Charing Cross, Indian Restaurant Guide

“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”.

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.

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.

“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!”.

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.

“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.

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”.

“First came here almost 60 years ago! And it’s still one of my favourites” – London’s oldest Indian restaurant “delivers fabulous food year after year”. Opened in 1926, in a first-floor space at the Piccadilly end of Regent Street, it is nowadays part of the upmarket Amaya and Chutney Mary group who have ensured its offering has moved with the times. The decor is “lovely” but not old-fashioned, and the “imaginative food has lots of flavours”. Top Menu Tip – “Rogan Josh on the bone”.

“A gem in Soho” – this large and stylish spin-off from the famous Mayfair mothership is “a very reasonable (and reasonably priced) option” that takes inspiration from regional cuisines across India. “The tasting menu is particularly good value by London standards”.

2021 Review: “For a cuzza in Soho”, this “good Indian in the centre of all the action” is just the job thanks to its “flavoursome and so tasty” cooking and “top price/quality ratio”. Family run since 1988, its unfashionably traditional basement setting is also a great antidote when you’re sick of being dazzled by trendy new restaurant design-concepts.

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.

“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.

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”.

“There’s a reason this chain has endured for so long” – its street food and curries are “so authentic”, “imaginative” and “such good value for money”: “you still have to go a long way to beat their thali deals”. Owned by MW Eats (who own the posh Chutney Mary, Amaya, etc), they sold off their Camden Town and Bayswater sites in the last 12 months; and in mid 2023 launched a stunning new landmark branch on Piccadilly Circus, in one of London’s most historic, but (in recent times) most-under-achieving restaurant sites: the magnificent, Neo-Byzantine, mosaicked chamber dating from 1873 that for many years was The Criterion (RIP). Innovations on the new site include breakfast, ‘Indian High Tea’ and late opening.

“Innovative small plates pack a flavour punch” (“the lamb chops are some of the most glorious things ever”) at this “buzzy if rather cramped” Indian street-food trio, with operations near Tower Bridge, and in Spitalfields and Soho. Top Tip – “good, if limited, pre-theatre menu. Virtually no choice but, with tasty and large portions costing £22 for two courses or £25 for three, excellent value”.