Reviews of VEL - Indian Kitchen And Bar. (Restaurant) in Reading (Berkshire).

VEL - Indian Kitchen And Bar

455 Reviews

205 Comments

Restaurant

Restaurant

73-75 Whitley St, Berkshire, Reading RG2 0EG, United Kingdom

Description

Information of VEL - Indian Kitchen And Bar, Restaurant in Reading (Berkshire)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

Map

Open hours of VEL - Indian Kitchen And Bar

Popular times

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Reviews of VEL - Indian Kitchen And Bar

M. G.

This Indian restaurant is situated right across 'Reading Hindu Temple'. Ambiance is good also location is situated in prime corner. Food is delicious however litle over budget. Hospitality is also as good as food. I had sweet corn soup and veg Biryani, both are equally good. Will visit once again. Bon appétit!!! Cheers to life!!!

P. D.

By a very long measure the best South Indian food that we have had outside India or Malaysia. A meal here is like an evening trip to the Indian districts of Kelang or Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur. The flavours are rich and authentic and the staff hospitable and attentive. Outstanding on all counts.

D. T.

Very interesting food. We had the Thosi (Dosa) - chicken, masala paneer and omelette and a mushroom dish. All very tasty, and filling. Excellent value for money and certainly worth more visits to sample the whole range.

J. H.

Good place be it for snacks or for a complete meal as well. Starters has multiple options and a veg and a non veg platter option as well. Snacks like chuda(mixture) and chakli are also available at the counter for sale. Giving 4 stars as the Mutton Biryani was not as up to the mark.

T. D.

Food was good only bad dish was the lamb chops which had good flavour, but for the price they were too thin and were very burnt. Also the service was not good, there was only 1 guy taking the orders, serving the food and cleaning tables. The starters took about 20-25 minutes to arrive, which is too long for the dishes ordered. At least two people are needed at the front- not just one.

D.

Good for South Indian food especially dosa. Not sure about other cuisines on the menu. I recommend you stick to South Indian as this is their speciality.

T. L.

Sunday lunch buffet 1pm £8.50 for meat £7.50 for vegetarian. Overall good for the price. The best parts are the chicken curry, Dahl, chicken wings, fried rice and pancakes. Vegetarian dishes were a bit bland but tasted fine (I'm not Indian and have no authority on South Indian cuisine). Food was not spicy. Not your standard Indian buffet, don't expect chicken Tikka masala or saag paneer.

S. H. T.

Slow & haphazard service....albeit politely. Excellent food, especially mutton biryani, fresh naan and coconut rice. I would normally knock one star off for the service, but the biryani deserves 6 stars, so all quits.

e. s.

Very good place for south Indian dishes.Vada dipped in sambar is a must try along with chicken kothu and veg kothu.One thing though, if you plan to dine in make sure to have ample time, since they take time to serve.Online ordering works best in that case.

S. P.

Food is very good and reasonably priced. Staff are friendly. You can expect wait time after you place an order.

A. U.

The food was delicious today. We enjoyed our chilli paneer, masala appalam, piping hot biryani and a well cooked Vel’s uttapam. We were served by Deepika. She was very friendly and attentive. We will definitely visit again soon :)

M. A.

If you like Indian food, this one has good variety. Mainly south Indian food like Dosa, Idli etc. is good. Good variety for non-vegetarian food as well. Service is the not the fastest. So, if you have a lot of time, this is a good one.

A. C.

Best South Indian restaurant I have tried for taste so far in UK.

A. K.

Great tasting food. Would recommend dining at the restaurant and not doing takeaway or delivery.

S. H.

Cafe style....slightly random service... but excellent food

Y. S.

Tasty South Indian food. One of the best option in Reading. Only problem I saw was limited parking & exit door of restaurant which gives a cold air wave inside if anybody opens it.

N. S.

A very good and authentic South Indian restaurant. Best for breakfast dishes - Dosa, Vada, Chole Battura, puri masala

F. S.

So professional and such a friendly team. All of their food was amazing,especially the masala dosa 10/10

A. R.

Great food, but slow service, in the end the wait was worth it !

v. v.

