Greater London, Indian Restaurant Guide

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.

“Something a bit different when it comes to Indian food” – this wood-panelled chop-house off Trafalgar Square specialises in “tender meat from the tandoor oven (no wet curry sauces!), and at reasonable prices for central London”. The dishes are “packed with flavour” and in “generous portions”. Top Menu Tip – “the crispy lamb chops are a must”.

If you’re looking for a “good pitstop in the West End”, this trio (also with an offshoot in Hammersmith) offers “tasty vegan and veggie Indian food” at “very reasonable prices” – nothing fancy, but “good basic cooking” of “South Indian staples”. Pickier diners can feel that some sauces are “rather watery”, or that the filling food can come “with no stand-out flavours”. Practically all agree, however, that “a great Masala Dosa and beer makes a very affordable meal in Central London”. Top Tip – “good choice to take a crowd: they’re not fazed by large tables”.

“Still my favourite indian and can’t fault this place” – JKS Restaurants have hit an impressive stride at their City outpost, which cosies up its shiny Bloomberg Arcade location by modelling itself on an old-fashioned Indian Army mess. Not everyone loves that “half the site is a sports bar” (finding it “tacky”) but its (somewhat “male-dominated”) atmosphere is highly rated overall and the food is “brilliant” – a mixture of beer snacks, rolls, sizzlers, skewers, kebabs, chops and other fare. “A good spot for beers outside in the summer” too.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, this well-established fixture serves “decent food that’s just a little smarter than average”. It has attracted plenty of useful publicity over the years thanks to high-profile patronage by politicians from both sides of nearby Parliament (Brown, Prescott, Cameron, BoJo), who refer to it as ‘the KT’. Keen Westminster-watchers will be interested to note how many newbie MPs beat a path to its door this year...

This “enjoyable” if “typical local curry house” in Kennington was opened by Zalal Uddin in 1982 and is still family-owned. It makes the most of its proximity to the Oval – offering “very good service in trying, post-cricket, circumstances” – and to Parliament, which makes it a “good bet for MP-spotting”.

“You’ll almost always find a queue of people waiting for a table and a palpable energy of excitement in the room” when you visit these “vibrant” and “exotic”-feeling Indian favourites, which “whisk you to Bombay and back”. Cousins Shamil & Kavi Thakrar started in Covent Garden in 2010 and their growing group has become the most commented-on business in our annual diners’ poll, complete with seven London branches, three outside town; their ‘Permit Rooms’ spinoff brand, and turnover of over £100m. The interior design, a homage to Mumbai’s Irani cafés, absolutely slaps – “wherever you sit it’s quirky” and even though the busy scene can become “a bit of a zoo”, it’s all so upbeat that “you leave feeling good about your meal and yourself!”. Dishes are “bursting with flavour” and served by “efficient” waiting staff “who know their stuff”. The menu is “deliciously different”, although so many Londoners have now sampled it that once-arcane items like the “legendary black dahl (so rich and filling!)” are now part of London’s culinary canon. And what better way to start a new day than with an “unbeatable bacon and egg naan roll” – a high watermark of dining out invention of the last 50 years that’s core to their “game-changing breakfasts” (“you will never want an English bacon roll again”!).

The “large, two-storey” outpost of a brand from India’s Massive Restaurants group on Haymarket is worth knowing about if you’re fighting hunger in the heart of the West End; and offers “a good selection of food including a great variety of small plates” at a quality level that can surprise for such a touristy location. Wallet-friendly lunch and pre-theatre set meals add to its appeal.

This “historic Indian” in Covent Garden provides “traditional curry of the highest quality” with “prompt and friendly service”. The menu is built around “hearty” Punjabi food (lamb, chicken, naan breads), and some of the recipes have hardly changed since its founding in 1946 – although the Maan family’s own Butter Chicken had to wait eight years for rationing to end. Top Menu Tip – “the bullet naan (with fresh chilli and garlic) is a total must-have”.

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”.

2024 Review: 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.

“A gorgeous, sumptuous room with food to match” – classic Punjabi dishes with a Kenyan twist are a slightly offbeat discovery at this Piccadilly hotel restaurant from the Anand dynasty, founded almost a century ago in Nairobi. “The setting is delightful, all ornate with chandeliers but it doesn’t feel too swanky or over the top”. And appropriately for the West End hotel setting, they offer an afternoon ‘High Chai’ where tandoori salmon sandwiches and murgh tikka wraps are followed by very British scones, clotted cream and strawberry preserve. Top Menu Tip – “sea bass is prepared table side for that extra bit of theatre”.

“Interesting and unusual Indian food” – “not heavy curries at all, but a less familiar range of dishes, with very well-judged spicing and a huge range of delicate flavours” – again inspires rave reports for this superb Brit-run chain (founded by Will Bowlby & Rik Campbell), which also has a brilliant service ethos: “cheerful and obliging throughout and very prompt”. In 2025, they opened their latest 80-cover outpost in Shoreditch, which also introduced a debut breakfast menu alongside an all-day 50-cover Kafé and bar concept (serving street-food snacks). And coming soon – a launch in Covent Garden’s Neal’s Yard is planned. Top Menu Tips – “date and pistachio kuicha is particularly good; excellently light panipuri with tomato rasam”.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2025, this “top-of-the-class” flagship of the MW Eats chain continues to thrive under the ownership of Ranjit & Namita Mathrani and Namita’s sister, Camellia Panjabi. Originally founded in SW3, the business moved to this large, “opulent” central site in St James’s in 2015: “a great space with wonderful decor that gives it character” but which also combines being “upmarket with a good vibe”. Having helped lead the vanguard of London’s ‘nouvelle Indian’ cuisine from the 1990s onwards, the cooking here remains “exceptional, complex and balanced” and the performance all-round is impressive: “everything you would expect of a top-notch Indian restaurant and set of restauranteurs”.