Spice Merchant in Staffordshire Moorlands

The best Indian meal for years.. Picked based on location and reviews and both exceeded our expectations. Great experience started at reception, met by curtious and friendly manager. They cater for all tastes and dietary needs as everything is cooked from scratch. It showed the spice level perfect on our lamb tikka with a enough heat. Plentiful tasty and very well presented. Tried the staff special curry and was marked as delicious by my husband. Best shaslick bhuna announced my BiL. Which is high praise as this is his go to meal. My sister had lamb methi gosht. Her go to and she exclaimed would pitch it against any fine dining Indian restaurant for taste. Waiters very knowledgeable and helpful. My Bangladesh lamb was a shank that felt off the bone. Wish we lived nearer if we did visit often If your in Leek you've got to visit..

Back in October I booked a table for 1pm on boxing day for 11 people, I wasn't too confident with the lady that took the booking, so a couple of weeks later my husband and I went for a meal there and as we left i checked that they had our booking for boxing day one of the gentlemen that work there confirmed that we were booked in at 1pm on boxing day for 11 people. We turned up today to find the venue closed, I rang them and eventually a lady answered, when I told her we had a booking at 1pm she advised that they don't open until 5pm! So 11 of us were sitting outside with nowhere to go for lunch! I asked why they took our booking but just kept getting a response that they don't open until 5pm. We have eaten here before and cannot fault the food but to say this is disappointing is an understatement, I will not be rushing back here any time soon 😡

So often, you book somewhere with a high rating and it disappoints, but not this fantastic curry house. Excellent food, and superb service - will be back next time we’re in Leek.

Really amazing Indian restaurant. I've eaten in Indian restaurants at least once a week for 30 years (I am from Birmingham so it is the law), and this is one of the best. Even when it is busy, the food and service are excellent. The spicy dishes (e.g. traditional vindaloo) are genuinely spicy, but all the dishes are packed with flavour (I recommend the Bangladeshi Lamb, not a spicy dish, but absolutely incredible).

Wonderful hospitality, delicious food and lovely atmosphere. Vegetarian friendly - in addition to vegetarian options they offered to make anything on the menu. Really enjoyed the evening.

Can’t fault them. Messed the online order up and they delivered it personally. That aside, even the basics like naan and popadoms were about the best I’d had. Again, can’t fault them.

Twenty two waited for starters eventually got starter and gave up after an hour

Lovely people Tender lamb, tasty ingredients, but too much oil in the sauce

What a fabulous place! From the moment we entered, such a beautiful location. The staff there are awesome and couldn't do enough to make our evening out a fab one. The food and service were first class.

Me and my mother thought we’d give Spice Merchant a try as we’d heard good reviews about it and we must say it did not disappoint. All the staff were very polite and welcoming, the food was delicious and promptly served and the ambience and decor was very tasteful. Safe to say we’ll be returning very soon.

Amazing food and the service was second to none, each and every member of staff we had any interaction with went above and beyond to make sure we had a great night with them

Best food I've had in a long time. Absolutely amazing, was smiling the whole time! Extremely friendly staff, great food. Can't recommend enough. Will travel significantly out my way for this again!

Excellent, attentive service. Lovely meal with high quality lamb and chicken. I ordered a Naga lamb dish which wasn't on the menu and they accommodated and it was excellent. Highly recommended.

Great food for great value and staff were very attentive and friendly. Highly recommend the chicken tikka masala and the garlic naan. Atmosphere was quiet but expected for a monday night. Overall very good experience, will be going back - satisfied customer 😊

Onsite car park. Pretty decor. Attentive staff. Fresh ingredients. Very tasty. Good meal sizes.

Glorious! Just wonderful. Made a Biddulph boy very happy. Best service I've had in a long time. The food was wonderful. We were well looked after. Roy.

Picked up a takeaway tonight - the food was absolutely delicious we had the lamb balti the lamb just melted in the mouth! Can fault it !

