Best Indian restaurants in London: Top spots open for dine-in and takeaway

Curry houses have always held a special place in the hearts of us Brits.

It's hardly a surprise, then, that London's culinary scene boasts some true gems when it comes to Indian cuisine. There's variety too, as Michelin-starred Indian flagships happily rub shoulders with street food restaurants and modern counter-dining hotspots.

Not only do Londoners love eating the cuisine when they're out, but also on a night in. Already a longstanding takeaway favourite, Indian food held its own during lockdown as an enduringly popular delivery order in the capital, and the period also saw some of the capital's more upmarket south Asian restaurants open up for collection and delivery for the first time.

Post-lockdown, Indian food fans now find themselves with, in many cases, the option to dine-in or order takeaway from some of the best purveyors in town – so we thought we'd update you with what's happening where.

While there are some gorgeous grill and curry houses out there, if they don't identify as Indian, we've left them off the list. That's why, for instance, the wonderfully unpretentious – and Pakistani – Lahore Kebab House isn't there, and why you won't find Sri Lankan sensation Hoppers either.

From an abundance of biryanis to rotis galore, these are the best Indian restaurants in the capital, and if they're open for dine-in, delivery or takeaway right now.

Brigadiers

Update: The restaurant is open for dine-in service on its outdoor terrace and at its bar, Blighters. It is also offering delivery and click-and-collect services.

Inspired by the army mess bars of India, this up-market Indian barbecue joint draws a crowd with its range of entertainment, beers on tap, sports screenings and, most importantly, its small plates. Once you’ve finished playing pool in its art-deco “social hub”, or downed your last pint in the Tap Room tavern, sit down in Brigadiers’s dining room to pour over its extensive menu – there are 16 sides alone.

Grill-lovers should try the sikandari kid goat shoulder and the BBQ chicken wings, while those looking for something lighter will enjoy the delicately spiced Indo-Chinese chicken lettuce cups. There are some well-crafted vegetarian options too, such as the gently charred wood fired mushroom methi malai naan and the smoked aubergine missi rotis. If a restaurant can attract crowds to Bank on a weekend, it must be doing something right.

1-5 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR​, brigadierslondon.com

Kricket

Update: The Brixton and White City locations are both open for dine-in, delivery and collection. The Soho location remains temporarily closed.

It’s always nice to see a pop-up given a permanent site. It’s even nicer to see a former pop-up given a bricks and mortar location and then get the recognition it deserves. From the humble beginnings of a shipping container in Brixton to retaining its Bib Gourmand three years in a row, Kricket has come a long way and picked up plenty of fans in the process. Its menu is often updated but it remains all about small, seasonal sharing plates and Indian-inspired cocktails. That said, there are some regulars – the bhel puri and samphire pakora are going nowhere, neither is the keralan fried chicken, all with good reason. The bar serves a rotation of cocktails, all of which feature delicate, oriental spices; anything with spiced jaggery syrup or Darjeeling bourbon is going to be a hit.

W1, SW9, W12, kricket.co.uk

Masala Zone

Update: All locations are now open for dine-in, apart from the Selfridges restaurant. The Islington, Camden, Earl’s Court and Bayswater sites are all offering delivery.

Sisters Camellia and Namita Panjabi have decades of research behind them, which rubs off on their authentic food. The menus boast a selection of Indian all-stars from grills, tandoors and curries to vibrant street food. The paneer tikka made with fresh fenugreek leaves and yellow chilli proves that veggie curries can be just as flavoursome and rich as their meaty counterparts. Likewise, the familiar korma gets an upgrade, with saffron infused into it.

The thalis, however, are the stars of the show here — various small dishes are served on a circular tray, creating a colourful platter of vegetables, dal, chapati, rice, salad and pickles. With seven different branches across the capital, each site has its own identity and brings something different to the table. The Covent Garden restaurant has puppets hanging from the ceiling while the Bayswater branch has eye-catching graphics plastered over the central dining room pillars. The decor may be quirky but upgraded classics truly deliver at this place. No wonder it's one of Fay Maschler's 50 favourite spots in London.

