The Jharna

After waiting at my hotel bar for slow service, I popped out around the corner and visited The Jharna for take-​away based on a Unilocal review! Glad I did! The biryani and curry were great! Coming from the US, the spice was definitely milder but that was a welcome change!
While I was there, I watched the staff — so friendly! And the dining room is roomy and inviting.

People may think that 5 stars is alittle presumptuous as I have only been once!
But i have enjoyed Indian many times in many different places but i am glad to say the Jharna stands tall.
The atmosphere transports you to India with the delicate background music and the smell of spices not to mention the most loveliest Indian servers.
The food was amazing, nothing short of spectacular for what our bland western tongues are used to this place is heaven.

They do a good lunch time menu starter and main £5.95 12 – 2.30. My favourite is rogan josh chicken. Cool interior #Lights

Love this place so much that I have a regular table and know the menu off by heart. Have lunch here once a week and the food is always top quality. The lunch menu is a great offer for £5.95 for a start and main… and recommend a large cobra beer to wash it down.

I go here twice a month with my other half and have to say the food is always epic and the service is top notch too.

Admittedly I am not in step with the food scene in Belfast. We blew in, stayed a few nights, and blew out again, as tourists do. However, as far as meals went, this was definitely one of the best.
The price was right, and although we got take out, the atmosphere seemed classy and hip. The flavors were delicious, and we spent enough to get a free bottle of wine.
The service was incredibly fast and friendly. We were in and out in minutes. If I lived in the area, I would definitely be back.

delicious authentic Indian food in pleasant surroundings and great service!

My favourite Indian restaurant in Belfast. Wonderful food in a fresh modern and very clean setting. Service is very attentive and friendly. Have been many times, and look forward to many more visits.

I love my food and I especially love my Indian food. The Jharna was a recent treat for me when, on a whim, a friend suggested we go one Friday night. We had a few jars in Ryans before hand then headed in and I was very ready to eat. Thankfully the service was efficient and we soon had our poppadums and chutney/​yogurt dips — one of my favourite things about Indian cuisine.
The staff in Indian restaurants are always so friendly — far nicer than other restaurants I find. The staff in Jharna are no different — they really looked after us.
My Chicken Tikka was tender and tasty and my friends korma was just right for her tastes — not too sweet! We each had rice and a naan, some drinks as well yet the bill was far from shocking — it was a bargain at just under 40 quid!
I will definitely be back — the sign outside is very bright and vibrant and i feel that the food is also that way! Yummy!

The Jharna is a very good Indian restaurant on the Lisburn Road, but one that you wouldn’t notice if you walked past. It’s sort of plonked on top of another restaurant. Nevertheless, The Jharna has been around since the dawn of time itself so has clearly has a well-​deserved reputation.
I have written in other reviews about my deep love of Indian food. Were I to ever end up on Death Row, my last meal could be rich, tomato based curry with all those awesome spices, garlic, coriander, fragrant rice, naan bread… Incidentally, you should go to wikipedia and type in ‘last meals’… Interesting (and a bit disturbing) reading.
I digress. The Jharna offers more than your usual bog-​standard restaurant flavours. Try their pan-​fried sea bass in a chilli and red pepper sauce. It tastes as lovely as it sounds unusual for an Indian restaurant.
One complaint, Mr Restaurant Manager… I turn into Captain Tomato Head when I eat spicy food anyway… Please don’t sit me beside the gas fire and then crank it up full blast. Again. I may pass out next time.

The Jharna looks a bit rubbish from the outside, its pretty much just a door with an ok sign nailed above it. If this were to put you off then you would be missing out. The food here is fantastic! There’s no nicer cuisine on Earth than Indian and the Jharna does it very well. Their prices are a little on the high side but most Indians are, and for the portions your given its sort of worth it. Their Tandoori dishes are cooked to perfection. Their chicken falls off the bone its so tender. A great place for groups.