Good vegetarian food.poori masala was super

N. B.

This rating is based only on collection orders. Over the past few months we have ordered 2-3 times a month and thoroughly enjoyed the food. The food is spicy and authentic. It’s not like other Indian restaurants which are based on North Indian cuisine ( and usually made less spicy to accommodate a larger customer base). The price of the food is very reasonable and tasted good. I would just say, when collecting, take a second to check your order to ensure that there isn’t something missing due to miscommunication.

C. C.

Lot of things on menu. South Indian Tiffin's are good. You can go with family. Prices are reasonable. Ambience is decent, staff is good. Not a long waiting time for food. Presentation of food was decent. Can go with family nice place. On weekends a perfect place for BRUNCH .. u get heavy with good variety of food. Opposite there is Indian temple as well.

D. S.

The food is awesome ...... But my favourite is masala tea... U need to try VEL guys it's amazing

A. C.

This place sure knows how to take care of their clients. Constantly with a very kind mindset. The food is conveniently priced, regularly tasty and clean.

m. c.

I live nearby and have walked past many times until today. Spontaneous visit and hugely surprised. Excellent cocktails and ambience. The food was a new culinary delight. It was great to see the Chef's cooking to order and added to the experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A. W.

Popped in on our way to Progress Theatre for a quick meal. We were served promptly and the food was delicious. We will definitely be going back again soon in a more leisurely way. We just had dosas this time, but the starters look very tempting. Yum! Service was friendly and quick.

A.

I would go Vel only if feel to try South Indian cuisine as there not many south Indian restaurants in Reading. You can go for typical South dish like dosa go for it. When I asked what is special vegetarian dish I was told "Bindi fry" which is not south Indian special.

S. P.

One of the good restaurant in Reading.Best option for Indian food or Indian food lover.

B. R.

Very good South Indian restaurant. Food taste is awesome. Loved the variety of dosa's. Very friendly and efficient staff. There was only one staff member managing all the tables and she did an amazing job in keeping all customers happy. Wait time for our food orders was less.

S. W.

I'm told by some colleagues who were in the UK from Mumbai that this was the best, most authentic Indian food they had eaten in Reading. I had the mutton biryani and it was amazing. My wife had a chicken tikka masala (yes, this one is debatable in terms of being authentic) and she loved it. Will definitely go back.

B. D.

Lovely masala dosas with yummy sambar. Good service. Reasonable prices.

S. M.

When we rate it has to be based on what kind of joint we went to and what we were expecting and what we paid for. This is an economical informal south Indian restaurant with plenty of choices in south Indian cuisine and quite a few multi cuisine choices. The familiar humdrum of an Indian off-street restaurant and even though there are only two or three servers for 30 or so, and you have to get the attention of the waiter, you do get served quickly enough. We had lots of Dosas, chhole bhature, Manchurian, lassi, south Indian filter coffee, beer and fizz. We were 5 of us and still paid just under £30. I recommend it for what it is and would certainly go there again.

K. N.

The food is good but the service is very very poor. I have worked at restaurants before and we have managed large crowds despite being a small team. Considering the ratio of diners to waiting staff is very manageable, your service is very slow and unmanaged. I wouldn’t blame the waiting staff - you need an experienced manager to train them.

C. F.

Good food and good experience. One of my personal favourite is Dosa and buffet food on Saturday and Sundays. The buffet is well priced and food quality is very good. Been a regular customer. All the staff is very friendly. Cosmina and Hayden you are the best!! :)

V. L. B. R.

It is a good place to eat Indian food. Order taking process needs a bit of improvement hence lost a star. I had to remind them about my second order and I was sitting there waiting and there weren't that many people at the I was there. With their present ordering mechanism, when it gets busier it is more likely to get more chaotic.

V. M.

Wow some real nice authentic South Indian food. Highly recommended and with the ability to customise your dosas. Good spread of food options, they even serve alcohol if you fancy a drink. Nice touch at the checkout with freshly made Paan!

R. V.

Visited on a Sunday afternoon. The interiors are eye catching, staff is friendly, service is efficient, taste very delicious, toilets were clean, prices are competitive. Overall a very nice experience, one which we won't hesitate to repeat soon.

s. m.

Wonderful food and some excellent filter coffee

s. n.

We ordered chicken lollipop and podi masala dosa.. dosa n sambar was really good but lollipop was very hard n chewy. They replaced it but it was same as before. Service was good. Only two staff to look after but they do their job well. They are polite.