1st time there as a big group very friendly clean enjoyable evening

A group of 9 if us staying at an air bnb in Rushton Spencer , ordered a takeaway. It was delivered promptly it was absolutely delicious we all ordered different dishes and each one was superb. Thank you so much if we are ever in the area again we will definitely order from you again

A superb establishment, we were dining with friends (party of 6) on Sunday evening. Had a lovely welcome on arrival and shown to our table. The Special Biryani I had was excellent, other members of the group had different meals and all enjoyed immensely, in fact, it was so good we returned the next night, this time enjoyed the Spice Merchant Special. Can't wait to return next time we visit the area. 10/10

Amazing restaurant and staff, definitely the best Indian I've ever had and I recommend it to everyone I can. The staff are always so polite, food comes out fast and tastes delicious! Definitely come here if you get the chance.

Great place to have a meal. welcoming staff, great food, and good value

5 ********* Amazing service whether that’s collection or eating in. They are always so welcoming , nothing is too much for them. The food is out of this world, best Indian in leek. Couldn’t recommend enough! THANK YOU SPICE MERCHANT

Service was excellent- they couldn’t have been nicer or done more for us to get our takeaway just as we wanted it including two vegan meals. Food was delicious

Friday evening 20.00 I've never seen a restaurant so full ! ..... bursting at the seams, and it is a big restaurant, believe me! As I stated, I was lucky to find a table... but I spied a small one and slipped gracefully into the seat, mission accomplished. I wasn't in a hurry, so I wasn't concerned and soaked up the atmosphere with a large glass of red 🍷 I had the obligatory poppadoms... probably the best ever, to be honest, and the pickle tray was first class My meal of choice was delivered to my table, and it was excellent as always The Spice Merchant understands what you desire and will accommodate your taste every time. It doesn't get better than this..... Believe me Go find out for yourself 👌

Booked for my husband's birthday as a large group. Staff were very accommodating and provided excellent service, we were all served our food at the same time which is amazing given we were a large group. Food was spot on and everyone enjoyed the evening. The staff added some very thoughtful personal touches to make his birthday extra special too, went above and beyond. Would definitely recommend the spice merchant!! We will be back, thank you!

We booked a table of 20 to celebrate a birthday and work colleague going off to university. What can I say from start to finish this was an amazing experience, the staff were amazing and the owner was so kind, the food was exceptional and the extra touches like free starters were just above and beyond. I would recommend this place 100% and can’t wait to return.

Loved it ,warm welcome from all the staff . Talked us through the different foods . Brilliant 👏 👏 👏 👏

Was recommended this Indian restaurant as we were staying in Leek. WOW! What amazing food, the manager Juber and all the staff were so welcoming and such great sense of humour. We had such a laugh and the food was delicious, such fresh ingredients. Juber’s wife made us a special dish with black chickpeas OMG these were beautiful. YOU MUST GO TO THIS RESTURANT, you won’t want to go anywhere else. Thank you for such a great evening and the best curry we have ever tasted.

Wonderful food with great flavour. Staff are absolutely lovely too.

Great birthday meal out for my daughter, loved the curry.

Beautiful food at a reasonable price, and excellent service. We arrived on spec but the staff were very accommodating, saying it was no problem that we hadn’t booked. I had heard from friends that the food here is excellent, and they were right - I will definitely be back!

We moved to Leek and have just tried The Spice Merchant this evening. A lovely restaurant in an attractive building, with bricked archways running through the large room. Greeted at the door with a smile, attentive and polite staff, excellent food (I had the green chilli chicken and my wife had the korma) and we were generally made to feel extremely welcome. We will definitely return soon!

Had the set menu for 2, vegetarian. Portion sizes are huge! Gorgeous vegetarian food, would highly recommend. Brilliant service too!

