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RestaurantsLondonSohoW1D

Harden's says

Replacing Spuntino (RIP) is a Sri Lankan restaurant from Dom Fernando, with chef Charith Priyadarshana at the stoves; Paradise has been popping up around London recently, so has a ready-made fan club.

survey result

Summary

£70
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“The powerful flavours of Sri Lankan cuisine” are “tweaked and twisted by an inventive kitchen” at London-born Dom Fernando’s Soho venture, combining British ingredients with flavours from his family heritage. “Last visit they seem to have departed even further from Sri Lankan classics with their creations, but still never taking their foot off the flavour pedal”.

Summary

£65
  £££
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

The “fantastic Sri Lankan food” served at this brutalist-style Soho venue (formerly Spuntino, RIP) is part of the new wave of Asian restaurants, combining inspiration, spices and ancient-grain rice from Sri Lanka with high-quality British ingredients and natural wines from organic producers. Manager Sam Jones used to play rugby for Wasps.

Summary

£60
  £££
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Top-quality Sri Lankan food” – full of “interesting flavours” – draws an appreciative crowd to this modern venue “in the heart of Soho”, where the kitchen combines carefully sourced British produce with South Asian spicing. It’s run by former Wasps rugby player Sam Jones, with consultant Zeren Wilson advising on the low-intervention wine list.

Summary

£45
   ££
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Classic Sri Lankan flavours, with a perfect balance of spices and some really deft twists” win a thumbs-up for this contemporary Soho two-year-old – on the site of Spuntino (RIP) and with an interior by the designer behind Thai star Kiln. “I’m not one for drinking top wines with spicy foods, but if you wanted to, this is the place to go, with an excellent list of high-quality wines”. “The restaurant is run by ex-Wasps rugby player Sam Jones – an added bonus if you’re a rugby nut”.

For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Paradise?

+−
Leaflet | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
61 Rupert Street, London, W1D 7PW

Restaurant details

No dress code

Paradise Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Paradise Restaurant in W1D, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Paradise restaurant.
Anne D
Nicely presented small plates in tiny space...
Reviewed 11 months, 3 days ago

"Nicely presented small plates in tiny space. Amazing flavours - the dhal delicious and surprisingly spicy, fabulous grilled prawns and chicken meatballs. Good cocktails and nice short wine list. Great staff who are happy to see you. Don’t expect to linger all evening though, service is quite quick - although by no means rushed. "

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

Evening Standard

David Ellis went to a six-year-old Sri Lankan whose owner, Dom Fernandes, has “tarted-up” the interior and replaced the original menu with six-course tasting options (carnivore, pescatarian or vegetarian) at £65 – in truth, the standard three courses “divvied up differently”.

Never mind that, the food is of “formidable quality” – much of it “so furiously spiced that it could cure colds”, and some extremely complex: in a bowl of “stripper-pink” rasam, “the usual base of tomato was foregone in favour of lacto-fermented raspberries, a technique more usually associated with Copenhagen three-star Noma.”

David played his trump card in his final paragraph, declaring: “I didn’t eat this well in Sri Lanka itself when I visited a fortnight ago.”

David Ellis - 2025-03-02

Prices

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£8.90 £16.60 £8.80 £7.20
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £35.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 12.50%
+−
Leaflet | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
61 Rupert Street, London, W1D 7PW
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
Tuesday12:30 pm‑4 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm
Wednesday12:30 pm‑4 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm
Thursday12:30 pm‑4 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm
Friday12:30 pm‑4 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm
Saturday12:30 pm‑4 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm
SundayCLOSED

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