St James's, Indian Restaurant Guide

“Still at the top of its game” – the Sethi’s “posh Indian” in Mayfair is “worth the hype” and remains the most-mentioned Indian in the survey on account of “memorable and beautifully flavourful” cuisine delivered by “warm and friendly staff” in an enveloping, old-colonial-style setting: “get a booth on the ground floor and prepare to be transported!” Top Menu Tip – “How I love the tandoori lamb chops. After a marinade in spices, these thick pieces of meat become so succulent, tender and taste-laden, are magnificently presented and really delicious on the eager palate!”. NB: Just as the survey closed, in June 2019, a fire gutted the restaurant and according to its website it remains “closed until further notice”.

Despite a vintage stretching back to 1926, London’s oldest Indian (part of the same group as Chutney Mary) doesn’t merely trade on its guidebook potential, with “subtle” and “original” cuisine, “dedicated” service, and a first-floor setting, whose agreeable looks are thoroughly modern. It seems to have become “a wee bit pricey” of late, though, “but it is in the heart of the West End, so perhaps not excessively so”.

“Still very much an institution, even though it moved from its original SW10 location”: this “buzzy, glitzy high-end Indian” – nowadays in St James’s – delivers a formidable, all-round formula of “delightful” nouvelle Indian cuisine: “the variety and quality of the menu is truly impressive”, backed up by “a well-matched list of wines and whiskies”. Top Top – “sitting in the bar area is more fun than the main restaurant”.

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.

Anirudh Arora’s two-year-old, north Indian, street-food café on the West End’s ever-bustling Shaftesbury Avenue also has a new outpost in a smart hotel dining room, near Marble Arch. The duo’s title refers to classic Roomali Roti: bread, hand spun into thin sheets, cooked and folded into a ‘hankie’, and both branches win praise for “great food at a relatively small price”.

“There aren’t many restaurants where I will queue for nearly two hours to get a table but it’s worth the wait!” – This “madly popular” Mumbai-inspired chain “has taken London by storm” and is now the capital’s most mentioned chain. Even if the heady days of its Covent Garden debut are long gone, criticisms that it’s “too popular for its own good” are most notable by their absence; and instead its “a firm favourite” for its massive army of fans who feel “it never fails to impress”. The “buzzy, Indian, faux-retro vibe” (“I felt transported to the Parsi eating houses of Bombay in the 1960s”) helps set up a “crazy, frenetic atmosphere”; and even if the “noise levels are pretty bad”, “somehow it all comes together”. It helps that service is “always punctual and friendly” (respect: it’s such a busy chain), and the tapas-y food – though no longer as bleeding edge as it once seemed – still feels “vibrant”, with a selection of dishes that’s “far from run-of-the-mill” (“recommended by all our Indian friends!”), plus “an exceptional list of drinks”. Breakfast here is unexpectedly “a true thing of beauty” too: “so different” in a brilliant way. “You can book during the day, but not at night” – “the wait is tedious, but the buzzer system works well” and cocktails at the bar help blur time. In mid 2019, the chain acquired the former Jamie’s Italian site next to its original WC2 branch in order to expand its footprint. Top Tips – “black dahl is still the best” and “the bacon naan is the greatest restaurant breakfast dish of all time!”.

“The food speaks volumes” – “sensational grills, exquisite curries and traditional biryanis” – for most (if not all) who report on this pioneering Mayfair venture, which helped validate the whole concept of posh Indian restaurants in the UK. It’s “a pity about the basement location” though, and the 2018 refurb designed to give a “light and airy modern” interior has proved “OK, but not really an improvement… if anything noise levels are higher”.

“Off to a great start”, with “superb” cuisine, say fans of Atul Kochhar’s “upmarket” (and sizeable: 130 covers) new venture on a site that was previously the Mayfair branch of 28:50 (RIP), and which specialises in the “strongly flavoured”, relatively undiscovered cuisine of India’s north-eastern states (bordering Tibet and China). It’s “not cheap” however, and while “some star dishes” are reported “some of the rest are a little more forgettable”, while the interior design is “relaxing and warm” to some tastes, but – to others – can appear “cold” or “incoherent”.

Anirudh Arora’s two-year-old, north Indian, street-food café on the West End’s ever-bustling Shaftesbury Avenue also has a new outpost in a smart hotel dining room, near Marble Arch. The duo’s title refers to classic Roomali Roti: bread, hand spun into thin sheets, cooked and folded into a ‘hankie’, and both branches win praise for “great food at a relatively small price”.

“A hidden pearl in the heart of Soho”, this “smart-casual” spin-off from Mayfair’s Tamarind has a “lovely, buzzy vibe”; and serves “really impressive and refined modern Indian cooking” – “with a fresh-tasting twist to the traditional dishes” – from “a short menu that changes regularly.

“Boldly flavoured” nouvelle Indian cuisine served in a “dark and clubby”, colonial-theme setting puts Leela Palace’s Mayfair three-year-old in London’s premier league, if not perhaps quite at the top of the table: “not as memorable as some top names, but definitely a favourite”. But while it’s “a good attempt at taking Indian cuisine to the next level”, it lacks the stunning verve fans recall from when it first opened: “a fun evening out, but it will need to do better again to match the best of the best”.

Hakka (Indo-Chinese cuisine) is centre-stage at this new Soho 60-seater, where its few early-days reviews are brimming with enthusiasm, particularly regarding the “excellent” food. You kick off with spicy ‘momo’ (Tibetan dumplings) and move onto the interesting selection of mains (dishes including crab, rabbit, venison…). There’s even a “sizzling brownie dessert to die for”.

“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.

Rohit Ghai (of Kutir) returns to Mayfair with this late summer 2021 opening with his eyes on the Michelin star he won in his Jamavar days. Taking over the site near Regent Street of Covid casualty Lucknow 49 (RIP), the offer incorporates traditional-with-a-twist dishes and lots of cocktails (including of the non-alcoholic variety).