Good food and always able to get a table as it's a rather large place. Service is decent, though it can be a little slow to get going sometimes. Usually food arrives pretty quickly however and is of good quality. Overall would say it's decent and reliable but nothing special. Recommendations: - Moghul Empire Lamb - South Indian Gosht

This is the second time having ordered a take away and its luke warm at best but tasteless and won't be giving it a third time .Will go elsewhere. We ordered a chicken Korai the chicken was tough and hard and the sauce didn't taste of anything,the boiled rice was completely cold and tastes old

This has to be one of the best Indian restaurants we have eaten at in a long time. The food was outstanding and the staff very friendly, helpful and patient. We will certainly visit again when we are next in town.

Amazing food, fantastic service, excellent value for money. The staff couldn't do enough for us, we felt really looked after. Would definitely recommend and will definitely visit again

Amazing food, amazing service! Would definitely recommend and this is our new go-to for a take away.

Would HIGHLY recommend. The food was delicious and the waiters attentive and friendly. I can't wait to come back!

Ordered a take away this time. The food is always great ,struggled trying to place an order . But they contacted me back on the phone and I messaged my order through. This was made on time plus there were extra poppadoms and other dishes to try that were free.You always get something extra with the spice merchant , when we ate in the last time the staff came round with a drink at the end of the meal. Really nice to be made to feel special but I think it is something they do for everyone. Thank you for a lovely meal . Look forward to coming back in soon.

Nice food and staff are pleasant. It was very quiet when we were there so not much atmosphere at that point.

Absolutely delicious we will definitely be back. The staff were amazing too.

First time at The Spice Merchant last night and it didn’t disappoint. Gorgeous vegetarian meal for 2. Great set menu, great food. We will definitely go back.

Visited Leek from Ireland and got a takeaway for our apartment. Food was absolutely gorgeous. Best Indian ever. Staff were incredibly nice. Highly recommend. Restaurant was really pretty also

Amazing service. Will definitely visit again soon. Thoroughly recommend the kindness of this venue. We loved our meal

Only every had a takeaway from her previously. Went here on a works night out. 10 of us all together. When we arrived it was very busy so we were worried there would be a slow service. We couldn't have been more wrong. Very efficient. All served what we ordered, Food was good and reasonably priced. Good food and speedy service.Will certainly return.

Have been to the spice merchant several times now. Service and food outstanding as always. The best restaurant in leek.

Everything was excellent; food, service, atmosphere....

Great food, great staff! Thank you so much. A lovely selection of staters and curries, well worth a visit!

Always lovely food and lovely service, staff are extremely attentive.

Lovely food and excellent service

well what a fantastic place to eat best indian in leek, forget the rest spice merchant is the best!!! 6-6-2024 the service here is fantastic the waiters are spot on, the owner is a real nice guy very nice place to be, will be back very soon🤗

First time visiting Spice Merchant. A group of 4. What a wonderful experience. The food was fantastic, service excellent. We will be back, the next time we're in Leek. Highly recommend.

From the lovely greeting from the staff to a beautiful chicken Dansak, free extras, very tasty, not at all oily, as some Indian takeaways are, very competitive price, 100% will return thanks

Fantastic evening, we had a double birthday celebration of my best friend Jill and myself 🎁🎁🥂🎂🍺 Great food served in great surroundings. A variety of lovely curries and starts were enjoyed. We also had a chocolate cake and our portraits drawn 😍😍 We highly recommend this restaurant 🤩

Fantastic meal and great service. Highly recommended.

Amazing food amazing service Outstanding loved everything

Unreal food with unreal service, complementary food and drink when we went. The best Indian food we've ever had!

What a fabulous restaurant! The hospitality, the food, and ambience were outstanding. The best meal I have had in a long, long time.

Visited to Leek went for a meal here and we seriously lucked out. Great welcome, food excellent and the service was brilliant.

Wow this place is like an Oasis only difrence we are in Leek.. Very special we have dined here may time... And I love it here... I would deffinatly recommend this place.... Thank you to all the staff for making us feel welcome... Specaily shakeel and great waiter he is very helpful..

