Balraj

I remember the Balraj from many years ago when it was around the corner. I used to work in the neighborhood and it was always a treat to bring something home from there. Recently I went with 3 friends and we all came away happily stuffed. I had delicious vegetable Biryani, two others had a vegetarian curry and my other friend had a dish with chicken. We were all happy and though I cant remember the total the price didn’t seem too steep… and I brought some home for a snack the next day!
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking Indian food on the Haarlemmerdyke.

Nice location with very good food. Liked it a lot. Good location anyway with lots of bars/​cafes to go afterwards.

Leckeres indisches Essen, teilweise aber zu mild. Der Service etwas chaotisch, Getränke vergessen und der Wunsch nach Bezahlung dem anderen Tisch zugeordnet. Nichts des so trotz, ein Inder wie er schmecken soll und zu einem guten Preis /​Leistungsverhältnis.

NO. JUST NO.
This is not good Indian food. If you’ve had good Indian food you would find this a huge disappointment.
Where is the mint chutney? Where is the naan? Where is Chana Masala or any recognizable vegetarian curry? I’ve never ever seen a Paneer Chana in any Indian restaurant ever!
I tried to give this restaurant the benefit of the doubt after looking over the menu. I kept thinking…“ok maybe these combinations are from a certain region of India I have never tried. I will just try and it hopefully it will be good.” I’ve eaten all kinds of Indian food and it’s one of my favorite cuisines. I know what I am talking about when it comes to good Indian food.
If you want great Indian food in Amsterdam you need to go to DIYA. My boyfriend and I only opted to try this place because we were seeing a movie at «The Movies» and this was close. Also, we would have went to Diya, if someone had not destroyed the restaurant last week (hopefully they will be up and running soon!).
I left this restaurant so sad and disappointed. I’ve never felt this way about any Indian food I’ve eaten. Usually if it’s just okay, I’ll still leave somewhat satisfied. I might just have to wait for Diya to reopen.

My husband and I have tried this restaurant couple of times as it’s so close to our house and they serve delicious Indian meal. Today we went after a year and we found out that they really have improved the quality of food. This time food tasted more fresh and organic. We ordered the palak paneer, Chana jalfarezi and bhindi (okra). Everything was delicious and the roti was really good and also made of wheat flour. They also serve lentils which is delicious and after eating those lentils I got the feeling of home made Indian food.
If your are craving for Indian food then please try this restaurant for some home made style Indian food.

Thanks Unilocal!We were looking for an Indian spot nearby and there were a bunch. This place is small, but clean and very friendly. The apps were great. The entrees were better. The chili sauce was a revelation. The price was better than expected for the quality. The food and service deserve five star ratings. However, while it wasn’t a big deal for me, make a note that they don’t take credit cards.

Great food. What a gem. Good value. Highly recommend.

Legit and reasonable price. Clean. Good food. Awesome naan.

We made a walk through the Haarlemmerdijk in the evening looking for a good restaurant for dinner. Passing this little indian restaurant, we haven’t thought to long about it and went in for some great meals. I tried the Chicken Tikka Masala and it was a really good choice. It is spicy, but not as much as it would burn all your taste buds. All meals are served with Basmati rice, vegetables, lentils and the indian bread I like so much. You get a main course with something to drink for about 20 euro, what is not so expensive I think.

Balraj is one of the oldest Indian restaurants in the city. You know they are ‘authentic’ in intent because the owners actually still talk to each other in Hindi, yet being very fluent in the Dutch language. This reflects in the quality of food — you can get some very authentic and spicy options along with dishes ‘blanded’ down for the local flavor.
Located in one of the nicest parts of the city (although there is a Subway that just opened up here), dining at Balraj is part of an even more extensive experience, that could include the best ice cream in town, nearby. One thing is for sure, you would be avoiding the throngs of aimless tourists and mind-​numbing crowd noise.
The prices are very attractive. Every dish comes with a serving of rice, lentils, an accompaniment in the form of a curry dish, and a ‘roti’. It’s a party in your tummy!
Being a vegetarian, I still suffer from the lack of options, but that isn’t generally a problem unless I aspire to dine here more than once a month. Even then, they have specials listed on the menu, which I assume are experiments that have the potential to be made part of the regular menu, if successful.
One bit of advice — when in doubt about a dish, just ask. India has diversity in dish ingredients depending on region, even if they sound the same. So, something from the South could be a whole lot spicier than a dish with the same name from Central India.
While not the most upscale Indian restaurant in the city, Balraj is quickly becoming my goto restaurant for national flavor.
Give it a go, and check out the great tastes for yourself!

I am really torn on how to rate Balraj — my first visit here was awesome, some of the best Indian I have had anywhere. My second visit for takeaway was horrible.
The first time the dal was fresh and flavorful, the second time, I threw it away it was so bad. The Rogan Josh that was so tasty was bland and greasy.
My visit were only a couple weeks apart so I was pretty surprised on my bad experience the second time. One of my co-​workers translated the IENS review for me and said they say much the same — one day people are raving how good it is, the next day the reviews are horrible.
If you hit Balraj on a good day — you’ll love it and want to give it 4 or 5 stars, on a bad day, 1 – 2 stars so I’ll compromise and give them a «3».