Verandah in Central Bedfordshire

10 of us visited on the 2nd November for our daughters 30th Birthday. The first red flag was their insistence on a cash deposit of £100 which they said would be forfeit if anyone didn’t turn up. We arrived at 7 but found the service was incredibly slow. Requests for drinks were ignored, waiters took drinks orders for just half the group and were not at all attentive. It took an hour and a half from ordering mains for the food to arrive. Thanks goodness we didn’t order starters! To be fair the food was excellent, when it finally arrived, but the wait was unacceptable. The waiters were often missing, we were in the part of the restaurant with larger groups, there were four tables of around 10 per table, but there were often no waiters to be seen. When we did see waiters they often ignored us, ignored requests and were generally unhelpful. Considering the very long wait for food this was appalling. I notice a number of other reviews have commented on service being slow. We were given just £15 off our bill for the very long wait for food, less than the cost of one main. The service was so dreadful that we will not come back again despite the great food.

Poor service and poor curry with an inflated bill ....We were charged 12.5 % service (which is a first for me in a curry house) Two spirit mixers were also added to the bill which we didn't have . Food took a long time to arrive and wasn't worth the wait .This episode doesn't sit well and consequently none of us will return . Verandah has gone down hill in terms of food quality and service. Youve lost 4 customers verandah.

Terrible service, added items that we didn’t order onto our bill. Rude staff, and a 12.5% service charge to the bill and asked for a tip on top! Made this meal horrendously expensive for a very average curry that took over 90 mins to appear once ordered. They wouldn’t produce a broken down bill as they knew they had added items on. None of my party will ever return.

My daughter booked this restaurant, on my recommendation, for her 30th birthday celebration. There were ten of us. From the moment she booked and was asked for a £100 deposit IN CASH, alarm bells started ringing for me…why cash?! I’d never been asked to leave a deposit in cash ever before! 72 hours before our meal, I went into the restaurant to leave the money and was told by the manager that if one or any members of our party failed to show, we would lose the entire deposit! Initially, I thought I’d misheard and assumed he must have meant that if one person didn’t show that we would lose 10% (fair enough) but no! He meant that we could end up losing the whole £100 if just ONE person didn’t attend! I was incredulous! I explained - whilst trying to remain calm- that I thought that was outrageous and did nothing to promote goodwill rather smacked of poor customer service. Eventually, when I explained that we had a frail 95 year old joining us whose health can be up and down, he agreed that he would allow me to call before 5:30 on the day of the booking if she wasn’t able to attend (how gracious!). With hindsight, I should have just walked away there and then and cancelled our booking. We all turned up at 7 o’clock, ordered at 7:30 and then waited an hour and ten minutes for our food to arrive by which point, many of our group were pretty fed up. My daughter was really upset when we left and felt that her birthday had not been what she hoped. Rarely have I experienced such poor customer service. I will not be going back to Veranda.

Really disappointing from my takeout this evening 2nd one in a few months had contacted them by fb messenger both messages read but no response will not be ordering takeout again the lamb chops so we’re like leather and the chicken bhuna was tasteless and dry the prawn dansack was delicious and the tikka masala was good but I think I’m more angry that they don’t reply to a complaint the phones are always busy and noisy when u get through messaging was the most easy way

Take away ordered, ready on time and food lovely

Had high hopes as I have previously visited mid week when not so busy and had a good experience. Sadly attending with a party of friends on a Saturday night, not such a great experience!. Soggy poppadoms, warm beer, very average food, and it took over an hour for our orders to be taken. Got the impression they deliberately delay just so you order more drinks. We would have left a tip, but the whole experience was such a disappointment that we didn't bother.

Friendly helpful staff.relaxed atmosphere conducive to fine dining.