S. K.

It's not fine dine restaurant but good indian dishes, specially south indian with economic price tags. Must try breakfast buffets on Sat n Sundays. They started selling snack items (banana chips etc) on the counter. Usually full on weekends..Must visit place.

S. Q.

Quick, friendly, very good food, reasonable prices, booze license - what's not to like ? If you're willing to try something different from the normal northern Indian restaurants then give VEL a go ! If in doubt try a Masala Dosa (best eaten with your right hand but cutlery provided). Note that they spell Dosa as Thosa, guess it's how you pronounce it.

C. C.

My partner and I come here quite regularly. She is half Indian and spent a lot of time there and is the one who introduced me to dosa. The dosa (thosai) is great and the sambal that comes with it is exceptional. We have noticed that sometimes the dosa is slightly better than on other visits as I think some of the chef's might make them slightly different (some times they are thinner/crisper than others). The mutton biryani is also amongst the best we have ever had.

M. N.

Very nice Indian food. The mutton varuval was really good. The Naans were also quite nice. The paratha was okay, so was the palak paneer. The Mango Lassi is quite nice

m. k.

I have been here before but today the service was very poor. The waiters had no clue in taking orders. We finished our food and they didnt bring our drinks and then they served us tea at once. One more thing was, one of the waiter really stunk of body odour and that deally put me off my food. Please ask your men staff to be clean and wear deodorant. Its a eating place and not their home.

A. K.

Nice, and I think the only, south Indian restaurant in Reading, though it is a bit out of the way. Parking can also be a bit of a hassle as there are not many parking spots nearby. Food is good though. Oh, and they don't take payments by card.

R. V.

Visited on a Sunday afternoon. The interiors are eye catching, staff is friendly, service is efficient, taste very delicious, toilets were clean, prices are competitive. Overall a very nice experience, one which we won't hesitate to repeat soon.

s. k.

Tasty food

a. b.

Excellent South Indian food at a very affordable price. The sambar here tastes out of the world! They also have a small parking place at the back for which they provide a parking pass on request.

V. M.

Good food and fantastic service by friendly front of house. I was offered a free lassi as I was sweating profusely, although I explained that it was normal. She kept insisting me to have the free drink. Keep it up

S. W.

I'm told by some colleagues who were in the UK from Mumbai that this was the best, most authentic Indian food they had eaten in Reading. I had the mutton biryani and it was amazing. My wife had a chicken tikka masala (yes, this one is debatable in terms of being authentic) and she loved it. Will definitely go back.

N. W.

Gorgeous amazing tastes. Great cocktails. An authentic atmosphere- the ambience is from the heart and from the origins of the food

A. K.

Nice, and I think the only, south Indian restaurant in Reading, though it is a bit out of the way. Parking can also be a bit of a hassle as there are not many parking spots nearby. Food is good though. Oh, and they don't take payments by card.

D. M.

A delicious takeaway. Veg. samosa excellent as was the mutton byriani. Some places serve this with a sauce but perhaps without is the South Indian way. Two of us shared the byriani with a serving of mixed veg curry. Generous portion of byriani so we both had enough. The byriani was flavoured interestingly, spicier then some but not too hot. Recommend giving them a try. Please like 👍🏼 if you find this review useful.

O. S.

Great dhosa and chutneys. Reasonable price and relaxed atmosphere adds to the experience. Will go back to try the other dishes - such as byrianies and curries.

A. A.

Amazing buffet. the taste of each and every item is great. if you are craving good Indian and south-indian food. This is the place to be!

N. M.

Good South Indian food. The place is clean and tidy. Helpful staff. There is no parking place though. You can park in a space opposite the restaurant.

S. K.

Mutton was chewy,burned and certainly old. Quality is not up to mark. My order was given to someone else and ended up waiting for them to come back.

V. M.

Good food and fantastic service by friendly front of house. I was offered a free lassi as I was sweating profusely, although I explained that it was normal. She kept insisting me to have the free drink. Keep it up

A. S. (.

Wonderful food at very affordable prices. This is my favourite place for South Indian food in Reading. They have very good choice of vegetarian dishes.

M. G.

Very delicious south Indian food. Nice n comfy environment. Child friendly. Would definitely recommend.

