Amaya
“Twenty years of one star from three open grills, tasting at £75. Book the kitchen facing tables for a first date.”
About Amaya
The open kitchen runs the length of the room at Amaya, and everything that matters happens on three pieces of equipment: the tandoor oven, the sigri charcoal grill and the tawa griddle. The restaurant opened in Halkin Arcade in October 2004, took a Michelin star in 2006, and has held it for two decades since, confirmed again in the 2026 guide. Head chef Sanchit Kapoor keeps the format that earned it: no starters, no mains, just a stream of grilled sharing plates arriving the moment they leave the fire.
The greatest hits explain the longevity. Black pepper chicken tikka comes off the tandoor with a crust that most kitchens cannot reach; smoked chilli lamb chops carry the sigri's char; rock oysters are flash grilled and dressed warm; and the tandoori broccoli converts vegetable sceptics nightly. A short run of biryani, black dal and breads closes the savoury sequence before kulfi and lighter desserts. The dinner tasting menu at £75, £70 vegetarian, ranks among the cheapest Michelin starred tastings in London and is the smart first visit.
The room plays glamour against theatre: dark mirrors, rosewood and low lamps in front, the flame lit kitchen as the moving backdrop behind. Belgravia treats it as a local, which keeps the crowd interesting on any given Tuesday. Book through the restaurant's site or by phone, and ask for the tables along the kitchen line; the counter view of the grills is the seat the room was designed around.
The Room
A long, low lit Belgravia room hidden in Halkin Arcade off Motcomb Street: dark rosewood, smoked mirrors, and the open kitchen as a wall of flame and motion. The near tables watch the grills work; the far banquettes keep conversations quieter. Plates land as they finish, so the rhythm is continuous rather than coursed. Smart casual dresses the room correctly, with more polish at dinner.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
A table this hard to win should be spent on the right night. This is who should book Amaya, and when.
For a first date that needs no script
Sharing format, continuous plates and a kitchen worth watching: Amaya removes every dead air hazard a first date has. Order together, pass everything, and let the grills provide the conversation when nerves do not. The £75 tasting takes the decisions away entirely, portions arrive at a pace that never strands you, and the low light flatters everyone. Ask for a table facing the kitchen line and arrive hungry rather than fashionably fed.
For the client dinner that should not feel like one
A Michelin star held since 2006 is the credential; the format is the advantage. Because plates arrive continuously, the meal flexes to the meeting: stretch it over two hours or wrap in seventy five minutes without the kitchen noticing. Belgravia signals seriousness without Mayfair's showiness, and the sharing table does the relationship work for you. Order the lamb chops and the tandoori broccoli early and let the sommelier pick a spice proof white.
For a birthday that wants fire and noise in the right ratio
Amaya feeds a celebrating table properly: platters from three grills, everything shared, nobody trapped with a single plate they regret. The room absorbs a lively group without turning into a bar, and the kitchen paces big tables well because the format was built for it. Put the group on the £75 tasting to keep ordering friction at zero, ask for the banquettes, and finish with kulfi and one more round of chops, because someone will ask.
What to order
Plates arrive as the grills finish them, so order in waves rather than all at once. These are the calls that define the meal.
- Black pepper chicken tikka
The tandoor's masterpiece and the dish on half the tables in the room. The crust and smoke cannot be replicated at home; order it in the first wave.
- Smoked chilli lamb chops
The sigri grill's signature: char, heat and sweetness in balance. One chop per person minimum, and the table will still argue over the last one.
- Tandoori broccoli
The dish that converts the sceptics: charred florets with a smoked yogurt dressing. Order it even if nobody at the table claims to want vegetables.
- The £75 tasting on a first visit
It sequences the greatest hits, ends with biryani and dal, and undercuts nearly every starred tasting in London. The £70 vegetarian version stands on its own.
Practical
- Address
- Halkin Arcade, Motcomb Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 8JT
- Reservations
- amaya.biz or by phone
- Tasting
- £75 dinner · £70 vegetarian
- Format
- Sharing plates, no starters or mains
- Grills
- Tandoor, sigri charcoal, tawa griddle
- Dress
- Smart casual, more polish at dinner
- Dietary
- Vegetarian tasting £70 · grills flex well
- Tube
- Knightsbridge or Hyde Park Corner, 5 minutes
Questions diners ask
Is Amaya worth it?
Yes. A Michelin star held since 2006, a flame lit open kitchen and a £75 tasting make it one of London's best value starred dinners. The sharing format means the meal is as good for two as for eight, and dishes like the black pepper chicken tikka justify the trip alone.
How hard is it to book Amaya?
Moderate. Book through amaya.biz or by phone; prime dinner slots go several days to a week ahead, while lunch and early evening stay flexible. Belgravia locals keep weeknights busier than you would expect, so reserve rather than chance a walk in for dinner.
What should I order at Amaya?
First visit, take the £75 tasting and let the kitchen sequence it. Ordering à la carte, build around black pepper chicken tikka, smoked chilli lamb chops and tandoori broccoli, then close with biryani and black dal. Order in waves; the grills send plates the moment they finish.
What does dinner at Amaya cost?
The tasting is £75 a head, £70 vegetarian, before drinks. À la carte grazing lands most tables between £60 and £100 a head depending on appetite for prawns and chops. Wine pushes a full evening toward £120 a head; a restrained one stays under £90.