We were AMAZED by this place!…read more It was probably made even better by the most recent one we had being poor too, and also, thumbs up for 5* hygiene rating (yes, I'm one of those people who checks). Eleven of us ordered food, including enormous tubs of rice, giant and entirely amazing onion bhajis (definitely get some of these- big scotch egg sized tasty globes). Everyone had something different, and there was a bit of sharing too, everyone was happy. The hotter ones have a reasonable kick, and a surprisingly good one was the shampan- picked out of morbid curiosity, with mozzarella cheese on top, and not swimming with fat. We were all very full, and the Naans still tasted nice the next morning!

Ordered a take out it was over an hour late and was bland to say the least. When we called to see…read morewhere the food was the arrogant Scotish manageress was les than helpful , Can't wait to not have another meal from there.

We visited the Eastern Balti whilst staying in a spa in Kendal then heading on into the Lakes. This…read morerestaurant was just down the road from the Spa and we thought we'd give it a go as the town centre was really quiet. We walked down earlier in the day and spoke to the owner asking if we should book, she said yes as it can get quite busy. We arrived later on about 9pm to find the place completey empty... maybe we should have seen the warning signs but we thought meh this will be fun, they can't do a bad job if we're the only ones there, so we ignored the awkwardness and headed on in. Upon entering a few of the staff just stared at us, then the owner came out and showed us to a table by the window. The decoration in the place was really random, we were sat next to what seemed to be a pirate ship wooden rail with some tiger print nearby as well. The owner explained they were in the middle of a refit and that the walls had been thick with grease when she arrived.... nice just what we wanted to hear before eating... We ordered a variety of indian dishes, some starters and naans and waited whilst listening to some Indian music being play from tinny cheap speakers on the window next to us. The atmosphere was... lets say underwhelming. The starters were okay, but when the main tandoori dish came my girlfriend took a bite and bit into a stone... literally a stone! She promptly removed the stone and put it on the table. She hurt her tooth and was pretty put off from the rest of the meal. We told the staff and the owner seemed apologetic but that was as far as it went. We didn't even get the meal discounted even though we left it and my girlfriend nearly chipped her tooth. Let just say we weren't very happy and the way the staff dealt with situation and to still charge us for a meal that had a stone / grit in it... not impressed. So to sum Eastern Balti up --- WATCH OUT FOR GRIT IN YA FOOD --- This place is just to awkwardly decorated and quiet to be worth a visit when in Kendal.

We had Onion Bhajis, Pakoras and then Chicken Madras and Tikka Massala. The Madras was just hot,…read morethe Massala only sweet, sugary. Service was curt and not friendly, and the bill had a round of drinks too many on it. They were not too bothered when we pointed it out to them.

A review for the buffet with a pint here for 9.95…read more Sipping on my warm watered down excuse for a pint of carlsberg, I witness the staff pour the left over chicken tikka into another container of sauce across from my table. This may explain how the pieces of chicken whilst soaked in sauce, can yet be so dry. This restaurant takes self service to a total new experience for me. With the waitress resting her head on her elbow behind the counter, I have been left to uncover all the warm/cold food, and personally place a serving spoon into each container myself. I think had I stayed for over an hour I may get reimbursed for some of the abysmal meal with my serving contributions. Very disappointed is an understatement.

This is a well trusted Indian restaurant which ticks the right boxes for me especially by opening…read moreduring the day and I suspect this is the only one open at this time. The food is top quality and always consistent and therefore we have never had a bad meal. I have only been here during he day and it is always very quiet as we are often their only guests thou this does not surprise me as I cant see much call for an Indian restaurant in Penrith during the day anyway.

My hubby is an expert on Indian food and when he says the food is top then the food is top!!I…read moredragged my hubby into the restaurant for a takeaway while we were camping and he ordered a Chicken Madras, he was then given a complimentary beer and when his order was ready the chef even gave him free popadums and a variety of dips. Not many of takeaways do that I can tell you!!We order every Friday night from our local and have never received anything free!!The walls in the place are covered in pictures of the owner/chef with celebrities who have eaten in his restaurant and one of them has even signed saying it was the best Indian in England.

I needed some spicy food while I was working in the UK…read more Someone recommended this restaurant. We ate there and I was impressed. The lamb jalfrezi was excellent. A big plus is this restaurant also serves beer. I will say that based off of my experience it was the best Indian food I have ever had.

Excellent food in comfortable surroundings and typically very efficient service. Worth driving down…read moreto.

Pathetic service and unprofessional staff. Food was just okay, definitely not worth the price. They…read moreadded extra sides without asking to inflate the bill--seems like a scam targeting tourists. Staff doesn't even know how to communicate properly with customers. Not recommended.

The papadams and accompanying chutneys were good. The onion bhajis were tasteless and mushy. The…read moresamosas had no filling, and were made with rice paper wrappers, and were undercooked - the worst I've ever had to be honest. No tamarind chutney...well because no one in the UK makes it...the server said. Ordered the Bombay special with chicken, (that was pretty good) we also ordered the butter chicken, the sauce was not properly cooked or tasty - do not order!!! The naan (coriander and chili) was undercooked and doughy. Sadly, the overall dinner was disappointing and expensive....but I gave it 2 first because my husband (British) said this is what the British are used to. (They've not been to India) Americans would give it a one, maybe less. ..Changed to a one later, because that's my honest opinion.

Spice Island in my opinion is the best Indian Restaurant in the North East area. The food is…read moreamazing and my husband and I have been going there for years and their standard has never diminished. We know all of the staff and they are all very friendly and their service is excellent. I congratulate them on their award they truly deserve it. Maureen and George - Shildon

The best indian restaraunt in the North East, good food, good service, cannot complain at all.read more