Mayfair, Indian Restaurant Guide

“Cracking and very consistent cuisine”, full of “subtle and innovative flavours”, wins nothing but the highest praise for this Mayfair Indian – the highest rated in town this year – which occupies a “beautiful”, colonial-themed dining room. Naturally it’s not cheap, but by general agreement the experience is definitely “worthy of the prices”. Founder Samyukta Nair is the London-educated scion of an Indian dynasty until recently involved with India’s ultra-luxe Leela Palace group.

“Beautiful and elegant Indian food of a rare quality” is the hallmark of this “refined” Mayfair basement, which shrugged off the ‘curry house’ label to pioneer “modern-style presentation of the best traditional tastes” at its launch in 1995. The first Indian restaurant in the world to bag a Michelin star in 2001, it suffered a dip in standards thereafter, but has revived in recent years, by doing “everything an Indian restaurant should to make you feel at home and appreciate the cuisine”. The “subterranean location” was much improved by a refurb a few years back, and it’s nowadays often praised as a “lovely setting”.

“Subtle” yet “exceptional” flavours delivered by the Sethi siblings’ famous Mayfair Indian keep it in the Top-40 most-mentioned restaurants in our annual diners’ poll, and it’s now well established as one of London’s foremost dining destinations. Ratings slipped a fraction this year, though – in early 2020 it re-opened after a fire with a remodelled basement and slightly new look and some regulars are “not sure about the redesign”, or feel “it’s enjoyable but not scaling the highest heights any more post reopening”.

Rohit Ghai (of Kutir) returns to Mayfair with this September 2021 opening on the former site of Lucknow 49 (RIP) with his eyes on the Michelin star he won in his Jamavar days. The offer incorporates traditional-with-a-twist dishes (such as ‘goat shami kebab in bone marrow sauce’, and ‘Burford brown egg curry’) and lots of cocktails (including of the non-alcoholic variety).