Best Indian restaurant in Leek. Food is fantastic. Nice decor, lovely atmosphere. Staff are really good and efficient. The owner is happily waiting on tables and talking to customers . They don't over book or rush diners. Very clean facilities. Prices very reasonable. A complimentary drink at the end of the meal too. Genuinely lovely place to eat!

Takeaway, gorgeous as usual, Lamb really tender, excellent portions, if you're in Leek you must try.

Great quality, service and value

Excellent service and excellent food

Nice food, great service, friendly staff

Second time visit, this time with my daughters. Really great service from all the waiters - very friendly and nothing too much trouble. Lovely lady taking payments. Very friendly and welcoming. Food was excellent and prices that you would expect to pay. The waiters go out of their way to make sure you have a great visit. Would recommend to anyone wanting a curry in Leek! Thanks everyone front and back of house at Spice Merchant! X

Had such a wonderful evening here last night, the staff were extremely attentive like I've never experienced before. The genuine care and attention to our needs was over and above. The food had the most wonderful flavours and was plentiful. We can not wait to eat here again and see the lovely staff and their family. Many thanks from Mandy, Kevin and Jack

Fantastic meal. Great service. Best Indian I've had. Recommended.

We were just visiting Leek for the night and were staying at The Fountain Pub which does not do food - so hungry after a long drive we fancied a curry! We loved everything about The Spice Merchant the food was delicious especially the Lamb Moghul I would highly recommend! Prices were good and The staff were attentive and friendly we will definitely be back when we come back up in April!

Amazing food experience, absolutely wonderful service and atmosphere. We will come back here, definitely 👌 .......

Perfect venue, awesome food excellent service

I honestly do not know or understand why this Indian gets such great reviews. I visited the Spice Merchant whilst away with business, at the time it was listed on TripAdvisor as the number 2 restaurant in Leek. I’d dread to think what the others are like if this is apparently so good! The waiting staff were very pleasant and the restaurant itself was clean and was very chintzy decorated, but nice enough, but the food… ….absolutely terrible! I ordered a Veg Balti, side of Dal Makhani and a Cheese Naan. When the food arrived, it looked pretty good, but in terms of taste, it was very disappointing. The Balti was literally swimming in oil – so much so that I left loads. The flavour was poor with no real spice or heat – more a case of brown oily gloop. I left most of it. The Dal Makhani may have been nice, but I got Tarka Dal…. …and the cheese naan was lacking an important ingredient… …the cheese! Why didn’t I complain at the time – I ask myself that now, but it had been a long day! I paid and left still hungry. I would suggest that other Indian restaurants in the vicinity are visited instead. This is an honest review based on my experience. Maybe others were visiting a different restaurant?!

Was recommended to us and did not disappoint. Some different items in the menu which is always good to see and try. Service was excellent, even after meal complimentary drinks.

Very good food, well presented and good service (there were only a few others in as it was a Monday night). Good selection on the menu and will definitely go again. Good for parking as well and the disabled toilet was very clean and well-appointed. Altogether a very pleasant experience.

Very enjoyable meal food and service second to none. Excellent waiter service.

We celebrated my uncle’s 70th at Spice Merchant and the staff made it very special. Both the food and the service were superb. Thank you for making it a very memorable evening ☺️

We visited Spice Merchant for a family meal I had checked the reviews before we booked and the reviews proved to be exactly what we expected. The staff were very friendly and attentive a real credit to the restaurant they made us feel very welcome, the food was outstanding I loved the authentic Indian cuisine we thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would highly recommend Spice Merchant they thoroughly deserve this five star rating thank you 😊

I was in the spice Merchant Leek again tonight & had the chefs special with Pilua rice & PeshwAri Naan bread. It was amazing, to smell, see and incredible to eat. Thank you for a great meal.

