Priya Restaurant, East Ham — Restaurant in London

This place is the pits. Went there last Saturday night as our usual choice taste of India was full. Never again. Walked in and their was a general run down air- cracked tiles, faded paint.

We should have walked out there and then- we didn't. Big mistake - my first experience of how bad it was going to be was a trip to the toilets. A layer of water intermingled with cigarette butts on the floor and one of the restaurant staff inside the back Lobby smoking only added to the ambience.

Back to the table with its slow service, disinterested waiting staff and menu where even simple things such as nan bread were mysteriously unavailable. We ordered popadoms. 3 of the 6 were chronically undercooked. We sent them back- two of their replacements were again undercooked. How hard is to cook popadoms? And it's the only time I've ordered popadoms that came without pickle or onions or salad. None was offered in spite of being requested.

My daughters paneer came burnt, and I mean properly burnt. This was sent back- no apology no replacement and no care from the world's rudest waiter. My other daughter was given totally the wrong order- she got paneer when she asked for chicken- no offer of a replacement or apology.

When my main course arrived, I asked where my parathas were. The waiter then accused me of not having ordered any and basically accused me of lying- in spite of every one else from my table having heard the order. I have never come across such a rude and racist waiter- and if it was a white waiter treating an Indian like this, the police would have been called.

By the time the paratha arrived, my main course was cold. Needless to say racist Indian waiter refused to reheat it.

And the food that came was well below par by local standards. This is probably the worse dining experience I have ever had in this country, especially when the slowness of service and failure to get basics like drinks orders correct.

I would avoid this disgusting place like...

The experience wasn’t very pleasant. The service felt quite poor – something as basic as offering water wasn’t done for me, even though I noticed they did it for another customer who came in later. That felt inconsistent and disappointing.

On top of that, there were no menus on the tables, which makes it difficult if you want to order more food or drinks. A menu should always be available at each table for customers’ convenience.

I ordered the special fried rice, and they told me it comes with chicken. However, when it arrived, it actually had prawns, chicken, and other meats, which they never mentioned. What if I had a seafood allergy? Clear and honest communication about the dishes is extremely important.

To make things worse, a person I don’t know – who seemed to be working there – came and sat down at my table. That felt unprofessional and gave me no sense of privacy while eating.

The food itself was okay, but the service, lack of attention to basic details, poor communication, and unprofessional behaviour really let the place down. I hope they improve on these points, because it makes a big difference in the overall dining experience.

Based on this visit, I don’t want to return to this...

Very nice restaurant. From a large choice of nearby similar restaurants I chose this one based on the decor I could see from outside; the others looked too garish for a relaxed meal, which is what I was looking for. The service was excellent, my waiter couldn't do enough for me and was more than happy to help explain dishes I was unfamiliar with. Decent sized portions and very tasty. Usually with a curry they try to skimp on the meat but here the meat is plentiful so with that in mind I was very happy to pay what I did for the meal, and leave a tip. Decor is really nice and relaxing, just enough lighting to be able to see what you're eating and provide a soothing atmosphere at the same time. My one and only discomfort was that the front door shuts too slowly and let's all the cold air in (during winter of course) when customers arrive, but looking around it was clear that I was the only one who didn't know this being a first time customer, as everyone else was seated on the other side of the restaurant. Will definitely visit again...