Indian
When it comes to high-end Indian restaurants in London, Benares has been one of the places leading the way. Opened in 2003, the Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant has had a recent refurbishment, including new foliage and a candle wall in the reception area; a reimagined bar; and ornate ceiling artwork and backlit Jali panels on the walls in the main dining room, inspired by the holy city of Varanasi (colloquially known as Benares) that gives the restaurant its name. The menus (there are a number of set and tasting options as well as a la carte) blend British ingredients with Indian flavours and techniques, and include dishes like chicken makhani; tandoori lamb chops; winter truffle and rabbit stew; oysters and Goan sausage vindaloo with sanna; tawa masala halibut with raw mango shellfish curry; and rasmalai with rose, cardamom and vanilla.
After winning a legion of fans with Indian pubs The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown, both in Islington, Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson expanded south of the river in 2024 with Tamila, their reinterpretation of a classic curry house. Beginning as a street food concept at Hackney Bridge in Hackney Wick, the first bricks-and-mortar Tamila opened on Northcote Road in Clapham. A second site opened in King’s Cross in 2025, complete with a basement bar and a takeaway hatch. The menu at both sites features the group’s signature roti and dishes from across Tamil Nadu and the Indian subcontinent, including onion bhaji, okra fries, fried sweetcorn, Thanjavur chicken curry, Chettinad lamb curry, garlic coriander naan, half tandoori chicken, and tandoori paneer with pineapple chutney.
After starting The Great Indian out of his kitchen and then growing it into a Hackney takeaway, founder Aman Dhir has now turned it into a gastropub in Archway. With space for people to pop in for a pint and a snack, The Great Indian also has a dining area where you can try regional Indian dishes and twists on pub classics. The menu includes the likes of jackfruit croquettes, lamb ghee roast on malabar bread taco, cafreal tiger prawns, slow-cooked short rib with curried mash, lamb shank pie with saffron-cardamom sauce, and tandoori fried chicken pav. As well as a range of beers on tap, there are also spiced cocktails like The Great Indian (made with kaffir lime-infused vodka, sollasa, lime and curry leaves) and the tamarind and chilli-infused Imli Margarita.
This cute spot on Columbia Road is doing banging veggie Bengali curries, like paneer, chickpea, and spinach & potato, with sides of pakoras, samosas, naans and parathas. Not only can you get curry and rice for around £6, the homemade chutneys and sauces are free so you can pimp up your meals too. The ideal place for a hearty lunch in east London that’s light on the wallet.
Founded in 2011 by Gaurav and Sandhya, Horn OK Please is all about bringing the vibrant veggie food found on the streets of India to the streets of London. At the Borough Market stall you can find classics like chana chaat (masala chickpeas topped with yoghurt, chutneys, sev, coriander and pomegranate), moong dal dosa filled with masala potatoes, samosa chaat (topped with masala chickpeas, chutneys, sev and yoghurt) and egg kati rolls, which you can wash down with a masala chai.
Don’t miss this gem of an Indian restaurant in South London. Instantly recognisable by the life-size tiger that protrudes above the door, Babur has been serving up top-notch food to locals for almost 40 years now and it has plenty of accolades under its belt, including the ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ award at the 2023 Asian Restaurant Awards. Babur’s food menu includes classic dishes from all over India, elevated with the chef’s take on traditional recipes, including beetroot cutlet, crab bonda dumplings, tikka butter masala, and baby monkfish tail caldeen. The restaurant’s mango chutney has also been deemed London’s best by podcast Off Menu.
THE TAMIL CROWN
The Tamil Prince opened in Islington last year when an ex-Roti King duo, chef Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson, took over and reinvented a Barnsbury pub. It was – and is – a total hit, so it’s no surprise that the team were quick to expand. The Tamil Crown is the name of the second site and like the original, it’s doing food from the Tamil Nadu region of India, it’s inside a pub and it’s in Islington, this time the other side of Upper Street, close to Angel. The menu at The Tamil Crown, once you’ve been able to read it (the lighting in the upstairs dining room is incredibly low), is similar to the one that’s turned the OG into such a favourite, with the addition of some exclusive dishes, like the moreish lime leaf-roasted chicken and pineapple chutney; rich beef masala on a spongy, crispy-bottomed uttapam with a punchy coconut chutney; and mango sambar. The regulars shouldn’t be overlooked though, especially the gloriously craggy onion bhajis, and the Chettinad lamb and Thanjavur chicken curries, both laced with curry leaves and whole chillies. And a word on the roti, it’s superlative, maybe the best in London, which is appropriate considering the founders’ Roti King backgrounds. Order one each, and then order another because you won’t want to leave a drop of sauce unmopped.
