Harden's says
After 25 years in Chelsea, veteran Indian Chutney Mary moved to St James's in 2015; the restaurant boasts private dining as well as a separate bar, Pukka Bar.
Harden's survey result
Summary
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”.
Summary
“You get the whole deal” at this superb Indian all-rounder in St James’s: the venture which – when it was first located in SW10 – formed the first link in the restaurant chain owned by Ranjit & Namita Mathrani and the latter’s sister, Camellia Panjab (which nowadays, as MW Eats, also encompasses the Masala Zone chain, plus Veeraswamy and Amaya). The “amazing” cuisine features “a deliciously innovative mix of regional Indian dishes”; service is “impeccable (especially from the manager, Kanwal”); and the “glamorous dining room” is well-suited to any occasion.
Summary
“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.
Summary
A trip to the “wonderful, fun cocktail bar” makes a brilliant introduction to this “spacious, elegant and bustling” operation, whose “marvellous décor truly gives it character”. The original venture of Ranjit & Namita Mathrani, plus the latter’s sister, Camellia Panjabi (who also now own Amaya, Veeraswamy and Masala Zone), it moved several years ago from SW10 to this swanky St James’s address. The “sophisticated Indian cooking” has “superb spicing” with plenty of “depth and complexity” and “wonderful” flavours, and amongst London’s posh Indians it remains one of the best known.
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 Chutney Mary?
73 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1PH
Restaurant details
Chutney Mary Restaurant Diner Reviews
"The scallops to start were divine. The rest very good but expensive "
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | £45.00 |  |
|
|
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £8.00 | £39.00 | £15.00 | £0.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £40.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £7.00 |
| Service | 15.00% |
73 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1PH
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:30 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15 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, 6 pm‑10 pm |
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