Another amazing meal Bandook! Every time we are in Bath we make a point of eating here. This time we had the grandmas curry, tikka masala, and butter chicken. All were excellent. The place was packed, everyone was having a great time and the live band was great! read more

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We made a booking and were surprised that we were seated at a very small table flush with the glass wall directly in front of the bar (when there were loads of other tables open the entire duration of our meal). It gave us no room to move our adjacent arms, so we kind of sat perched on the edge of our seat eating sideways. Another strange thing was that the server would not look at me or and never addressed me once; he exclusively spoke to my partner. So, atmospherically and service wise, the experience was both unpleasant and uncomfortable. And the food? It was okay. I appreciate that they have vegan and gluten-free options clearly labeled on the menu. We weren't asked about spice levels, so everything was MUCH hotter than we might have personally liked. So much so, that most of what we ordered tasted the same; it didn't help that much of what we ordered ended up being fried too. The Pakoras, Gobi 65, and Mogo Chips were nearly indistinguishable from one another. The Tandoori Broccoli could have been delicious if it wasn't so soggy; the Tofu Chili could have been nice, if it wasn't so spice-forward. The Bengal Jhalmuri (puffed rice shallots, raw mango, coriander chutney, and fresh pomegranate) was my favorite because it felt so different from everything else we tried; light and refreshing, and the variety of textures were interesting too. If you love heat more than flavor, this might be the place for you. For us, there are other restaurants we feel more welcome - and are more excited by the food - at. read more

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Wonderful and very friendly customer service Fantastic host Food is very delicious! Great ambience! Jazz on Thursday evening. Very chill and relaxing! Paneer Tikka masala is very good, creamy sauce Broccoli dish is yummy, has a spicy kick, well seasoned Chicken 65 is has a popcorn chicken texture and delicious, nice batter Rice is good Masala chai is tiny glass but sufficient Super Highly recommend! read more

The food was amazing. The chef/owner clearly understands both the culinary traditions of India and the way to bring unique spices and flavors together into bang up modern Indian cuisine with out pretentiousness. Service was great, but they do sort of rush you. Clearly they are busy and for good reason, so I can see the push to turn tables. The drinks were very well made and follow the delicate balance of flavor with spirit. I always appreciate when more upscale South Asian establishments blend their spices into cocktails. The food was mostly delectable. The starters were all first rate, especially the Samosas. The Tandoori broccoli was roasted with just a hint of of curry flavor coming from roasting it in the oven. I don't think it was added, just imparted which made it perfect. Very creative... The tandoori chicken was marinated and cooked to perfection. It may have been the best I've had anywhere in the world. The House curry was also epic. If it's his mother's recipe, then I understand why he opened the restaurant. And yes, we ordered butter chicken. We needed a third item. It was boring and lacked much if anything. It's a skip. My final comment is the spice vs heat. Very rarely do I find a chef who understands heat. Not hot, not mild but an actual bite blending with the spice. This may have been the finest Indian I've ever enjoyed in terms of flavor, quality of product, etc... So why only four stars? Just felt a little rushed and the atmosphere while nice felt a little blah. Otherwise, very highly recommended - the food is worth a stop! read more

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So this is a very english-ised variation on the food - bland with no fresh flavour and like Dishoom in London - really NOT for anyone from the Indian subcontinent. Ordered a variety of dishes from prawn starter, to chicken 65 with rice and breads - and generally all the same - tasted reheated with no flavour on most of the dishes other than the flour used to coat it. Even worse than the food was the service, the manager seems to have a chip on her shoulder - to call it rude would be an understatement. It was very humid and sticky - when asked can they turn on the air conditioning - the reply was "the doors are open" - I mentioned I never asked about the doors ! She finally admitted the air con was broken thats why it wasnt on. Generally the staff ignore you - so an all round great experience with lacklustre food. Now Bath has a variety of wonderful restaurants such as Giggling squid - but in this instance you would get more value for money buying a mcdonalds or even getting a soggy sandwich from tesco express ! Absolutely abysmal - if you live or visit Bath - avoid at all costs ! read more