L. o. p.

I love the food here. Deepika has always made us feel welcomed. Everything I’ve ordered so far has been tasty. Would recommend this place

T. A.

Great South Indian food and very good value

s. d.

Unlike most of the Indian eateries where all the dishes taste the same, VEL has managed to maintain a relatively smaller menu and food tastes better.

N. W.

Gorgeous amazing tastes. Great cocktails. An authentic atmosphere- the ambience is from the heart and from the origins of the food

W. T.

This place was very good before the refurbishment/name change and I was worried about some recent bad reviews. Fortunately everything was spot on this evening - both the food and the service were excellent.

D. H.

Wow. Wonderfulyl crisp and fluffy bhatura. Perfect chettinadu curries. Food to die for. A real treat for south Indian curry fans. 11 out of 10. I'll be back:-) :-)

H. F.

Good food poor services.. They struggle to understand English or Indian language and what they say in Menu staff don't know even the meaning of it.. . Need better staff to work there .. Food was OK 👌🆗

R. T.

Good food, the traditional south Indian food is relatively cheap, the main dishes are priced as other Indian dishes locally.

L. S.

The food taste and quality is not maintained the same all the time. And I definitely agree with bad hospitality. The receptionist is not reallly inviting, the other service woman are ok.

D. P.

The food was good but i wish the menu had more options. The waiter couldn't even understand what we had ordered.

A. G.

Delicious

S. P.

Fantastic food. Very authentic and tastiest South Indian food, especially the biriyani was awesome. Strongly recommended.

S. G.

Very nice

N. C.

Wonderful example of South Indian cuisine have had a lovely meal here today would recommend that you come and give it a go.

M. A.

Tasty food! It’s a shame that portions at small and overpriced. Sadly will not go again until the prices are reasonable.

S. A. A.

Crowded but food is not at all value for money. Its average food. But yes Homely feel, as food is as same as we can make well at home ;)

D. N.

The food was very good would recommend the doss and idly but alone of the other currries had a hair strand in the curry which really put me off

G. S.

Great south Indian food, highly recommended. They have a wide variety of drinks and foods. Delicious starter and main.

V. M.

All the food we've tried was delicious and the price of cocktails low. Just be careful in the toilets as the floor is very slippery.

A. B.

Nice food but we waited several minutes for all our meals to come out - it wasn't busy.

R. T.

I like the different south indian dishes here some are really reasonable priced..

S. P.

Vel said they deliver lunch time. Unfortunately they failed to deliver. Count your lucky stars. Some day in a week they deliver. But honestly good food

S. S.

Awesome as always. I had the breakfast buffet. It was so yummy and tasty. Enjoyed it with my family

M. G.

Very good option for Indian food in Reading. But they stopped serving brunch buffet on weekends.

A. C.

Good quality and fast service limited seating but on weekdays evening was quiet busy no seating available good sign for the business

N. K.

The best South Indian food you can find in and around Reading. Excellent food, it’s very good.

S. N. C.

Cons the sparce availability of Indian outlets I'd rate this as ok which otherwise is a sub normal restaurant and food quality per Indian standards

S. B.

Very nice South Indian food. The best dosa I had in recent times.

P. J.

Decent south Indian restaurant. Chennai Super Kings dosa is a must try .

J. T.

Little busy but food is very good tried paneer chili, dosa and Gobi Manchurian

A. D.

Good south Indian food

D. K.

Quick service. Good quality south Indian food.

J. R.

Food quality is good but bit pricey. Removing menu from the restaurant window is not a great move.

R. F.

Great food, great service, great staff

S. R.

Amazing south Indian food with lots of variety and tastes good.

G. T.

Food is good if served hot.

d. t.

Good south Indian food only ndo not order biryani

S. C.

Nice south Indian cuisine. Neat and clean ambience.

S. S.

Doesn't have the best customer service but there's decent food.

S. P.

Budget friendly restaurant

i. S.

One of the best south Indian restaurant

M. D.

Good south indian food but delayed service

R. B.

The food was good but the service is very slow.

M. K. J.

Food is good service time can be improved upon.

A. B.

Excellent place for South Indian breakfast, £6.5 breakfast buffet

B. S.

Delicious, authentic food and very good prices

P. W.

Good food but no card payment facility

j. p.

