The Mahal — Restaurant in Cheltenham

We visited Cheltenham for a few nights for our wedding anniversary and as the husband is a fan of Indian food and I'm a fan of fine dining we reserved a table at The Mahal as it had good reviews from other visitors. Well we were not disappointed! There is the choice of al a carte or tasting menu - the latter of which gives you a little bit of everything. However, as we'd had large lunch just stuck to three courses with sides. OMG - the butter chicken that other reviews have raved about is certainly the best I've ever had. We were also recommended a lentil side dish which usually we wouldn't have ordered but the owner of the restaurant was very enthusiastic about so we gave it a try - that too was delicious! I was pleased that they served roti instead of naan as it's a more edible size than a huge bread, and the peshwari type we ordered was lovely. My husband also really enjoyed the meal and commented that it was one of the best he had had. Aside from the food the staff were really friendly - our waiter Paul explained each of the dishes, hostess Narjis ensured we were well looked after, and the owner Hassan spent time chatting to us about how he came to own it, why he wanted to open up in Cheltenham, and his plans for the future, post-COVID, for rooms and events. We were even treated to an anniversary cake, a personalised card signed by each of the staff, and a tipple. All in all a lovely evening and we look forward to dining again with friends next time we are...

Last week we had dinner at The Mahal. It has been nice but not fully up to what we expected, especially since the prices are the same as some other fine dining restaurants in Cheltenham, so we were expecting something on that level.

We had a booking at 8.30 but had to wait about 10 min at the door and 20 more at the bar, which was fair enough, they have a nice waiting area and we had a drink, so we didn’t mind. The cocktails were really nice, the barista has been really helpful and even made some adjustments and served me something that wasn’t on the menu.

The tasting menu started with an amuse bouche which was not explained to us. Everything else has been served from a different waiter which made the experience more pleasant and guided us through the menu. Of all the courses the only one that really stood out for me was the duck, I found everything else was not up to the usual a la carte standard (and on that night there was no choice between tasting menu or a la carte). Some flavours were really overwhelming because of the quantity of some stronger ingredients, for example I found that the scallops and the salmon were kind of covered by the sauce flavour, which was kind of a pity. The sorbet in between courses was a good idea but I found it way too sweet. We also asked for the fillet to be medium rare but came out more similar to rare.

On the other hand, giving out roses at the end of the night has been a...

What a Gem of a find! A last minute choice after our disappointment with a cancellation by another establishment. From arrival to leaving, one could not fault the excellent service. Front of house were extremely attentive and charming, especially gentleman Bharat. He quickly realised that I was into my spices so recommended what I would enjoy from the Chilly Blossom cocktail with a hint of chillies to the curry lamb to a spicy and highly flavoured rice pudding. 😋😋He picked up from our first clink of glasses when I wished my husband a "Happy Birthday ' that it was a special occasion. As we finished our desserts, in walked Bharat and another waiter holding a plate with a cake and a lit candle singing 'happy birthday'. We all joined in. To top it all, the 5 members of staff including the chef had signed a card too. 😊It truly made up for our disappointment from the cancellation of a planned event with another restaurant. We had the lunch menu which with the quality and finesse of taste, flavour and presentation was worth more than the £25 charged! We will certainly be returning and highly recommend The Mahal in Cheltenham as your next destination. There is also parking on site or on the approaching street. Everything is covered. Why not try it out for...