Zaika in Ipswich

No proper maintenance and service is too bad

Cozy place but very nice food. Very well prepared. Very much recommend this in Ipswitch.

My friend gave a constructive feedback/review asking them to improve their service. But we understood that they are not matured enough to accept his feedback and as a result they denied to serve him on his next visit and asked him to leave the place, which is an awful act. Hope they atleast consider this feedback on a positive note and learn how to behave with the Customers.

I had a deeply disappointing experience at this restaurant. After confirming our reservation, we were handed the menu only for the owner to approach us moments later about a past review from a friend. Following our discussion, he unexpectedly asked us to leave in a rude and insulting manner. This kind of behavior towards customers is unacceptable and tarnished what should have been a pleasant dining experience. I won't be returning and would advise others to consider this before making a reservation.

Something has changed…… for the worse We have used this restaurant to meet up over the years as convenient for the car park (we all come from Herts/Suffolk/Norfolk). Every other year the restaurant has been busy, vibrant and the food at least 4/5. We arrived just before 8 for our slot and 2/3 tables occupied but soon all vacant. We ordered drinks and papadams. These arrived around 8:05 we ordered food. We had just finished our pappadams and food arrived at 8:15. Now even if restaurant empty to cook quality food that quickly would be exemplary from fresh. 3/4 of us said the food was below usual standard and the other friend says so long as food he was happy (low bar) Chicken was chewey and been reheated. Food bland. Rice and Nans okay but hard to get them wrong. You could argue we could have said we want to wait for our food, but we could have left by about 8:35. We didn’t we left at 10:20 with almost dagger stares that we hadnt. Almost no one else came in (two tables did) one very odd rough group (almost looked homeless) and that was it. So the reviews here are mixed, but I agree with all the 2024 negative reviews. Only given 2/5 as didn’t screw up the rice 😂😂 we left a tip and in hindsight don’t know why we did

We booked a table and they confirmed us there is a table.After reaching there they have given the menu cards to order the food.After a minute owner of the restaurant came to us to ask about the old feedback given by one of my friend.After discussing about the review owner of the restaurant asked us to leave the place and not to come back again. Intentionally he asked us to come and asked to leave the place in an insulting way and it was a worst behaviour with the customer i have faced in uk.

The restaurant staff will remain us frustrated. Visit the restaurant if you definitely decide to be in desperate situation.Friends please don’t dare to be in this situation.

Me and my colleagues went around 8pm and we have ordered our starters and mains. We got our starters at 8:30 and our main course at 9:30pm. I have seen people receiving their food who came later than us. When I asked about our order, the waiter told us that we have few rules which is a big question mark. I have ordered garlic and coriander naan, which literally tasted worse than a plain naan. The waiters need to learn few things like speaking to customer properly, need to be patient till the customer orders his foods or drinks. Must have a smiling face. I dont know this guys name with beard and always present near front desk. He should learn how to keep his body language n facial expressions. A regular customer, now i am never coming back here. The worst customer service ever faced in entire UK.

Excellent atmosphere halal food proactive staff, loved thier biryani

This is a great restaurant, excellent service and tasty food. The only hiccup is the table layout, if there is a large noisy group behind you it can be difficult to hold a conversation, Maybe Management could allocate the upstairs as a quieter room when they have large parties booked in.

Front desk staff was so rude and no manners at all. We had to leave the restaurant.

Never had a bad meal and service is excellent. 👌

Another great meal at the Zaika tonight,well done all.

The tase and service was good there..

I'll start by saying the location is convenient (close to a car park). That's about where the praise ends. I've never had such bland and tasteless "Indian cuisine" in my life. For a cuisine with such a diverse spice pallet, this restaurant manages to make everything bland and well tasteless. Not bad, just tasteless. The mint sauce was watery, and without any "kick," the tamarind was likewise a watery mess. The lime pickle was mild, and the mango chutney seemed to be missing the mango. We had a wide selection of dishes as I always do. Especially when I'm reviewing a restaurant. All were almost identical in flavour and spice. When a butter chicken is indistinguishable from a Tika and a Madrass, then you know there are issues. The tandoori (usually a favourite of mine) was so bland it may aswell have been one of those pre cooked ones you can buy in Tesco. Although in Tesco defence theirs has some flavour, the lamb was so overcooked that you need a dentist appointment after visiting because there's no way your teeth will be intact if you manage to chew it. The restaurant, especially where we were sat, was inadequate to comfortably seat 4 (the tables are very small and close together) and finally the staff, again not good or bad. They are fairly inattentive even when the restaurant wasn't busy, and they seemingly had nothing else to do other than gossip around the tills. Finally, the only good item on the menu was the Lassi. Which, as I noticed on the way out, was pre bought from Sainsbury's. Then, it sold for £5 a glass (with some ice) All in all, AVOID!. it's not bad but not worth the price or your time when there are likely better options available that give a far better taste of Indian cuisine.