Jharna is my favourite restaurant in Belfast! The food is amazing and he prices are really great for an Indian restaurant. We came in one day with my brother and sister and the four of us has mains with sides, desserts (2) coffee’s (2) and drinks and the whole lot was £60! Absolute bargain! I highly recommend this place to any fans of Indian Cuisine and the Jalfreze (my all time fav) is really great! I’m actually craving this now again! Their takeaway and delivery service is also first class and I’ve never felt that they’ve made a difference in quality if you’re sitting in or taking out. Always fantastic and cant wait to go back!

I think the meal contained within this review occured on an off day because if this was the norm for this restaurant, then I do not understand how they can afford to stay open.
Having went here for a spot of dinner before a night on the booze (as pretty much all of my nights end up) and when we came in the place was very quiet. It was a sunny day so I don’t know if people tend to avoid spicy restaurants on sunny days but it seemed this way to me.
The staff were very happy to see us which made me think they’d not been particularly busy. The food was brought out to us very quickly but my brother’s biriyiana (excuse the spelling) wasn’t hot enough so he had to send it back.
The staff did not mind re-​heating (or giving him a new dish, we couldn’t work it out cause there looked to be more) and they made sure everything was to our taste.
Worringly by the time we had paid and left, there was still no other customers. Perhaps we had caught them on an off day or perhaps we were VIPs and they had closed the restaurant off for us.
Would definately go back but I would need some encouragement first

It doesn’t look the most inviting of places from the street, but appearances can be deceptive — don’t trust them, wait and make your own decisions. Which I did. Really lovely food. I’m a big Indian cuisine fan, in fact I’ve said before that I would have it as my last meal on death row… dramatic I know, but true! Anyway, this restaurant ticks all the boxes, nice ambience (especially since thier makeover — it used to be a little dated and tired) and good staff and excellent food. I really enjoyed my food I had the Rogan Josh, which was just spicy enough and really flavourful — and the rest of the group loved theirs too. The portions were also more than adequate.

I feel I should start this review with some kind of disclaimer. I am not a massive fan of Indian food, probably due to my unfamiliarity with it, so my palate for curry is defo not sophisticated or educated. That’s my way of saying that I only really like kormas. I know, I’m sorry.
I went to the Jharna for a works ‘do’ and loved the interior as soon as I arrived which always puts me in a good mood. I believe the Jharna has had a full refurb recently and they’ve done a good job — big opulent curtains and well spaced tables, and just enough flock wall paper to retain that lovely Indian restaurant ambience.
We got some poppadums and chutneys while reading the menus — I never did get to see the bill but I’m pretty sure these were freebies. I worked my way through these instead of ordering a starter but everyone else loved theirs — there were some big juicey prawns on the go in a spicy tomatoey sauce which looked lush but which sadly were not shared!
So, yes I had chicken korma for my main course and it was absolutely glorious — lovely big chunks of chicken and the korma sauce was perfect — thick and creamy with no hint of gloopiness. But oh lordy the naan bread. Oh the naan bread. Huge fluffy pillows of bread which I can’t really find words to describe except for heavenly, soft, warm and soo tasty. I had my own full one and the half of my friends. In my defence your honour I didn’t have any rice.
I can almost imagine the delight of that naan bread now. Actually I want that naan bread now.
So, a review of an Indian restaurant based on korma and naan bread. But do you know what? It told me enough for me to know that this is a great Indian restaurant.
PS — the service was first rate — pleasant, helpful and efficient.
This is somewhere you can go if you want a good quality curry at a reasonable price in nice surroundings. It’s and does a great job of classic curry in classic surroundings. The waiters are friendly and have a great sense of humour, always having a laugh with the customers, although the background music’s a bit too foreground sometimes!

