Indian Restaurants in Greater London
1. Benares
Indian restaurant in Mayfair
12a Berkeley Square House, - W1
“Outstandingly good Indian fine dining, curated by head chef Sameer Taneja, whose forte is a tasting menu with a strong seafood offering” wins strong approval for this “sophisticated” nouvelle Indian, located in a large first-floor space above Berkeley Square, whose “helpful service” offsets the “rather soulless” decor. Top Tip – “their bottomless thali lunchtime meal deal is amazing value for a Michelin-starred restaurant. Not to be missed!!”
2. Cinnamon Bazaar
Indian restaurant in
28 Maiden Lane - WC2E
“From the pricing, you’d be forgiven for expecting a ‘standard’ Indian restaurant”, but Vivek Singh’s popular café is “surprisingly good” to those who’ve not yet discovered it and delivers outstanding value for somewhere in Covent Garden. “The menu is anything but run-of-the-mill, with interesting and creative twists on classics and some wholly new creations”. The worst gripe this year? It can get “too noisy when it’s packed”.
3. Cinnamon Kitchen
Indian restaurant in City
9 Devonshire Sq - EC2
“Attractive Indians with a good range of different dishes” – Vivek Singh’s dynamic duo of affordable spin-offs from his celebrated Cinnamon Club inspire practically nothing but high praise. The long-established City outlet set inside a rather 1980s atrium development is “a solid option around Liverpool Street” (although at times “the cavernous interior can feel a bit odd and echoey”); the newer Battersea branch occupies a railway arch near the power station and feels “different” (in a good way).
4. The Cinnamon Club
Indian restaurant in Westminster
Old Westminster Library, Great Smith St - SW1
“Fantastic food in a fabulous building – what more could you ask for?” So say fans of Vivek Singh’s “impressive” HQ “in the beautiful setting of Westminster’s former public library”, which remains the most-mentioned non-European restaurant in our annual diners’ poll. The “progressive” cuisine is “perfectly spiced and brings together the best of Indian and European cooking” with “exquisite” results. The “lovely light, spacious and glamorous” setting “lends real class to the occasion”, but “it isn’t stuffy, and staff are very welcoming”. “It’s just a shame so many politicians eat here too!” Top Tip – “the lunch menu offers exceptional value for money”.
5. Est India
Indian restaurant in London Bridge
73-75 Union Street, Flat Iron Square - SE1
2021 Review: If the food market in Flat Iron Square doesn’t take your fancy, remember this consistently good modern basement Indian, serving a wide mix of options, including a number of south Indian dishes like dosas; good with families too.
6. India Club, Strand Continental Hotel
Indian restaurant in Covent Garden
143 Strand - WC2
2023 Review: “Good scruffy fun with a side order of nostalgia” is to be had at this “hidden gem” in the Strand (a favourite with staff at the Indian High Commission opposite). “An almost anonymous doorway leads you up some stairs” where you “step back in time, not to a cheesy incarnation of the British Raj, but to the early days of independence”. Founded in 1951 (Prime Minister Nehru was among the founding members), the ‘club’ is open to the public and serves food that can be (but is not invariably) “excellent” at a “great price”, in an authentically “slightly chaotic atmosphere”. It’s been under siege for the past five years from a landlord itching to redevelop, but it’s “an institution that deserves to survive, and an oasis of good value in central London”. Top Tip – it’s unlicensed – “pause for a drink in the bar downstairs before or after eating” or carry your pint to the table.
7. Tandoor Chop House
Indian restaurant in Covent Garden
8 Adelaide Street - WC2
“Tandoor as it is meant to be”, with “bursts of authentic, deep and rich smoky flavours”, earns an emphatic thumbs-up for this “energetic” operation just off Trafalgar Square. The “menu is limited but compelling, with bold and memorable spicing”, “mouthwatering chicken and duck” and “well made naan”, while “desserts are the weakest element”.
8. Sagar
Indian restaurant in Covent Garden
31 Catherine St - WC2
The “absolutely delicious” South Indian vegan and vegetarian food at this quintet of low-key cafés – stretching from Harrow to Covent Garden – is “good enough to keep carnivores quiet”: in particular “the dosas, which are just what you want from a dosa: crispy, tender, flavourful”. The formula is “simple but it works, even if the menu is always the same”; and it helps that the experience comes at “very reasonable prices”.
9. Brigadiers
Indian restaurant in City
Bloomberg Arcade, Queen Victoria Street - EC2R
“Standards remain high” at JKS Restaurants’ “Anglo-Indian sporting and military-themed eaterie” in the Bloomberg Arcade – “a go-to lunching spot (albeit that City lunching is significantly less prevalent than in days gone by)”. The “amazing and different dishes” are “full of flavour and spices”. Top Menu Tips – “the tandoori meats in particular are excellent” and “dum beef shin and bone marrow biryani is a must try!”
10. Kennington Tandoori
Indian restaurant in Kennington
313 Kennington Rd - SE11
“Kowsar Hoque’s stylish Indian emporium” in Kennington, opened by his father almost 40 years ago, “continues to deliver excellent dishes which are reasonably priced for the high quality and make you feel you’re in the company of experts”… actually you are likely in the company of our less-than-expert ruling class, given that the venue has long been a favourite of MPs from nearby Westminster, including David Cameron and BoJo.
