India Village Restaurant — Restaurant in Interlaken

We stayed at the hotel for 3 nights, and we only did it out of absolute necessity. We’d been traveling already for a week and were exhausted by the time we were trying to get a hotel near Interlaken. It was extremely hard to find a place that had availability, so we settled for Indian Village. But it is a complete ripoff.

SERVICE: I would rate higher if not for everything else, and the fact that the prices were EXUBERANT for the quality of the hotel, even being that it is in Interlaken. I had asked if there was a store he recommended nearby to buy phone chargers because I thought mine was broken, and the owner helped me confirm my charger was the problem and then lent me a cable for the night. He also gave us free passes for transportation around the city, but it would’ve been nice to have something directly from the hotel.

LOCATION: There are a lot of reviews saying the location is “amazing”. If you only plan to stay for a night and aren’t going to be doing a lot of activities, the location is fine. The view from our hotel room was very pretty and right at the river. It is a 15 minute walk to virtually everything that is in the main part of town. If you don’t have luggage and you’re just going out for the day, the gravel path along the river IS beautiful and a nice little walk. After a few days though, it gets to be inconvenient. There is no dedicated transport to and from the hotel. Taxis are already nearly impossible to get in Interlaken. No busses go to Indian Village. When we first arrived we were able to get a taxi there from the OST Train Station because it was late at night, and the driver said that he was a friend of the owner and did “all of the taxi driving for the hotel”. But we never saw any vehicles available to take us in and out of the city after that. This is especially a nuisance with luggage, as gravel is hard to pull suitcases on and the road you can walk has a lot of blind spots for drivers, so it’s somewhat hazardous.

ROOMS AND CLEANLINESS: The rooms are big and offered various seating aside from the bed, and the bathroom was decent. There was also a fan which came in handy. But it never felt or looked completely clean. They have air freshener wall plug-in’s that are super intense. We had to leave ours outside the entire stay. All the rooms are at ground level, and if we wanted to open our windows (because it was often stuffy inside), it seemed like someone was always smoking a cigarette right outside. The biggest ick is that our original room had dark brown stains (that were not dry, they were fresh) on the sheets, AND there were BOOGERS on the pillow cases. I can’t make this up. The bedding had obviously not been changed. When we told the owner, he said he was going to come change them for us “right away”. After waiting 20 minutes, we took the pillow case to him to show him how disgusting the situation was. Only then did he decide to move us to a different room. Trying to sleep at night was difficult because the doors to the room are blurred glass and there are bright lights outside of each door, so it was never really dark enough to sleep.

BATHROOMS: You do need to be aware that the bathroom and showers are COMMUNAL/SHARED unless you pay an extra 90€ to have a room with a private bathroom. They do not tell you this when you book your room.

FOOD: There is no breakfast, which is another inconvenience considering, again, it’s a 15+ minute walk to everything. There IS a restaurant attached to the hotel, which we never ate at but it seems to have good reviews.

Overall, I would not stay here unless you’re in a pinch and there are no...

Just a critical feedback and I hope the restaurant and management leadership will take corrective actions.

First things first, A positive welcome nature and customer service is important for any chain of restaurant irrespective of the affordability or quality that they serve. Keeping this in note, what we observed from starting of dine in and exit made us feel unhappy and spoiled the mood of authentic indian vibe for rest of the night.

So lets discuss further on the observations and incidents.

When you enter the restaurant, there is a clear note written specifically in Hindi and the very first statement says “nothing is free” - literal translation. Pissed me off being living in Europe for long time & travelling around the globe( an ambient restaurant having such a note is pathetic ) Not sure how a place like in swiss interlaken global travel hotspot allowed to write such rude statement.

I understand you may have different intentions to write that, but you could deliver the same message in positive note ( please do so, before this get quickly escalated, it will soon)

Let’s move on, we started dining, the ordered food took as much time as possible ( 30+ minutes ) however stated in the same hindi chalk board and as well any further adhoc running order is queued to deliver again after 20+ minutes. The quality of food is considerate as we cannot expect authentic taste of indian food in europe. We took open terrace view to enjoy the food and view, in the middle of dining, unexpected rain kicked in, and the waiter/waitress didn’t bother much to help out and when asked for table movement help, the first attitude was, “yes you can move yourself to next table” ( should be called as self service restaurant, lol )

Final food for thought- Did you treat same way for all guests ( any country nationals) if yes then makes me to think, how its not closed by officials yet.

I hope the behaviour changes when I ask my friends to visit the same restaurant next time ( will ask them to share their honest feedback as well )

READ THIS - The reply from the restaurant which contains the story about customer service asking about not to sit outside is absolutely False statement. None of the staff told us. This is open challenge if you want to prove with some webcam recording. Try to take constructive criticism in positive note rather than dodging the bullet concept. I hope the restaurant will learn whats the meaning of feedback and wish you long running success if it sustains with this attitude towards people and...

I usually don't write novels about casual dining experiences this time I absolutely have to.

Interlaken is the set in many Bollywood movies and therefore is a very popular destination for Indians. Just one indicator why this place is authentic and has heart and soul.

So If you're seeking an enchanting culinary experience that will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of India, look no further than "Indian Village" in Interlaken. Tucked away next to the azzur blue river, this magical restaurant promises a dining experience like no other, and it certainly lives up to its reputation.

From the moment you step inside, you are warmly greeted by the staff, who are not only attentive but also eager to make your dining experience memorable.

The owner, I am serious even brought a boom box with the soundtrack of DDLJ to our table.

The ambiance is delightful, with subtle Indian décor and if not DDLJ is playing at your table it has soft music, and a welcoming atmosphere that immediately puts you at ease.

Now, let's talk about the food - we had the palak paneer. Oh, the palak paneer at Indian Village is a true masterpiece! The spinach puree is silky smooth, with just the right balance of spices, allowing the flavors to dance on your palate. The paneer, made in-house, is incredibly soft and soaks up the rich goodness of the spinach gravy. It's a dish that will leave you craving for more, and you'll find yourself wiping the bowl clean with the last piece of naan.

Speaking of naan, the bread selection at Indian Village deserves its own special mention. Whether you choose the traditional garlic naan, butter naan, or the adventurous cheese-stuffed naan, each variant is freshly prepared and complements the dishes perfectly.

To make the experience even more casually magical, don't forget to pair your meal with one of their delightful Indian beverages, like a refreshing mango lassi or the spiced chai.

The restaurant's location right next to the river adds an extra layer of charm to your dining experience. During the warmer months, you can choose to dine outside and enjoy your meal with a picturesque view of the flowing waters and surrounding greenery.

Last but not least, just before we were about to leave it started raining cats and dogs. The owner drove us to our hotel, just out of kindness

( Tell me when that happened...