Masala Indian Restaurant Benoni — Restaurant in Gauteng

With the chilly weather apon us, what's your first thought when it comes to food? Comfort food? Warm Curries on these rainy days.

Why not go for both. I got to try Masala Benoni this time round. I've bought from the boksburg branch, but little did I know they are not sister branches. They are separately owned and have different offerings.

They recently moved to a new premises on Pretoria Road, Northmead and it's such a lovely big open space. The tables are "covid" approved in terms of spacing and all protocols adhered to. The decor is simple yet effective. Loved these images hanging on the walls.

Now onto the food. We got Poppadums to nibble on with Lemon Pickle and Chutney, and Mint Chutney while waiting on our order, as well as our must have order of Masala Tea to keep the chill away.

We had the Chicken Lollypops marinated in a special Masala and deep fried. So lovely and crisp with a spicy kick. Then the Malai Chicken Tikka with a Cashew nut paste, rich cream with Mild Spices and cooked in the Tandoori oven. If you want the food more spicy you can ask, we decided to stick with Mild for now to see what it's like. The portion sizes are quite generous for starters.

For mains, they do have a wide variety of options on the menu. Be it Chicken, Lamb, Veg or Fish there is something for everyone. Including different types of Naan or Rotis or Parathas.

We ordered the Lamb Chops Curry, and the Butter Chicken with a Garlic Naan. Again massive portion sizes, delicious flavour the gravy and my potatoes in my Curry were so delectable. The Butter Chicken was tender and slightly sweet and the Naan was perfectly made.

To wash this down, even though we couldn't finish so much food we had the Mango Taz Mocktail. (Mango Juice, Lime, Grenadine and Red Grapetizer)

Very different combination, but it worked and was refreshing.

To finish off our meal, we couldn't resist trying the Pasayem (Vermicelli cooked with Milk and Cashew nuts)

It's truly one of the best ones I've had. A bowl of hot goodness with just enough flavour, slightly sweet and creamy.

Thank you to the Masala Team. Pankaj, Keshia, Nomfundo and Jali for a fantastic meal and service.

I will definitely be back another time to try some more...

Had the pleasure of at long last trying out the Indian cuisine at the Rynfield, Benoni branch of Masala Indian Restaurant. The award- winning venue looks small when first spotting it on the busy Pretoria Road, with parking bays provided at the front for a quick stop, but one will be amazed by the spacious layout once you step in. Safe, shaded parking and a second entrance is also provided at the rear.. Lovely welcome mat, stepping in from the first outdoor dining area under a Lapa, umbrellas, and of course huge beautiful trees. The other outdoor dinjng area is on the front patio. Kids will love the huge tropical fish tank at the rear entrance. A full bar service is available. Enjoyed the excellent ambience created by the tasteful, Indian-themed wall decor, and other artistic Indian figurines, as well as listening to an excellent selection of pleasant Indian instrumental music playing softly, almost unobtrusively in the background. Tables and chairs are comfortable, with cosy but reasonable spacing. I liked the faux-leather bound menus. Bathrooms are well appointed, with access to all one needs to wash up if one is eating Indianstyle (with one's fingers). They do have kiddies' highchairs, as well as gas heaters. Also loved the solid copper / brass serving dishes. Portions are very generous at reasonable prices, and they do pack your leftovers for takeaway. Our waiter, Jali, was attentive and checked on us a few times. The Meat Platter selection for 2 was tasty and very good value for money. Loved the grilled lamb chops! The butter naan was excellent, and the chicken curry was also very good. Would highly recommend Masala Benoni branch if you are in the area, or passing through with time to enjoy a relaxed...

Reediting me review after a year , old review is below this one: Went back here last week, unfortunately the food was below pair, butter chicken and lamb curry were tasteless, It had more sauce then chicken & lamb. chicken cubes are now half the size, out of 6 tea spoon sized "lamb" cubes, only 1 tasted like lamb, so unsure what meat the other 5 were. lamb curry came with 1 quarter of a small potato cut in half & both dishes came with really small rice portions, the price does not justify the food quantity at all. Nan bread was excellent thought. unsure ill return due to the pricing vs quantity ratio and taste.

1st review (1 year ago) : Finally found a good Indian cuisine. Reasonably priced, good flavours and good meal all round. Friendly service on arrival to pick up my order. Chicken curry & butter curry was good! Will come...