Excelencia Restaurant, Nongpoh — Restaurant in Meghalaya

Hell No – A Total Disgrace on Wheels

We embarked on a trip from Guwahati to Shillong, hungry for a decent meal, only to be served an unmitigated disaster. Two of my friends specifically ordered a veg Chinese combo, yet what arrived was a non-veg version – a mistake so gross it shows a complete disregard for basic customer requirements and cultural sensitivities. Both friends come from Hindu families and have never touched chicken; however, thanks to the restaurant’s carelessness, they were forced to take a bite.

When we inquired about the dish with a supposedly reliable waiter, he confidently assured us it was veg. When my friends pointed out that the Manchurian looked non-veg, the response was a half-hearted, “We’ll replace the items.” Replace? That won’t undo the fact that they inadvertently compromised our dietary beliefs and trust by serving meat in a supposed vegetarian meal.

This isn’t just a case of a minor mix-up—it’s an outright failure in customer service and basic communication. The restaurant’s negligence, coupled with an inability to honor a simple order, smacks of incompetence and utter disregard for their patrons. Not only did they fail to deliver what was promised, but they also had the gall to try and “fix” it after the damage was done. A replacement doesn’t cancel out the betrayal of your trust and the emotional distress caused by forcing someone to eat something they’ve always avoided.

To sum it up: if you value your dietary ethics and expect any level of professionalism, steer clear of this joint. Their careless attitude and flippant responses make it a dining...

My views about Excelencia Restaurant is somewhat mixed. While the place is really attractive and super clean, I could not say similar things about its service and food quality. The ambience and surroundings are quite awesome. The very first thing one would notice about this place is that it has got lots of open spaces. The parking lot is impressive with space for around ten to twelve cars to be parked at a time. The restaurant too has lots of open space and is big. During daytime sufficient sunlight sneaks into the restaurant to brighten up the environment. Overall, the ambience and surroundings are soothing to the eye. One of the distinct features of Excelencia Restaurant is that it provides separate spaces for people with vegetarian and non vegetarian leanings. To the left of the entrance is the enclosure for people who wish to have veg food and to the right the space for people who wish to have non veg food. I personally liked the arrangement. I feel such an arrangement should be the norm in the industry. Now coming to the cleanliness aspect of the restaurant, I must admit that everything here is spotless. The toilet (pictures included) is super clean and a cleaning person is on stand by round the clock who keeps on cleaning even the already cleaned floors and the facility repeatedly. In my view (and it's entirely my personal view only) the restaurant could improve the quality of food and the service of the catering personnel. I didn't find both these up to the mark as compared to the other aspects of the restaurant. But otherwise I had a very good experience dining in...

If you are coming from Guwahati to Shillong or vice versa, make Excelencia your mid-way point. That's exactly what my wife and I did both on our way to Shillong and on our way from Shillong and we did not regret it.

The atmosphere both inside and outside is great. There is plenty of room to accommodate customers comfortably. Lots of greenery and flowers here and there as well.

The service was also great. The food came out quickly and our waitress was careful to make sure we had all that we needed. We were not ignored or overlooked even when we chose outside seating on our second visit.

The food was surprisingly inexpensive especially for the quality and serving sizes that were given. The menu is also large and they offer a relatively wide variety of dish options. I recommend their tea, I ordered masala chai and it was also surprisingly tasty and given in a good amount.

Ultimately I think this is the perfect halfway point for anyone on the road from one city to the other to take a break and grab a bite before continuing onwards on their journey.

Sarah says: The bathroom and all was clean...