RISTORANTE INDIANO ROYAL PANJAB Halal food — Restaurant in Venice

I’ve ordered from this place not once, not twice, but three times because the food is genuinely quite authentic Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, the experience was repeatedly overshadowed by how rude the person on the phone was — one of the rudest interactions I’ve had with a business owner.

For my first order, I specifically confirmed that the curry serving size was 500ml, as many places in Rome tend to serve much smaller portions (around 250–350ml). The staff at Royal Punjab clearly confirmed that their standard curry size was 500ml — which aligns with what you’d expect in many Western countries like Australia. However, what I received — not once but twice — was clearly smaller than what was promised. Please feel free to look at the photo attached from the same date as this review of daal makhni and shahi paneer to see the serving size given in a 500ml container.

When I called the restaurant to provide this feedback, the response was dismissive at best. I was told the serving size would match the container size — as if I was asking for 1 litre of food in a 500ml container! When I mentioned I would be leaving a written review, the response was essentially, “Go ahead, and ‘jo size hai wohi denge’: meaning we’ll provide the size of the container,” with no accountability or acknowledgment of the issue. I wouldn’t be surprised if the reply to this review is rude, smartass and dismissive because honestly, this particular person I spoke to seems so egoistic with their head up their backside. On another note, we actually had ordered from this restaurant in person and the 2 people who served us, one being a young boy and and older lady were actually very sweet and respectful. It’s sad how 1 person can really just become a bad reputation for a business, even worse if it’s the business owner, which I feel it was most likely to be given the dismissive tone and arrogant attitude of this person over the phone. Shame on you!

Do your research — there are plenty of other Indian restaurants nearby that not only serve great food but also treat their customers with professionalism and respect. Sadly, Royal Punjab is not...

I was sat and served an amuse bouche pretty quickly, but it took about 32 minutes before my samosa came out. Meanwhile, the surrounding tables next to me were ordering more food and getting theirs almost as soon as they ordered it. I watched the 2 tables with Indian families receive excellent service, always got their food first, and were catered to. The other 2 tables were Italian families and looked to be finished, but sitting there, equally without service. It took over an hour to get my food, and all I ordered was a samosa and Tikka masala. A third Italian family came and sat in front of me, and a server took their order within 6 minutes of them sitting.

I can't say for certain it had anything to do with race, but I felt incredibly neglected. I nearly left, but the food looked so good and I was hungry and cold.

In the time I sat and ordered my food, I watched the table next to me order and receive 2 legs of lamb, a sizable plate of naan, drinks twice, and additional plates of unknown meats and sauces with coffees. They had been there before I sat and stayed after ordering more and more. Perhaps they were family of the restaurant owners, but there was clear preferential treatment.

Also, the ambiance was lacking. There were no lights at all, just the little natural light from the window. And in true Italian fashion, it was cold. One has to eat in coats, hats, and scarves everywhere here.

All that being said, the food Was Amazing. I suppose it was worth the wait. So I'll leave you with this, this place is Amazing if you have nowhere to be anytime soon. The chicken Tikka masala was very oily, but perfectly cooked, the spices were divine, and the naan was soft and hot. I would eat here again if accompanied with an Italian friend or an Indian one.

Update, the Italian family was still not served their amuse 24 minutes after sitting, which is about when they finally came for my card to pay. Again, I almost left...

An Extremely poor experience here. To be fair we should have predicted this after entering the restaurant as it was completely empty. If an empty restaurant at peak times wasnt enough when the chips came, they were covered in black crumbs, initially i thought it was pepper or some type of flavouring but quickly realised the chips had been cooked in dirty oil. The chef had initially come out and praised the food and raved about how fresh it was so we asked he recommended something which he duly did the chicken korma he went on to guaranteed it deliciousness. It was absolutely disgusting, the poor combination of spices left a bitter taste. The accompanying naan were poorly cooked, too thick in some parts and thin and crispy in others. It was obvious the chef had very little knowledge and experience. We also ordered the mix tandoor for 6 people. Oh my days, this was worse. The seekh kebabs were shop bought. They were burnt and hard and unedible. The fish pakora were reheated and definitely not fresh plus they had been cooked in the same oil as the chips and therefore covered in black dirt. At this point I had had enough and called over the waiter to tell him. The waiter turned out to be the owner. The owner listened and appeared to acknowledge what we had said and called out the chef again. Only this time the chef became extremely rude and aggressive. I reminded the chef of his guarantee and suggested he try his food, which he refused. We left 90% of the food it was that bad, the owner insisted we paid in full, I suppose when you have zero customers, those unfortunate to come will be expected to pay in full. We managed to get some money knocked off but the bill was still over 100 euros. All those from the UK, Pakistan,India and in Italy who appreciate a good curry and service, DO NOT come here, the food is poor, overpriced and very little regard for the...