispy poppadoms and fresh sauces. We really enjoyed it all and would definitely return and recommend!

I really enjoyed my meal, the food just needs to be more spicy. They cater for local tastes, just ask and they will add more heat. The food otherwise, was so tasty. Another visit very shortly. The staff werevsonfriendlynand helpful.

I'm in Northallerton for work with a colleague. Came here for a meal tonight and it was fantastic. Great service and great food. Would definitely come back and recommend.

Probably the worst curry i have ever experienced in my life, The curry is tasteless and as we all ordered different curries they all looked the same, very watery and the rice looked like it had come straight out of a packet and into the microwave, i cant understand how the locals think this place serves great curry[baffling!]. Have they never eaten anywhere else? On the plus side the staff are friendly enough no complaints there, the decor really needs an update very dated.

Incredible food and amazing service we called up at around 9pm asking if they had availability they were so welcoming had a window view table ready and served amazing fresh food would definitely recommend and will 100% be going back

It's was very quiet when we wet in, (no one else in) which was a bit wierd fir a Friday night, but lovely food and good service also.

We ordered takeaway to be delivered to a holiday rental - There was issues with delivery however we could accept that as postcode was not exact. The food was simply awful The Bhuna was dried out and in a smaller dish than the butter chicken Chicken pakora was 3 pieces of chicken in a lightly spiced batter - The rice was ok - Nan was smaller than we are used to Had I been in the restaurant I would have refused to pay

Very friendly and welcoming staff. Good menu with plenty to choose. Service was great. Quick and efficient. Will definitely go back again.

Great food and service, best curry house in the Northallerton area.

Lovely food and good service. Did not have to book a table. Was seated straight away.

Chicken tikka dupaiza best thing ul ever taste, and the keema naan amazing, great owners and sons

Food was gorgeous,chicken chilli balti.highly recommended. Also waiter was very attentive and friendly.we will definitely be back in August when we go back to Northallerton

Lovely place to go.....lovely food lovely staff xxx

Never disappointed great service

Never again , thats all need to be said, spent 60 pounds to get 4, bland curries with little or no spice

Visited tonight. Ordered popadoms and a pickle tray came out with tomato ketchup. Ordered a chicken madras and I received a potato madras. There was also an egg in one of the meals. Other than that it was great just won’t be going back.

Cold rice, cold bread, cold curry... I've ordered a few times now and I think this will be the last time. Any order arrives overly early, I'd suspect everything is just frozen then thrown in the microwave when ordered for how fast this slop is delivered, no matter what I've ordered, spice wise its always been mild, really mild and rather bland. I don't get why locals claim this to be "the best Indian ever"? Have the locals never left Northallerton before? For the price, go to M&S and save yourself £15, at least then you can guarantee you'll eat a hot meal. Piss poor

Tasty food and run by friendly people.

Good quality delicious food and good service (slow when it came to our order but apologies were made). There needs to be a clearer sign on the street pointing to the restaurant for non-locals.

Had our first takeaway in 5 months on Thursday last. Our order was recognised immediately and a couple of extras were added without our knowledge but very welcome. Never had a bad experience with this restaurant either eating in or takeaway. This is why we have been using it for 30 years. Quality hasn’t changed and we know what we’re getting. Love them.

Had a delivery from here when staying in a local hotel, key worker, mix grill starter and a chicken tikka madras main with a keema naan. Delivery was prompt but the food was disappointing apart from the keema naan.The mix grill was very bland, like the chef had forgot to add salt and the with the madras he forgot chilli as well as salt. The naan bread was very good

Standard curry place. But check your bill carefully before paying. For one thing, they serve unrequested pickles with poppadoms but do not tell you they will quietly add £3.50 to your bill for this. When questioned, they admit that most other Indian restaurants serve this for free, but say they serve nothing that is complementary. Probably worth checking whether they charge for the mints at the end of the meal.

Always lovely food and standard never drops highly recommended

Excellent Indian meals, fantastic staff and very popular with Northallerton RUFC! 😁👍

The best restaurant for miles around. I love its fantastic reliability because I’ve been getting a curry from the Lion of Asia for years and it’s always brilliant. The men running it are just the most professional and welcoming of any eatery Ive ever been in.

Very average food. Nothing special. Staff were lovely but someone needs to show then how to wash shirts as they seemed to have all shrunk in the wash! Lol. Decor was very dated but what you would expect from an indian. Nothing wrong with the food as such. Tasted fine but didn't seem to be authentically or freshly made. More like out of a Sherwoods jar. Not cheap either but not massively over priced. Just over £50 for 2 meal. 2 rice. 2 naan and poppadoms.

This is a really good old fashioned restaurant, If you want a tasty dish to eat then this is your place. Ideal if you are staying in town and don’t want to walk far.

Great food and a great choice of dishes

We regularly visit this well run family establishment. We always receive a warm welcome from the front of house team ‘prince’ who is the devoted apprentice to the head chef. Always top food in this period restaurant.Best curry in Northallerton!

