Mela — Restaurant in Berlin

I’ve finally won my fear of indian food thanks to this restaurant! If like me you’re concerned about the spiciness, let me tell you once and for all: it’s a stereotype! The level of spiciness of each dish is indicated on the menu and quite truthful, many are not spicy or mild, and the waiters are very friendly and honest, they didn’t mind answering all my questions regarding food!

I ordered a Raja Thali after asking a recommendation between a few things that caught my attention, and I couldn’t be happier with my pick! It’s a pretty large portion, so unless you’re alone I’d suggest ordering this first and share, then something else if you’re still hungry. I ended up taking about half of it home as I was already very full. This specific serve is bigger and a bit more expensive than the rest, but you get to try three different dishes + rice + a small salad. It’s lamb with spinach in a cream sauce, chicken breast with potatoes in a curry sauce (it’s saying it’s hot but it’s very mild so don’t worry, you can ask if you want it more or less spicy), and veggies with soft cheese and cream — each serve has a lot of different spices and all so delicious! There’s also a vegetarian option.

My friend ordered Batakh Rogan Josh (a duck breast fillet with peppers and onions, spicy), and was also very satisfied and extra full at the end. We also got some amazing Naan to eat alongside.

The waiter was so kind and brought us some crunchy bread with sauces to snack on during the wait (they were respectively: non-spicy, mild-spicy and quite-spicy, but all amazing) that anyway was quite short even though the restaurant was packed. I can recommend their yogi tea too, they make it themselves and it’s warming and comforting, I didn’t ask for extra honey as it’s already in the recipe and it had just the perfect sweetness. At the end we were even offered to pick between a mango liquor or juice on the house.

The space is cozy and the air has a welcoming smell of spices, I loved it.

Service, food, ambience — everything was top notch! I’ll be...

I ordered food from the restaurant via Deliveroo. It was delivered exactly on time and fast, so no complaints there.

The samosas were outstanding; the crust was flakey and crisp still, and it was all very hot. They were served without any included dips, however.

The chicken vindaloo and vegetable korma on the other hand were both perfectly bland. The vindaloo wasn't spicy or hot at all (I'd rate it below "mild"). The korma was creamy, but had no significant flavours beyond that.

The naan was chewy and not convincing.

It was well prepared, but I think the restaurant would win immensely if the cook remembered...

Ordered Khumba Pakora, Paneer Naan, Tomato Shorba, Raita, Channa Masalah and straight, salted Lassi. Papadam on the house.

I sincerely believe this was one of the finest Indian meals I have eaten in my life... The Raita was creamy and tangy, perfection. The sallted Lassi was remarkable as well, definitely the best I have ever tried.

Charming service, very reasonable prices, generous portions...

If you enjoy Indian cuisine, this is a must-visit...