Maida Indian & Indo-Chinese Eatery

Stayed at a place nearby and had takeout thrice from here. The indo chinese food was exceptional. The Indian menu was good but bit on oily side.
Recommend the tandoori chicken.

We chose the restaurant based upon the other reviews and were very pleased. The food was very good; we were even offered to have the spices knocked done a notch if needed. The restaurant itself was very pleasant and comfortable. And, always important, the WCs we’re clean. Definitely a repeat and recommendation to others.

Ever since the BBC2 ‘The Kitchen’ show that featured a family making Indian-​Chinese food, I’ve been looking for something like this. First time I have seen in London. Have to admit, we had a visitor in town and planned to go to Dishoom nearby just for the scene but with over and hour wait at 6:30 and off-​hand attitude from the woman at the door, I am glad we didn’t and ended up at a better place in Maida instead.
The location on Bethnal Green Road is just near the top of Brick Lane but it’s amazing that as soon as you take one step off that lane, the crowds disappear and there are interesting places to eat and drink on the nearby streets with no crowds or wait. The restaurant is a fair size but had plenty of open tables so we were seated right away. Friendly service and on the ball.
The menu is more standard Indian dishes in the main (you can also order whole lamb for £269 for a large group) but at the back there is an Indo Chinese menu.
Some familiar sounding Chinese dishes, some that are Indian takes on Chinese. Kung Pao Fries are just chips tossed in sticky red Kung Pao sauce but it works. Chilli Paneer was spicy with soy sauce and chilli. Haka noodles were like the best of Chinese and Indian together with chicken, Indian spices and Chinese style noodles mixed up. Manchurian Lamb was a similar fusion. We enjoyed everything we ordered.
They have a range of Indian and western deserts on the menu and looked good at the table opposite but we were too full at that point.
Good portion sizes, reasonable prices and very enjoyable. Look forward to coming back soon.
Tip: It’s a no alcohol restaurant so save the beer for before or after (plenty of soft drinks and mocktails on the menu).

Finally some legitimate Indian-​Chinese food. I got the stock standard Hakka Noodles and Chicken Manchurian and they hit the spot with that excessive amount of soy sauce and garlic that those two should have. If you’re in the mood for some Indian-​Chinese food then this place will fit the bill.

Worst restaurant in London? Very possibly.
No idea why this is busy sometimes. The curries are utterly tasteless, the inclusion of Chinese food is baffling, very quiet about being no-​alcohol. Even by brick lanes terrible curry standards this place is terrible. And that’s saying something.
Anyone talking positive about this place has never actually eaten a good curry in their life and would do themselves a favour by taking a trip to the north where a restaurant like this would be utter vacant.

I usually don’t rate Brick Lane’s Indian restaurants — they’re standard OK but not a great experience. So I was surprised by Maida when I stopped by on an impulse for a meal. I’d been encouraged by the fact that their menu is not large (unlike Brisk Lane’s restaurants, 1 minute away around the corner). And the food was really good — dishes were individually spiced, not the standard bhuna-​everything, and nicely presented. I had Saag Aloo (spinach with potato), Paneer Tikka Masala and Tarka Dhal. A few minor things to fault — the chunks of paneer could have been done with being cut up smaller — a trifle gross. But hey, let’s not complain about over-​generosity. The aloo in the saag had got a bit soggy. And I had hoped to get chappati but the nearest equivalent was tissue-​thin Rumali Roti. To my mind, there is nothing so good as a well-​made nutty-​tasting chappati. The décor is a bit stark. Greenery would do wonders.
But these are quibbles. Service was friendly, time taken for food to arrive was not suspiciously short nor irritatingly long. I ate hugely and with pleasure, and even took a doggie bag home

Maida is okay for vegetarian. But amazing for non-​vegetarian. I loved the Lucknowi Murg (chicken) Biriyani. Not a great selection of mocktails or cocktails. But a good selection of non vegetarian curries and dishes to choose from.

Ein echter Inder. Kein Alkohol, keine Kuh auf dem Tisch.
Die Gerichte sind gut, normale Portionen, nichts was einen wirklich umhaut, aber grundsolide. Die Preise sind normal.
Leider habe ich keine Bilder gemacht, aber das was hier an Bildern ist, scheint der «irgendwannfertigzustand» zu sein. Es ist bei weitem nicht so gemütlich und komfortabel, wirkt eher wie ein besserer Imbiss als ein gemütliches Lokal.