Working away and visited before , excellent service,great food and reasonable, nothing more to add , as a previous reviewer said ignore negative reviews it’s very very good

Do not be put off by the negative reviews. This place is lovely. It’s small but intimate and as soon as you walk in you are greeted by a friendly smile. The staff are all welcoming and attentive. The menu is wide and varied, the service throughout is really great. And the food tasty. Book a table you won’t regret it.

Probably the best food from an Indian restaurant in Ipswich.

Absolutely disgusting food was horrible service was terrible staff kept laughing at us due to us being different race couple. Food over prices very small food was old 5 days old warmed up worst place I ate from in my life had to leave the food that’s how bad it was won’t recommend to anyone

Great restaurant, welcoming staff, food was amazing.

As a first time Indian customer, me and my wife with our kid were very unhappy with the service we were given. We felt we were not welcome because as per the staff we hadn't pre booked, even though the restaurant was empty. Even before offering a seat the staff showed us the menu and wanted us to go through the price and told us we should order a main course meal to get a table, as if we were going to flee seeing the menu card. The attitude of the staff was not very welcoming, maybe they are expecting only white or rich people. The food was good, no complaints about that. But a restaurant is where we laugh,enjoy and make memories, but unfortunately it was a very stressful experience for us. Would recommend the staff to smile more and see everyone equally.

Came to Zaika with my Family.. the place was just buzzing .. We ordered zaika special starters followed by our main course and side dishes. Everything was perfect right from the time we walked in and until we left… staff were extremely accommodating and the food was full of flavour. I have been coming to Zaika for years, it’s my all time favourite restaurant. Guys keep up with the good work you do and thank you once again for looking after us.

What a terrible experience, after being told it was the best Indian in Ipswich and a must visit when our parents and friends came to visit, we have been left throughly disappointed for a number of reasons. For a tiny venue it was very busy, almost like squeezing sardines into a can, with the heating on it was like being on holiday in Spain, sweat dripping from foreheads before we’ve even had a curry. We asked for the heating to be turned off/down and it took asking twice for it to be done. The menu had plenty of choice and we ordered a dish each (6 curries) and rice, naan breads and onion bhaji’s to share. One dish came and it lacked all flavour, while another was swimming in water. When we brought it up with the waiting staff, we where told its how our Curries are ‘saucy’ and ‘we’ve had no complaints tonight’ and that they would speak to the chef to which the response was ‘it’s fine, it’s how it’s meant to be’ since when does a prawn tikka masala come with a puddle of water?.. we had no apology that we were disappointed with the quality of our meal, no offer to replace the dish or to take it off our bill. It seems staff didn’t want to acknowledge our disappointment. We absolutely won’t be returning, and would recommend staying well clear if you want substandard food and rude waiting staff.

6 of us went here to celebrate our new grandson! Everything was delivered promptly to the table except one thing !! THE TASTE !!!! 90 % of the food had no taste … when we mentioned it to the staff they didn’t want to know PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE …AVOID AVOID AVOID !!!!!

This was the worst Indian I have ever had … please tell me who has a masala that is swimming in water … not sauce but water at the bottom of your plate … we complained and was told the chef said it was ok ???? Who is eating it me or the bloody chef ??? They would not take any thing off the bill or replace the food …. DO NOT GO ???

The owner and staff were very welcoming and attentive. Tasty food, good service all round

Absolutely fantastic food and service this evening from Zaika. Food was full of flavour, chicken beautifully cooked and spicing was spot on - layer upon layer of flavouring a proper taste sensation. Service was attentive but not in the face, they were very happy to explain nuances of dishes and even tailor some to our preference. Can not recommend strong enough. Great place, great food and great people.

I've been to Zaika many times, both dining in and using their take away service and I've never been disappointed. As well as faultless food, the service and atmosphere is always fantastic - I'd happily recommend.

