Holi and Bhang Indian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Durham

Great location just overlooking Durham. Evening started with popidum on patio with our first drinks and enjoyed rest of the meal inside. Restaurant has great bling and atmosphere only small but makes it more family and personnal. Food was amazing Salmon curry and Railway curry great too. Starters n desserts good Vegitarian choice too. Like to come back soon even for a drink.

If I was rating only the food this place would get a banging 5 ⭐( well, maybe 4 as the rice portions were on the very small side). The lamb was cooked perfectly, sauces were rich and full of flavour and the paneer starter was incredible and beautifully presented. The naan bread was incredible. Food aside, the wheels fell off slightly with the service side of our experience. We booked a table for 9pm, this didn't seem to be a problem but I wasn't made aware they closed at 10pm. We ordered starters to come out with the mains but they arrived first , which wasn't an issue but this meant that we weren't served our mains until around 940. The kitchen was being closed down by this time and staff were finishing their shift which made for an uncomfortable inhalation of our main course ( and lack of photos to add to this review) made even more awkward by the silence from the broken music system and the lights being turned out around us . With staff sitting on nearby tables waiting to leave we didn't dare ask for another drink or to see the dessert menu ( on reflection my waistline is thankful for this 😅). All in all the food was fantastic and I'd return based on that alone but maybe the timings for last service should be reviewed so people don't feel rushed and uncomfortable.

Overall the ambience is very good and service is also great to compliment the lovely ambience. Food is ok in taste as we had ordered Panner Makhani and it felt like I was eating panner dipped in tomato ketchup but other curry was good in taste and had good texture. Overall I would recommend the place

Food was excellent. Room is nicely presented. Staff helpful.
Mostly though, the chef is terrific!
I've eaten at a lot of Indian-style restaurants and this is up there with the best.
I had some tasty lamb chops for starters and sea bass with a lovely thick, spicy, sauce for mains. All recommend.

A good selection of dishes that you don’t ordinarily find on Indian’s menus. Soft-shell crab and duck breast were superb. Go for something different, it’s likely going to be rewarding.

It's a small dining area but the food and service was excellent. Chilli rate on menu was a bit misleading for me .
2 chilli was more like3 and 1 more like 2.
But that could just be my taste.

The food was fantastic, the balance of flavours is great. Spicier than I am used too, I normally go for much milder curry choices but each dish had something to cool your palate and the spice was never overpowering as a result.

The Tahli option was great as it gave me a broad base of styles, tastes and textures to try and I was not disappointed!

I have only ever found two Indian restaurants I would revisit and often do, miles apart from one another but if I was ever in that area those are the only places I would order an Indian meal from and on Durham I can't see how it can get better than this!

One lady taking orders and organising the deliveries as I went during a quiet weekday in January but she was polite, friendly and helpful, she advised me of each dish, what was in it, and kept my water topped up for me. Always on hand but never overbearing she's clearly an expert in her field.

First and last visit, unfortunately. Everything was nicely presented but sadly the flavours weren't good. Both curries were hotter than you'd expect 'medium' to be, which would have been fine had it not been for the overpowering taste of tomato puree. The peshwari naan breads weren't great either, the filling was dry and tasteless. This is the only Indian restaurant I've ever been to where I've had an really unpleasant meal, some places are better than others but none have been this disappointing. Service was ok, could have been quicker but no real complaints there, just the food that let the place down.