I tried an Indian feast at this Leeds city centre restaurant - and it didn’t hold back on spice

I’m always a little sceptical of chain restaurants when it comes to Indian food.

With so many regional dishes and flavours to choose from, there’s a risk of trying to cover too much on the menu and losing the spice and authenticity of the cuisine.

So I headed to Tamatanga in Leeds city centre with some reservations - but was pleasantly surprised to find food that packed a punch.

Founded in the Midlands in 2008, Tamatanga opened its restaurant in The Light in 2023. It promises home-style Indian food, fun cocktails and it's family-friendly, with a decent kids’ menu.

Walking in, the decor is a riot of bright colours - mixing bold patterns, colourful booth seating, tropical greenery and eye-catching lighting for a vibrant and properly maximalist feel.

We were seated in one of the cosy, enclosed wooden huts that gave some privacy from the bustle of the restaurant, and - if you’re like me and can’t resist sharing a good meal on Instagram - provided the perfect backdrop for pictures, too.

Tamatanga has recently launched a new autumn menu, which includes a bottomless thali offer for £19.95 per person at set times throughout October. If you’re not familiar with a thali, it’s an assortment of dishes served on a big platter - the perfect choice if you’re not sure what to order.

At Tamatanga, you can pick two curries of your choice, which are served with salad, poppadoms and chutney, two veg dishes, the daal of the day, raita, rice and one naan or roti.

I picked the Goan fish curry and Punjabi butter chicken. The fish was beautifully flaky and served in an aromatic sauce that had a big hit of tamarind. The chicken was well cooked and served in a creamy tomato-based sauce that was full of spices.

The daal was warming with a nice kick of chilli heat, the roti was soft and pillowy - perfect for scooping up all the sauce - and the rice was fluffy with a nice bite.

But the surprising stars of the plate were the two veg dishes. Perfectly cooked skin-on potatoes were brought to life with five peppery whole-seed spices in the five-spice aloo. And I couldn’t get enough of the Indo-Chinese-inspired sweet chilli broccoli, which was deliciously sticky and fresh.

My friend loved their thali and pick of two South Indian curries - tender Keralan lamb curry and the prawn nillgiri, a fragrant green curry made with coriander, mint and coconut milk.

The thali - outside of the autumn bottomless deal - is £26.95, around the same as its city centre competitors, and you got a decent amount of food for that.

Our dishes spanned the length and breadth of India, and I’ve tried many restaurants where that ambition falls flat. But I was impressed with the authenticity of the food and the fact they haven’t held back on spices to cater to the masses.

This is one chain that deserves a spot on your Leeds dining list.

Factfile

Address: Tamatanga, 52-54 The Headrow, Leeds LS1 8TL

Telephone: 0113 868 7788

Opening hours: Sun-Thurs, 11.30am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11.30am-11pm

Website: www.tamatanga.com

Scores

Food: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Service: 9/10