Spices

We have finally found a good local curry house in angel!

Firstly, the food is excellent. Don't be put off by the huge menu - try the specialties such as the naga masala, dhallsha or shatkora, which are all wonderfully flavoured in rich tasty sauces. You will miss out if you stick with the standard dishes.

Unlike so many indian/bengali places, the curries aren't swimming in oil, are fresh and are devoid of off-putting bright colourings.

We also love the tandoori and kebab dishes - the chicken tikka is wonderfully charred on the outside and succulent on the inside.

As many have mentioned, Ali, the owner/manager/head waiter/chef (if you are lucky!) is very friendly , passionate about his food and is always willing to accommodate special requests. We have even called in advance and asked for a special homemade style curry - we showed up to a freshly-made chicken curry with egg and liver!
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Sidd
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 16, 2008

This place is great. I had been there with friends a few times and the food is superb but i was concerned it was just our little group who thought so...until I took 20 work colleagues there one night for our regular curry night. We've never been back to the same place twice but almost everyone insisted we returned. Out of the 20 12 ate there again within 2 weeks of our curry night, now that's quite a recommendation!

Went again last night with a friend, there are a few new items on the menu, all excellent and the service is of as high a standard as ever.

Really really recommend this place as it is the only curry house style restaurant where you can get this standard of food for this price.
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James Major
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 28, 2008

I love this place. I went for the first time recently with a group of friends who eat there regularly. The service was excellent, with the manager offering recommendations and suggestions, and the food was uniformly wonderful. This is far from the run-of-the-mill curry one usually finds, and offers consistent quality, flavour and atmosphere that other restaurants should aspire to. I would highly recommend it.
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Kate
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, February 16, 2008

There is very little to add to the deservedly positive reviews that Spices already achieves on all review sites but I'll try...

...firstly I think the few comments about speed of service deserve to be addressed. If you expect your food to be thrown together and served brick lane style before you're half way through your poppadoms then you will think that you wait a long time for the food. On a quiet night the wait from ordering to main course is around 20 minutes. Unless you're on your own or an awkward date then this shouldn't be a problem. On a busy night the longest i have waited from ordering to eating is about 50 minutes (and I have eaten here a lot). This is quite a long time I agree but, as you will read in other reviews, all the food is cooked fresh and it is THE BEST curry you will eat in london - and I do not make that comment without thought.

Definitely try the specials/recommended dishes ahead of the standard Indian grub later on in the menu, the owner will tailor anything on the meu to your taste so if you like a hot dish but don't like chili he'll cook you one with no chili and suggest a side dish which will go well. He is a master...learn from him!

The offie opposite is open whenever the restaurant is so grab some booze, pop it in the restaurant's fridge and settle in to enjoy a truely excellent meal.

You wont be disappointed.
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Penners
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 04, 2008

As soon as I leave Spices I am already thinking when to return, this really is a special place.

Spices raises the standard that we Brits should expect from a Curry House, they only use fresh spices, no powders and traditional ingredients like the Bangladeshi lemon (Shatkora) which makes a tremendous difference to the taste sensation !

We need to move away from the host of generic restaurants out there that simply make money by serving up substandard meat and bland sauces ............. you owe it to yourself to visit Spices, kick back, relax, open a can / bottle of BYO beer or wine and enjoy !

I'm going back this weekend !
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Renewable Bumpy
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 27, 2007

Excellent, under-rated curry house, which really is a cut above almost any other in London, and certainly outshines the more well-known curry-houses of Brick Lane.The ingredients are fresh and the quality superb. True, you may wait a little while loger than in other places, but this is because the dishes are all freshly prepared. Staff are helpful and friendly, even chucking in the odd complimentary dish if you're lucky.
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Jody
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 20, 2007

We ordered take-away from Spices on Sunday and loved it so much, we brought friends back to dine in last night. We are curry-addicts and got spoiled by previously living 5 minutes from Brick Lane. We all agreed last night that Spices is the best curry house in this price range in London. The decor is typical of this style of restaurant, and the service is a little slow for dining in (most of their business is take-away), but the food is outstanding and the owner is extremely friendly and helpful. Try it.. you'll be a regular in no time!
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Jill and Andy
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Your search is over. If you're in this area and looking for a good curry, you really don't need to look any further! I lived in Birmingham for 5 years but the food and evening I had at Spices recently surpassed any restaurant I visited up there.

The place is BYO and they are more than happy to keep any extra alcohol in the fridge for you. The owner is very welcoming and don't be afraid to ask his advice as you won't regret the choices he recommends! Each dish is cooked fresh and any quirks or dislikes will be accommodated by them.

The food itself is superb and they also have a very good delivery service if you're lucky enough to live locally!

Don't bother reading any further looking for a bad review because you won't find one!
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Tom Palin - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 29, 2007

I disagree with the reviews that I have seen so far . Given a 9.4 on the website It is not one of the best places to be specially if one has a special reason to be dining out . Restaurant as such is average and poorly managed when it comes to serving food . We waited for about 45 mins for someone to ask for Starters & another 2 hrs for it to be served . Food & Starters were also served together Other groups who booked on the same day were asked to leave when they probed if food could be served in 20 mins . There was a bit of preference showed to the white groups where hotel staff served them wine etc brought by the group other groups were left alone to help themselves .

I would not recommend this restaurant as Food wasn't too good & 2 hrs wait is a bit too much for a starter ........ Would not visit again .
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Sanji
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Excellent restaurant. Probably the best curry house in London. Fresh, flavoursome dishes served by friendly waiters. The owner's passion and pride in his food is great - and translates into some of the best food I've ever eaten in London. The fact that it is also very cheap is amazing. I whole-heartedly recommend it.
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felix
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, August 17, 2007