Raj Restaurant

Reviews

• David G.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  I ate at Raj a couple of times on a recent business trip and really enjoyed it. My colleagues and I had a variety of tandoori and vegetarian dishes. Everything was tasty and the portions were plentiful. The pappadums were outstanding - fresh and hot. (The ones we get in the US are always cold and taste a little preprocessed and stale, like they came right out of a package.) The early bird menu, which runs till 7:30, is a great value - a starter, a main, and a side at a very reasonable price. Service was quite good, too.
  
  The only down side - the second time we ate here, we were not offered the early bird menu. We had to ask for it. I noticed other tables nearby were not getting the special menu, either. Not cool to offer a nice menu but then not make it available to people unless they know about it.

• John R.

  star star star star star_border 17 May 2026

  I came in on a busy Friday night without a reservation.  They went out of their way to find me a table.  The saag paneer was very nice. I'm used to the where the spinach is paste like but this still had identifiable pieces.  The chicken was great with a nice almond flavor.  If I'm ever back here, I'll make it a stop.

• Tori U.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 12 May 2026

  Middle of the road Indian food, in the middle of a small road in Bristol. Rather close to the center, the location seems to be one facilitating late evening, post-pub session feedings. Not a place I would recommend for a romantic meal with a partner or a nice curry with the parents. But I imagine quite good for a meal after boozery, as coyly advertised in their after 10pm "Night Owl" menu of starter, main, and drink for 15 quid.
  
  We came here bearing a Taste Card and we called ahead and clarified our intentions.  It was set in the basement of a building, in a white-washed brick tunnel, set with booths and low-ceiling vaults. Red carpets and very friendly staff welcomed us, but our food took quite a bit of time to come. We had been warned away from this place by my partner's colleague, saying it was not authentic enough and that it catered to a more British taste audience. However, the food was flavorful and had the standard Indian variety of dishes. For once I went sweet rather than savory and my Chicken Pasanda was fragrant, creamy, sweet. The lighting was a bit low even for our couple's date night out meal, making it romantic it just looked a bit bleak and hard to see the menu.
  
  What I didn't like about it is their poor understanding of how the Tastecard worked (at best) or a blatant refusal to apply the appropriate discount (at worst). It made us a bit suspicious when they would not give us a receipt and we basically had to argue for like a full minute to get it... Even then it was a hand written one as he wouldn't offer us anything else. Also, at the end of our meal (around 9pm) there were many drunk looking people coming in and it was time to move out to make room! Like I said, not a great family place but I can see it's certain appeal.

• steve b.

  star star star star_border star_border 11 May 2026

  I ordered prawn dupiaza which was nice but lacked more sauce as it didn't come with hardly any!. This was a shame as it had a nice flavour. The biggest let down though, was the wait for our food. Regulars got served quickly and received there food half an hour before us, even though we had placed our order before them! Good, but attention to detail needs to be addressed. Not the best in Bristol, but probably consistent.

• Danny C.

  star star star star star_border 5 May 2026

  Excellent service, without being overwhelming. The food is expertly prepared and delicious with a wonderfully subtle use of spices. Would definitely recommend when in Bristol.