Excellent food, excellent service, and nice atmosphere. I will go again

Great food wish it did veg pakora with pink sauce other than that its great place to eat💛

Oh dear we ordered a chicken curry mushroom pilaf it was microwaved rice and insipid watery curry . We will not be going back

The Lion of Aisa is a brilliant little family run Indian, the food is first rate, I would highly recommend it to any Indian lover. Polite staff and a great chef what more do you need-

It’s not advertised as well as it could be and down an alley way. This Asian restaurants food was really good and the staff ( single that night) he was very friendly. Food was served in good time and we had no complaints. Not really accessible if you were disabled. Especially wheelchair bound as I did see a lift and it was up a flight of stairs.

Visited this restaurant and enjoyed every bite of the food. Highly recommend to anyone who likes indian food.

Lovely good and lovely staff . Good price eat in or take away .

Enjoyed the food here and was well looked after even though I have never eaten there before.The outside doesn't look inviting,entry to the restaurant is up a steep staircase.The staff were friendly and I would certainly recommend it to others,will be going back.

After reading the trip advisor rating for the lion of Asia, I decided it was time to go in for a meal with 2 friends, walking down a back alley to the main entrance what appeared to be a fire exit but no was actually a flight of stairs leading to the restaurant, we we’re met by a muscle clad man who led us to our table, first sight was a stained table cloth, the big boy offered us some poppadoms and pickles and then we began to order our main courses, after our main arrival we tucked in to our curry’s, rice and nan upon lifting the nan bread we discovered at our distonishment a dirty dish clothe stuck under neath it was dirty and rotten and filled with bloodstains I feel sick to the stomach, I have Still have that dirty taste in my mouth, I couldn’t believe what I had withessed

Good food cooked freshly to order. You may have a short wait for food to be served, just have patience for delicious flavours.

Consistently the best food, best customer service for 20 years

Amazing food, staff and overall restaurant.

In short, we visited on a Saturday where three tables were occupied. we ended up waiting over one hour and twenty minutes. The food was below par in that it wasn’t anything more than a Tesco finest meal. It took a complaint for us to be served. After 1.5 hours and hungry and decided to complain to the staff which resulted in serving.

I visited with friends for a curry after a day out in Northallerton. At first, the table service was good. We were served drinks promptly by a young and attentive waiter. However, we then waited at least 1 hour and 15 minutes for our curry, by which time we were very hungry. I ate the curry to satisfy my hunger, and then proceeded to inform the waiter that my curry was below standard, both in taste and in the waiting time. However, both the staff employed in this poorly maintained, substandard and unprofessional restaurant laughed at our opinion. This was most disappointing and I offered to pay £10 per head (£10 more than it was worth), to which they demanded £50 for the table (there were 3 of us). They then accused me of being aggressive and saying the food was ‘garbage’, words which have never left my mouth. I settled and paid £15 for my meal, which I feel was too much for the poor quality.I cannot express how disappointed I am with this establishment. I will never visit again, and would appreciate if staff wouldn’t laugh at customers opinions. In summary, the worst Indian I’ve ever had. Never again. Nothing short of rubbish. DO NOT VISIT.DO NOT VISIT.

Have called for a takeaway in person.. After waiting nearly a hour my husband enquired what the hold up was as the restaurant was not very busy.. Was told regular customers were priority.. Assuming telephone orders were from regular customers.. This was not the expected response.. The waiter then became abusive and stormed off into the kitchen.. After apologies from other members of staff the meal finally came out.. Frankly it was not worth the wait or the hassle.. Will not be returning..

The lion of Asia is my favourite curry house that I have found. I have Eaten in many Asian restaurant all over the country. I have been coming here for years it has all ways been consistently good. The staff and owner are all very friendly ,deffenetly a must visit.

As always, we received the best service and most delicious food. There were quite a few of us celebrating a birthday. My daughter and I are both vegans and they were very obliging and helpful. The quality of the food and service is superb! I recommend The Lion of Asia to anyone wanting delicious Indian food!

Excellent service and fantastic meals with a wide range including vegetarian and very friendly staff

Had a take out delivery, the delivery time took FOREVER. It eventually turnt up, cold. It wasnt just cold, the sauce the currys were in were watery and an unusual colour. Now me and my partner both LOVE currys so could see this didnt look right. No taste to either curry (korma and tikka) unedible, most went in the bin. Rice was hard, naan was rock hard. Wont be going again

Brill food, good service, do not let the decor, or the entrance put you off, you come out to eat, so eat the food, best tasting indian food around

Superb food and great friendly staff.

Outstanding food! Excellent service, smashing!

Had avoided this well established restaurant for many years after a number of less than impressive visits. Tried again recently, & whilst the food was much better than last time, unfortunately it's still not up to the standards of the many competitors in town. Ordered a Vindaloo, but it was nowhere near being Vindaloo hot, more like a Korma. The nans had improved, as had the rice and bhajis, but not to the level that would warrant a return visit. Good service, very pleasant staff. Expensive for what it was.

Another lovely meal thanks x Mr Bowes enjoyed as well x

Waited ages and food not up to scratch

Having been recommended to go to this establishment we thought we would give it a try

Hi I ordered a takeaway for my sons birthday and thought £32 was abit expensive but thought we haven't had an Indian takeaway for a while so thought why not, but when it arrived in a tiny bag I thought they had forgotten half the food but it was all there just in tiny portions, we will not be ordering from lion of asia again for this reason so please don't make the same mistake we did and order from somewhere else.

We went on a Saturday Evening there wasnt many people in but a lot of people were getting take aways. Food was nice and good service