Various locations, masalazone.com

Kanishka

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also offering delivery and click-and-collect services.

Atul Kochhar has the quite remarkable title of being the first Indian-born chef to ever hold a Michelin star. That turn at Tamarind was, however, twenty years ago and he’s been very busy since. Following another starry stint at Benares, Kochhar opened Kanishka, a Mayfair restaurant with a menu that looks to showcase the varied cuisine of India’s “Seven Sisters” states in the north east. Dishes include the likes of crispy fried crab with an apple and peanut salad and passion fruit chutney, and turbot served with saffron-braised pineapple, angel’s hair chilli butter and a fennel bisque. Watch this space for Kochhar’s biggest project yet: he’ll open Mathura (named for King Kanishka’s capital city) in Westminster later in 2020.

17-19 Maddox Street, W1S 2QH, kanishkarestaurant.co.uk

Dishoom

Update: The group has now reopened all its London sites apart from Kensington, which follows on July 24. It is currently offering a delivery service from it’s Kensington restaurant and a dark kitchen in Battersea, with more dark kitchens set to launch soon.

Dishoom is rightly regarded a staple of London life, even though just eight years have passed since its first Bombay-style cafe opened in Covent Garden. The group's monopoly of the casual, quality dining scene spans five London branches and another three in Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham. Be sure to try the mahi tikka (grilled, marinated fish) and okra fries as part of a sharing-plate meal. Meanwhile the chole poori (puffed, fried bread with chickpea curry) makes a cheap and hearty lunch for one. The real standouts are the black daal and the breakfast bacon naan, both of which have achieved legendary status – have the lamb chops too, which deserve to be similarly revered.

Be warned: queues often form at peak dining times are long – sometimes for hours on Friday nights. Fortunately, the friendly staff are always on hand to offer shivering guests a steaming cup of (free) chai. Or just head to the High Street Kensington branch which, while as good as the others, tends to be a little quieter.

Various locations, dishoom.com

Indian Zing

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also offering delivery and takeaway services.

This longstanding favourite in Hammersmith offers modern, dynamic Indian food. It’s another fine-dining spot that’s popular with locals and celebs alike (even the late Michael Winner was a fan). A real knowledge of India’s regional cooking shines through at this place, thanks to Mumbai-born chef patron Manoj Vasaikar. The chicken shatkora lives up to the restaurant’s name with herbs and spices balanced by a punch of zesty citrus, and the lamb dhansak, a speciality of the Mumbai Parsi community, combines traditional flavours with seasonal produce. This restaurant packs out on a regular basis, but the service always remains calm and attentive — the sign of a true gem.

236 King Street, W6 9LR, indian-zing.co.uk

Bombay Bustle

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also offering delivery and click-and-collect services.

Step inside Bombay Bustle and you’ll be transported to a colonial-era railway carriage – first class, naturally. Inspired by the dabbawalas of Mumbai – men who traditionally travelled across the city by train to deliver home-cooked meals – Bombay Bustle captures the essence of a rich and vast culinary tradition. Follow the station-style signage to navigate between the bar and dining areas and take a seat in one of the coach-style booths. There you’ll tuck in to some of Mumbai’s most celebrated dishes: opt for the small plates and share as many as you can. Top picks include the rarah keema pao, a richly spiced lamb mince served with a buttered bun, and the masala akuri – spiced scrambled eggs gleaming atop a truffled naan. Save room for the tandoor dishes: the cardamom-spiced murgh malai chicken is a triumph. The set menus offer a whistle stop tour of different regions at affordable prices.

29 Maddox Street, W1S 2PA, bombaybustle.com

Gunpowder

Update: The Tower Bridge location is now open for dine-in and takeaway. The Spitalfields location will reopen on July 17 for dine-in, and is currently offering a delivery service.

Husband and wife team Harneet and Devina Baweja opened this spot back in November 2015 with the help of Mumbai-born head chef Nirmal Save, formerly of Tamarind and Zaika. Nearly three years on and there’s no stopping them: the team has launched a cookbook, the Spitalfields restaurant was recognised by Michelin with a Bib Gourmand in 2018, and it now boasts a second site near Tower Bridge. The the menu offers rich, well-executed, belt-loosening plates that will leave you feeling wholly satisfied and wanting to do it over again. Standout dishes include the charred lamb chops and the chettinad pulled duck.

