Reply With QuotePunjab near Covent Garden is my favourite. Old school and small, food is amazing. Not expensive for London either.
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Meeting an American friend in London at the weekend and he has expressed an interest in having some Indian food. In the past I've taken him to a couple of places up here in Leeds/Bradford, but I wouldn't really know where to start in London. Quality is more important than anything else, but I'd like it to be comfortable for a catch-up over dinner, and easy to get to within a central-ish location. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Punjab near Covent Garden is my favourite. Old school and small, food is amazing. Not expensive for London either.
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No sure if you want to go high end but there was a thread recently.
If you do a search for the word Tayyabs you should find a few suggestions.
Dishoom and Punjab are both excellent in covent garden
Thank you both!
I didn't see the recent thread before, but I missed it as I wouldn't have even known what Brick Lane was, but really interesting to read the replies.
We are OK with either cheap or fine dining. Aside from my wife, this friend is the person I've shared the most meals with over the last 20 years. We've had junk food and Michelin star stuff. He's a really big foodie, but not a snob, as long as it's a good experience.
I'd go with what Wileeeey said and do Tayyabs. As much for the atmosphere as for the food. Bring your own booze
Made a couple of recommendations on the Brick Lane thread however for what you are suggesting, I’d consider
https://kanishkarestaurant.co.uk/
https://www.veeraswamy.com/
Or possibly the most interesting one imho
https://www.theindiaclub.co.uk/
Also if any late night drinking is involved he might be interested in the 24hour Beigel Bake at the north end of Brick Lane, be sure it’s the white signed with red lettering one not the inferior yellow & black? Signed one
Last edited by Captain Morgan; 3rd April 2023 at 23:29.
Tayaabs or if you want to travel a bit Regency which is the best Indian restaurant in London full stop.
The Punjab which has been mentioned a few times is great. Been there many times and always had great food there.
Loads of pubs and bars around nearby for before/after as well.
Colonel Saab Holborn
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I really enjoyed the India Club, but the atmosphere is definitely better than the food.Originally Posted by Captain Morgan
Dishoom is very reliable.
Sagar for Sothern Indian vegetation food. Really good dosas.
Zaika in Kensington is very good if you want to travel a little bit.
For something a little different I can recommend Malabar Junction just off Tottenham Court Road- excellent South Indian food, especially fish and seafood curries.
Second this. Tayyabs if In Central. The Regency of youre willing to travel. You won’t be disappointed with either .
Had a fantastic experience at The Cinnamon Club, and location wise it enhances the whole experience.
I was in the India Club recently with a couple of other forum members and the food was much better than anything I remember. Obviously it could just be that the chef was on a promise that evening.
My normal haunt for London curry is Saravanna Bhavan on Charing Cross Road. Authentic South Indian veggie but they don’t take reservations and it’s perhaps not the grandest of dining rooms. Sagar on Panton St is the other South Indian nearby (used to be called Woodlands but was taken over).
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Another vote for Dishoom - there's one just off Kensington High Street next to the Daily Mail building too.
Echoing other posters in saying Tayyabs is fantastic, not expensive or fancy, but impressive food.
Dishoom is more expensive but very reliable.
At the top end of the price spectrum, Gymkhana is fabulous.
I haven't yet been to Tayyab's but I did read a couple of times that it's a quick turnover place, which would seem non-ideal for a relaxed catchup.
Anyone know?
Gymkhana is a +1 from me. Eye watering bill though.
We visited Gymkhana with friends a couple of weeks ago. Expensive but very impressive.
Might struggle to get in at short notice though.
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Haven't been to Tayyabs for years but I wouldn't say it is a fast food speed place but equally not somewhere you would usually have a 2 hour lunch.
Gymkhana I enjoyed but personally, I preferred Jamavar for a top end experience which is round the corner off Berkeley Square
Slight left field choice which I thought was excellent is Quilon in St James' if you like Goan style Indian and seafood. Again the bill isn't a great experience...
I knew I could count on you guys! Thank you. We'll have a look through them all and see what works best and if we can book somewhere. It's on Sunday, so hopefully a bit less busy.
I am drawn to the higher end places myself as the spots I know up here aren't that, but I'll see how he and my wife feel.
As a bit of a digression, we used to take foreign guests to Akbar's on Greek Street in Leeds as they all thought it was the best Indian food they ever had. This same friend still talks about it probably 10 years since the last time. But I always found it so night clubby, and you had to shout to have a conversation. After it closed I haven't tried any of their other locations, but they always look packed with drunk revellers. So I'm looking for something not like that.
Brigadiers https://brigadierslondon.com/ near Cannon St is worth a visit and more high-end . Owned by the same guys who own Gymkhana and Hoppers (also very good if you fancy some Sri-Lankan grub!!)