Unfortunately, manipulative, lying, incompetent staff (read the whole conversation). Forgot my order. Then when I asked about it the guy lied and said it had already been brought out and my mate had eaten it, but they'd make another one. When we explained that was not the case - my friend can tell the difference between lamb and chicken - a second guy also came to the table trying to gaslight me and my friend saying the same thing!? Poor customer service to say the least. ................... Reply: COME ON WE'RE NOW ONTO THE 3RD DIFFERENT EXCUSE. FIRST TWO OF YOU LIED AND CLAIMED IT HADN'T BEEN FORGOTTEN AND MY MATE TOOK IT, THEN YOU WERE SAYING THE DISHES SOUNDED ALIKE? NOW ITS BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF STARTERS WE ORDERED TRYING TO BLAME US AGAIN SOMEHOW 🤥 UNBELIEVABLE. IF YOU ARE GETTING CONFUSED PERHAPS DIFFERENTIATE THE ORDERS BY WRITING APPETISERS AND MAINS ABOVE THEM, ITS REALLY NOT DIFFICULT. OR YOU COULD JUST FORCE PEOPLE TO ORDER STARTERS ONLY TO START AND MAINS AND SIDE DISHES ONLY FOR MAINS. THIS MAY SUIT THE WAY YOU GUYS DO BUSINESS BETTER. I LOOKED ON HERE AFTER MY MEAL AND SAW A LOT OF COMMENTS ON YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS CUSTOMERS, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT. THE FOOD DOESN'T EVEN COME INTO THE EQUATION. PEOPLE DON'T COME OUT TO BE TREATED LIKE IDIOTS.

Friendly staff and quick service

The staff are fantastic, didn’t have my wallet and my son was very hungry and he got so happy as the staff game him a free takeout, was embarrassing but what a lovey staff and understood the situation, went to 2 locals and they said no, Veranda I am very great full, thank you !

Great food. Not the bog standard "local indian". Staff are friendly and attentive. They cope with all sorts. Families and groups of lads. Very welcoming.

Great service and spot to enjoy dinner with friends - went with work colleagues and throughout the night had a blast thanks to our server. Food also top tier!

Not good! We’ve lived in Ampthill for 6 years and we thought we’d try this place in recommendation from our friends. Don’t bother!!! The staff are rude and they just argue with you when you confront them with a problem. When you ask them about the menu they flash it in your face and never accept responsibility. I hate saying the phrase the customer is right. They’ve never heard of this and I would love if the staff got trained on customer service.

2 people didn’t turn up to the meal and we didn’t know this was the case until less than 30 mins before the booking. A deposit was paid per person, but regardless of this a staff member basically told us off when paying for our meal for not letting them know because they could have spared more seats for other customers. Absolutely appalling customer service considering the security deposit is exactly for that reason. It took about 20-30 minutes to get the bill and pay and when trying to get their attention they weren’t interested. Food was alright; nothing memorable. Update June 2024 - Miserable staff still present, the fire alarm went off in the middle of the meal as they set fire to some food in the dining area, we waited a ridiculously long time to be served food and were told we could have free spirit shots for this. Once we paid the bill and didn’t pay any gratuity they acted like they never offered us the shots and walked away. Won’t be returning.

Great food and excellent service.

Fantastic restaurant, great food and lovely staff, very welcoming.

We called a few days in advance to book a table for a special occasion. On the day of the booking we were running a few minutes late so we called the restaurant half an hour before our reservation time to let them know. They said it would not be a problem. We got there 7 minutes after our original booking time and I gave my details to the person at the cashier. He was the rudest employee I have ever encountered at a restaurant…He loudly berated me for being late and insisted that I did not call in advance even though my call logs clearly proved otherwise. He was not willing to listen. When he kept going on, I asked if the restaurant would be able to accommodate us or not, because by this point I had been standing there for quite a while with my little daughter. This got him more worked up and he made more rude comments before saying that he would have to check first because their restaurant gets very busy. All of this was relayed to me in a very impolite, aggressive tone. Needless to say, I was no longer interested in dining there and chose to leave. We went around the corner to Ampthill Tandoor instead. Amazing, friendly service and delicious food as always. We live in the area and have been eating at Ampthill Tandoor for the past 10 years…we’ve never been let down. Our evening was salvaged thanks to them. We regret ever deciding to try Verandah! They need to teach their employees the basics of good customer service because this entire incident was completely unnecessary. Now that I’ve read past reviews, I see that this is not an isolated incident. Others have also complained about “grumpy” staff who didn’t make them feel welcome. Saw another review saying the manager called his wife a liar! Shocking! I’ll never return & advise others to go elsewhere too.

Pretty good meal Chicken Shishlak very good Sides (saag paneer and tarka dahl) were good, as was my naan Chicken tikka dupiaza a bit lacklustre - didn’t have much flavour and a bit watery I thought Staff a bit harassed and it showed - felt like we were a bit of an irritant and they wanted to get home

always great service, go above and beyond to help you.Food comes quickly and drinks are even more efficient! Always a lovely well priced night out.

Food was ok, service good. Not as busy as it used to be.

Fantastic evening, Fantastic food, fantastic service, thank you.

