Indian
The second site from the team behind The Tamil Prince, this one tucked behind Angel on a quiet Islington backstreet where all the action happens indoors. It’s another pub reinvention doing food from the Tamil Nadu region, split over a lively downstairs bar and a smart upstairs dining room with a checkerboard floor and famously low lighting (bring a candle, or your phone torch). The menu leans on Tamil Nadu classics, Chettinad lamb and Thanjavur chicken curries laced with curry leaves and whole chillies, craggy onion bhajis, alongside newer additions like lime leaf-roasted chicken with pineapple chutney and a rich beef masala uttapam. And the roti, given the founders’ Roti King pedigree, is some of the best in London, order two rounds so there’s nothing left unmopped. Sundays bring an Indian-inspired roast with masala chicken, lamb, and coconut stir-fried cabbage.
East West Pizza, which as sites in Tufnell Park and Shoreditch, is mixing Punjabi home cooking with Italian classics like pizza and arancini. The fusion is the brainchild of restaurateur Devinder Singh, whose generations of home-cooked recipes and Punjabi flavours combine with Neapolitan pizza dough proofed for 48 hours. Their Indian-inspired Neapolitan pizzas even caught the attention of the BBC’s Britain’s Best Takeaways awards, where they won Best Pizza Takeaway in the country back in 2021. From their chicken tikka masala pizza to arancini stuffed with butter chicken or masala lobster, the food is as rich as a tech bro.
Aktar Islam is the chef behind the two Michelin-starred Opheem in Birmingham, one of only two Indian restaurants in the country to have that distinction (the other is Gymkhana – they both won their second star in 2024). And now Aktar has come to London, taking over the space by Flat Iron Square that was previously the brilliant Lupins .His restaurant Oudh 1722 focuses on Awadhi cuisine, a historic style originating in Lucknow and shaped in the royal courts of northern India. The menu is split into six sections: Shorba (a traditional soup to start the meal; Naashta (snacks); Gilawat (minced kebab); kebabs (no explanation necessary); Dum (biryani); and curries. Must-orders include mushroom shorba; the gol guppas filled with jaljeera, potato and sprouting moong; the pappad selection with amazing homemade chutneys; the Herdwick lamb gilawat; the paneer kebab; the tandoori chicken curry; and the gulab jamun, giving off deluxe treacle sponge vibes.
Named after the region in Tamil Nadu, Chettinad Restaurant is bringing South India to Central London. The Bloomsbury restaurant is all about honest, homestyle South Indian food served in a laid-back dining room. Just like in Chettinad, some of the dishes are served on banana leaves for you to eat with your hands and the thalis, which come in seafood, meat and veg versions, are excellent here. Otherwise, don’t skip the array of dosas (there’s even a choccy version for dessert), the Chettinadu koli, the lamb biryani, and the kappayum meenum.
Dalston spot Five Fingers is all about celebrating South Indian cuisine and showcasing traditional recipes. Chettinad curries and biryanis are specialities of the house, along with its crispy masala dosa and medu vada, but the menu includes a range of regional dishes, including gobi 65, Amritsari fish fry with garlic mayo, Madras chicken curry, dal makhani, and Malabar parotta. There’s also an extensive dessert section of waffles, crepes, cakes and sundaes for those of you with a sweet tooth.
Indian-Irish small plates served out of an old bookies is something you’d only get in Hackney. Shankeys is well worth seeking out for its chilli crisp oysters, spiced spuds, cauli cheese parathas, prawn sambal and Kerrygold-washed poitin cocktails.
Quilon Review | "A Taste of India’s Coast in the Capital"
An fine dining Indian restaurant that focuses on lighter dishes
Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Quilon, is tucked inside a hotel in Westminster. Unlike many of our go-to Indian spots, Quilon takes things in a different direction, shining a light on the lesser-seen flavours from India’s coastal regions.
Headed up by Chef Sriram Aylur (also behind Bombay Brasserie), Quilon has held its Michelin star since 2008. While it might not be on everyone’s list of the best Indian dining spots in the city, it’s a great shout if you’re craving Indian flavours without the heaviness of curries, breads, and rice.
Eat ThisThe mini poppadoms, pickles, and chilli chutneys get things off to a great start. We followed them up with oysters served three ways – two cold (smoked red pepper with heirloom tomato chutney, and finger lime with basil) and one hot, pan-fried and tossed with pepper masala. Three is always an awkward number to share, so it’s worth ordering a second round or pairing it with another starter. We went for the crab cake made with claw meat, finished with crisp vermicelli and garnished with curry leaves.
We loved the Quilon fish curry, made with halibut simmered in coconut, chilli, and raw mango, served with soft Malabar parathas. The fish was light and flaky, soaking up all that rich, aromatic sauce. The buttery parathas were a knockout – so good we ordered another round to mop up every last drop. The lamb biryani, cooked with traditional Malabar spices in a sealed pot to lock in the flavour, was another winner. Perfectly cooked lamb, fluffy, fragrant rice, and just the right hit of spice.
For dessert, we went for the Pine-COCO – a showstopper of coconut mousse, lemon crumble, and passion fruit sauce tucked inside a coconut and chocolate shell. Sweet, tart, and tropical. Technically ideal for sharing, but honestly, we could’ve each had our own.
Drink ThisOut of all the wines we tried, the 2023 Clos des Fous Chardonnay paired the best with the spices of the food. Instead of a boozy nightcap, we finished with a comforting masala chai, which is served unsweetened so you can adjust it to taste.
Why GoAs much as we love classic Indian cooking, it can sometimes feel a bit familiar. Quilon switches things up – perfect if you’re craving the punchy spices of Indian cuisine but want something a little lighter.
Key InformationAddress | 41 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF
For more information | quilon.co.uk
Darjeeling Express takes inspiration from founder Asma Khan’s royal Indian ancestry and growing up in the Bengali streets of Calcutta. Khan was the first British chef to appear on an episode of Chef’s Table, something that made her all-female kitchen even more famous. Currently located on the top floor of Kingly Court (the restaurant has been through a few relocations since it started out as a pop up at The Sun & 13 Cantons in 2014), it serves an a la carte menu and a thali tasting menu featuring dishes like channa chaat, methi chicken, paneer korma, tamarind dal and srikhand.
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.
