Harden's says
A major fire closed Gymkhana in June 2019 - it re-opened in February 2020, just weeks before lockdown.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“A perennial winner and rightly so” – JKS Restaurants’ flagship opened in 2013 and delivers a “terrific” experience with Sid Ahuja’s “exciting and stunning looking” Indian dishes helping to mark out this colonial-style Mayfair subcontinental as one of the most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. In their February 2024 awards, however, Michelin arguably did the place a disservice by doubling its rating, leaving a significant minority of diners of the view that “it’s great… but it’s not two star”; or worse, that “they’ve now gone overboard with the prices” leaving an “overhyped” and “really undwhelming” impression as a result. (New cocktail lounge and private room on the first floor, called ‘42’.) Top Menu Tips – “sensational Kid Goat Methi Keema, and the Aloo Chat with tamarind is to die for!”
Summary
It was this “top-tier” Mayfair Indian – opened in 2013 – that started to show London that the Sethi family of all-conquering JKS Restaurants fame were not a one-hit wonder (having founded Trishna five years before). “Inventive and exciting, whilst ticking all the boxes that make Indian ‘curry houses’ so appealing”, it inspires nothing but praise for its “consistently superb” culinary alchemy, which is served in a colonial-inspired wood-panelled interior decorated with prints and the odd stuffed animal head. If you follow Michelin’s recommendations however, the elevation of chef Sid Ahuja’s cuisine as London’s first Indian restaurant to receive a second Michelin star is a bit puzzling. Diners express views for and against in our annual diners’ poll, but most noticeably, despite its high ratings the destination doesn’t inspire many nominations as diners’ top meal of the year (as would be expected for such a luminary); there are other Indian restaurants in our poll that out-score it; and the contrast with the level of adulation received by A Wong (London’s first Chinese two star), is stark. Perhaps we are just so spoilt for Indian cuisine in London that we don’t always fully appreciate it? Top Menu Tips – “The muntjac biryani is fantastic”; “it is worth going for the lobster claw in scrambled duck egg alone”; and “the pork cheek vindaloo is a standout!”
Summary
“Setting the benchmark for high-end Indian gastronomy in London” – “the capital may have a lot of hot new Indian destinations, but this Sethi family property in Mayfair is still at the top thanks to dazzling cuisine” – “interesting twists on the classics” with “exceptional spicing”, all served by “thoroughly welcoming” staff in a “richly decorated and buzzy environment”.
Summary
The “standard-bearer for subcontinental food in London” – the Sethi family’s “exceptional” Mayfair destination nowadays ranks in the Top-20 most-mentioned restaurants in our annual diners’ poll, and is the highest-ranking Indian. “An amazing selection of traditional dishes not found anywhere else” delivers “top-quality flavours relying on taste, not heat” (“so delicious, I couldn’t stop eating!”), all in a “vibey” two-floor setting, with Indian-inspired décor referencing Indian clubs and mansions. “Unbeatable… if you can get in, that is…”
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 Gymkhana?
42 Albemarle St, London, W1S 4JH
Restaurant details
Gymkhana Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Superb meal here. Everything was so good, I’m just sorry I didn’t have room to eat even more. "
"Delightful "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £44.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.60 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
42 Albemarle St, London, W1S 4JH
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑2:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
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