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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

PRICE RANGE
US$25 - US$64
CUISINES
Indian, Asian, Balti, Bangladeshi
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
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meals, features
Reviews (885)
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878 results
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Traveller rating
545
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41
35
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All reviews curry poppadoms rogan josh rice lamb king prawns onion bhaji indian restaurant take away waiters mains takeaway norfolk
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Reviewed 6 August 2023

We stopped off for a meal here with friends on the spur of the moment and they accommadated us with no problems and were very nice and friendly.The food here was delicious and so was the beers.The price was slightly more than the usual Indian...restaurants that are close by,but it is well worth the extra money,as the food was very good and the menu has better choices and different types of traditional Indian food.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 28 July 2023

My wife and I were recommended this curry house for a good meal, being from Cardiff we didnt know where to go we read the reviews and thought we would try it and we were not disappointed. We booked our table for 2 and we...were greeted and seated by friendly staff on arrival. The restaurant had a good feeling about it. We ordered our meals as well as a few extras and they were delicious I can truly say one of the best curries we have had. The service was very good especially our waiter Samek. We would highly recommend this curry house if you are in Norwich centre.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 20 June 2023 via mobile

Both the kids were out so the wife and I ordered a delivery from here ,Stright away the kebab starter didn’t look right , but I said nothing to the wife not to disappoint and ate it anyway … No favour at all , undercooked...and to be honest looked like feces covered with onions , Moved over to the mains the rice was ok ( can’t really mess that up ) the chicken tikka again looked dodgy just about 6 chucks and sauce …. Chicken was very dry with no taste …. I mean NONE only managed 3 chunks and threw it away , the sauce again had no spice at all and was just bland ,Nan bread was the smallest Nan bread seen to man … NO JOKE . DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND CLOSE THIS PAGE AND LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSEMore

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 16 June 2023 via mobile

Visited whilst in town on business, I dined alone but enjoyed my visit. Great menu and the food was tasty, staff very attentive and it was quite busy for early evening on a Tuesday. Will definitely return when I am back in the area.

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 3 June 2023

Our first visit here and will be returning! The food was delicious, full of flavour the service exceptional.

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 1 June 2023

Great food enjoyed by all, and given its in the city centre, reasonably priced. Great service too. My only slight criticism is the limited menu. For example you can get a Chicken Bhuna and a Lamb Madras but not a Lamb Bhuna or a Chicken...Madras, which is unusual for a curry house. Would definitely go backMore

Date of visit: May 2023
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Reviewed 9 May 2023

Visited on Friday evening with my wife. Had excellent food and service. We both had starters and main course. I had the lamb samosas and my wife the onion bhaji. For mains I had fish curry and my wife the veg korma. All very nicely...cooked and presented. Would highly recommend.More

Date of visit: May 2023
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Reviewed 19 April 2023 via mobile

Eaten here lots of times and the overall experience is generally good. However, this most recent visit really did put me off returning because they got so much wrong right through the meal: Chicken Jalfrezi was served barely warm, no spiciness or freshness at all,...chicken was in huge chunks, which had been reheated - not something a restaurant can disguise. Replacement dish was only just hot enough despite the jalfrezi issue. To avoid reheated chicken I ordered lamb korai and yes, huge chunks of lamb, dry and tasteless. Reheated. Another family member chose their usual dish, simple staple of chicken tikka masala. Sauce was thin and tasteless, more large chunks of chicken - reheated. No freshness whatsoever. Half was left uneaten - unique for the diner in question as she loves a good CTM! Overall, a very disappointing meal and one of the worst Indian meals I have ever had. They got so much wrong. Goodness knows what’s happening with quality control in the kitchen that they failed miserably and at the prices charged should never serve food that isn’t hot or fresh and is reheated.More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 15 February 2023