Saw it, lived it, loved it! 👍🥘🍛🥘🍛

Absolutely incredible, would 100% recommend

Food was great. Service was terrible as the staff were grumpy and came across as everything was too much for them. At the end of our meal they started tidying up around us making us feel like they wanted us to leave. We won’t be going back.

Food was great. Service was terrible as the staff were grumpy and came across as everything was too much for them. At the end of our meal they started tidying up around us making us feel like they wanted us to leave. We won’t be going back.

6 of us arrived for our reservation, we arrived on time however were told our table was not ready. The guy who spoke to us seemed somewhat stressed. We didn’t feel welcomed, more of an inconvenience. I asked why we couldn’t have the table ready in front of us, only to be told this was for a “reservation” Somewhat perplexed as we had reserved, so I have no idea why our booking was less important. We agreed to wait but were asked to wait outside, again this didn’t feel like we were welcome. At this point they asked another table to leave, allowing us to sit, the gents commented as they left that a dessert would have been nice. Upon being seated by an agitated staff member the final straw was a plate being tossed in front of my friend by the same unhappy member of staff. At this point we decided enough was enough and left! I hate leaving bad reviews so service truly has to be poor for me to do it. Won’t visit again but will go back to the restaurant we went to after here.

Possibly one of my worst restaurant experiences to date. Table wasn’t ready, and they wouldn’t allow us to sit on a different table. Instead they thought it was better hospitality to end another table’s dinner early and ask them to leave. As they left they uttered the words ‘we would have liked a dessert’. They then sat us as they bussed the table and literally, threw a plate at my place at the table. The explanation was ‘the waiting staff are busy’. That was the final straw. 15 minutes waiting, despite empty tables, then waiting staff that were just so rude but ‘busy’. Do yourself a favour and go somewhere else.

Food was very good, service was good. Good night had by all. My only criticism would be they need to stop adding a tip of 12.5%. A lot of people around the table weren’t happy with this. A tip is discretionary. A tip of 10% fair enough but let’s not get greedy. As we just took the tip off & then gave them a 10% tip which people were happy with. Unfortunately they weren’t happy with this & asked if we weren’t happy the service. We said it’s up to the customer to decide what tip they want to give not automatically assume that everyone is happy with 12.5%. As it was the bill was nearly £400 so they hadn’t exactly done too bad out of us all. Especially as it was a pretty quiet night on the place for them. There is a lot of competition In the area for Indian food & they are all very good with different flavours & styles. Let’s not price ourselves out of the market boys. People will only put up with so much!

Great service, friendly staff, really good bantz and overall great establishment, brilliant people and a really really good atmosphere, highly recommend

Very loud. Slow service. Food was cooked fresh (big plus) but staff not very attentive.

Quick pop in for an Indian on a Saturday night, food was awesome although service a little patchy, they all have headsets but never saw anyone using them. My only criticism was it gets awfully loud in there as its one big hall, being a school previously. But would happily go back for another meal.

A pre Christmas get together with friends. Good food and good service.

Fantastic for a takeaway. Very overpriced and flat drinks though if you're eating in.

Food is top tier and cracking service all the time from the guys there 🫡 Takeaways are always great and nice portions too 👌

Dinner here last night after the rugby They were very busy so service wasn’t the quickest but no biggy (they’re very friendly in there too) Food was top notch however

Very busy on a Saturday night. We amended booking a week previously adding another person. Manager argued with my wife calling her a liar. Table provided with apology eventually. Hour and half to receive starter, almost two and a half hours for mains. Would have left if we could have guaranteed a booking elsewhere. Lots in the same boat. Lots of arguments between Customers and staff over timings. Flat refusal on discount for the experience at the end of the night. Food, when it arrived was enjoyable, not outstanding by any means though. Try elsewhere is what I would suggest.

Once again a truly awful experience yet on this occasion we walked out & went elsewhere. It was once again overbooked, we waited 10 minutes just to be seen and when we was our table wasn’t ready. The guy came running out after us, why i don’t know as he was the guy that just ignored us when we were waiting.. This is my third time here and know way would any of our party return..

Really enjoyed Quick service Very busy but the food is nice and hot and really tasty

Amazing food and atmosphere, great service as well. Drinks were brought quickly and staff were friendly and professional.