Food was average but service was poor. Waiters very abrupt and we felt as if we were doing them a favour by being there. Restaurant was very busy which was obviously a good sign for popularity but too busy for customers to be treated nicely

A bit expensive though. I only ordered 2 dishes and maybe a break and the bill came out to be around 45£

We booked at short notice a table for a Saturday evening, at the time of making the booking I was informed that we could only have the table for 1 ½ hrs. We were seated upstairs, given menus and ignored for 15 mins, until I had to ask them to take our order, being conscious of the fact that we were on a short turnaround. When our poppadoms and wine arrived they gave us the wrong bottle and incorrect poppadoms, however, not wishing for that to spoil our evening we put those mistakes to one side. We have eaten here on a few occasions but I'm sorry to say that this time we were extremely disappointed. The Chicken Shashlik was over spiced, salty and charred, cauliflower bhaji just ordinary, and the Chicken Tikka Salli was just chicken in a spicy curry sauce with some grated potato scattered on top! Before we could finish enjoying our wine, the 1 ½ hr deadline was up! We were asked to vacate the table, and so hurriedly finished the wine in our glasses and paid the bill as the staff scurried around us adjusting tables, replacing tablecloths etc., for their next customers. Altogether, it was a memorable night unfortunately for all the WRONG reasons!

Once again everything was great, the guys were helpful in getting one of our party that wanted chicken and chips, couldn't have been better😁

Always excellent food here. What more can you say ??

Best Indian in Ipswich. The food was incredible. Even catered fantastically for the vegans in our group. The manager was fantastic, she was so kind, thoughtful and yet efficient. We took our baby on a busy evening and they were fantastic in accommodating us. We will certainly be back. Thank you

Went and collected! Food was unbelievable and was still hot when we got it home! Friendly staff!

Ordered on Monday and by far the best Indian in Suffolk

Very good food, I was expecting the food would taste like most other Indian restaurants but I was very pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Lots of selection to choose from and the flavours are very good.

Good food. A solid 8/10 for the lamb balti and chicken jalfrezi. Sizzling prawn was a little disspointing. Nan and rice excellent as were the poppadoms. One pickle had a cm of oil on top that was off putting. Chocolate dessert was nice. The strawberry cheesecake was one of the worst things I have eaten, so avoid. Lighting was very poor on our table for 2. We "could" have been moved at any time. Expensive at £66.

Fantastic service. Everyone was so accommodating for my Husband in his wheelchair and his onion allergy! Nothing was too much trouble and the food was excellent. Cannot recommend enough, we will certainly be back soon. Thank you!

We arrived at 6.30pm on Friday and the head of house squeezed us in and told us we could have the table for an hour as she was full. Wow, my husband and I love eating indian food and this surpassed our expectations. It was amazing, the flavours were exceptional. We said if we lived in ipswich we would go there all the time. Very cheap too. I had chicken tikka dansak and my husband had Nepal chicken which was a special. I belive the lady said that they were expanding to take over next door. We wish them all the luck!

A bit disappointed, appears to be going the way of alot of indian restaurants, get a good name, then put the prices up, particularly for alcohol (talk about extortionate) then less people go there, so then they put the prices up! Not a very good business model. I used to go there for parties and we would fill the upstairs, but after our last experience (4 of us,) we will not be back.

took family on visit from Canada and they really enjoyed the food

Enjoyable food, service good, polite. £6 for bottle of sparkling water was extremely excessive, a int of beer was cheaper.

Top points for food, service and atmosphere, although a pint of Cobra was five pounds and ninety pence

I am an Indian. Ipswich resident. Went to the restaurant with my parents. We were looking just for some snacks as my mum had prepared food at home. I communicated very clearly that we are here for snacks. Ordered them. They took the order. After half an hour, they came and said that they have a policy that if you only order the main course, we serve. Only that makes it worth their while I can understand the policy, but this should have been communicated earlier. Why did they realize their policy after half an hour of our wait? Says a lot about how much they respect their customers. I am a long term Ipswich resident with a lot of appetite for Indian restaurant food. Yet, never going back.

Simply superb. Proper curry house! I had a chicken tikka dupiaza and it was sublime. Absolutely incredible quality food.

Excellent food and friendly service. I would definitely recommend Zaika. Thank you.

Great customer service considering it was busy. Lots of choice great good and fair portion sizes. We would highly recommend the food was flavoursome and yummy! We aee quite particular as a family about where we get a curry and this met our standards! We enjoyed our meal and will definitely be back!

Very nice place to eat out. Friendly staff.

Excellent food especially the Hyderabadi biryani which was simply amazing!! Highly recommended.

