Soho, Indian Restaurant Guide

“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!”).

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.

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 “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.

“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”.

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.

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.

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).

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”.

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”.

“Tops for combining punchy tastes and value”: this Indian street-food trio – in Spitalfields, near Tower Bridge, and – since late 2021 – now in Soho too – offers a “distinct” and “modern spin” on Indian cuisine. Although the plates are small, “it’s amazing how they deliver such big flavours”.

2022 Review: After winning a mentorship in a pop-up competition at Westfield White City Shopping Centre in 2018, Mehak Kansal brought this bricks-and-mortar operation to Mayfair in October 2020. ‘Bindas’ – Punjabi for without limitations and inhibitions – here translates into eclectic decor and a varied selection of street food. No feedback as yet, but they must be doing something right, as a second site is on the cards.