Tandoor Mahal — Restaurant in Maidstone

Our group has been frequenting the Tandoor for a couple of years. Whilst nothing to rave about, the food and service is normally decent enough. Last night however was a disaster.

We booked for 15 and they did ring us back in the week to say we wouldn't be able to bring any more than that, but that should have been fine as we had 2 drop out on the night anyway. It's the end of the year - restaurants are getting busy with seasonal bookings - no extra seats and a slightly more rushed service is understandable. Except they tried to seat us at a table for 12 and squash 3 people onto a table only just big enough for 2, then argued when we asked for proper seating.

There were some new faces amongst the staff - all of whom were friendly and provided good service. It was the regular staff who were rushed / panicky and constantly making mistakes. They forgot to write things down, then over-corrected. We were told we wouldn't be charged for the extras, but when the bill came, they were on there and we had to argue them back off.

The food was not up to its usual standard.

Throughout the night they acted like they had a full house and then some, but, whilst a bit busier than usual, there were large tables free from the time we got there until the time we left, with several more tables freeing up throughout the night - there was absolutely no need for them to argue over the seating or be so rushed.

We did our usual split bill amongst the group - whilst we rounded up by less than usual, they still had a tip. Except they claimed we were less than £5 short, which made no sense - nobody didn't pay and it would have taken significant underpayment by anyone to not cover the bill. However, we wanted to get out of there so one of us pulled out a fiver and handed it to them. But this apparently wasn't good enough for them - they then tried to rudely argue their way into how we split the bill amongst the group, continuing to argue even tho we told them we'd sort it out amongst ourselves later and it was fine.

We'll be looking at alternative venues for our future...

Absolutely Disappointing Experience – Not for Indian Food Lovers

I don’t usually write harsh reviews, but this place left me no choice. We ordered a variety of dishes, hoping for at least one decent item, but shockingly, everything was subpar. Let’s break it down: Paneer: Chewy, flavorless, and downright inedible. Biryani: Hands down the worst biryani I’ve ever had. Zero taste in either the chicken or the rice. It honestly reminded me of bland hospital food—actually, scratch that, hospital food might be better. I’ve put more effort into plain rice at home than whatever this was supposed to be. Naan/Bread: Clearly frozen or from a packet, not freshly made. Fun fact for the restaurant: freshly made naan comes in irregular pieces—it’s common knowledge for anyone who’s ever had proper Indian food. The first one they served was cold, adding insult to injury.

The overall experience was a disaster. I was genuinely shocked to see so many people dining here. Let me be clear: this is not a place for anyone who appreciates authentic Indian food. Every dish was tasteless, bland, and lacked the soul that Indian cuisine is known for.

As an Indian food lover, I’m writing this to save you from wasting your money here. If you value good food, look elsewhere—this is not it.

P.S. To the restaurant: Instead of deleting this review, focus on improving the quality of your food. Start with the basics—fresh ingredients, authentic recipes, and some flavor would go a long way.

Best, A normal...

I was disappointed on my first visit to this restaurant. Went on the good reviews aswell. Arrived at the restaurant as I had a booking I reserved a few days ago. The staff member that greeted us didn't even ask for the booking name. Had poppadoms for starters and then ordered main meal. When that turned up the plate was like warm. The food was pretty much the same. Not much attention given during meal as from asking if everything was ok. We won't be returning to this...