Chinatown, Indian Restaurant Guide

Tapas based on Delhi street food is served in a roti at this Indian duo, with branches in Soho and in a smart hotel dining room near Marble Arch, for whom feedback remains limited but upbeat. (The Paddington branch has now closed).

As 10CC might have put it: “We don’t like Kricket… we love it!”. “Brilliant Indian sharing plates with an emphasis on taste, not heat” have bowled a hat-trick of successes for Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby since their street food pop-up went permanent in Soho, Brixton and White City. Their “interesting and flexible” small-plate menus are served in a “cool, vibey atmosphere”, either eating at the counter or at tables – with more vibes next door in their speakeasy bar Soma for diners in Soho.

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.

This “sparky version of its parent Tamarind” in a “busy part of Soho” knocks out “delicious twists on quintessential Delhi street food” in a “large, stylish and comfortable dining room”. “Jovial staff” add to the “very special” package.

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: “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.

“I have yet to find the person who does not absolutely love Dishoom!” – Shamil and Kavi Thakrar’s “must-visit chain” remains our poll’s most-commented-on group, on the strength of its “exceptional” homage to the Irani cafés of Bombay. “A sense of nostalgia for a vanished India and quirky colonial notices add to the fun” of its “cool”, “evocative” branches, where “outstanding staff, even when very busy” (which is to say always) preside over “borderline hectic” conditions with great verve and efficiency. The “slightly different Indian food” (“with spice rather than heat”) is “far better than it has any right to be” given the volumes it’s served in… “superb”… “so consistent” and “extremely fairly priced” too. The “left field” breakfast menu is famous nowadays, and “awesome bacon and egg naan rolls” have “redefined what brekkie is all about” for many Londoners. Founded in 2010, they will hit six branches in London in 2022, with a big (355 covers) new Canary Wharf outlet, complete with a bar and terrace overlooking the docks. On the downside, bookings at all the outlets are restricted and “queues are half way down the street”. “It’s worth it though!!”. Top Menu Tips – “Finally got to try the black dal… a big hug in a bowl” that’s “to die for” and “Ruby Murray is a family favourite”. And, with their burgeoning delivery business, “the fact you can now order the Bacon Naan for home consumption is a wonderful, wonderful thing”.

“Buzzy” Anglo-Indian hybrid in a “perfect central location” just off Trafalgar Square that serves “tapas-sized selections of delicious Indian food to share”; there’s “not a huge choice”, but there are “plenty of vegetarian options”. An offshoot in Notting Hill is no longer in operation.

Approaching its centenary, London’s oldest Indian, near Piccadilly Circus, continues to thrive as part of the high-quality group that also owns Chutney Mary. It may be an “old favourite” for many fans of decades’ standing, but the “relaxing” interior is modern and without any ‘heritage’ appeal. “Service is friendly and professional – not pushy, but there when you want them” – and the cooking has “sublime flavours and fragrances”.

“Absolutely delicious” Indo-Chinese dishes (inspired by the Hakka-influenced cuisine of Kolkata) makes it worth discovering these slightly offbeat eateries in Soho and Covent Garden: (“delectable chops, and it even converted me to liking okra!”).

2020 Review: “The small menu really delivers on taste and price” with “some absolutely amazing dishes”, at Calcutta-born Asma Khan’s former supper club, now in hugely popular, permanent quarters off Carnaby Street. The “friendly” staff, including an all-women kitchen team of self-described ‘housewives’, ensure there’s a real “home-cooked” flavour to the enterprise.

This veteran curry house to the north of Covent Garden has survived for 76 years by providing “fine-value and well-above-average cooking”. Founded in 1946 and claiming to be the first north Indian restaurant in London, it is now owned and operated by the fourth generation of the same family and still sticks close to its gastronomic roots (“ate with a friend whose family come from the Punjab and he said the food was thoroughly authentic”). In recent years, “real effort has gone into the wine list, but the best wine to drink with curry remains…beer”.

A taste of Kolkata, via New York – these “Indian fast-food” joints in Soho and Bethnal Green serve buttery paratha flatbreads rolled around fillings originally grilled on skewers (kati means skewer), the street food from home that founder Payal Saha missed when she moved to Manhattan 21 years ago.

“I have yet to find the person who does not absolutely love Dishoom!” – Shamil and Kavi Thakrar’s “must-visit chain” remains our poll’s most-commented-on group, on the strength of its “exceptional” homage to the Irani cafés of Bombay. “A sense of nostalgia for a vanished India and quirky colonial notices add to the fun” of its “cool”, “evocative” branches, where “outstanding staff, even when very busy” (which is to say always) preside over “borderline hectic” conditions with great verve and efficiency. The “slightly different Indian food” (“with spice rather than heat”) is “far better than it has any right to be” given the volumes it’s served in… “superb”… “so consistent” and “extremely fairly priced” too. The “left field” breakfast menu is famous nowadays, and “awesome bacon and egg naan rolls” have “redefined what brekkie is all about” for many Londoners. Founded in 2010, they will hit six branches in London in 2022, with a big (355 covers) new Canary Wharf outlet, complete with a bar and terrace overlooking the docks. On the downside, bookings at all the outlets are restricted and “queues are half way down the street”. “It’s worth it though!!”. Top Menu Tips – “Finally got to try the black dal… a big hug in a bowl” that’s “to die for” and “Ruby Murray is a family favourite”. And, with their burgeoning delivery business, “the fact you can now order the Bacon Naan for home consumption is a wonderful, wonderful thing”.

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…”

“Very tasty dosas” headline the “wide range of delicious, South Indian vegetarian dishes”, “with many unusual choices” at this “unassuming-looking” small chain, whose most central branch is just off Leicester Square. “The food is good enough even to silence grumbling carnivores like me!”

Atul Kochhar’s “inventive” Northeastern Indian cuisine (“light and not too rich”) continues to win a strong fanclub for this well regarded four-year-old in Mayfair. It would rate even higher, were it not for a few reporters for whom “it’s sound all around but just not that next-level I’d expect at the price point”.

“Noisy and aptly named bustle” – this “well-executed and brilliant concept” (sibling to Jamavar) is inspired by the street food of Mumbai: a “deeply impressive range of dishes” and results are “mind-blowing” – with just “the right balance of spices and herbs”.

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.