I was wandering around NLGX last week when my sweet tooth began nagging me. Feeling adventurous I took a chance with tea and dessert at this unique Indian place. The music lured me in and when I got there I tried the gulab jam - fried cheese balls with jam. Sounded kinda strange but I was pleasantly delighted. I can't wait to return to try dinner here sometime soon.

MY boyfriend and I live nearby and eat here at least once every week. It is no doubt the highlight of my week :) The food never disappoints and the friendly staff makes it even better. We've tried nearly every vegetarian dish on their menu and they're all great! Though my favorites are definitely the veg curry and the veg mango. There are so many different flavors in each dish, and paired with the saffron rice and fresh cooked naan it's to die for!

Every meal is complete with a small complimentary dessert which has been different (and wonderful) every time. It's a nice little surprise at the end of the meal :) All-in-all, even if you only kind of like Indian food, you HAVE to make a stop at Masala! It's the best in Beijing for sure!!

Went here once after a day in Ritan park. Hadn't really heard about it, but was hungry and the ads outside looked mouthwatering so went in. It was a little quiet (time was about 6pm at this point) though it filled up nicely afterwards. Good food and good service, and I like the Indian drinks they have, the mango drink hit the spot! Will definitely come back if in the neghbourhood.

I like my curries and this place does a really good one. The location is a bit strange, amongst all the Russian places next to Ritan park, but it's just next to Chaoyang station and pretty close to Bui Now Hui, the computer market - I usually stop in by after getting my tech fix (or trying to). Bhuna, paneer, bhuna, korma, tandoori, vindaloo, they do all the curries you'd expect and do them well, with excellent service. Place looks nice, warm and welcoming too. They also have some Indian-style drinks, which my wife really likes, though I'm not so keen on them, like mango sherbets and all that. Good wine list and spirits for those that like their drinks a bit stiffer (like me).

I'm into Indian food (it's a British thing) and have been working my way through the Indian/Pakistani restaurants in Beijing. I was rather confused by the wide discrepency in the reviews listed here - either 1 star or 5 star, what's with that? But after an afternoon shopping in Bai Now Hui (the computer market), I thought I'd take the plunge. And in fact I was pleasantly surprised. Mirch Masala might be a little hard to find (it's down an arcade next to Ritan Park north gate) but it's well worth a visit. It looks nice, all warm colours, with cosy tables. The waiting staff were attentive without being in your face, the good waiting I associate with Indian restaurants. And the food was really nice - I had a fish curry which was spicy but creamy, while my wife had the palak paneer (spinach and cheese), as she's not much into spicy Indian food, which was good for her, too. There's an extensive drinks list with lots of wine to choose from, but I just had a beer or three (typical Brit!). I really didn't see anything to justify the poor reviews there are here - it was all just what you want from an Indian restaurant.

The owner came by and said they're opening up a place in Nanlouguxiang, a take-way place. I'll have to check that one out!

This used to be a good place, but last night they served me the worst meal I've had in a long time. Do they think we won't notice that their dishes are all sauce (tasteless) and no meat or vegetables?

I have been to this restaurant some weeks ago with a friend and I must say that it's absolutely blissful, considering the fact I have lived in England and appreciated the ubiquitous Indian food. Their Goa fish curry is super spicy but sure to please. Management is nice, service great, and the whole environment particularly well decorated and warm. I will surely go back, especially since I know they're often running special deals.

Went to Mirch Masala restaurant on Ritan Park yesterday evening with a group of friends. It was very busy for valentines booking but I have to say the food was of a very high quality and the service was good considering how busy the restaurant was. Not often do I write a review for anything so it must be a compliment to the restaurant that I have bothered to write a review. Highly reccommended place to eat for sure.
Note: Mirch Masala is closed on nanluoguxiang for repair but ritan restaurant is open.As I wanted to book my table in nanluoguxiang restaurant.

I went there for dinner with my girlfriend a couple Saturdays ago. I have to say the whole experience was degrading. One thing that was not uniformly bad was the service, which was mixed (one waiter was more pleasant than the other, and offered us free water when he saw us swigging from bottles. Hey, we'd also ordered a glass of house red and a mixer drink so it wasn't like we were cheaping out!).

We didn't order starters (to the incredulity of "the other" waiter) but were given that bright green cucumber and garlic paste with the little sticks to dip. It tasted all right but the green colour was so bright and unnatural, it made us think that there must have been a lot of food colouring in it.

Food. We had two lamb dishes. One was a sag (spinach) lamb dish with green spinach sauce, and the other was lamb with a brown sauce. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact names. The meat was... strange, almost like they'd boiled it instead of grilling or frying it, so it was limp beyond tender, and sort of slimy. To be fair I don't think it was raw, just very fatty, limp and slimy. I stomached it because I don't like to waste food, but my girlfriend couldn't finish hers. Eating it made us feel more than a little ill. Both curry sauces were far too salty.

The rice was OK (what do you expect?). The frontier naan was not heinously bad, if somewhat different from the description on the menu (sprinkled on it were a couple of those bright green pickled cherry things, described in the menu, rather disingenuously I might add, as "raisin paste"). House red wine was adequate.

We would have complained about the food if the waiters had asked us about our meal, but they did not seem to be concerned as to whether or not we enjoyed the food.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and would urge people not to go. I will not be going back unless I start hearing very good things from people who have changed their minds, like us not having liked the food originally (I say this because, incredibly, many people swear by this restaurant as it is now). I would appreciate real, sustained efforts to improve their repertoire, which is what it would have to take to make the experience at Mirch Masala even acceptable.

We tried Mirch Masala today for lunch for the first time. The service was friendly and prompt. It is a tiny space, but it so bright and clean and happy that it felt very welcoming.

The food: We had chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, channa masala, naan, rice, and raita.

We found the flavors to be delicate and layered. Delicious! The tikka masala was more sweet than hot, so it may have been done with a bit more of a bite, but it's overall flavor was fantastic!

The saag paneer and the channa masala were perfect. The spinach seemed fresh and flavorful and was in good balance with the spices. The paneer had a firm, pleasant texture and every several bites included a piece of pickled ginger that was such a nice compliment!

We found the naan to be fluffy and hearty. Nothing was greasy as sooo many Indian restaurants in this city are.

The chai (Half price)was also delicious, and was not pre-sweetened which was a refreshing change.

We will be back, again and again and again!

Addiction (n.):Mirch Masala is one of those places where you go for lunch and then want to go again for dinner. Yes, it is that great and that affordable! Savory classic Indian dishes---so divine! So addicted.