Dil Raj Indian Restaurant and Takeaway Knaresborough

This was my first visit in 20 years, and I can honestly say it’ll be another 20 before I return. The interior feels more like a YHA canteen than a restaurant completely lacking in character or warmth. The poppadoms were shockingly bad (how do you even get those wrong?). They were tough, almost like cardboard, and had to be torn apart rather than snapped — not remotely crispy. I ordered a King Prawn Rogan Josh from the already limited menu, only to be told they had no king prawns. As a pescatarian, my only alternative was a Vegetable Rogan Josh. When it arrived, it was clearly a mix of two different curries and certainly not a Rogan Josh. It was cold, bland, and completely unappealing. To make matters worse, the toilets were an absolute disgrace (see photo). There was no soap in the dispenser, and the stair handrail was sticky and stained a genuine hygiene concern. All in all, this was probably the worst Indian meal and dining experience I’ve ever had, and I’ve travelled widely.

Got a takeaway on Thursday evening (Sept 25 2025). First the good. Service was quick and friendly. The chicken was well cooked and tender. Unfortunately the meals were the most bland and tasteless I have ever had. The onions in the dupiza had no flavour at all, which also went for the onion bhajis too. I only ate about 1/4 of the meal as there was just nothing for flavour and it became a chore. Even the peshwari naan wasn't very flavourful and I have never ever experienced that before. My friend had a chicken korma and he said this was really runny and tasteless almost as if it had been watered down. A good half of what we ordered went in the bin and not because we were full. Afterwards I was craving something with flavour all night. My wife had chicken chow chow and said it was ok and would have rated three stars, but based on the overall quality of the meal it was very, very disappointing and I most certainly wouldn't go back.

This is how all takeaway should be! We used Dil Raj to cater our team meeting and were blown away by the quality of the food and the delivery method. The curry was phenomenal, perfectly spiced and incredibly flavourful. Another big win was the use of traditional, reusable Indian tiffin boxes! It's so encouraging to see a restaurant offering such a sustainable and eco-friendly solution. Zero waste, great food—a five-star experience all around.

We had Dil Raj provide the food for our most recent company team meeting. They were able to accommodated all 50 staff using their tiffin service. The food arrived exactly as planned and all staff were able to have a starter and a main with a side. Excellent food! Super tasty and amazing to be able to provide lovely hot food at a corporate event. The tiffin service was fantastic with Dil Raj printing each order making the meals super easy to give out. Really good value for money with huge portions. I would highly recommend! 😊

Great food and super friendly service. Bring your own drinks, or there is a Tesco express near nearby. Everything is labeled clearly for food allergies etc. Great gluten free vegetarian options as well as vegan. The chef is very accommodating to dietary requirements. I had the Saag vegetable with added mushrooms and mushroom rice, one of the nicest dishes I have ever had in an Indian restaurant. The prices are great value for money, hats off to the chef We will be back 😁😁