Kricket, Denman street, Soho. Not the usual Indian restaurant - Tandori Monkfish is out of this world .. An open kitchen, watch your food being cooked. Also try the masala kulcha, curried duck breast and smoked aubergine sesame raita
Last edited by steptoe; 4th April 2023 at 12:47.
I'd add also Veeraswamy just off Regent Street for a fab, old-school style fine Indian meal. It is the oldest Indian restaurant in the UK
https://www.veeraswamy.com/
Last edited by ryanb741; 4th April 2023 at 13:40.
If you want to venture into the suburbs Southall is the place to go for curry.
This place https://giftos.co.uk is highly rated.
No connection but a regular customer.
Nice option if you're in the City, I was pleasantly surprised.
I’m always baffled why anyone would rate Gymkhana
It’s average and overpriced. Perhaps I’m spoilt I’ve grown up with my mum making keema which tastes better than their “famous” keema.
Same goes for Dishoom you pay for the vibe and decor.
I suppose I’m spoilt though when I comes to Indian food having grown up on it and it’s skewed my opinion, to me Indian food is about big bold flavours and hand ground spice mixes that should taste the same but are oh so different, anyone who tries to tell me “elevated” Indian food with smoked this and freeze dried that is, to me at least utterly wrong.
All that being said Tandoor chop house is decent.
Life's about different opinions I suppose
Agreed
My wife always tells me food is about enjoying it regardless of how it’s made.
That’s why she puts up with my “cooking”
Tandoor Chop House just off the Strand. Food is bloody amazing!
I didn't grow up with it but totally agree with this, dishroom is ok but I've had dozens of better meals. People seem to go mad for it though.
Given me a curry house with a high back red draylon sofa booth than one with some posh decor, any day of the week.I didn't grow up with it but totally agree with this, dishroom is ok but I've had dozens of better meals. People seem to go mad for it though.
I’d rather go to Pizza Hut than Dishoom
Wagamama of curry houses
My thoughts exactly! I really don’t get the hype with dishoom.
I think the old traditional ones like that are extinct thesedays! Can’t think of any left in my neck of the woods.
From the OP’s post I think he’s looking for somewhere not too busy and noisy, he refers to Akbars in Leeds as being the opposite of what he’d like, I ate once at Akbars and didn’t like it, too much like a trendy pub/ nightclub, just didn’t work for me. No matter how good the food is, if the place is too noisy it spoils the experience if you’re trying to have a conversation.
Yup,
The Canary Wharf one is just…….. sad, another restaurant that forces you to wait 30 minutes for a table even when they are 1/2 empty, just to get you to buy an overpriced drink at the bar.
Then they sit you in a dimly lit dining space, where you sit too close to the table next to you and then serve up faux ‘Indian’ food where they’ve dropped Chili in everything …………
Better Indian restaurants in walking distance of Canary Wharf, but none in the estate.
I think Akbars is a chain. I went to the one in Middlesborough recently.
Highs and lows. The best tandoori lamb chops I have ever had, but the jalfrezi was cooked with egg, wtf.
If you venture to Tooting I'd recommend Lahore Karachi or Mirch Masala. Both informal, cheap, and fab food.
Another vote for Tayyabs - went last week and food was brilliant as always. BYOB with the shop connected next door.
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Tamarind was hands down the best Indian I've had in years.
And in the Michelin guide don't you know.
Atul Kochhar is the chef behind Tamarind’s Michelin star(s). But has now left to open Kanishka on Maddox Street, Mayfair.
Amaya was also good when I visited last year. Can’t remember exactly where that is in the West End.
Nice vibe to the restaurant as well. Not to quite and not to noisy.
Between Amaya and Gymkhana I’d probably go back to Amaya first.
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Had a couple of great meals there & hear good things about Kanishka
Damn that tasting menu looks amazing!
Depends if you mean central London or not. If not, Bombay Flame in Kilburn. Incredible and much missed by me since I moved away. It was a 54 second walk from my front door (a lot longer to it after eating so much) and I genuinely think about it weekly.
What about going for an English?
https://youtu.be/H-uEx_hEXAM
Can’t be beat,but I’d have a few cocktails and some craft beer in tooting market first .
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Haha. Classic.
Cocktails and Tooting? Those things were mutually exclusive even in the relatively recent past.
I havent gone through the thread so may of been mentioned already but I'd highly recommend Tayyabs if you can get in - queues out the door will tell you all you need to know or failing that Dishoom in Shoreditch has always been good or if you want something a little more authentic plenty of choice on Brick lane and most have a BYO policy so can make for a cheap night
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