St James's, Indian Restaurant Guide

“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”.

At 95 years old – the same age as the Queen – London’s oldest Indian restaurant, near Piccadilly Circus, continues to send out “delicious, beautifully presented food drawing on Mughal recipes with a modern twist”. Unlike Her Majesty, however, its styling is rather contemporary nowadays, giving next to no hint at its long heritage. “Sitting at a table overlooking Regent’s Street, with the mouth-watering fragrance of Indian spices, swish decor and professional yet understated service. you could almost do without the food! But the food is superb."

The “creative menu, intriguing spices and beautiful interior” ensure this “outstanding” St James’s restaurant remains at the forefront of “excellent modern Indian food” – “despite increasingly stiff competition”. “Moving from Chelsea five years ago did not diminish the appeal – in fact, the decor is more glamorous and the food more refined than ever” – although one or two reporters question whether it’s still “worth the prices”.

“The new Covent Garden branch of Dishoom is spectacular and the food is still ace” – our poll’s most commented-on chain continues to win overwhelmingly rapturous reviews. It helps that the “very different” Indian menu is a winner: “super-tasty” and “excellent value”, with the “out-of-the-box” breakfast options a particular fave rave (“have a bacon naan and a cup of chai, and the world feels a better place”). But, actually, the stand-out feature is the “always buzzing and fun” atmosphere at its individually designed branches; and post-lockdown, WC2 took the wraps off a successful makeover, which mines the heritage of Bombay theatres and early Bollywood talkies. It helps that service is “slick”, from “courteous and attentive staff who never push what they want to sell”. The catch? “painful and lengthy queues” for walk-ins which have, if anything, worsened since they introduced reservations in all locations.

This “lively new-generation small-plates Indian” in Mayfair gives its nearby upmarket stablemate, Jamavar, a real run for its money. “The food’s amazing – try the broccoli” with ‘tomato dust’ and cheese. “With so many fine Indian restaurants to choose from, a favourite’s not easy – but BB is the place I return too most regularly”. Top Tip: “the early-bird set menu is absolutely delicious and great value”.

“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”.

“Love Atul Kochhar’s cooking” (focused on dishes from India's northeastern ‘Sister States’) say fans of his three-year-old, who award “five stars all the way” for “incredible meals, with levels of spice and heat like nothing else I’ve experienced”. The interior design is not everyone’s idea of a “posh Indian”, however, and – more significantly – ratings are undercut by those who feel culinary results are “below expectations for such a talented chef”, or alternatively feel that “it’s very nice, but my word, the prices…”.

Named for the Roomali roti bread that’s one of its menu mainstays, Anirudh Arora’s small group aims to bring Delhi-style ‘tapas’ to Theatreland, Marble Arch (in a smart, if slightly “sterile” hotel dining room) and – most recently – Paddington. Feedback is more limited than we’d like, but once again speaks of “superb food”.

This spin-off from Mayfair’s Tamarind has a “really good buzz” and “an unusual take on Indian food”, serving “delicious and aromatic small plates”, many of them “inspired by street food”. With its “great decor and good, friendly service”, it’s “not super cheap, but the prices are consistent with the area”.

“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.

Chinese-Indian Hakka cuisine incorporating some interesting ingredients (crab, rabbit, venison) help inspire enthusiastic (if limited) feedback for this Soho two-year-old. In late 2021, a sibling will open on a former Polpo site in Covent Garden featuring a new cocktail offering and unusual wines from organic producers across the globe.

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).