Great Food. Deepika’s service was excellent.

R. K.

Food is not that tasty. Too much waiting time for service.

A. V.

Decent quality takeaway south Indian food

D. K.

Great food, great taste with excellent value for money

S. Ś.

Food quality is good, but customer service is bad.

y. s.

Poor service not able to handle crowd. Food is delicious

s. p.

Delicious authentic South Indian restaurant with prompt service

J. L.

Good atmosphere, delicious food, relaxed - I'll be back

J. C.

Dosa is delicious, would highly recommend worth the wait!

a. j.

improved service compared to chennai dosa or namaste kerala

R. S.

Fab food (& cocktails!), Great value.

S. H.

Amazing food!

G. U.

Ok restaurant for South indian food at Reading

V. B. R.

Evenings on weekends, it is buzzing with customers. Great food.

K. j.

Authentic south Indian food!!Delicious

S. G.

Saturday and Sunday good variety breakfast buffet

A. S.

South Indian food is ok but nothing else

I. S.

Great food, slow service.

D. H.

Excellent food. Superb Gobi Manchurian!

R.

Awesome south Indian (Tamilnadu) taste👌

M. g.

Amazing Food Options and Authentic Taste!

H. C.

Great rava dosa, would recommend

E. H.

Amazing good, great service and very well priced

J. K. K.

Good tamil foods available and good taste!

A. B.

South Indian dishes are pretty good.

B. M.

Surprisingly nice experience

n. k.

Very good food and service

M. S. K.

Best place in Reading to have a dosa!

M. R.

Good food n nice ambience

H. K. T.

A good place for Indian food, refreshments and drinks.

W. M.

yummy food. ill have any day

K. B.

Very nice, tasted my home food.

T. D.

Very delicious south indian foods

A. G.

Fantastic food and good service

A. B.

Good food, very poor service

R. P.

Nice and tasty food. Good people

A. G.

Food is really good and tasty.

M. S.

Nice place for indian food

N. L.

Great dosa!

V. C.

Excellent food, helpful staff

L. P.

Needs to accept card's 💳 /not only cash

D. C.

nice food friendly staff

s. k.

Tasty food

D. J.

Nice food, quite costly

a. t.

Fresh dosa and excellent coffee

M. D.

Take away is good

P. M.

Nice experience good food

P.

Good spicy Indian food

S. P.

Good south Indian restaurant in Reading

B. K.

Authentic South indian food

C. M.

Great food and great service

s. b.

Excellent food

R. G.

Great food & service!!

a. l.

Nice food and good service

A. D.

Great food and service.

S. J.

Good food

A. S.

Great food ☺️

R. A.

Good Value for money

C. S.

Food is good. Service is excellent.. bit costly compared to others. But they promised to bring down the price soon... Need to check later.

B. B.

Good south Indian food

J. L.

Tasty indian food

N. N.

Good food and service

M. A.

South Indian food !

N. P.

Very nice food

v. b.

Good food This time

J. G. (.

Food wad OK.

K. M.

Ok

m. s.

New cheap price

B. E.

Great food.

N. P.

Best in brighton

R. C.

Amazing food.

R. G.

Overall food is very good.

p. s.

Liked the food

J. S.

Great place

K. M.

Ok

D. C.

Pretty good

V. M.

Authentic dosas

S. J.

Good food

p. s.

Liked the food

P. O.

We took a buffet on Sunday. For 5 pounds it's the best you can get. It's south Indian Tamil style. The rice sambar rasam are decent even chapatis were good to my surprise. Curry's and dessert could be better. Buttermilk was the highlight.

D. J.

Food was great, staff very friendly. As a side note you will have to wait a little while for your food as they cook to order.

R. C.

(Translated) First time I eat in here and the brunette girl advised us very well, excellent quality of food and decent place. (Original) Prima volta che mangio qua dentro e la ragazza mora ci ha consigliato molto bene, qualità ottima del cibo e posto discreto.

J. S.

(Translated) Masala dosa v nice (Original) Masala dosa v nice

S. G.

N. D. J.

A. S.

g. R.

K. G.

F. A. B.

L. D.

s. g.

s. t.

H. v.

V. T.

a. h.

V. V.

K.

B. K.

Contact

Photos