Spices

Spices is simply put an institution in Angel. Unbelievably fresh, tasty food and a fantastic, authentic atmosphere make it my favourite Indian joint in the Islington area by quite some way. Our household have been regulars there for last couple of years and not once have we been disappointed! Highly recommended!!!
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Alex Jones
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, July 19, 2011

This is a family run restuarant slightly off the beaten track of Upper Street in Chapel Market. A pretty informal affair, the staff seemed to be able to get the balance of service just right throughout the evening- friendly but not in your face. After being seated we were directed to the local off licence for our alcohol purchases, with no bottle opening surcharge nonsense. The menu was a bit on the meaty side but the vegetarian was not to be found wanting for selection and was a mix of the familiar and less so. With the help of the head waiter we ordered our mains- with assurances that anything we didn't like would be immediately replaced. That offer was not tested as the food was excellent. The roti starters were superb- certainly the best I've had outside of India- and we would have been happy to eat them all night. Not being that familiar with Bengali cooking the two mains we ordered were interesting - shatkora (citrus) and mita jal sagg (sweet almond) curries. Both were delicious although were expecting a bit more heat from a 'medium' spice curry- I think we could have handled 'medium ++'. Great to get a glimpse of behind-the-scenes kitchen staff in full swing; naan bread dough in mid-air. We'll certainly be back to work our way down the menu but I fear this restuarant won't survive the recession. It certainly deserves to, its a gem in a city that has more than its fair share of mediocrity.
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Peter Hanlon
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Sunday, July 03, 2011

I go to Spices regularly. Not only because the food is excellent. But also because the people who run it are as well. Nothing is beyond them. They'll let you taste the food first, and if you don't like it, they'll do you something else. Few places that I know have that confidence and sense of service. Highly recommended.
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Beau
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The best Indian restaurant in London (although actually it specialises in Bangladeshi cuisine). All the curry house standards are there, but there's also a huge selection of unusual and extremely tasty dishes, including shatkoras and lebu jera, both with an incredible citrus kick. Staff are unfailingly polite and efficient, and are keen to make recommendations to encourage customers away from the more boring dishes on the menu towards something a little more interesting! The owner will also ask you to sample your dish as soon as it arrives, and are willing to change anything that you don't like (even if your own poor selection is responsible) at no charge and within 5 minutes. Vegetarians are particularly well catered for, with nearly every dish available in a vegetable or paneer option. The prices haven't increased for 5 years and it's BYO too (there's an off licence just across the road) so the bill is always substantially lower than you think it's going to be. Highly recommended.
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Kathy
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, April 24, 2011

Great little restaurant. Although it looks like your average curry house, it's a very unique affair. There are no pre-prepared masala sauces here; all the ingredients are competely fresh and each dish lovingly created from scratch. As a result, don't expect speedy service here; the dishes take a while to materialise but it's well worth the wait. The proprieter is very helpful and friendly and, like all the best proprieters, a little eccentric, which all adds to the charm. Fresh, subtly balanced, flavoursome dishes are the norm here. I've been many times and have never been let down. Great stuff.
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JonP - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, December 19, 2010

A very good choice, we went there friday 24th sep 2010, lots of choices and the owner/head chef was at hand to identify what dish would best suit, with the option of if we didn't like it we could change it.

Bring your own beer/wine keeps the cost down, very reasonable at £33 for a starter, main (king prawn in both dishes) rice and bread.

we would go again.
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Grouty - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, September 26, 2010

We went here after reading some great reviews about this place, hidden in the back streets of Angel... and they were totally right. When we arrived we almost turned around and ran off- the luminous signs... completely empty... but we were very glad that we didn't.

Ali, the owner, was incredible and it felt like our dishes and the meal combination was tailor-made to suit. He started off with things medium spicy, brought them out to us and then added and adapted the dishes to suit our individual tastes.

Everything tasted very fresh and different, and Ali spent a huge amount of time sharing his passion for his food with us.

We are vegetarian and there was a great selection. We will definitely be going back! Give it a go.
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wolfgang_veg - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 25, 2010

We went on Saturday and were very lucky to get a table as we hadn't booked.

What a fantastic little gem of a place. The owner/head chef/restaurant manager is the nicest man ever and he really made us feel so welcome, recommending the menu to us and chose based on what we requested the best dishes. And they were truly awesome. Without a doubt the best Indian food I've ever had in London!

Very recommended!

But make sure you book if you plan to go on a Friday or Saturday as it gets very busy!
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Anders
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 23, 2010