Masala Zone Restaurant, Earls Court, London

I was staying in London for one night and this was one of the closest restaurants to my hotel so I thought of give it a go.

On the outside, the restaurant looked very stylish, warm and inviting and reasonably busy. Upon entering we were showed to a table within moments by friendly staff.

The decor was bright and contemporary with interesting touches like the suspended bamboo ceiling and clever lighting. The menu selection was impressive. Many dishes I hadn’t seen in other Indian restaurants were featured.

The service was excellent, staff were very attentive. The food arrived reasonably promptly was delicious, full of flavour and spice.

We were even able to use a discount card which gave us up to 50% off despite it being Valentines day! Our bill total came to a very impressive £22 including service charge.

On the whole, I highly rate this restaurant and would recommend it to anyone in the area and beyond. They have several branches across London and assume you will receive a similar experience at their other locations.

My partner and I live around the corner, and he tried to book a table here for a birthday dinner for 6 online. He accidentally clicked 2, realised his mistake and called the restaurant. He cancelled the wrong reservation and made the correct one under the same name of Patel. All fine. But when we arrived and I said table for 6 in the name Patel, the rude woman just said ‘No’. How terribly helpful. It took quite a while for her to realise we were in fact booked in, and she eventually sat us down.
When the food came it was cold. I’ve never had to ask to have all my food reheated before, and by the time I did get it, it was chewy and horrible. The potato pieces in my friends meal was hard and cold in the middle. Just grim.
We informed the staff of the disappointing food during the meal, and were given a small discount on the bill. I’d rather have paid in full and had nice food. Maybe I wouldn’t have minded too much if I wasn’t already cross at the icy reception we got when we arrived. We won’t be going again.

Looking into this restaurant window I saw a calm, inviting setting even though it was at its busiest. It took about 5 minutes to get a table and the staff were friendly. We got a table for two at the back of the restaurant. I was pleased to see that the waitresses weren’t annoyed at our indecisiveness as they had to come back several times. The platter for two came as a starter and in perfect portions, the waitress was kind enough to introduce the plate, if only all restaurants did this! She seemed passionate about the food and it really rubbed off on us as we tucked in. A big 10/10 for service!
The food was served in good portions although a bit pricey. They were kind enough to give us a student discount after asking however only took about £3 off the total bill of £40 which I thought was a little stingy. Overall a nice style of restaurant but if the price was more affordable I would give it a 10.

An excellent Indian restaurant in London with somewhat fair prices. The food is very good - I had a Thali plate with butter chicken curry and a variety of other stuff, all of which was very tasty. The service was also very good, all of our waiters were very polite.

Only downside are the opening times - we were frequently standing in front of the restaurant, half-starved, but quite often had to leave because they were closed during most of the afternoon. If that hadn't been the case, we'd probably have eaten here every day instead of just once!

Nice place for a first encounter with an Indian restaurant. Nice food also take away. Friendly staff, just a nice place to go to

The difference between Curry houses and authentic Indian joints are that the latter is much closer to the food that you get in India. Masala Zone is one such place thats spicier than the average curry house but hey, the fact is Indian food can also be spicy. However, this branch at Earl's court is one of the better Indian restaurants (the food is authentic Indian and is not a poor curry replica). The sweets (especially the rasmalai) are exactly the same as you get in India and overall the prices are at honest to goodness levels. Overall, excellent choice and a must visit. There could be bad days of service, but I've visited more than a couple of times and they have been consistently good.

A great place to eat when you fancy a good Indian meal! easy and convenient and the food is tasty!

Visited on Wednesday last week, and had a great spicy starter with chickpeas, followed by a thali. Couldn’t fault the food. It was great, and more traditional Indian than you usually find in the typical British any house. The only fault I could find would be the Cobra beer. I prefer Kingfisher. Although this isn’t a big issue.

I have been to the Soho branch of this Indian street food chein several times and wouldn’t normally choose to eat out in Earls Court. But a 2-for-1 offer is too good to pass and a trip to Soho too much of an efford on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
I just love the thali idea of being served a variety of delicious dishes. This latest one consisted of “black pepper chicken” - delicious and with loads for fresh herbs and spices in evidence - plus coconut potatoes and a lovely mixed vegetable curry, as well as thali, pilau rice, papadom and pickles. A very filling and most delicious meal. We opted for the lassi and chaas which complemented the food perfectly.
Admittedly the ambience does not hide the fact that this is a fast food outlet, but this type is of the highest quality and a lot more interesting than food at a similar price.
They are currently running a “2-for-1” deal which unfortunately will expire on 9 December.

I tried it a while ago and didn’t like anything.
The atmosphere, noise and lack of space was like a canteen.
The service was friendly.
The choice and taste of the food was also pretty bad. Sipping my warm Coke I gave up after half of the portion, walked to the “Delhi Brasserie” round the corner im Cromwell Rd. and - relaxed happily.
How interesting and what a blessing that we are so different.

