Namaste Village Norwich — Restaurant in Norwich

What a treat for vegetarians living in Norwich, this restaurant is so good! Visited on a busy Friday night and the place was packed . We hadn't booked but they found us a table. Such a treat to have a totally vegetarian menu, we were spoilt for choice. We both had Masala Dosa to start (they're served as mains but we weren't put off) They were as good as any we've had before, and mine, the Namaste Special was especially good. The fillings in both were generous and the sambal that came with them was gorgeous. We then had Paneer Angara and Pav Bhaji. They were both delicious, but beware the Angara. Its labelled as 'Indian Hot' and was pointed out to us that it was very,very spicy. We love our spice and have a fairly high threshold, this spice level was at our limit. Although the dish was delicious and we ate every bit, we'd both broken into a sweat by the time we finished! Plenty of Indian customers indicated an authentic place. We visited again on Sunday morning for breakfast, we had the paratha with chickpeas and the nan roll with paneer. We also had the Hash Chaat and the Dhokla on the side. This was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had out. Every dish was perfect. If I was forced to make a choice I'd say the naan had it over the paratha, but it would be a tough decision. There was two of us so we ordered one of each and shared. A third visit on our last night in Norwich. We just couldn't resist those excellent dosa's again, this time followed by sides of saag aloo, chickpeas, black dal, a dish of spinach chaat and a couple of naans. At the end of the meal we were given cups of the house chai - delicious! Please give Namaste Village a try. Even if you're not vegetarian, I promise you won't be disappointed. It isn't cheap compared to your average Indian, but you are paying for exquisite vegetarian food, often cooked by women we were told, who...

Staff arguing on simple requests (i.e. Can I have plain disa instead of masala dosa served in the buffet).

Staff arguing over space allocation i e. I booked a table for 12 and turned up with 14. I was advised that the restaurant is fully booked and there is no space to accommodate additional guests. Ultimately gave us an additional table for 4. The restaurant didn't get to half occupancy for the duration I was there, unnecessary argument. Although the food is great such staff behaviour is turning a lot of customers away from this place. As if the management cares about this review.

Review from 4 years ago: Main course is exceptionally good reminds me of some good restaurants in the States of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh India. South Indian this weekend and would like to see it go to 5 Star.

My first and probably only contender for a 5 star rating for an Indian restaurant in Norwich. After moving to Norwich about a year ago I heard much about this restaurant but didn't get to eat until now for obvious reasons. The daal makhni was the best I have had in past few years in the UK. Baigan bharta was slightly tangier for my taste but very good. No doubt that food preparation is authentic at this place with great taste and portion size.

However the two missing stars are for the following reasons

Roti and naan were not the best. An "Indian" takeaway down the street from my place makes it better. This, I believe, is down to the wheat flour used (one of the brands starting with E).

Imly chutney with special chaat could have been tangier. Sambar was bit confused with Rasam. Dosa not worth the price.

Also there are a lot of dishes missing from the menu which a typical vegetarian restaurant back India would have on their menu

Overall

great ambience. authentic taste. menu could be improved and pricing adjusted to reflect potion size and cost...

We went as a group of 4 and had never been before. The place itself was relatively easy to find but there is no parking spaces. There is a pay and display car park across the road, which is difficult to find the entrance to. We were greeted as soon as we went through the entrance by a very nice friendly man. He took us to our table where we were presented with the menu. This is an ALL vegetarian/ vegan menu, bear in mind before you book. Two of our group were vegetarian and two weren't. The two that aren't couldn't really tell the difference but there is a slight difference in taste. The drinks were brought quickly as was the food. All the people that brought our food and drinks over were very friendly and smiley. Couldn't fault any of them. The atmosphere was nice. The music was low enough to be ambient music and the restaurant filled up very quickly. You don't get very long to stay, they allocate 1.5hours per table. We had a main and a dessert each. The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy and beautifully decorated. The food was hot and cooked to a high standard. The reason it hasn't got full rating of 5 stars is because they added the tip to the bill, which was just shy of £20! And the bill was extremely high, nearing £240 for a two course meal for 4 people. The price, the lack of parking (having to pay for the parking) and the time slot for the table means we won't be returning. However, it is a beautiful restaurant, with friendly staff and nicely...