BAPU Restaurant — Restaurant in Kleinmachnow

It’s clear that some of the reviews on here are “home made”. They are easy to identify and make my review all the more authentic. We sat at our table at 21:20 hopeful of a wonderful Indian culinary delight. But it went downhill from the start.... The initial service was painfully slow. We waited over 15 minutes just to receive refreshments. Also the service was typically aggressive and unfriendly. But this is because the waitress was German. The Indians (and any other nationality) are so much better.

The excuse from the management: The staff had been very busy all day serving 300 people. My answer: So why should guests 301 and 302 receive a poor standard of service for the same price?

Eventually the food came, which I cannot fault. The duck was a little dry and overcooked, but the vegan option was very good.

The plates were cold!!!

The live music was horrendous. A German band playing and singing 80s UK/US hits....badly!!! Through all this, the restaurant continued to play Indian music through their speaker system.

Then, we became aware of our table being constantly bumped by staff removing tables and chairs from the garden area. Again I challenged this...

The excuse from the management: The staff had to take the furniture in because they were getting ready to close and the staff needed to get home and needed to get the bus/train. My answer: Having your table being banged around while eating is not acceptable. The management stated the staff needed to take public transport before it was too late. I have lived only 500m from the restaurant for 13 years and can confirm that public transport runs 24 hours into Berlin. The management denied this, also saying that the furniture is expensive and would be ruined if it got wet. The forecast was for 5-6 days of hot dry weather!

I asked the management about these incidents and if they had been customers if they would have been happy with the service and experience. The answer was “No”. So why should paying customers also have to accept this??

Basically, it’s good food. But the industrial scale of their operation means that customer focus is lost. It is clear that the staff have only been trained to take food orders, take the food to the table and then take it away.

My advice:

IF YOU WANT QUALITY INDIAN FOOD AND EXCELLENT SERVICE, PLEASE CONSIDER THE TAJ MAHAL IN STAHNSDORF OR THE INDIA...

I’m living in London thinking Berlin couldn’t come anywhere near the quality of Indian food there. Well… I was proven wrong and I’m so happy about it!

First: the restaurant is a bit far from central but beautifully located next to the river with views on the floodgates. The garden is beautifully decorated with Ghandi statues and fountains but the interior is just as neatly designed with woodcarvings and colours.

Staff is exceptionally welcoming, efficient and attentive.

The food is just delicious! We tried the Naan, several paneer dishes, the classic chicken tikka, two starters and a fried ice cream for dessert. The menu also offers lamb, duck and seafood and would cater to any dietary requirements including veggies, vegans or gluten free.

Every dish has a distinctly different taste and is very rich in spices and aroma. The spice level differs between dishes but we found none too hot. The naan is both crispy and fluffy, the chicken juicy and perfectly cooked.

I think this will be a family favourite from now on. Prices are very reasonable. We paid 90€ for 4 people including a main each, drinks, coffee,...

Visit to this restaurant is a must if you are looking for good Indian food with pleasant ambience and quality service. The food is flavorsome and very close to authentic. They have some dishes like the Nalli Nehari (for the lamb lovers) which is not easy to find on the menu of most Indian restaurants in Berlin. My favourite though was the Achari Sabzi, a vegetarian dish with assorted veggies and spices which can be enjoyed with both naan and as well as rice. In this restaurant you are allowed to pick either a bhatura /naan/kulcha or rice to go with your maincourse, unlike most Indian restaurants in the city which serve only rice by default. They have a spacious outdoor seating area alongwith outdoor heating arrangement for the slightly cooler spring days. They also have a small play area where the kids can enjoy themselves while the parents enjoy the food. Their online reservation system is also very convenient and...