Ordering takeaway for one person is easy. Ordering it for six is a genuine logistical exercise — too little food and someone’s still hungry at 11pm, too much and half of it’s congealing in the fridge tomorrow, everyone wants something different, and somebody always forgets to ask about spice levels until the food’s already arrived. Add a menu that spans two entire cuisines, the way Rock Salt’s does, and there’s a bit more to think through than just picking your favourites and hoping for the best.
Here’s how to actually get it right.
Why Rock Salt Works So Well for a Group Order
Rock Salt has been ranked the best Indian and Chinese takeaway in Bristol on Deliveroo two years running, and the group-order logic behind that reputation is worth understanding before you place one. Having Indian and Chinese on the same menu isn’t just variety for variety’s sake — it means a group with genuinely different tastes doesn’t have to compromise or order from two separate places. One person wants tandoori and dal, another wants dumplings and stir-fry, and both can be satisfied from a single order landing at the same time, still hot.
It also means the food’s built to travel well in the first place. Marinades that sit overnight and curries that are meant to be eaten a little later than the moment they left the kitchen hold up far better for a group order than food that’s only ever been designed for the pass.
Step 1: Think in Dishes, Not People
The most common group-order mistake is ordering one main per person and calling it done. Indian and Chinese menus are built for sharing, not for one-dish-per-diner — so a group that orders that way ends up with a table of near-identical plates and nothing to pass around.
A better rule of thumb: for a group of four to six, aim for two to three starters to share, three to four mains, and enough rice, noodles or bread to cover everyone twice over. Scale up proportionally rather than linearly as the group grows — more people means more variety is worth adding, not just more of the same dishes.
Step 2: Mix the Cuisines Properly
Don’t split the order into “the Indian half” and “the Chinese half” and let people pick a side. The better approach — and the one that actually shows off what makes Rock Salt different — is building a table that has both running through it: a curry alongside a stir-fry, dim sum next to a tandoori starter, rice and noodles both on the table so nobody’s stuck eating naan with their chow mein.
This is exactly the philosophy behind Rock Salt’s small plates — a starter-led spread built for grazing across both cuisines rather than committing to one lane. For a group order, treat the starters section as your best tool for mixing things up cheaply, before you’ve even got to the mains.
Step 3: Balance the Spice Levels
Nothing derails a group takeaway faster than one dish that’s too hot for half the table and too mild for the other half. Rather than guessing, order across a spread — a couple of gentler dishes (a korma-style curry, a milder stir-fry), a couple of properly spiced options, and let people build their own plate from what’s on the table rather than being locked into whatever they personally ordered.
If you’re not sure where a dish sits on the scale, it’s always worth a quick message on the order or a call ahead — especially for a group where you don’t know everyone’s spice tolerance.
Step 4: Don’t Skimp on the Rice, Noodles and Bread
These are the dishes people forget to order and then desperately want twenty minutes in. For a mixed Indian-Chinese order, that usually means at least one rice dish, a noodle dish if anyone’s leaning Chinese, and a couple of naans or rotis for the curries. As a rough guide, order roughly one rice or noodle dish for every two to three people, plus bread on top rather than instead of it — it’s cheap insurance against an otherwise great order falling flat because nobody has anything to put the curry on.
Step 5: Order Ahead for Bigger Groups
For a genuinely large order — six or more people, or anything with a lot of individual dishes — ordering well ahead of when you actually want to eat gives the kitchen a proper run at it, rather than trying to fire a big ticket alongside a busy dinner service. If you’re ordering through Deliveroo, build in a bit of buffer time on a Friday or Saturday night in particular. For very large groups, it’s worth calling ahead directly on 0117 330 0700 to check the kitchen can accommodate the order comfortably, especially if you’re after several of the same dish.
Step 6: Know Roughly What You’re Spending
Group orders can run up faster than expected once starters, mains, sides and drinks are all added up. Our set lunch menu and average spend guide is written with dine-in in mind, but the per-person spend it lays out is still a useful benchmark for budgeting a takeaway order of a similar size — a good way to sanity-check the order before you hit confirm rather than being surprised at checkout.
A Sample Order for Six
As a starting point, a six-person order built around the principles above might look like:
- Three starters to share — a mix of one Indian and one Chinese starter, plus a dim sum option
- Four mains — two curries at different spice levels, one stir-fry, one tandoori or grill dish
- Two rice dishes and one noodle dish
- Three to four naans or rotis
That’s enough genuine variety for everyone to find something they love, built-in flexibility for different spice preferences, and food that’s actually designed to be shared across the table rather than eaten in isolation.
Ready to Order
Whether you’re ordering in for a group night or would rather book the real table experience, the full menu is on our menu page, and you can book a table directly if you’d rather have the group round the actual table on Cotham Hill instead. For more on what’s made the takeaway side of Rock Salt what it is, our piece on why Rocksalt has quietly become the best Indian takeaway in Bristol is worth a read before your next order lands.