Excellent meal again this time. Reasonable prices for these times. But you need to expect to pay if you want quality dishes. It's money wasted if you dont want to pay decent outlay- and not enjoy it. I don't remember hearing background music,but I think if there wasn't- it would be an even nicer atmosphere having the traditional indian style music in the background. (Prehaps the staff get totally fed up of hearing the same tunes every day!)

Nice atmosphere with tasty popadoms and tandoori!

First time coming here and will definitely be coming back excellent food and service

First time here, definitely won't be my last. Food was unbelievable and very reasonably priced.

Myself and my friends have been touring all of the local Indian restaurants locally within Suffolk. To this day - this restaurant is unmatched - On food quality / service. The owner (a wonderful lady) is in the restaurant essentially anytime you visit, she’s so attentive and the price of the food is so reasonable for what you get. Plenty of options for vegetarians (my partner is a vegetarian and this is her favourite). Take away or eat in, the food is perfect. How anyone could mark this gem as less than 5 stars is a mystery.

This place is always so helpful. Stour Sailing Club from Manningtree have been more than once now, catering for 20 plus people. They have always been courteous, flexible and of course provide the best Indian food close to the Marina. I can’t recommend them high enough, spot on

Absolutely fantastic service. And food xx

Daughter's 21st birthday party, it only happens once and the Zaika indian restaurant was brilliant best night ever and the best indian food I've ever tasted. I would also like to thank Mr Mukit and the staff for their excellent service a night my daughter will always remember. Thanks to you all Paul and Sammy Morgan ❤️

OK Indian food. Not the best I've had but fine for a curry after a few pints.

Still my favourite Indian in Ipswich

Best Indian Restaurant in Ipswich!

Delicious mix of food. Catered for 32 people very efficient

The town's best Indian by far. A bit of a wait for food, however the wait is always worth it.

We visited tonight (Sunday evening) for a special occasion, and immediately when we walked in you can tell how attentive the team were, and that it was going to be a fantastic meal. We had various requests, and the waiters took their time to explain how the dishes were prepared (in particular for our vegan guest) which reassured her massively. The plates were super warm, the food was presented perfectly, the naan’s were amazing, it was very evident that Zaika were passionate about their cooking and take pride in presenting their food to the highest standard. Abdul took time to explain to my grandparents how their dish was made and even provided guidance and spices to help remake the dish at home, never had that kind of service at any type of restaurant in my life. Probably the best dining experience I’ve had anywhere, ever. Couldn’t recommend Zaika enough, will certainly always dine here from now on, can’t thank Abdul and his team enough for making it a special evening to remember. Kudos to you all for running such a fine establishment.

Excellent feed. Went with a special dish and it was the right choice. Reasonable for what we had as well.

Fabulous place, friendly staff AND a terrific menu. 😎

Great Indian food. Really exceptional. And wonderful service. Recommend the Achari moist but not drowning in sauce like many places. Hope to go again soon.

Great tasting take away Great Service from waiters

10/10 food and service, Very welcoming especially with my kid in a pram. Abdul was so kind to make space for the buggy. Would recommend and will visit again for sure.

I woke today knowing i was going thinking i like banana in my curry ,I wonder if mango would go. I went to zaika and they had a mango delight dish,I had mine with chicken , never have I been so excited for a dish and it was well worth the wait, food was excellent my friend had lamb sizzler another great dish, very good service great range of food and plenty on your plate,even food left for dinner tomorrow

A consistently great experience. One of the Ipswich restaurants I find myself going back to again and again. The food is always excellent, with an amazing range of dishes, both meat and vegetarian. Highly recommended.

This used to be my favourite Indian restaurant in Ipswich, but based on my last experience I won’t be rushing back any time soon. The service provided was very poor, the older waiter with the beard was very abrupt verging on the rude side, we felt that the whole service was rushed, food basically chucked at us. When collecting the empty plates one person was still eating and the waiter just hovered over him until he finished. The starter was quite cold as was the main course. All in all, really bad experience for a restaurant that used to be great.

Very bad behaviour, although we reached by 8pm , they were not able to offer any table and didn't apologize as well. I went with family in cold night with 2 kids, however they didn't show any apologize for not able to offer any table and ignored us. I didn't like their ignorance.