Masala Zone has branches in Soho and Islington as well as in Earls Court. All serve the most delicious authentic Indian food from street food dishes to curry and rice, noodles to thalis (whole meals on a tray). Prices rarely go above £12 per person with drinks and it is often just £8-10. The staff are friendly and attentive and are more than happy to guide you through the menu if you have any queries. Highly recommended

I visited this place two months ago with a group of friends for a 30th birthday celebration. Not the best indian i have tasted but still very good indian food. Their curries were deliciously spicy without being overwhelming. My friend who is diabetic was able to find something in their menu structured for a diabetic. Good variety of indian food and good service. You donot need to make a reservation unless in a party of ten.
Currently there is a 2 for 1 promotion valid from sunday to thursday upto the 9th of december 2008 for two customers. This promotion is only for those eating in and excludes food to go and home delivery orders. prices usually start from about £9 per head.

I’ve eaten here a few times, the food has always been top notch. It can appear fairly pricey when everything is ordered separately from the menu. I would recommend having your chosen main as a Thali - the meal comes with rice, a naan and a few other side dishes all on one 'tray’ the service is fast and the staff are friendly and helpful.

The restaurant is large enough to accomodate a large group, it’s always been easy to get a table.

I agree with the previous reviewer about the set menu -- it is overpriced and the choice is poor. However the a la carte selection is very broad and also extremely good value for money.

Food is usually presented on a thali, with rice, chipatti/naan, a curry of your choice, as well as three smaller dishes (dahls, etc.) that the chefs change every day. It's a fantastic way to eat for £8-£10. Having said all this, you are by no means obligated to eat from a thali; you can order food presented in a more common anglo-indian fashion if you prefer.

The two curries I've tried at Masala Zone are butter chicken and rogan josh. In both cases the curries were properly spiced and the meat was extremely tender but still well cooked. I was particularly impressed by the lamb.

The starters are very tasty but perhaps not as good value as the thalis. Aloo tikka chaat, and the dabalrotis in particular are worth trying.

Masala Zone is very attractive inside; the are deep red and brown murals on the walls and pleasant lighting. The atmosphere is very relaxed and there is always a diverse mix of people there.

The service is prompt and polite (though perhaps a bit unreliable at times). Later in the evenings it can get pretty busy, but I would consider this a good thing. If you arrive before 6.30pm then you have the option of a cheaper set menu. Don't be afraid of not being able to get a table later on -- as long as you arrive before 8pm there shouldn't be a problem.

It can be very difficult to find a good indian restaurant in London; I've been caught out many times by indian restaurants that look good from the outside, but are in fact overpriced with poor food and service. Masala Zone is, on the other hand, reliable, original and very good value.

The set menu is over priced and not good value for money. The food is cold or at most warm, its over spiced and you end up just tasting spices. The potatoes were not cooked properly. The service was rubbish, had to continually keep asking for a drink or cutlery. The manager was a bit stuck up, when I asked if I could order off the normal menu she said the "terms and conditions" (?) of booking the table was to have a set menu, I said I didnt like much on it, then she had to go and consult with the Director! Have you ever heard such rubbish? It was clear they didnt want all the pre-prepared food to go to waste and they could reheat it and serve it to us. The best part of the meal was the Coke and the Ice Cream which I believe was a well known brand anyway!! I would stick to Curry Houses run by Indians who know how to cook a good curry and though sometimes annoying cant do enough for you.

Providing very affordable, good-quality Indian cuisine, Masala Zone is a venture of the more up-market Chutney Mary chain.

The service when I have been there has been very fast - it can get very busy, and is a bit noisy, so not really a place to linger for a romantic meal for two - but great if you want some decent Indian food. Recent lunch experiences have been very good - they do a two-course option for £7.95, so you can get a decent, varied meal, with a drink, for about a tenner.

This certainly adds depth to the stock of restaurants in Earl's Court, which was lacking a good Indian.

I really like this Indian restaurant. The food is good and affordable. Also the service is friendly. I like to order the plates with different sauces and vegetables.

The restaurant is accessible and they have disabled facilities. You can't reach all tables without steps.

I have just been to this Masala Zone restaurant, and things have changed for the worst....
When they first opened I was quite impressed with the modern, contemporary decor and the interesting menu. But I am afraid that the quality of the food has become really disappointing.
The curries are very powdery, the naan breads are dry (feels like they have been waiting around for a while).
Something particularly annoying with the Earls Court branch: the bottled drinks are very warm - whether it's water or red wine you are ordering. So you end up having to put ice cubes to cool things down - which is ok for water but less brilliant for red wine.

Still nice decor, but even at the reasonable prices the food is poor value for money.

Extremely good value for Indian food.

Fairly new chain of modern Indian restaurants; we have eaten several times at the Earl's Court location.
Food is good value, atmosphere nice and relaxed, but service can be a bit patchy (although always with a smile). Good option for dinner with friends.