11. Dishoom
Indian restaurant in Chinatown
12 Upper St Martins Ln - WC2
“You really can’t go wrong with Dishoom”. Shamil and Kavi Thakrar’s phenomenal chain remains the most commented-on in our annual diners’ poll and its “bustling and loud, throwback, Bombay-colonial-era atmosphere” and “distinctively superior” menu – such a “novel variation from what you get in a typical curry house” – have given UK diners a welcome jolt as to what can be expected from an Indian meal. This includes their “Asian-inspired alternative to the usual ‘Full English’ breakfast”, which has revolutionised the start of the day for many folks. “Super-friendly staff do all they can to create a great experience”, which – along with the “delectable cocktails” – helps to underpin the “good vibes” that makes their ambience so buoyant. Perhaps inevitably, ratings for its food have slipped a tad in recent times from being exceptional to merely good, but the overall verdict remains that the overall package is “relatively cheap and always really tasty”. The ability to book is restricted at certain times and at certain branches, but “the queue is worth it!” Top Menu Tips – “stupendous black dahl”; “you could have their okra fries by the bucket”; “ruby murray is a must try”; “that bacon naan… with unlimited chai latte = heaven!”.
12. Curry House Coco Ichibanya
Japanese restaurant in Westminster
17 Great Newport Street - WC2H
2021 Review: Near Leicester Square tube and need a quick bite? – maybe grab a meal at this simple two-year-old: the first London outpost of Japan’s largest (1,000-strong) chain specialising in kare raisu dishes – curry and rice: over 40 different rice toppings are available, including hamburgers, scrambled eggs and fried oysters.
13. Farzi Cafe
Indian restaurant in Westminster
8 Haymarket - SW1Y
2021 Review: In the heart of the West End, this decidedly glam yearling scored better in our survey than the mixed rep it received in press reviews. The first UK outpost of a 30-strong international chain hailing from India and the Gulf, its repertoire of tapas-y offerings are very much of the funky, evolved school of Indian cuisine, and reporters salivate over “an amazing choice of inventive dishes” that are “far better than you would expect” in this touristy locale.
14. Punjab
Indian restaurant in Covent Garden
80 Neal St - WC2
“It ain’t Bibi or Tamarind, but it’s less than half the price and it’s jolly good” – this “ever-reliable” Covent Garden institution has earned devotion from generations of fans for its “authentic” Punjabi curries and “great staff” (“I’ve been coming here for excellent meals for over 40 years”). Founded in 1946 – the year before Indian independence – it claims to have been the UK’s first north Indian restaurant and is now run by the fourth generation of the founding family. It’s run with a conscience too – “during lockdown they served over 45,000 meals to the needy and homeless”.
15. Mathura
Indian restaurant in Westminster
4 Greycoat Place - SW1P
2023 Review: “In an old Fire station near Victoria”, Atul Kochhar’s October 2021 newcomer is “a massive undertaking (with over 170 covers)”. It inspires a wide range of reactions, none of them terrible, some of them rapturous, but many of them mixed. The “unusual” food has “amazing spicing, with a focus on fish”, but some dishes can appear “too ordinary” or “needing a rethink” and even fans note they are “expensive”. In a similar vein, the “friendly” service can be “iffy” in its efficiency; and “ambience can be lacking” despite the “stylish conversion”. Still, it’s an ambitious venture still finding its feet, and perhaps the fairest overall verdict at this stage is: “enjoyable rather than brilliant”.
16. Baba G's
Indian restaurant in Southwark
Vinegar Yard, 72-82 St Thomas Street - SE1
2021 Review: “Everything here is great, but I totally loved the paneer burger” – an alternative to the best-selling bhangra burger on the menu of these popular pop-ups, in POP Brixton and now also Vinegar Yard, SE1. After over ten years in the game, the business shifted up a gear in May 2019 with the opening (flush with £300k of investment having won BBC2’s ‘My Million Pound Menu’) of the new forever-home listed here: a 50-seater in Camden Town’s Stables Market.
17. Hankies
Indian restaurant in Soho
67 Shaftesbury Avenue - W1D
In the heart of Theatreland, this Indian street-food operation is focused on dishes served with ‘hankies’ – hand-spun roti folded around the dish – and still receives good marks (if from a limited number of reports). There used to be offshoots in Marble Arch and Paddington, but both have closed over the last couple of years.
18. Colonel Saab
Indian restaurant in
Holborn Hall, 193-197 High Holborn - WC1V
“Great food, attentive service, and an overall lovely experience” are winning a small but very enthusiastic fan club for this quirky, late 2021 Indian two-year-old. Despite the interest of a historic building – Holborn’s former Town Hall – it inhabits something of a restaurant graveyard site, which has seen off numerous previous occupants (Shanghai Blues, Gezellig, Burger & Lobster). And, shortly after opening, it too was written off as a ‘Curry Catastrophe’ by the Evening Standard’s David Ellis. So kudos to owner Roop Partap Choudhary for persevering with his very personal vision for the enterprise.
19. Kricket
Indian restaurant in Soho
12 Denman Street - W1
“Clever, subtly infused curries a wonderful step up from your local Indian” (“the flavours of every option are incredible with each dish spiced to perfection”) have catapulted this project by university friends Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell from a Brixton pop-up to three thriving tapas-style restaurants, including a Soho flagship with cocktail bar, in less than 10 years.
20. Chutney Mary
Indian restaurant in Westminster
73 St James's Street - SW1A
“Always a good experience” – this “upmarket Indian” in St James’s is the original venture of Ranjit & Namita Mathrani, plus the latter’s sister, Camellia Panjabi (who run other top Indians and the Masala Zone chain). One of London’s first ‘nouvelle Indians’ (when it opened, on its former site, in SW10), its “complex and well-balanced” dishes are “done well enough to let them off the high prices” and served in a great space, whose “wonderful décor gives it character”. Rishi’s a regular apparently.
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