E1, SE1, gunpowderlondon.com

Jamavar

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also offering delivery and click-and-collect services.

Jamavar is another that proves that Indian fine dining in the capital is fiercely good. Much like its Mayfair contemporaries, the venue has a colonial gentlemen's club feel to it and offers delicately-spiced plates that pack a punch. Highlights include the juicy scallops bhel with a tamarind and date chutney and the slow cooked Jamavar dal with black lentils. Familiar favourites can be found on the menu too, like the moreish old Delhi butter chicken curry.

8 Mount Street, W1K 3NF, jamavarrestaurants.com​

Fatt Pundit

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is offering a delivery service.

Fatt Pundit is Indian, but probably not as you know it. The food here hails from Tangra, a region of Kolkata which became home to Hakka Chinese settlers who migrated there in the late 18th century. The culinary result has been an intriguing Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine that radiates out from Tangra, and serves as the inspiration for this Soho spot. Fragrant spices mix with the peppery heat and sweetness of Chinese food across the menu, as dishes include momo dumplings served with curry sauces, Hakka chilli paneer in lettuce cups, a creamy malabar coconut curry with monkfish, Sichuan chilli prawns and some absurdly succulent lamb chops with black bean dust.

77 Berwick Street, W1F 8TH, fattpundit.co.uk

Chakra

Update: Both the Kensington and Kingston locations of the restaurant are now open for dine-in. The group is also offering delivery from both venues, as well as from a dark kitchen in Wimbledon.

This little known Kensington spot (now with a Kingston sibling) is all too often overlooked in lists like these. It's a neighbourhood place and appropriately upmarket for Kensington, tucked away opposite the excellent Elephant & Castle pub. They've recently refurbished but the real draw is the terrace space; sit out and tuck into delicious little bites. It's the sort of place to order a few glasses of wine while enjoying the likes of truffle kulcha (addictive bites of wild mushroom & black truffle naan) or monk fish marinated beautifully with kasundi mustard paste. The Lucknowi lamb kebab is a must too. Service is the quiet, friendly type.

W8, KT1, chakra.restaurant

Cinnamon Kitchen​​

Update: The Battersea location is now open, with the City location reopening on July 17. The Battersea restaurant is offering both delivery and click-and-collect services, and is also operating as a delivery and click-and-collect kitchen for Vivek Singh’s Westminster restaurant The Cinnamon Club.

The Cinnamon Club’s younger, laid back siblings Cinnamon Kitchen offer an alternative set up to Vivek Singh's fine dining Westminster flagship. The dinner offering is on the meatier side, with a hearty selection of grilled meats and dishes such as the clove-smoked lamb ramp and the fiery rump steak with masala chips. There’s also a plethora of breads to mop up any excess sauce, including four different types of naan; plain, garlic, peshwari and a chicken tikka and cheese. Cinnamon Bazaar, the Covent Garden location of the Cinnamon family, is also a top choice for reasonably priced pleasure.

SW11, EC2, cinnamon-kitchen.com

Quilon

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also operating delivery and takeaway services.

Another star of the capital’s Indian food scene. Chef Sriram Aylur shows consistency is his forte as the food is vibrant and delicate with a homely style to it. Standout dishes include a signature fish curry with tender halibut and a creamy-with-a-kick coconut and chilli sauce, as well as the perfectly spiced Mangalorean chicken.

41 Buckingham Gate, SW1E 6AF, quilon.co.uk​

Amaya

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, but is not currently offering takeaway services.

There’s something to be said for a restaurant that can hold onto a Michelin star for over a decade (this restaurant first secured the accolade back in 2006, two years after opening). Amaya is consistently good, serving up exquisite tapas-style sharing plates. From the off it was met with a rapturous response from the critics and it still impresses today; presentation is, perhaps, a little fussy, but what comes off the grill is gorgeous.

