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18 Of The Best Indian Restaurants For Spice Lovers
Turn up the heat with our list of the best Indian restaurants in London.
The UK has enjoyed a rich history of Indian food for centuries and now boasts one of the best Indian restaurant scenes in the world.
In addition to cities like Manchester and Birmingham, London has become a hotspot for those in search of dishes full of spice and aroma, whether it’s an aloo gobi, butter chicken, fish curry, palak paneer or papadums. Rice, whole-wheat flower, lentils and mung beans feature heavily in Indian food, as do spices such as garam masala, cardamon and fennel.
Since Indian cuisine arrived in the UK in the 18th Century, several London restaurants have received critical acclaim for their dishes, from the famous Dishoom and Jikoni to Hoppers and Brigadiers. Our favourite plates? Gunpowder potatoes, daal and masala prawns, to name but a few.
With travel and eating out now back on the menu for us all following numerous Coronavirus lockdowns, we can’t wait to dine on the finest Indian food the capital has to offer.
Here’s our list of the 18 best Indian restaurants in London:
Kahani
Sloane Square might be one of London's most desirable shopping destinations, but you might want to ditch the shopping bags for a knife and fork once you hear about the Kahani. Taking its name from the Hindu word for ‘story’, chef and owner Peter Joseph has created a beautiful modern Indian eatery that uses traditional British ingredients and produce to create Indian dishes inspired by Joseph’s Chennai heritage and love of travel. Diners have the option to chose from vegan, tasting and pre-theatre menus, as well as a weekend roast that serves everything from belly-filling half tandoori roasted free-range chicken to char grilled sirloin kabab. But, if like us you’re a sucker for a tasting menu, we suggest the six-course wine pairing option so you can tuck into lip-smacking smoked Malabar prawns, guinea fowl tikka, spiced chickpeas, Somerset lamb and baby potatoes, followed by a gloriously indulgent plate of chocolate delight served with almond brittle and caramel ice cream. If your stomach isn’t quite as big as your eyes, then opt for the Dawat four-course menu featuring spiced green pea cake, grilled monkfish, diced lamb and more, finished with a raspberry and mint cheese cake. We’ll grab a table, you grab the cheque.
Jikoni
If it’s wrong to want to dine in Jikoni every night, we never want to be right. Jikoni is the brainchild of Indian food genius (and award-winning food writer, TV Presenter and Trishna chef) Ravinder Bhogaland who serves the likes of crisp soft shell crab and prawn toast quail egg with banana ketchup (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) here. The restaurant sits just next door to Trishna (more on that below) and has interiors inspired from areas like Asia and the Middle East. What to order? Well, Bhogaland’s famous Scotch eggs are a must, as is the Herdwick Mutton Keema sloppy joe-style sandwich, spicy Shepherd’s pie and paan madeleines with masala chai. For those wanting to recreate the chef’s menus, you can buy her cookbook here.
Gunpowder
If you’ve ever heard people rave about Gunpowder, rest assured that they have good reason to sing its praises. The award-winning Indian restaurant boasts three London sites now – Spitalfields, Soho and Tower Bridge – and its food is seriously a welcome assault on the senses. In addition to feast menus and a pre theatre menu for culture vultures, the eatery makes some of the best karwari soft shell crab, saag with Tandoori paneer and Goan style grilled prawns we’ve ever tasted. Finish the meal off with an old monk rum bread and butter pudding and you’ll be instantly wanting to book a holiday to India.
Madhu’s Brasserie
Harvey Nichols might be known for its high fashion, but we advise you to check out its Indian restaurant – Madhu’s Brasserie – next time you’re in the Knightsbridge area. The brasserie is a newly-opened restaurant inspired by the award-winning Madhu’s restaurant, founded in the Eighties, which is famous for its banqueting menus. Co-founder Sanjay Anand received an MBE in 2007 for his services to hospitality, we'll have you know. What’s more, you can even order the Harvey Nichols’ branch’s delectable food offerings on Deliveroo.
Jamavar
Jamavar is one of our favourite Indian restaurants in London for several reasons (one being the fact it’s the only branch in the UK outside of India) and sits across two floors in Mayfair. Its interiors are dark and woody (think leather, oak and mirrors). Prepare to wear the stretchy jeans because you can expect to feel full after dining on Parsi patridge croquettes, lobster Idli Sambhar and old Delhi butter chicken. Anyone else’s mouth salivating at the thought of visiting right now?
Dishoom
No one ever visits London without being recommended a visit to Dishoom. It’s a fact, okay? The reason is because the Indian restaurant – which has five sites across London, and others in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham – has become a London institution. Its cooking is simply superb. Fill your boots on chicken ruby, the gunpowder potatoes, okra fires, Dishoom house chaat, the jackfruit biryani and more. Need we say more?
