Family-run Indian restaurant in Derby city centre named best in Derbyshire by readers
Earlier this month, we asked our readers what their favourite Indian restaurant is in Derbyshire. The county has countless fantastic Indian and Southeast Asian restaurants scattered between its borders, but more than 2,500 voters had their say to determine the 'best'.
Friar Gate's The Spice Lounge claimed the top spot, earning an outstanding 1,378 votes, followed by Taj Palace in Chesterfield (478) and Nicco Restaurant and Bar in Pride Park (399). The Spice Lounge is an Indian / Bangladeshi restaurant with a modern interior and a wide-ranging menu.
Since opening its doors back in 2010, the restaurant has gone from "strength to strength" according to general manager Kerron Miah, who said the staff were "delighted" to be recognised by the county's diners. The 40-year-old, who travels from Walsall to Derby each day to work in the restaurant, said: "It means so much to be named the best in Derbyshire at what we do.
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"As a team, we put so much effort and hard work into making this place the best it can be and we are so grateful to our customers for this award. There are some great Asian restaurants in Derby, but as an Indian restaurant our food is slightly different to some of the other popular spots in the city.
"It's a family-run business that has moved from strength to strength over the last decade and we previously won an award at the Great British Food Awards, which was also fantastic and we were so pleased to be recognised. The reception over the last ten years has been fantastic and we absolutely love working in the city.
"We have formed a strong collection of regulars over the years and The Spice Lounge has an excellent atmosphere. We are just so over the moon to be named as the best by Derbyshire Live readers, we promise to keep up the hard work and continue to represent Derby the best we can."
Not only is The Spice Lounge popular among our readers, but it also boasts an impressive 4.5/5 star rating on Tripadvisor from more than 750 reviews. One reviewer, gilloBristol labelled it an "efficient" and "friendly" restaurant, stating: "We visited the Spice Lounge as a group of seven, the restaurant was busy but our table was ready on time.
"The staff were very efficient and friendly. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. After a very delicious but spicy curry they kindly provided a dish of yogurt! Highly recommended and we would visit again."
Another happy customer, KateLeicestershire, wrote: "Had a fairly early table on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Lovely service, very well looked after, stand out dishes were prawn shaslick (giant prawns and paneer) which was amazing. Coriander chicken, lamb jalfrezi and onion bhajis were all a hit. Would happily return."
The Spice Lounge can be found on Friar Gate, opposite Pop World, and joins a line of popular restaurants nestled within Derby city centre. If you fancy a visit to the restaurant to see what all the fuss is about, it is open from 5.30pm until 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, 5.30pm until 11.30pm on Fridays and 5pm until 11.30pm on Saturdays - book online here.