Gerrards Cross, Indian Restaurant Guide

Malik Ahmed’s traditional but “exceptional” curry house has achieved consistently high ratings for more than 20 years. Part of a trio with siblings in Cookham and Marlow, it’s run hands-on by a family with 150 years in the business – the restaurant Malik’s great-great-grandfather founded in what is now Bangladesh is still going strong!

2023 Review: “Every dish is fresh and authentic” at this comfortable curry house which occupies a half-timbered building on the high street, and which has become well-known over many years for its superior Indian cuisine. Heston is a fan.

This Wembley fixture (with spinoffs in Hatch End and Kingsbury) is best known for its all-you-can-eat Indian vegetarian buffet with a choice of 45 items, including an Indo-Chinese selection with dishes such as chilli paneer. The family-owned business started out 40 years ago as a market stall.

“If you like dosas, idlis and uttapams”, these “cheap and cheerful” but “spotless and well-run” canteens in the West End (plus Hammersmith and Harrow) are “an excellent choice for very good South Indian vegetarian food” – they’re also “a top option to take a crowd because they’re not fazed by large tables”, and “even carnivores don’t complain” when they try the “tasty food”.

“An excellent take on Indian cuisine with a blend of classic dishes and spiced modern British versions” – Atul Kochhar’s “interesting” cuisine at this four-year-old venture is inspired by the cuisines of Punjab and Rajasthan. Some fans still suggest it “just edges Sindhu, its nearby sister in Marlow” but its ratings were undercut this year by a couple of mixed reports.

This Wembley fixture (with spinoffs in Hatch End and Kingsbury) is best known for its all-you-can-eat Indian vegetarian buffet with a choice of 45 items, including an Indo-Chinese selection with dishes such as chilli paneer. The family-owned business started out 40 years ago as a market stall.

2022 Review: An unusual theme – it’s modelled after the Indian community’s members’ clubs in Kenya – sets the tone at this wood-panelled stalwart, which celebrated its thirtieth birthday in 2021. The culinary offering (ranging from grills to sharing plates and curries) continues to gain highly positive marks, though commentary this year was scant.

“The food is different and good” – inspired by the street food sold on Indian railways – at these funkily decorated canteens, in a nondescript Ealing parade of shops and a somewhat cuter one on Hammersmith Grove. Top Menu Tip – “sharing Thalis are a must, with great flavour combinations and excellent value”.

“The food is different and good” – inspired by the street food sold on Indian railways – at these funkily decorated canteens, in a nondescript Ealing parade of shops and a somewhat cuter one on Hammersmith Grove. Top Menu Tip – “sharing Thalis are a must, with great flavour combinations and excellent value”.

2021 Review: Rohit Ghai not only opened Chelsea’s Kutir this year, but this February 2019 yearling occupying three units of the Wembley Boxpark (not the loveliest of locations, in the shadow of Wembley Stadium). As yet it’s inspired little survey feedback, but if you’re a fan of Indian cooking, its wide selection of dishes are said by some social media aficionados to be worth a try.

Former Tamarind and Dishoom chef Yousuf Mohammed has “a different take on traditional Indian cuisine, with tapas-style dishes and cocktails making it a great dining experience”. Fans acclaim it as “my type of Indian”, with a focus on “quality not quantity”. Look out for pre- and post-match specials when England or Harlequins are in action at nearby Twickenham or the Stoop.

2022 Review: “A real boon in Richmond”, run by exotically named founder Sudden Alberts, also behind Atithi in Twickenham. With its “delicious” Indian cuisine (“we particularly like the vegetarian side dishes”) and “prompt and perfect” service (“nothing is too much to make the customers happy”) it’s proclaimed something of a “hidden gem” by all who comment on it.

“Not your typical Indian restaurant” – this inviting colonial-style villa is a beacon of the outer southwest ’burbs sitting just back from the Thames. The “lovely food” from a menu offering a “good range of choices” wins a very positive thumbs-up in this year’s survey. It was founded by owner Bhanu Pratap 16 years ago.

“It looks exceptionally unlikely from the outside”, but it’s worth discovering this stalwart Indian which has been “nestled away in Willesden Green” for over 40 years now. Fans say it does the “best biryani in London” – for which it’s particularly known – but “all the dishes are excellent”. The family arrived in the UK from the coastal town of Rajpur via East Africa and describe the cuisine as ‘Kokni soul food’; the results are “rich, tasty and fresh”.

“The food, from all corners of India, is packed with so much flavour” at this popular restaurant on the strip of eateries near the entrance to Ravenscourt Park. Welcoming service and a cosy, comfy and colourful interior rounds off an experience that remains well-rated all-round.

It has a star chef’s name over the door, but feedback was inconsistent this year regarding this outpost of Atul Kochhar’s empire of Indian restaurants. Amongst reports, one diner described dishes as plain “bizarre” and another who felt the “food is OK” added, “but it’s not worth the price and overall seems overhyped”.

2023 Review: A world away from the Mayfair luxury that made his reputation, Atul Kochhar gets more ‘down and dirty’ with this new, glass-walled 120-seater in the shadow of Wembley Stadium with a budget street-food formula. So far, we’ve only had limited feedback, but it says the food is “very good” and in a December 2021 review, Jay Rayner of The Observer told readers to “expect uncompromising fire and depth”.