Hoppers
A Sri Lankan and South Indian-inspired restaurant, Hoppers has three sites across London (Soho, Marylebone, Kings Cross) and is a popular eatery among locals and travellers alike for its egg hoppers, devilled paneer, hot butter squid, lamb kothu roti, chicken kari and banana chips. We seriously can’t get enough of Hoppers.
Farzi
If you find yourself in the heart of London any time soon and on the look out for a hearty meal, then look no further than Farzi. The modern Indian bistro is run by one of India’s most acclaimed young chefs, Dhwani Agarwal, who has created a plethora of dishes to delight diners, in addition to a bottomless brunch on Saturdays.
We suggest starting with rich small plates, like the Mangalorean Rava Prawns and Chicken Karaage, before moving on to mains of Kori Ghassi, Chicken Parda Biryani, teamed with a plate of truffle naan and bowl of steamed rice. Finish the night off with a Mezcal Negroni, or treat yourself to a clever take on the French millfeuille - the India meets France - with almond ice cream.
Pahli Hill
Book yourself a table at this Fitzrovia restaurant, which is named after an old city neighbourhood in India and creates the best small plates and flavours inspired by family recipes. A one-page food menu is all you’ll find here, but it’s more than enough to tickle the tastebuds. We love the chettinad style veal shin, stir fried okra, dal tadka, hand-dived Scottish scallops and kulcha. Enjoy!
Gymkhana
This isn’t just any Indian restaurant – this is Gymkhana. Inspired by India’s elite clubs (where high society folk would meet to eat, drink and play sport), this Michelin-starred restaurant is known in London for its aloo chaat, Goan prawn curry, Tandoori masala lamb chops (with walnut chutney, of course) and the duck egg bhurji. The drinks are also a huge pull at Gymkhana, with club cocktails including the silver sip gimlet, picante palama and pegu club.
Brigadiers
A firm favourite in London, this Bloomberg Arcade-located Indian restaurant employs chefs who are experts in the likes of aloo Tokri chaat, paneer Kurchan Anda kati rolls, wood roasted seam bream pollichathu and tawa prawn biryani. Its drinks list is equally fantastic, and the restaurant even has its own ‘whisky vending machine’ where you can sample whiskies from across Goa.
Chourangi
You’d be mistaken for thinking you’re in Calcutta after stepping foot into this wonder of a restaurant. The main menu features everything from chicken chaap (think rose-mace spices and cashew nuts) and paneer dahi kebab kofta, to jackfruit tikki and chingri cutlets. Our favourite? The sondesh puff (baked curd cheese-dates, pecan nuts and a house made date-vanilla ice cream) which is so good, you’ll be begging for the recipe.
BiBi
In Mayfair? Well, head on down to BiBi (meaning ‘lady of the house’), founded by chef Chet Sharma, who has perfected his hospitality skills at Michelin-starred restaurants. Start off with a monsoon martini before chomping down on the Orkney scallop nimbu pani, Khatti meethi cod, Dahi aubergine and Gobindbogh rice.
Cinnamon Bazaar
Head on down to Covent Garden this year and tuck into Cinnamon Bazaar’s expertly curated menu, inspired by India’s bazaar traders’ snacks and meals. We suggest ordering numerous dishes, whether it’s the watermelon chaat, crab and cod cake and house black dal, or the paneer makhni, stir-fried baby aubergine or tandoori chicken breast soola.
Trishna
Trishna’s food is so tasty, so beautiful and so aromatic that it’s truly an emotional experience to sit at one of its tables and dine on its cuisine. The Marylebone village site received a Michelin Star in 2012 and is a true celebration of all things Indian, from its fine wines and food to its interiors. We suggest starting with the telicherry squid and shrimps, aloo tokri chat and quail pepper fry, before eating paneer tikka anardana, hariyali bream, nariyal scallops, dorset brown crab, wild mushroom pilau and duck keema naan.
Kricket
Located in London (Brixton, White City and Soho), Kricket uses British produce, but cooks it up in an Indian way. We love Kricket’s no-nonsense cooking, creating dishes like the behl puri, grilled sweet potato, Keralan fried chicken, confit duck leg and burnt garlic tarka daal. And what could be better to top off an exquisite meal that a brown butter chai cake? We’ll wait…
Apollo Banana Leaf
If you’re in south London any time soon, we highly recommend a visit to Apollo Banana Leaf. The eatery serves a mixture of Sri Lankan and South Indian food such as coconut mutton, chicken vindaloo, fish cutlets and crab curry. Top all of this off with the fact it’s a BYOB restaurant and you’ve truly got yourself a winner in our eyes.
Amaya
Opened in 2004, Amaya is a Michelin Star-winning restaurant, located in Belgravia, which is unique insofar as it has an open kitchen, meaning diners can watch the culinary magic and see their food being created from the comfort of their seats. Choose between six to eight dishes during your sitting and tuck into dishes like char-grilled aubergine, spinach tikki with spiced fid, seafood platters and venison Tandoori seekh.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
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