In summary Bandook Bath has a very rude and condescending manager. They enforce an unreasonable reservation deposit 'policy'. Do not eat at this restaurant and certainly do not consider a large booking or paying any form of deposit, as they will rip you off. We booked for 6 children & adults (3 in highchairs). My partner was 6 months pregnant and we have a 17 month old toddler. They took a £50 deposit and no one made us aware of the reservation deposit policy nor is there anything on Bandook's website or booking procedure. The two other couples (4 of the 6 adults) and their children (3 of the 4) had to pull out due to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances. This does happen with young children, and a reasonable business would recognise this. We called the manager twice several hours before our booking to explain and we requested to cancel the booking. The manager was very rude and unsympathetic. She said that a refund was not possible and they have a 48 hour cancellation policy. This is the first time we were made aware of this and I have not been able to verify this policy anywhere. Due to a refund not being possible, we discussed the option to reduce the number of diners. At no point did the manager make it clear that we would not have the full £50 deposit refunded or taken off our bill. Our assumption was that the £50 deposit would be credited to our bill, and we would pay the difference. If we had been made aware of that the deposit is credited based on £5 per person that shows up, then we would have canceled the booking. We were shocked to receive the bill and only £10 was deducted. The manager was abrupt, dismissive and patronising. It was explained that the deposit is based on £5 per person, equalling £50 as we had booked for 10 people, and due to only 2 people turning up (which was incorrect as our toddler came and ate) we would only have £10 reduced off the bill. As a customer I have a legitimate expectation that the deposit paid on the reservation would be deducted from the bill. It does not make any sense and I believe it is a breach of consumer rights to hold the deposit from a customer like this, especially as the onerous policy was not made explicit during the booking process and is not documented anywhere. We explained that 4 of the booking were children, we gave more than 2 hours notice of the amendment to the reservation, and unforeseen circumstances led to the others not turning up. The manager showed no sympathy for this. I was refusing to pay for our meal unless the full £50 was taken off our bill, but we were forced to. I do question whether a £5 charge should be put against a child in any event, especially young children who are less likely to eat. This reservation deposit policy is not only unclear and unreasonable, the manager is very aggressive and uncompromising. Do not eat here, please. read more

Hidden away from the main streets of Bath, this was a nice cosy place to dine. The ambiance is chilled, with low lighting and cosy tables, and important Indian figures decorating the walls. The food was tasty and spicy; the only downside was that the portions were small (so I'd order more). The service was fast and the place got packed, so definitely book ahead. read more

Perfect ! A great Indian street food restaurant, food and service are just perfect, highly raccomanded read more

Fitting that my first post Covid lockdown restaurant review should be Indian cuisine as for many years now I confess to being somewhat of an "Indianholic". I remember back in the day (eighties) when venturing for a curry became a welcome change for the Berni Inn weary British public. Then it was chintz, tasteless décor and carpeted floors. Laminated menus (first red flag) often with food photo's (second red flag) offering a simple matrix choice of curries; chicken/lamb/beef/prawn; mild/medium/hot/very hot. Let's be honest those early ventures were nothing more than a passport for getting a pint after last orders. This was the era when macho man surfaced and the all too familiar sight of foreheads and jowls sweating profusely as bragging rights were fought over as to who could handle the hottest curry (phall). Brows mopped with naan. Then came the nineties and early noughties and the Indian revolution: more thought into the interior and ambience and ambitious menus allowing the increasingly inquisitive public into adventurous new tastes: rogan josh; karahi, dopiaza, pathia, korma, dhansak and, of course, the ubiquitous tikka masala. Roll on the twenty tens and twenties and the Indian restaurant scene is once again moving (albeit slowly) with the times and responding to the changing demands of the Gen Y and Millennial's. Modern, contemporary, fusion, street and fast food are now the order of the day. Bandook, an Urdu word meaning shotgun or rifle, not sure why? Fiery? The restaurant is nestled in the fashionable Milsom Place complex in Bath. It describes itself as a modern, casual dining, Indian street food restaurant whose aim is to create a wow factor with its cooking. Traditionalists looking for familiarity might be perplexed. "Where's the poppadum's?". Well the fact is there aren't any and not a chicken tikka masala in sight. Welcome to nouvelle cuisine Indian style. The Manager explained that there are no starters and mains per se, and everything ordered will arrive when it's ready (Wagamama style). Personally, I quite like this approach, but it does lend itself to a must share ethos to avoid a one eating one watching awkwardness. We opted for two small plates of Bombay Prawns marinated in caraway, peanuts, sesame and tomato salsa and Kurkurit Bhindi: crunchy fried okra in a gram flour coating. Both delicious but a few more prawns would have been welcome. Next up a Railway Lamb Curry and a Somerset Tandoori Murgh (chicken) with one Pilau rice and breadbasket (naan ,roti and garlic naan). Hit all the right notes albeit we felt the chicken was marginally dry and not spiced up enough. The menu is well thought out and enticingly off the familiar Indian piste with everything cooked to near perfection and with care and respect from the chef. We enjoyed the lot. Were we wowed? Not quite but impressed yes. Busy atmosphere inside in what the owners boast as eye-catching and inspired by the colonial era. To a degree yes but if any of you have ever dined in the Bombay Brasserie in London whose interior truly fits that claim then you will be a little underwhelmed. That said it's comfortable and modern with a good vibe and kudos to whoever chose the background music playlist. We had two Gin & Tonics and a great New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the bill came in at £95 excluding service. You get what you pay for and we thought it was decent value for money. Rating · Ambience & service (out of 5): 3.5 · Value for money (out of 5): 4.0 · Food (out of 10): 7.5 · Total (out of 20) 15.0 Return · Most definitely and regularly read more