Wonderful ,atmospheric, warm welcome , excellent food , attentive friendly staff

Met friends here for evening , very friendly staff , quick service and really good food . Was very busy & loud at times which made it difficult to hear each other . Will definitely visit again

Decided to visit on the spur of the moment on a Thursday night. It was very busy, however the staff were very accommodating and gave us free poppadoms whilst we waited for an available table. The food was hot and very tasty. The waiters were attentive. Have rated 5/5 as it is probably the best curry I have ever had. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

We eat there occasionally and have never had a bad meal. But this week we ordered a take out using the online system as I was unable to call them when they opened. I put a note on the order that I would collect at 7 and it was ready which was great, I got home 5 minutes later everything was steaming hot BUT the prawns were over cooked and hard, the chicken was dry and the lamb chops were tough - it was really disappointing - I did try calling once but no one answered and then forgot about it. I think perhaps the order went through ok but was cooked too early ?! I was hoping there was an email address that worked as previously on their website there was one but it kept bouncing back. I just hope Nigel and team read these reviews. Our take out was £46.00 (with the discount) which is not for a tuesday night treat.

A great night out, delicious food and happy atmosphere. Very accomodating staff made it easy to tot up a complicated bill. Staff were happy to explain anything we asked.

We ordered a takeaway to collect. When in the restaurant collecting it looked so lovely, we really wanted to eat in another time. However, we were disappointed with the vegetable korma dish - the vegetables were limited to what would have in a frozen bag of mixed vegetables - peas, cubed carrots, sweetcorn and not much else. Such a shame

A variety of house specials on the menu. Chicken is succulent and tender. Enjoyed my dish and french wine. I would recommend.

Far too loud. Couldn’t hear a word being said at our table and when we moved a chair around, we were told to move it back. Food ok. Nothing special and one waiter was on the point of rudeness. Won’t be back.

Came in very late on a Saturday evening, but were still found a table. The quality of the food is excellent, although a little more highly spiced as standard than some other places I’ve been to. Nice ambiance to the place, which once upon a time used to be the village school.

We visited Verandah whilst staying in the local area and it was definitely a meal to remember! Great menu, delicious food and excellent service. The staff were brilliant. Would definitely recommend!!

Have eaten here a few times and always enjoy it, just had a takeaway tonight and it’s the best i’ve had locally in a long time! Highly recommend, authentic, tasty food!

Brilliant food, fast service, good customer service

Very nice food. Was able to get a last minute table on a Friday night for 2. Served promptly and food was good size and tasted excellent

Fantastic place, drinks on the waiter

I highly recommend this Indian restaurant! We've visited more than 5 times, including for our wedding party. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff is always helpful and friendly. If you plan to visit on a Saturday, it's advisable to book in advance due to the popularity.

Been meaning to try here for sometime now. It was excellent I would recommend booking in advance as it gets very busy

Great night lovely food would recommend a visit

Service was very attentive, Tuesdays night visits so fairly calm and quiet, food wasn’t overly spiced and dishes all very similar in flavourings.

First time visitor but not the last. Excellent food and service.

Once again Nigel & the team delivered hot tasty consistent quality food for us as they do every time not a lot left to say really 10 out of 10

This place was very nice, great hospitality, great food and overall a great experience

Had a fantastic curry here staff were very good and food was excellent

Midweek visit and many people in. This is probably the best tasting food around. The flavour and spice are perfect with authentic dishes. Will absolutely go again.

Excellent food again. Highly recommended.

Food was outstanding, chicken cooked to perfection, great value for the quality. Dee was especially hospitable towards us and a great waiter. Would 100% be returning with family and friends!

Had such an amazing experience, was made to feel very welcome and nothing was too much for the staff. Dee who I think is the manager made sure our night had been everything we expected. Will definitely return. Went as a young couple. Thanks again, Jordan

had a lovely meal, and service was really nice!

We’ve recently ordered and collected take-away food from Verandah. I’d say it’s easily one of the best Indian restaurants we’ve used from a food perspective, the dishes were really nicely cooked, great flavour and hot when we collected the food. Looks and tastes like each dish is cooked fresh. The chilli masala is awesome! We haven’t eaten in the restaurant yet, but I’m sure we will soon.

Brilliant food brilliant service

Great night out, great table service ang food, value exceptional

Almost worth a 5/5, but was let down by the speed of service, not sure they wanted us to stay, mains came about a minute after starter plates were cleared Having said that, the food was good, cobra on draught was good, price was ok, good value. We will come back, but maybe not on a Saturday night again.

Great Food, Buzzing with service but best of all the atmosphere top it’s all !!!!!!!!!!!! honestly coming back!!!

Great place to eat, great atmosphere and obviously great food! Would definitely come back.