BABUR
Instantly recognisable by the life-size tiger that protrudes above the door, Indian restaurant Babur has been serving up top-notch Indian food to the South East Londoners for almost 40 years now. Babur has plenty of accolades under its belt, most recently winning ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ at the 2023 Asian Restaurant Awards. Babur’s food menu includes classic dishes from all over India, elevated with the chef’s take on traditional recipes. The beetroot cutlet with spiced fennel and crispy tapioca, crab bonda dumplings with fresh mint sauce, tikka butter masala, baby monkfish tail caldeen with samba rice, and dal makhni are all winners, and the restaurant’s mango chutney (which you can enjoy with a stack of poppadoms) was deemed London’s best by podcast Off Menu, so don’t miss it.
The Tamil Prince sits on a quiet street in a residential part of Islington, having taken over a whitewashed corner pub building that was previously called the Cuckoo. Despite the sleepy surroundings, this pub really packs a punch. It was completely reinvented by ex-Roti King duo Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson and now serves up an acclaimed menu inspired by Prince’s childhood home of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Start off with small plates such as okra fries, onion bhaji with mint chutney and spiced chicken lollipops with sweet chilli chutney, followed by an exceptional king prawn & curry leaf varuval, or maybe the masala-marinated tawa whole sea bream. If you’re in the mood for dessert, don’t miss the gulab jamun (sweet, fragrant fried dumplings) and you’ll wanna have at *least* one of their signature cocktails (the Tamil Negroni is killer). Whatever you end up picking, we’re confident you won’t be disappointed.
The oldest Indian restaurant in the capital, Veeraswamy was opened in 1926 by Edward Palmer, who was the grandson of an English general and an Indian princess – Veeraswamy was Palmer’s grandmother’s family name. While it wasn’t the first or only Indian restaurant in London at the time, it’s generally said to be the first that was considered high-end and it became a real hotspot for decades, attracting the city’s rich and famous. Almost a century later, the restaurant has changed hands a few times but Veeraswamy is as extravagant and eccentric as ever, and its menu is still one of the best in town – it’s earned a Michelin star after all.
Inspired by the old Irani cafes of Bombay, Dishoom became an instant hit thanks to its bangin’ sharing plates and beaut decor, and all their sites have regular huge queues out the door. The lamb samosas, masala prawns, house black daal and chicken ruby are spot on every single time, and we’ll never say to no to THAT bacon and egg naan with a chai for brekkie.
Bombay Bustle is taking its brunch to a new level by running it all weekend long. Weekend Chillies really does have something for everyone, with the menu featuring everything from pork sorpotel (pickled pulled pork, poached egg, white cheddar hollandaise & warm curry leaf brioche) and uttapam mutta roast (eggs, rice pancakes & tomato chutney) to Chettinad double fried chicken and chilli paneer to Bombay Bustle classics like dum lamb biryani and chicken tikka makhani – and that’s before you get onto the likes of gulab jamun tiramisu and saffron milk cake at the dessert station. If you have trouble narrowing it down (and you will because all the food here is fantastic), there’s also a set Bundle Brunch menu on offer. You’ll also be able to check out the capsule collection of table linen from Dandelion, the lifestyle label from Bombay Bustle’s founder Samyukta Nair, which is all about making memories around the table.
THE TAMIL PRINCE
On the quiet backstreets of Barnsbury, The Tamil Prince has taken over a nice whitewashed corner pub building that was previously called the Cuckoo. As you can tell from the name change this is no simple change of management – the pub has been taken over and reinvented by an ex-Roti King duo, chef Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson. So now we have a mash up of a classic London pub but with food inspired by Prince’s childhood home of Tamil Nadu in southern India, with the likes of okra fries, pulled beef uttapam with coconut chilli chutney, huge grilled prawns and channa bhatura with chickpea curry. With some top south Indian dishes served in a relaxed pub environment and good beers and cocktails too, The Tamil Prince is a royally good addition to the neighbourhood.
