London Kilburn Restaurant Guide

“Delicious roast chicken, with sides such as potato purée and root veggies” – as well, of course, as fries and salads – have won a growing fanclub for Romain Bourrillon’s upbeat French-rotisserie chain, whose most popular branches in our annual diners’ poll are in Bayswater, Queen’s Park and Parsons’s Green.

“Proper Indian food, proper paper napkins” – this Kilburn institution, which claims to have been Britain’s first South Indian restaurant when it opened in 1964, remains “exactly as it was when the great Michael Winner recommended it back in 1990-something. ‘Historic’, said the old boy, and it still is”. “Unfortunately you have to eat in drab surroundings” – which is a tactful way of putting it – but fans (who apparently include luminaries ranging from Diana Ross and Harrison Ford to the Indian cricket team), reckon it’s worth it for the “top-notch” food and “really polite and professional” service. It caters equally for “meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans”. Top Tip – you may be tempted to eat in the more salubrious quarters of your own home, but the nosh is “so much better fresh than take-away”.

The “delicious southern Indian dishes” at this Kilburn Keralan have “a fine subtlety in their flavours”. “It has the feel of an unpretentious family-run business, where their hearts are in the cooking and service”.

2019 Review: For the cash-strapped romantic, this long-serving budget bistro off Kilburn High Road hits the right note with its intimate booths and balconies, while “under £15 for two courses represents excellent value”. “I hadn’t visited for ages, but nothing seems to have changed and the profiteroles were just as delicious as I remember!”

2021 Review: “Seriously tasty Afghan food” has made this “niche venue” a long-time north London favourite (the original Ariana was founded by another branch of the family in New York in the 1980s). It’s “handy for the Kiln Theatre” (formerly the Tricycle) and “BYO so very cheap ’n’ cheerful indeed”. Top Tip – “the mantu (minced lamb in steamed pastry) are worth the trip alone”.

Though well-received, the original Lino’s near St Barts never properly got off the ground before Covid struck and closed during the pandemic. This September 2022 newcomer adds to the expanding Queen’s Park scene, a two-floor site plus outside dining too.

“A great addition to Queen’s Park” – this October 2021 newcomer from the team behind East London hipster favourite, Berber & Q, gives them another hit on the other side of town. “Everything about this place is spot-on”: from the charming staff, to the “excellent atmosphere”, to the “delicious and inventive Israeli-style cooking”… “it was one of those meals that I did not want to end”. Quibbles? – “some might dislike the lack of tables with much privacy, or the trendy wine list full of options you have never heard of!”

Fatizah and Irqam Shawal (whose parents opened the venerable Satay House in 1973) are set to open this Malaysian style ‘kopitiam’ (a kind of South East Asian coffee shop) in ever-more happening Queen’s Park late in 2022. Many of the fave rave dishes from Satay House will feature on the menu here.