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A Guide to the Best Indian Restaurants in Your Area

The Lantern

Updated: Jan 17

A top-down view of a white plate with three pieces of golden-brown garlic naan bread, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with fresh cilantro. Next to it is a small silver bowl filled with a rich, red lamb curry, garnished with a sprig of cilantro and fried onions.

Discover what defines the best Indian restaurants. From the highest quality food to exceptional service and prime locations, find the best curry house near you.


No matter what town you may be passing through in the UK, from the Shetland Islands to Penzance, you can bet your hat on finding a top-notch Indian curry house close by. And the reason is simple. We Brits love our curry. So much so that one in five people in the UK eat curry every week.


But how can you tell the best Indian restaurants from the rest? Let’s explore.


What is the Best Indian Restaurant?

Just like our taste buds, Indian cuisine is so diverse. You could eat curry every day for the rest of your life, and you still wouldn’t try every recipe. And even if you did, your experience would differ wildly from the person sitting next to you.


The point is that the answer to the best Indian restaurant is subjective. It depends on the food you eat and the dining experience you like to enjoy. Only you can know once you’ve dined there.


But either way, it makes for a great debate among other curry lovers.


So, let’s define what parts of the sum make the best Indian restaurants, beginning with the all-important distinction – the food.


How to Find the Best Indian Restaurants Near Me?

Put your phone down and follow your nose. Here are our five ways to find the best Indian restaurants.


1. Food

We like to think eating curry is a bit like having a hug. When it’s great it warms your soul. When it’s bad it’s still comforting.


That’s why judging between a place on TripAdvisor with a “4.7” compared to a “4.5” isn’t always a good strategy for finding the best Indian restaurant near you. Deep down, the only way you can really know is to tap into your senses and try the food for yourself.


Obviously, please avoid the places with overwhelmingly bad reviews. We do have review systems for a reason. However, there’s no point splitting rice grains between a “4.5” and a “4.6”.


But before choosing your restaurant, have a good look at the menu. You want to recognise authentic Indian cuisine with traditional spices. Plus, the more variety on the menu, the better.


2. Atmosphere  

So, you’re walking down your high street, and you pass an empty Indian restaurant with a bored waiter at the back polishing cutlery behind the bar before arriving at another Indian restaurant packed to the rafters with so much condensation on the windows you can barely see inside.


Now, which one do you go to? The latter. Obviously.


The price for the best curry house in town might come with mild sensory overloads and a slightly longer wait for the food, but there’s a good reason the place is busy compared to empty.


When in doubt, follow the crowd. Plus, trust the experts if you can.


Just like choosing a place to eat on holiday, the one packed with locals away from the tourist hotspots is normally the best bet.


3. Service

We don’t choose to eat out for the food alone. If that was the case, why wouldn’t we just stay at home and order a takeaway? No, we go out for dinner for the experience, and so much of our dining experience is subject to the standards of service.


What starts with a friendly greeting and getting drinks quickly to quench your thirst should end without waiting too long for the bill and a generous tip. The best Indian restaurants provide a service that exceeds your expectations.


From the basics of getting the right food on time so everyone can eat together to sharing recommendations and even making patrons laugh, the best Indian restaurants can’t rely on their food and atmosphere alone to dazzle their guests.


They need their front-of-house happy, knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile. (Something we pride ourselves on!)


4. Location  

Food, tick. Atmosphere, tick. Service, tick. What more can we want? Well, how about the location?


Can we sit outside on an elegant terrace with a view of natural beauty in the distance? (You can at The Lantern in Malvern.)


Perhaps not everywhere has the privilege of a lovely location, but to make our Indian dining experience even better, where we are can be the difference between excellent and exceptional.


After all, what’s better than tucking into some succulent chicken Makhani when you have an incredible view to enjoy as you savour the flavour?


5. Extras

Finally, on top of everything, to decide the best Indian restaurants, how about those finer features? Here, we’re talking about whether we have hassle-free parking, wheelchair accessibility and dog-friendly, inclusive values.


When deciding between the best curry houses, it can take an extra special touch of convenience to make the whole occasion unforgettable.


It might be the peace of mind of parking without problems or the freedom of bringing your dog with you. Before you dine, look for those added extras. Because when all is said and done, the best Indian restaurants are those willing to go the extra mile for you.


For the Best Indian Restaurant in Malvern, Look No Further Than the Lantern

At the Lantern, we offer innovative Asian fusion cuisine that takes our guests on a culinary journey from Penang to Lake Rara.


Located on the doorstep of the majestic Malvern Hills, we’re a dog-friendly establishment that welcomes our guests to enjoy stunning walks in the area before settling in for some wholesome Indian and fragrant Thai flavours.


Visit our website for more details and to book a table.

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