BIBI
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 5:30 – 10:00 PM
- Wednesday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:30 – 10:00 PM
- Thursday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:30 – 10:00 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 3:30 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 3:30 PM, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Indian restaurant BiBi is part of the JKS group and ran by chef Chet Sharma, who’s earned his stripes working at some of the country’s best Michelin-starred restaurants including Moor Hall and L’Enclume. Oh, and Chet also has a PHD in physics from Oxford University – which is really not something you can often say about a chef. Chet has a very strong debut in the can with BiBi, full of crowd pleasing hits, familiar notes and more adventurous moments. The Indian menu is split in to five sections – snacks, chaat, sigree, sides and desserts – and you’ll want to ensure a spread of six to eight dishes across these. The must orders in our book include the Wookey Hole (that’s the cheese fyi) cheese papad, giant cheesy crisps with a creamy dip and mango and green chutneys; the raw belted Galloway beef pepper fry, an Indian riff on a beef tartare, spiked with spices and fermented Tellicherry peppercorns; the chukh masala tikka; and the Swaledale lamb belly gallouti, glistening with rich fat and crispy skin. All in all, BiBi is a great restaurant, with truly exciting and inventive dishes on offer, and a fresh, contemporary take on Indian cuisine.
HERITAGE
Heritage re-imagines traditional Indian cooking by putting a modern spin on established recipes, with a menu that manages to pay homage to India’s diverse culinary culture whilst also having a little fun too. The kitchen is headed up by Chef Dayashankar Sharma (ex-Tamarind, the first Indian restaurant in London to receive a Michelin star), who strikes the balance between crowd-pleasing classics and pure-genius plates, from the likes of Goan stuffed fish and lamb biryani to sundried tomato & truffle naan and plum, honey & mustard spiced duck. Heritage lives up to the hype, and as for the service, well that is well worth the trip to West Dulwich alone.
MANTHAN
Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai, who also runs Kutir in Chelsea, has returned to his former stomping ground of Mayfair (having previously been Executive Chef at Jamavar and Bombay Bustle) for Manthan. It’s now a very sexy looking spot with a subtle ocean theme running throughout too and co-founder Abhi Sangwan has carried that theme through to the drinks list with a cocktail menu inspired by the seven oceans of the world and featuring fresh exotic fruits, botanicals and infusions. In the kitchen, Ghai unites his childhood experiences growing up in Madhya Pradesh with his knowledge of working in those high-end Indian restaurants to create a refined take on home-style cooking, resulting in dishes like ghati masala prawns, lamb osso buco curry, halloumi tikka, and garlic kheer.
MADHU’S BRASSERIE
Having long served members of the royal family at Windsor Castle, the famous restaurateurs and award-winning Indian caterers Madhu’s, know a thing or two about Indian food. On the fifth floor of Harvey Nichols you can find their latest collaboration, Madhu’s Brasserie, which offers all-day gourmet dining. Nab a seat at the counter-wrapped bar so you can take in the theatre of chefs at work rolling freshly baked breads before they go in the tandoor oven and cooking over the robata grill. Standout dishes cooked on the robata are the lamb chops, cooked in ginger and aromatic spices, along with the incredible butterfly king prawns. The slow-cooked black lentils in butter and tomato, flavoured with fenugreek and garlic and finished with cream, and the murgh makhani, tandoor grilled chicken tikka simmered in tomato sauce, are also winners.
PALI HILL
Pali Hill, is the Indian restaurant in Fitzrovia on the old Gaylord site, from Rahul Khanna and Kabir Suri, the pair behind Indian group Azure Hospitality. The restaurant is named after one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Mumbai and it’s a good looking place – the design has been inspired by the art deco apartments found in the area with lots of warm yellows, deep oranges and greens, and an open kitchen at the back so you can see the chefs in action. Head Chef Avinash Shashidhara (previously River Café and Hibiscus) has created a menu that features dishes from across India, like papadi chat, Pondicherry squid, Pali Hill chicken tikka, and lamb biryani, and the portions are on the generous side so even the small plates aren’t really that small. Come hungry, leave happy.