Another reviewer claims that the renovation has ruined the place. I didn’t know the place previously but I love the present décor.
Saturday is our preferred dining-​out night and the Jharna is always packed when we arrive. Although there are 120 covers it is probably advisable to book ahead. Telephone: (028) 90 381 299.
Have a drink while waiting to be seated but you won’t have long to wait for a table. Suggested dishes include Karahi Ghost, Chicken Tikka Bhuna, Chicken Madras and Chicken Tikka Dansak, but, in truth, any dish we’ve eaten there is delicious and can be heartily recommended. Portions are generous and the evening is rounded off with a complimentary Sambuca or Bailey’s cream.
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On a recent visit in late October five of us had an excellent night’s dining. The two ladies tend to stick with the dishes they know. So, for our friend it was Murgh Tikka Masala, gently spiced and cooked in butter with ground almonds, tomatoes and cream whilst my wife had Chicken Jal Frezi (Jharna Style) which is mildly spiced with onions, mushrooms, coriander and capsicums. (A very hot traditional Jal Frezi — 3 flames is available.) Our friend’s husband had the Chettinhad Chicken 3 flames, so quite hot — which he really enjoyed.
Son, who can be hard to please foodwise, had the Jharna Mixed Platter Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Seekh Kebab and Tandoori Jumbo Prawns served with side salad and coriander and mint chutney. No complaints there.
My own deviation from the normal type of dish I like took me to Lamb Patia cooked in a tangy Persian sauce. I hadn’t realised that Persian sauce was sweet, probably even sweeter than Korma, and while it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, nevertheless it went down a treat.
A bottle of Chilean red (Number 10, said the waiter when we mentioned ordering a bottle, remembering our usual order from previous nights. Now, that’s good waiting, don’t you think?), a couple of Cobra beers, three soft drinks, two cappuccinos and a Russian coffee to finish. The bill came to, for the five of us, £108. Not at all expensive for great food and a good night out.
The staff are polite, friendly and very efficient.
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We also have had lunch at the Jharna on a few occasions and for £5.95 the two-​course meal is very good value.

I’ve eaten at Jharna a few times and always left well satisfied. The design is modern and the furnishings are comfortable. The staff were very courteous, professional and effecient, service was excellent.
The food was as good as you’ll get. I had Lamb Rogan Josh and it was done to perfection. The lamb was marinaded and cooked to perfection.
It is good value for money. We last went in a group of 8 persons and half of us had starters we also had 3 bottles of wineall for £170.
I’d recommend Jharna to all Indian or curry cravers!

Being a major fan of Indian cuisine, the Jharna was by far my favourite restaurant in Belfast until recently. I still cannot fault the food nor the service, both of which are consistently excellent. I am, however, disappointed with the renovation.
Whilst of course accepting that the food and service are more important than décor, I nonetheless feel that this is a significant issue. The ‘old’ Jharna felt more authentic and at the very least was luxurious and unique. The new restaurant feels like it could be any one of the trendy establishments that exist in Belfast at the minute, and I feel a sense of loss for the restaurant that was.
For a while we didn’t go back to it because we were so annoyed with the proprietors for ‘ruining’ the place, but we decided to give it another chance and found we did not dislike it as much as we thought. As I say, one cannot fault the cuisine nor the staff. We are still regulars in the restaurant and the staff always remember us and are consistently warm and friendly.
Food is reasonably priced, though not quite as reasonable as it once was. The quality, however, is faultless and the portions are decent. Sometimes they look a little on the mean side, but don’t be fooled — they are very, very filling! My partner’s present favourite dish is the Chicken Chettinad, whilst mine is Lamb Madras. For the more adventurous, there are a range of more unusual seafood dishes. Additionally, although you won’t find it on the menu, the Jharna is one of only two places in Belfast where my partner was able to obtain Phall, and he maintains the one he had in here was the hottest dish he’s ever tasted!
Quite an extensive, if pricey, drinks list is available, with some very nice wines and beers available.
So overall, we still like it a lot, but the original Jharna was still definitely the best.