Hazara Restaurants — Restaurant in London

Have lived in the area for 20 yrs, so have been to Hazara many times since it opened a number of years ago. Changed ownership at least once, which was a shame as the original chap was very charming. The food has always been very good, and continues to be so, but in recent years the table staff have been awful. Almost feel apologetic to them for going there and bothering them.

The above was my review a couple of years ago or so. Stupidly, we kept going back as some of the food is admittedly pretty good. However, our experience last night (Sunday 5 February 2023) was 'the last straw'. I have, therefore, amended my review above from two stars to one and, with regret, will never go back. The service is utterly appalling.

For instance, having finished my chicken tikka trio starter, I was staggered to witness the waiter take my plate and then contemptuously throw my dirty fork and knife down on the table in front of me, no doubt for re-use by me during my main course. My wife, who was equally shocked, complained and the waiter did condescend to remove the knife which was heavily soiled and to wipe up bits of the mess he'd caused in front of me on the table. When the main course arrived, I was not provided with a replacement knife, so I had to collect one from a neighbouring table which was empty. As my wife said to me, had we invited guests to the restaurant, we would have been embarrassed by the extremely poor quality of the service. On balance, it's just not worth it, and it does cost quite a bit for an Indian meal (with or without alcohol), even by the standards of London dining. We paid almost £70 for two and she did not have a starter and she only had one glass of wine. It's a lot of money to be abused, especially as there are plenty of much better alternatives around. Indeed, there is a better one just a few doors away... Much nicer staff in there and the food is not bad, either.

The other point to note is that the incident above was not the result of some rogue temporary waiter popping up to abuse a few customers who will then move on fairly swiftly. There were only two waiters on duty at Hazara last night (Sunday night), and in my lengthy experience of the restaurant they've been there for years. One of the two is okay, although he will not be winning any hospitality prizes. It's the other guy that is the major problem. He prompted my complaint a couple of years ago and it is because of him that we shall never...

Hazara in Belsize Village is spectacular. The food is a completely different league to any of the other 'curry houses' in the vicinity. The key is that it is authentically Indian, with regional Indian food created by Taj Group-trained chefs. None of this 'base sauce and chuck in some extra onions to make it a dopiaza' business. Everything is cooked from scratch, everything is sourced from London's fresh food markets. For example, the owner goes down to Billingsgate at the crack of dawn each day to source super-fresh fish and seafood, which his chefs then turn into wondrous delights a few hours later. The menu is elaborately described which raised an eyebrow at first, for such promises frequently fail to deliver. But not in the case of Hazara. Everything was beautifully presented; everything was a unique taste experience, starting with the tamarind sauce to accompany crispy poppadoms (try adding a dollop of tamarind, mango and yogurt onto one poppadom and then see how your tastebuds thank you!) to the extraordinary starters and magnificent mains. My wife and I were genuinely blown away. Unfortunately - actually, fortunately - we were so taken with the quality, we kept ordering ancd ordering because we wanted to taste as much as possible on the menu before our bellies finally said 'Enough'. But no matter: the fantastically friendly and not-too-attentive waiters boxed up the lot for it and - yes, the cliche is true - they tasted even better a couple of days later. Stand out dishes for us were Jhinga Mehrunisha (big fat, juicy prawns flavoured with burnt garlic, cardamom and caraway), Dudhiya Hasrat E Hun (home amde cottage cheese stuffed with spiced dates and figs, Chicken Chettinad from Tamil Nadu (chicken in roasted coconut sauce flavoured with star anise, fennel and stone flower) and Lucknowi Bhuna Gosht (pot-roasted smoke lamb with cloves). Oh, and an absolutely outstanding Murgh Makhani - the best I've ever tried. We will, most DEFINITELY, be...

As an Indian who lives in Belsize Park, I have often bemoaned the fact that I have to drive for at least 40 minutes to London’s western suburbs to enjoy fairly authentic Indian Food.

When I saw an advert for Hazara in belsize park tube station, I was sceptical, but the visual presentation of the food was arresting to say the least and the restaurant promised cuisine by chefs from India's acclaimed Taj hotels, without needing to fly 8 hours to India!

I’ve had my fair share of disappointing experiences with so called Indian fine dining establishments, but decided to give Hazara a shot.

Hazara has proved to be a real gem which stands heads and shoulders in a league of it's own in London's culinary scene. Every aspect of the dining experience (and there have been many since the first visit) was impeccable.

The food is exquisitely delicious, the freshness of the ingredients and the superior skills of the chefs shine through in every dish – Hazara really is London’s finest tribute to real Indian food!

What really delighted me was the fact that the menu features so many specialities from various regional cuisines, many of which I cannot enjoy at other Indian restaurants in London.

Owner, Taj is a true gentleman and his service, customer care and attention to detail are a delight to experience and the crowning glory of one of London’s finest dining...