Great comfort food, prompt service, very consistent quality and good value for money. I go two or three times a month.

Great food on curry row, with indian chinese options … service was a bit lackluster

‘Wow, what an extensive ‘Mocktail’ menu you have!’
(something I exclaim, well, never).
But I was inclined to say it at Maida Indian & Indo-​Chinese Eatery because it IS rather expansive, and most do look rather tropically tasty in that milkshake or excessively diabetes-​inducing smoothie sort of way. But, I digress. The food.
Basically the idea of Indo-​Chinese food made me want to try it, but it wasn’t so much a fusion as it was a place that serves items from both areas (though mostly still Indian). The mixed grilled meats were well-​spiced and juicy (though still not as juicy as Tayyabs), but the standout dish was the Burmese-​style ‘soup’ Khauk-​Swe (it is somewhere between a curry sauce and a thick soup). This is a dish that a friend of mine’s grandmother used to make, as she was ethnically Indian but grew up in Burma. Basically, it is a coconut curry soup with flour noodles and various crunchy toppings (fried shallots, spring onion, etc.) and a squeeze of citrus. I’d come back here for this hard to find dish alone: the rest, I could take or leave. Overall a three-​star food experience.
The service was, however, really nice. They forgot our naan (which we didn’t need anyway, as we had over ordered), and were super apologetic and gave us a discount and we weren’t even complaining! The restaurant was full of big families eating, which is always a good sign.

So thankful this restaurant was open after 9pm on a Easter Holiday weekend as not too many places in London are.
From the Indian Menu:
Lamb Seekh Kebab — a must try. Tender and flavorful with a hint of spiciness.
Murgh Tikka — delicious. Had a bite of tanginess to it.
Lamb Samosa — not a huge fan. The lamb was a bit dry and overcooked.
Vegetable Samosa — just okay.
Indo-​Chinese Menu:
Singapore Noodles — a hit. Our table went back for seconds.
Schezuan Rice — great with or without the complimentary sauce included with this dish.
Kung Pao French Fries — unexpected combination but we went with it. The sauce is basically ketchup and vinegar blended together.
Drinks:
All non-​alcoholic.
Overall:
Good value. Attentive Staff. Will be back again.

Maida manages to fill a long held need for me: good curry, delivered.
«Medium spice» for these guys is no joke, so if you like your curries sinus clearing — like I do — you’ll enjoy their offerings at that level. If you’d prefer less heat, probably best to order mild. The roti doesn’t travel so well so I’d recommend that for a dine in adventure only.
The murgh tikka masala and saag aloo don’t suffer at all in transit and I’d order both again.

Authentic Indian cuisine at decent prices. Dinner for two was only about 40 and great value as the portion sizes are generous. Meat dishes are tender and include a fair amount of lamb or chicken. A good first test for an Indian restaurant is the lassie. If tasteless or watery I find you will experience less than spectacular dishes too. In this case the lassie was great.
Maida is off the Brick Lane curry row and I got the sense that because of this they don’t cut corners. They seem to have a strong following and a private room in the basement for dining.
My only disappointment was with the chai masala tea that is typically brewed on a stove with milk and spices. In this case it was a tea bag in hot milk.

I think we got lucky when we finally found Maida (we kept getting lost on our way), the restaurant was about ¼ full and we were able to sit down and have quick service.
I had the karahi ghosht, and it was amazing! It’s full of spice and flavor without burning your tongue. I didn’t even bother to finish all of the rice and just dove straight into the spinach and lamb. Amazingly delicious, the only downside was that the naan was a little stale.
Also worth noting, we were the only tourists there, and maybe one of two non-​Indian groups. Definitely not the traditional Brick Lane establishment.

The restaurant looks more upscale than the prices would suggest. The positives are there:
Decent décor
Great food
Generous portions
In general, my past experience of brick lane area curry a bit over-​rated but this establishment clawed back some of that higher expectation.
We had a forty person birthday party there next to us. Just take a look at the diners here to see who keep coming back.
The poor service in another reivew is justified — I didn’t experience it as I went during at less busier period but clearly the people working there need to learn what attentiveness means. I gave 5 stars simply because despite this because the main reason for being there — the food — comes up trumps.

