Caterham, Indian Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: This suburban subcontinental offers an unusual take on Indian street food, having been set up by three brothers keen to pay homage to their grandmother’s cooking, inflected by her travels in Africa and Saudi Arabia; its “authentic” recipes attract nothing but positive reports.

“Outrageous value” is not the only reward of a journey to the outer-limits of the metropolis and this “small”, “top-notch Indian” in a trafficky parade of shops in Ewell. You will also discover “Indian food the likes of which you have not previously experienced, full of such a variety of delicious flavours that it’s hard to limit your choices” – “rich but so tasty”. (Food commentator, Andy Hayler, who has visited every Michelin three-star on the planet, is a major fan – he’s reviewed the place 13 times!). Top Menu Tips – “best are the starters”: “super pani puri”.

“Delicious fresh cooking – lamb biryani in particular is fantastic” – justifies the trip to this high-quality Indian in the boonies of West Dulwich. It’s run by Rajasthan-born chef-patron Dayashankar Sharma (who first won renown at the now-defunct Grand Trunk Road in South Woodford).

“Reliable curries. Quite spicy!” – This stalwart Pakistani restaurant has played a leading role in Tooting’s development as a destination for curry-lovers over the past three decades, under founder Zahid Iqbal and now his son Numan.

2024 Review: “Always delicious”, this well-known Pakistani canteen on Tooting’s ‘curry corridor’ offers the “same fun and good-value food as it has for years”. A favourite of local boy-made-mayor Sadiq Khan (so come on foot or by public transport), it has an offshoot in Coulsdon, on London’s southern fringe.

2023 Review: “Very helpful staff” add to the appeal of this Balham High Street Indian, of over 15 years’ standing. Whether it should be a perennial inclusion in TripAdvisor’s top 10 London restaurants is debatable, but the (limited) feedback we receive says it’s worth a visit.

There’s “always a cheery welcome and super-courteous service at this distinctive and cut-above restaurant” from ex-Oberoi/Cinnamon Club chef-patron Awanish Roy – the first in a now two-strong chain, with a younger spin-off in Reigate. Its “sophisticated and delicate culinary style” is “superior to any other Indian restaurants in the area”, showcased in everything from the “tiny” and “delicious” poppadoms to “tender and flavoursome” chef’s specials, which feature on a menu spanning street food, British favourites and far more exotic fare (grilled guinea fowl, say, or wild boar vindaloo).

“Tasty! very tasty” – the scoff at this old-school curry house near Wandsworth Common, whose steady standards make it one of the longest-running entries in the guide.

2022 Review: In a village near Leatherhead, this well-established Indian (opened in 1983) – nowadays run by the son of the founder – is strongly applauded by its local fans.

“Interesting and unusual Indian food” – “not heavy curries at all, but a less familiar range of dishes, with very well-judged spicing and a huge range of delicate flavours” – again inspires rave reports for this superb Brit-run chain (founded by Will Bowlby & Rik Campbell), which also has a brilliant service ethos: “cheerful and obliging throughout and very prompt”. In 2025, they opened their latest 80-cover outpost in Shoreditch, which also introduced a debut breakfast menu alongside an all-day 50-cover Kafé and bar concept (serving street-food snacks). And coming soon – a launch in Covent Garden’s Neal’s Yard is planned. Top Menu Tips – “date and pistachio kuicha is particularly good; excellently light panipuri with tomato rasam”.

2024 Review: Set in a parade of shops, Deepinder Sondhi’s subcontinental (with smarter dining room upstairs) is a fixture in these parts for its high-quality cooking, including some more adventurous dishes (think chocolate samosas, or chicken tikka with Laphroaig masala). If you wish, you can kick things off in style in the cocktail bar.

2023 Review: This “smart, modern-style Indian” has established itself as a “really good-quality neighbourhood curry house” in its 20 years in Battersea. “Yes, it’s a little cramped and can be noisy at its busiest times, but the food is always good and the fact it’s BYOB helps keep the cost down” (£1.95 corkage fee).

“This old favourite” serving South Indian food “remains a pleasure” and remains a model of consistency under founder Claire Fisher, as it has been for more than 20 years. Top Menu Tips – “the homemade paratha is heaven on a plate and the spinach dal the stuff of dreams”.

“The food never disappoints” at this better-than-standard Nepalese and Indian specialist on the edge of Blackheath Common. Notwithstanding the choices of artworks and wall hangings, the contemporary interior avoids the classic curry house look.

2024 Review: “A cut above when it comes to delivered Indian food” – most reporters know this brand through its ‘at home’ business, with 15 sites delivering “a wide selection of always hot and very tasty dishes on time to your door”. They do also have two restaurants though in Putney and – since January 2023 – in Canary Wharf. The few reports we have on them say they are “a bit better than your typical curry house”.

For a “delicious, healthy tasting curry”, fans recommend this “solidly-good Indian” in Putney: the first UK outpost of a family-owned group, whose premises are still remembered by some as the site of Ma Goa (long RIP).