We turned up after walking past on the off chance after the theatre. It was late (9.45pm ) and everywhere else seemed closed. There was a large group but they were leaving when we got there, so the restaurant was empty but they were so nice and accommodating. We chose a rezalla and a green chilli masala (panner and prawn) loved there huge selection of dishes and serving everything in panner (a personal fave!) Dishes were wonderful, staff were so friendly and enthusiastic, definitely returning

I quite enjoyed eating at Zaika - I've eaten here a couple of times now, and had a pleasant time each time. The food isn't too expensive, and is to a good standard.

Great Indian restaurant in the historic St Peters St area. Great menu, lovely building and very friendly and helpful staff. My favorite Indian restaurant in Ipswich.

Limitatamente alla mia esperienza con i ristoranti indiani, questo è decisamente il migliore dove sono stata, in tutti i sensi: abbondanza e bontà delle pietanze, varietà del menù, qualità/prezzo, cordialità dello staff e professionalità. Ci tornerei sicuramente.

Delicious food with reasonable price and in middle of town really!

I ate that chicken special curry. It was really good. Service was good and they take AMEX.

Great Indian restaurant with a good selection of dishes from starters to desserts. The staff were friendly and helpful in explaining dishes to us. The one thing I did find unusual is an Indian restaurant with a choice of desserts. I would recommend this restaurant, but must book in advance to avoid missing out on a table.

Great Indian food - the best I've had anywhere recently. Generous portions. Friendly knowledgeable staff. An interesting and varied menu. The quality of the food is certainly above average. Booking advisable - very popular!

Very good Indian restaurant, lovely flavours and good service.a little expensive but what Indian restaurant isn't. Wine and beer avaliable. Good atmosphere.

The food was amazing and the staff are very friendly. They’ll cater to your needs if required and make sure you have a good experience.

We were in Ipswich, a town neither of us had been in before and at a loss to find somewhere for dinner when we stumbled across this place. The food was very good traditional Indian cookery. The staff were excellent, the waiter checking we were Ok with the naan bread we'd ordered for instance, as it wasn't strictly vegan as the the of our dinner. We'll seek it out next time we're in the area.

We tried to book a table as we have been a loyal customer, tried 8 calls and messages with no response! Been going for many years, it’s a shame but the service has fallen dramatically. Shame as the owner is so nice!

Lovely food good sized portions good service there is a service charge added onto your bill just so you are aware. Would definitely recommend this restaurant.

The best Indian in Ipswich. Amazing food and perfect service

Just fantastic! Friendly staff, amazing food! We popped in on chance for a nibble: the sashlik was perfect, tender, moist and perfectly seasoned. Lamb tikka was sublime and chicken pakora again tender, juicy and succulent. Generous side salads, an excellent mint yogurt and a chutney(?) that wasn't too sweet and complimented everything perfectly. Highly recommended in every way.

Small and bijoux food very tasty.

Fantastic menu including completely unique vegetarian dishes, which were delicious. Great service and great food. We're still talking about how good it was!

The best curry we've ever had! Great service, a selection of unique vegetarian dishes, all of which were delicious. Absolutely superb!

This was a fantastic venue. The food was brilliant, service was smooth and flowing. Promptly asking if we would like drinks but not in a pushy way. We went in for a work meal table of 14. Food all near enough came out all at the same time all piping hot. Also a good selection for the vegetarian of the group. They were very busy and large parties were coming in, more seating upstairs. Would highly recommend. Only criticism could do with a revamp of decor but not the biggest issue.

Without doubt the most authentic cuisine, great staff - the team there literally were the very best especially regarding my daughter who was treated like a princess. Wonderful food 😋

Fabulous food and service made to feel really welcome very busy even on a Wednesday, totally recommend I’m staying at Novotel which is. 3 min walk

Amazing food and service definitely be going back

Cosy Indian restaurant with excellent quality food.

Lovely food and excellent service, friendly and polite staff will definitely be returning.

I've been staying in Ipswich for business for a while, and Zaika is a great place to get a really good Indian dinner. It's so good, i've been back there about 8 times!

Food was excellent everyone had a positive experience. However on this occasion service was slow with an hour wait for food

What can I say other than, it's not a coincidence that every single time we eat at Zaika, the food and service is excellent! Despite being short staffed during this pandemic, Abdul and Kashwi still maintain such high standards in both food and service. As much as we would love for Zaika to be nearer to us, it's probably a good job we have a 50 mile round trip otherwise we would be here every week. From the first time we came here, we have never eaten Indian food anywhere else. So if you haven't been here before, make sure you try as you won't be disappointed. Thank you Abdul and Kashwi for another lovely meal x