Lowndes Street, SW1X 8JT, amaya.biz​

Ganapati

Update: The restaurant is now open for dine-in, and is also offering a delivery service via ganapatitakeaway.com

To eat at Ganapati is to feel smug. Firstly, because the restaurant feels like a hidden gem – tucked away in a residential corner of Peckham, it has all the cosy, no-frills charm of a neighbourhood spot with the food quality of a top south Indian kitchen. Secondly, because it’s not a hidden gem – everyone in the area knows how good it is, so if you’re able to get a reservation, you should feel rather pleased with yourself.

The lunch deals are great value, with dishes including kerala fish curry with rice and poppadoms or a vegetable thali. The all-day menu offers other highlights like a kerala lamb stew and an aubergine masala with thoran (dry mix of fresh coconut, vegetable and spices). Don’t scrimp on the homemade pickles and chutneys and do not leave before you’ve wiped your plate clean with a flaky, buttery paratha. If you can’t bag a table, don’t despair: there is a Ganapati outpost round the corner which offers collection and home delivery. Plenty of locals pick up their orders and sit in the takeaway to devour it.

38 Holly Grove, SE15 5D, ganapatirestaurant.com

Trishna

Update: The restaurant will reopen for dine-in from July 22, and is currently running both delivery and click-and-collect services.

Unlike some of its competitors with a more meaty focus, Trishna celebrates the coastal cuisine of south west India. The food on the menu pays close attention to coconut and tamarind, and accordingly dishes are fragrant without being overpowering, although brazen with the spice – expect to have your socks very soundly blown off. The tandoor offers a selection of seafood from charred scallops to salmon tikka.

15-17 Blandford Street, W1U 3DG, trishnalondon.com

Gymkhana

Update: The restaurant is yet to reopen for dine-in service, but is running both delivery and click-and-collect services.

Gone are the days when Indian restaurants were stereotyped as budget-friendly, BYOB haunts. The capital’s Indian fine dining scene is booming and Mayfair’s Gymkhana is a testament to that. It’s hardly a surprise either, considering the Trishna and Hoppers team are behind it. The venue pays homage to colonial India’s gymkhana clubs – spaces where members of high society would socialise, dine, drink and play sport.

Menus here capture the intensity and depth of flavour that north Indian cuisine has to offer, with dishes such as the guinea fowl tikka and wild muntjac biryani. Bold flavours are the name of the game here, but classics like the chicken butter masala are still on the menu and do not disappoint. No wonder this place has kept its Michelin star four years in a row – even though it was forced to close for seven months in 2019 after a massive fire.

42 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JH, gymkhanalondon.com​.

Kutir

Update: The restaurant is yet to reopen for dine-in service, and is not currently running any takeaway services.

After star turns at the likes of Jamavar, Gymkhana and Trishna (all included in this list, you may note), you could probably have guessed that Rohit Ghai’s London solo debut would be quite the dazzler. Nestling into the homely, Georgian-inflected quarters of a Chelsea townhouse, Kutir takes inspiration from the decadent meals held in Indian hunting lodges of the same name, with tasting menus – described as “Expeditions” – leading diners through feast of meat, seafood or vegetables, and game when in season. Standout dishes include quail naan topped with scrambled masala eggs and truffle, as well as a punchy venison curry flavoured with green peppercorn and fennel.

10 Lincoln Street, SW3 2TS, kutir.co.uk

Dum Biryani

Update: The restaurant is yet to reopen for dine-in service, and is not currently running any takeaway services.

Dhruv Mittal has been running the socks off lively Soho spot Dum Biryani for a few years now. The restaurant is named for the variation of the dish that sees the meat and rice cooked together in a pot, which is sealed with a pastry crust. At Dum Biryani, the pastry is opened ceremoniously at the table – it’s a real steam-up-your-glasses moment as you gaze inside at lamb shank melting off the bone into perfectly cooked rice, fragrant with its juices. Snacks are not to be scrimped on – the Andhra prawn fry heats things up with whole red chillies, while the mutton fry calls for being piled high on a buttery brioche bun. For more Mittal, check out his second spot Lucknow 49 in Mayfair.

187B Wardour Street, W1F 8ZB, dumlondon.com