I sat in on Valentine's Day. It's a nice restaurant with sexy lighting and decent staff. It really isn't expensive, maybe a pound or two more for a main but everything else is standard price. The menu has about 20 mains on. It is better...to do 20 mains exceptionally well, rather than 50 averagely well. On the whole the food was rather good. The lamb madras was the best I'd ever had... and I've had so many. Portions were good. Naans were lovely and I love that they don't cut them up into segments like a pizza which is a thing Indian restaurants seem to be doing these days. The sag paneer seemed to have more butter than it did sag but that is really the only small negative I can think of... and it was eaten. Poppadoms and pickles were crisp and nicely presented, correct portions sizes. Ultimately this is one of the best meals out I've had in a long time, I can't understand the negative reviews about 'authenticity', it isn't what a family eats in at home in India, but Indian restaurants never are... they are a British take on curry, and it was absolutely excellent. Care and effort seemed to go into the food and it is noticeable. I will return.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 10 February 2023 via mobile

Had a cracking curry here with the boys. Been multiple times on different occasions and never disappoints. Samek was brilliant in his service always attentive and positive. Great service would recommend. 👍

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 8 February 2023

Oh dear. This used to be, in our view, the best curry house in the city. My wife and I had a takeaway a few weeks ago which was disappointing, but decided to try it again last night in case that was a one-off. It...was truly awful. In both meals, the chicken was tough, the sauce just big lumps of onion in a flavourless orange liquid with a few whole chillis - virtually uncooked and raw - and a big chunk of red pepper thrown in. No flavour and not nice to eat. Ws'll be going elsewhere in future.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 29 January 2023 via mobile

Myself and my partner had dinner here on Saturday evening as a birthday treat for us both. The service was brilliant and the food was absolutely fantastic. Despite the restaurant being full when we left, it wasn't noisy and the atmosphere was lovely. We will...certainly be going again soon. *****More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 28 January 2023

Ordered on Just Eat but the order arrived with incorrect items. What we did get was very dry chicken and generally bland food. Although our order arrived quickly it didn’t seem freshly cooked. Two items were missing. Contacted the restaurant straightaway but they weren’t interested...in resolving our complaint. They told us to call Just Eat but they don’t take calls they refer you to their website. Won’t be using this restaurant againMore

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?2  
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Reviewed 17 January 2023 via mobile

We live in Berkshire but we were in Norfolk to attend a inquest and wanted somewhere outside of the hotel to eat. My sister in law found this restaurant on Google and I called to check if it was disabled friendly as my husband is...in a wheelchair. We arrived at the restaurant and found the staff to be very helpful and friendly which relaxed us straightaway after a very hard day. We ordered our food and in no time at all our food arrived, well all I can say after that is that the food was excellent in fact we all agreed the onion bhajis were the best we have ever had and the rest of our meal was delicious as well. We won’t be coming back to Norfolk again but if we did this would be a restaurant we would love to eat in again.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 31 December 2022 via mobile

Ordered through uber eats. Driver gave half our order to another customer. When called was basically told to f**k off! Called merchants of spice who didn't really want to know said they would send out the rest of our order but didn't! paid for food...and not received! as a regular customer I will not be visiting again nor will my family or wider circle of friends. Shocking service.More

Date of visit: December 2022
Helpful?2  
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Questions & Answers
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Moose221
30 May 2017|
AnswerShow all 3 answers
Response from coled412 | Reviewed this property |
I don't think so either but there are plenty of shops on Magdalen Street who sell halal.
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Olimccoan
25 October 2016|
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Response from MartaGKG | Reviewed this property |
There is not a parking associated with the restaurant
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Matt91norwich
29 September 2016|
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Response from judeo642 | Reviewed this property |
If you want vegan Indian food, go to Namaste on Opie Street.
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THE MERCHANTS OF SPICE, Norwich - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Food Delivery & Takeaway - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Merchants of Spice

Yes, The Merchants of Spice offers takeaway services.

The Merchants of Spice is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5