Superb fiver lunch special between 12 to 3; 4.99 gets you a huge Thali with plentiful naan. I go every weekend. Often empty for lunch, but spectacular good value, fast, high quality. They have a cute iPhone app to order food. Service is top notch.
You see Indian families come here; unlike the imitation curry houses on Brick lane. Also, better than New Tayyabs, which has become over-​popular.
Highly recommended.

Pro — Maida has got very good food … definitely the best curry i have had in East London … better than Lahore Kebab House.
Con — Bad service. They didn’t even notice that we were waiting and seated the subsequent group before us.
Pro — They serve a lot of food. The serving size in a starter kebab dish is more than twice the standard.
Con — The are severely understaffed. So they are unable to clear the table after courses and dishes pile up. The group at our next table had left before we started but we had to watch the big stack of dirty dishes throughout our meal.
Pro — They serve Indian Chinese food … the way chinese dishes are made in India. The first place in London i have seen doing that. I will come back again only for this. The chilli sauce to go with the chinese food is amazing.
Con — They don’t place the cutlery on the table until the food arrives. So its difficult to sample the chutney.
Con — They got my keema naan along with the Rumali roti (they make that … thats a pro) of my friends in the same plate which didn’t please my friends. Being an Indian restaurant, they should have known that people feel strongly about meat contamination.
Pro — They brought another set of bread for my friends without arguing. We know it was another set as the original basket was still on the table.
And this gets us to 3 stars.
Can’t complain about the food … only ~15 quids a head … and they have got a membership discount. I will go back.

This unassuming Indian restaurant on Bethnal Green rd, proved to be one of those places i would certainly re-​visit.
all the dishes we ordered very fresh and flavorsome. The mango lassi rocked, it had a very creamy taste to it and the extra girth on the straw was well needed!
Certainly one of the best indian restaurants in the East End of London.

I was genuinely impressed at how good everything was at Maida. Having fallen in love with Tayyabs already, I thought every Indian/​Pakistani restaurant in the Brick Lane area would just be terrible in comparison.
The food at Maida was fresh, delicious, original, well-​spiced, and really just excellent. We had a crazy Malai broccoli dish which was a mass of fried cheese on broccoli that somehow managed not to be a white trash mess of microwaved grossness, but actually incredible.
Lamb curry was tender and rich, lentils were light and savory, the saag was fantastic and so were the butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. Both the sauces were fabulous versions of these common dishes, although the chicken itself was just a tiny bit dry.
Mango lassi = oh so fabulously mango-​ey. Way better than the Tayyabs version.
Best part? 6 people stuffing themselves and then having leftovers? Total was about 72 quid. I was shocked.
Last part to note — it’s funny that the last reviewer, Jill A., mentioned the service. Our waiter wasn’t pushy or overattentive, but was sort of weirdly particular and opinionated in a way that was a bit off-​putting. I have no idea if that’s representative of everyone there. But regardless, I’d say it’s absolutely worth if for the food. It’s also a nice atmosphere and amazingly, no wait. If you’re craving good Indian food and not up for 90 minutes of queueing, Maida is there for you.

Maida Indian Eatery (written Mai’da) is actually located in Bethnal Green, close to Brick Lane. I discovered it only recently when down Brick Lane Market and I would consider going back for the food. It was not bad at all for a main stream Indian and worth walking away from the many Brick Lane Choices.
The décor is really rather cool, clean and brightly lit. They also have this unusual style open kitchen where you can see them cooking the food.
The service was prompt but a little too attentive which made me felt a bit conspicuous.
On the food side, I highly recommend the Jalfrezi, it was one of the best I have ever had. It simply tasted really fresh and well spiced and with a lot more tomatoes than usual.
The pilau rice is good and flavoursome. You get a choice of mushroom, peas, broccoli or corn (I recommend the mushroom).
The menu is very reasonably priced given the good quality except for the pilau which I thought pricey at 4.00.
The only beef I have with this place is again the waiter here when taking the order was pushing me into getting starters, main course, rice, nan, vegetables and he even did not give up and bought over the dessert menu after my meal. It was the way he said ‘dessert or coffee’ that wound me up the wrong way. Shame because as I said, the food was rather good.
Go here for the food it is fresh and well cooked, or the cool bright décor but be prepared for the pushy almost rude attitude.