The food was great with plenty of choice on the menu. Dealt with a customer with a nut allergy easily. Service very good. Only downside is that parking near to the restaurant us a bit of an issue.

This is my our new go to - great service , great food and they always help with the menu ! Reasonably priced , carpark outside and plenty of room To accommodate us all !

The food was lovely and the service was fine during the meal. But getting a bit of a telling-off from the owner about requesting different tables when they were available was rather odd. We didn't want to sit in the 'cinema room' or next to the water feature where the sound of a water pump went right through our heads. It was a busy venue, but to be told we could only be moved as a 'gesture of goodwill' was very odd. According to the owner, one couldn't book a specific table on a Friday or Saturday night but he contradicted himself by saying that some customers had done precisely that. We certainly won't go back on those days of the week again and will think very carefully if we want to go back at all even for the excellent food. An embarrassing experience!

Food was amazing, very friendly, relaxing atmosphere and Sunni is a top bloke will definitely return

Food and atmosphere were fantastic and our waiter Sunny absolutely made the night for us, would definitely come again

Awesome evening, went out for a meal with the family, lovely food and host was a legend.. sunny definitely is the host with the most.. top lad 👍

great service, chatty staff and amazing food. also ice cream for birthday on the house. couldn’t have gone better. 100% worth 5 stars👌

Ordered an early slot (like I’ve said previously, makes a big difference) Really good takeaway meal - excellent meat curries and good veggie sides Pea pilau rice tasty - naans a bit soggy but that due to them sweating in foil bags, popped them in oven for 2 mins all good

Good bit of scran, would definitely recommend. Food came quick and was of very high quality, will be coming back.

Such good guys and high quality food, nice vibe. Cheers for letting my buddy charge his iPhone

Great night with great food and great service. We had an wonderful evening and great experience. We were seated promptly and our food tasted absolutely amazing, the service was excellent we couldn’t fault it. We had various waiters but “Bond” was so attentive and funny. Would definitely recommend

The best indian restuarant in the area! Food service all top notch! Chicken Chatinad…. The best

SERVICE WAS AMAZING!!! lovely food banging experience had a very nice time and the people there were very funny an lovely defo go again!!!

Was a bit underwhelmed last takeaway we had Tonight was excellent Quite a few dishes and all good Think the difference was we ordered early in the evening before it got too busy

All the staff were so accommodating when we arrived early with decorations for a birthday. They went above and beyond to make us all enjoy the gentleman’s 90th birthday.

We had booked a table for Saturday evening, when we arrived they were very slow to take our drinks order, we then had to ask multiple times for poppadoms. Eventually we managed to get some, we then ordered our food- 1.5hr later we were told...

We have just had the most amazing chicken, lamb and vegetables curries and fluffy rice supplied by yourselves at our family camp. You fed 100 hungry people who are all very happy. The portions are so generous, the meat so tender and all dishes so...

Terriblr meal and service Sunday evening. I booked for 6.30. I wished they had turned down the booking because they could not cope with the 2 large tables already there. The waiter that served us was very rude I saw 5 takeaways go out while...

Extensive menu, good service & well cooked dishes, served in pleasant surrounding.

Always amazing food, the staff always make you feel special and take the time to get to know you, really affordable!

First time here under this ownership and thoroughly enjoyed my prawn puree and chicken vindaloo!

Generally a big fan of verandah Not last night though Now I appreciate it was the rugby clubs first match of the season and that the rajgate is shut for a refurb, but an 1:45 minute wait for a takeaway is poor They happily took...

We are regulars at Verandah from Ampthill Cricket Club. This is one the best curry houses Ive ever been to. Delicious food with great service from the team. Always feel well looked after. Highly recommend Verandah

I booked the private dining area in the restaurant for my wife’s 40th birthday, (which is stunning as you can see from the photos) we had an amazing night, Dee and the team did a fantastic job the service was spot on and the food...

Family celebration 40th birthday. Stunning restaurant for private hire. Amazing food, great ambiance, attentive staff. Made us feel very welcomed and catered for all our needs.

By far the best food in bedfordshire, furthermore the customer service was over and beyond. I will 100% be back. Fully recommend this place, you will not be disappointed from quality to service 10/10 in all aspects 👊🏾👊🏾 Humble brothers

The quality of the food and cooking was very good and apart from the onion bhaji at 4 pounds for 2 small portions good value. Both Kingfisher and cobra on draught . Service was fine and we got a complementary drink with only having a main meal each which is not always the case. Will definitely come back just won't order the onion bhaji.