11/10, not a single fault! Everything was perfection from the quality of the food to the service, they must be very proud of what they have achieved and continue to do so. Thank you for a perfect evening

Was visiting leek for night out fancied a Indian and booked the spice merchant so glad we did the moment we arrived service was brilliant we had mixed kebab starter and garlic chilli chicken for main with paswari nan which was the best I've had in years all the way through both meals the service remained brilliant thankyou for a great experience we will be back in near future

This is the 2nd time to visit. Overall it’s not bad..that’s the best I can offer. The prawn puri was really good as was the veggie biryani but the paneer masala was far too sweet and a lively pink colour. I am no chef but even I know there is no coconut in a masala and this was a coconut festival. When I asked I was told it was “normal” and next time I should ask for a masala without coconut. It’s a small thing but it definitely was not what I expected. The last comment was the staff’s obsession with popadoms I was asked 6 times by 6 different people if I wanted them. Not sure why this would be but it seemed a bit weird.

A hidden gem, but just around the corner from the Premier Inn we were staying in. 10 adults, 2 children all enjoyed delicious food, beautifully presented, and such friendly staff.

Tasteless and oily.plus X2 meal’s missing

Travelled 3 miles to collect and when we got home x2 meals were missing so we had to do the trip again as they were not answering the phone. Meat was lovely but the sauce in all 6 dishes was tasteless and very oily. Cost £79.00 a lot of money when not up to scratch.

An absolutely fantastic establishment. Hospitable staff, blazingly fast service, amazing food, and close to the local hotel for those visiting Leek. We will be returning very soon. Thank you again to our waiter Atik for doing a splendid job.

The very first time I been in the 10 years I been in leek food was very nice staff very friendley and polite couldnt fault then will defo be going back its was very nice 11/10 👌👍

We went here for our works Christmas meal and it was a great experience. The staff couldn't do enough for us, they were very friendly, knowledgable about the dishes and also offered us a free taster. The food was excellent, very tasty and we didn't have to wait long to be served. The manager, Juber was very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. We will definately be going back at some point this year.

First time for a takeaway. Shared a main course between two. Very disappointed with the portion size. 3 small pieces of chicken and not a lot of sauce. Great taste. Maybe back to Pabna.

Exquisite food and very friendly service. This was the best Indian food I have had outside India, I would highly recommend and will definitely be returning. A most enjoyable evening

Delicious food, lovely relaxed atmosphere, very friendly bur professional staff. Would definitely recommend!

Delicious food, lovely atmosphere, friendly, professional staff.

Accidently ordered a takeaway to be delivered not having read that takeaways are collection only! After querying where my order was after 2 hours, i realised my mistake and the manager apologised and as i was unable to come and collect my order, he offered to deliver it to me personally! Within 10minutes my order was delivered and not only was the food delicious, they had put a portion of onion Bahjis in as a apology for the wait! Top class service and food!

First time trying Spice Merchant for a family meal and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent and really delicious, but the main appeal of this restaurant is the kind, attentive and friendly staff. Nothing was too much for them and they were efficient in taking orders and delivering the food to the table. An excellent experience and we will most certainly return.

We called on New Years Day early on, just as the restaurant opened and we were welcomed so warmly. The food was beautiful and tasted so fresh, presented impeccably. Waiting staff and bar staff were attentive, knowledgable and friendly. My curry was a little spicy for my liking (my fault, I ordered wrong!) and they couldn’t have been more helpful. Can’t wait to go again. 10/10. Thank you 🤩

Excellent food in a lovely restaurant served by amazing staff thank you. Nothing is too much trouble & they even provided a birthday cake which was delicious

We have always heard great reviews and wanted to give it a go first as a takeaway, and it did not disappoint! Food and service were excellent. 100% will go again and try dining in!

Went to the Spice Merchant for our Christmas lunch due to friends visiting from Mallorca, so glad we did we all enjoyed it so much we are going back for new years . They made us all feel so welcome even the grandkids who can...

We love it here great food great staff great place