Raja Indian Lounge Restaurant — Restaurant in Prato

This review it’s something I never expected to do, I went to eat at Raja after many years and the last time I was there it was January 2017, living not in Prato anymore from when I’m 16 this restaurant was a place i would definitely visit whenever I was back. I have so many good memories about this place I remember introducing many of my friends or even my ex girlfriend to the traditional Indian food and all of them were kind of afraid but eventually when trying they loved it, I remember sometimes going there 2-3 times a week when I was visiting Prato so it was love without any doubt ahah.

This time was different I saw on the internet and also on instagram that the place had gone through a change completely and it had become a lounge bar being quite sceptical at the beginning I told myself to go anyway also seeing that the owners were the same reassured me to go.

When arrived with my girlfriend we were greeted with absolute coldness the place itself looked cold like a 80s drive-thrus anyway we sit down and we’re given this small menu and that already sounded like an alarm because that’s where I understood this is going to be BAD! starting with the prices that have increased and the options for food decreased I took something just to eat because I basically had no choice for the fact I was quite hungry but my girlfriend was the one who really had some trouble ordering and the owner who was the one taking our order seemed quite annoyed because she just wanted order more food and in the end she didn’t even understood what she had ordered. When served the food we saw that the portions were quite small so we looked to each other and said what’s this?? Is this serious? But we ate our dishes anyway I have nothing to say against the food it was ok like always had but if you’re improving your restaurant then you need to make a significant improvement in what you’re giving to the customer as well this is basic rules of how to manage a business in my opinion! Anyway it took us less then 10 min to eat they took our plates after we had finished so I decided to go to pay when paying the second owner didn’t even ask me “how was the food” or “did you like it” something nobody asked me! Clearly a sign of F* OFF we don’t care!

This was my honest opinion and I’m definitely not going going back if you want to eat traditional Indian food then take a train to Florence and in 20 min you are given far more better options then this one! It’s sad because this used to be my favourite restaurant like i said but they made it to something that I can’t understand Indian food it’s not rocket science it’s something that you share, you eat with your hands, and when you’re finished eating you want more. I don’t mind change but change need to be meaningful and I can’t see this here! Good luck lads cause...

Never before have my girlfriend and I visited an Indian restaurant. Honestly we came for the restaurant next door but that turned out to be closed. Anyway, we took the gamble, because we saw that the reviews were good. The waiter was immediately very friendly and explained the menu. Very nice since the menus in Italy usually do not have an English translation. Beforehand we shared an antipasti dish, where we were served 3 sauces. Very tasty! After we had finished it, the waiter first asked how the antipasti had tasted and then what we thought of the sauces. For me personally, it's the little things that matter. It seems a bit more sincere than the average question: How did your food taste? Just that little bit of extra thought, just that little bit of extra interest. Really very pleasant. When ordering the main courses he also asked how spicy the dish should be on a scale of 1 to 10. Not only was my food very tasty, but it also had a perfect degree of spiciness. Something like that should always be apparent when you order something in a restaurant... My girlfriend ordered the chicken with curry and I ordered the shrimp in spicy sauce. Halfway through we switched our dish (as we often share our food to have more variety). The food was tasty, it was enough, the price was right and the waiter was top notch....

To find restaurants in Italy (away from the 4 big cities) which offer food other than Italian or Japanese is a rarity. To find a very good Indian specialty restaurant in Prato is a treasure. Raja is without a doubt the best Indian restaurant I have come across in Italy. They offer a nice interior and overall good ambiance. The menu is not mainstream Indian as world travelers might be accustomed to. It's more of a traditional (smaller) family-recipe-menu. Which is a good thing. The food quality is great and so is their service. Very friendly staff, who will help you out in every which way they can. They will even customize your choice of plate, when asked for (for example more or less spicy). The courses are on the small side, but the prices aren't steep as well. So you can (and will be offered to) order more meals if you still find yourself hungry. Literally the only downside of this restaurant is (as with many Italian-city-center located restaurants) the lack of sufficient parking-space. Of course you can't blame that on the restaurant, but it is something to be aware of when visiting by car. Me and my wife had a great evening with delicious food. Certainly...