Gymkhana
“Two stars since 2024, the best party at this level in London. Book it for a birthday needing noise and lamb chops.”
About Gymkhana
In 2024 Gymkhana became the first Indian restaurant in London to hold two Michelin stars, eleven years after the Sethi siblings of JKS Restaurants opened it as a homage to the sporting clubs of colonial India. The 2026 guide keeps both stars on the door at 42 Albemarle Street. Chef director Sid Ahuja, who joined in 2015 and drove the promotion, announced his departure in early 2026, leaving a brigade drilled in his standards.
This is the rare starred room where you order for the table and argue over the last of everything. The wild muntjac biryani arrives sealed under a pastry dome that is cut open tableside, releasing a decade of reputation in one cloud of steam. Kid goat methi keema, lasooni wild tiger prawns and the tandoori lamb chops complete a signature list that has not needed to change since opening.
Set menus run from £120 to £195 depending on length and luxury, with a full a la carte for tables that know their way around. Reservations open on SevenRooms two months ahead, three months for the private Vaults rooms downstairs, and prime evenings disappear the day they release. Lunch remains the connoisseur's window: same tandoors, easier seat, and Sunday is the one day the doors stay shut.
The Room
Dark oak, rattan, hunting trophies and whirring ceiling fans: a Mayfair fantasy of a Raj era members club that somehow avoids theme park territory. The ground floor buzzes hard at dinner; the basement Vaults hold private tables for six to twelve inside old wine cages. It is the loudest two star room in London and entirely unashamed of it. Dress smart; the crowd does.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
What follows is the honest map: the evenings Gymkhana was built for, and what to ask for on each.
For a birthday that wants flavour and volume together
Tasting counters make birthdays feel like seminars. Gymkhana throws a dinner party instead: shared plates landing fast, a room already at full hum, and a biryani opened tableside as built in theatre. Book the long table in the Vaults for eight or more, order the lamb chops in double quantity, and let the bar's gimlet list run the toasts.
For business that goes better over shared plates
Passing dishes across the table dissolves formality faster than any icebreaker, and Gymkhana's club room energy keeps the meeting from feeling like an interview. The two month SevenRooms window rewards planning, and the Vaults downstairs give genuine privacy for numbers that cannot be overheard. Order the set menu to keep timing predictable, and close over kulfi; few rooms send a counterpart home happier.
For the client who thinks they know Indian food
Two Michelin stars, the first pair ever held by a London Indian restaurant, reframe the cuisine before the first course lands. The muntjac biryani and wild tiger prawns are luxury ingredients treated with tandoor logic rather than French manners, and the wine list is built to meet spice head on. Request a ground floor booth and order the signatures without hesitation.
What to order
The menu is long and the table orders together. These four calls organise the meal.
- Wild muntjac biryani
Sealed under pastry, cut open at the table, served with pomegranate and mint raita. The single most famous dish in modern Indian London; one per two people.
- Kid goat methi keema
Rich, iron deep and spiked with fenugreek, eaten with the breads. The dish regulars measure the kitchen by.
- Tandoori lamb chops
The gateway signature: char, fat and spice in ideal proportion. Order more than feels reasonable.
- The Vaults for six or more
The basement private rooms book three months out against two for the dining room. For a celebration or a deal, they are the correct venue and cost nothing extra to reserve.
Practical
- Address
- 42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London
- Reservations
- SevenRooms · 2 months out, 3 for the Vaults
- Menus
- Set menus £120 to £195 · full a la carte
- Signatures
- Muntjac biryani, methi keema, lamb chops
- Dress
- Smart; the room dresses up
- Rooms
- Ground floor plus private Vaults below
- Dietary
- Strong vegetarian showing · heat flagged on the card
- Bar
- Gimlet led cocktail list, arrive early
Questions diners ask
Is Gymkhana worth it?
Yes, and it is the most fun two star table in London. The 2024 promotion made history for Indian food in Britain, the signatures deliver, and set menus from £120 keep the bill below most starred rivals. The Value score of eight is earned; only diners wanting hush should look elsewhere.
How hard is it to book Gymkhana?
Prime dinners go the morning they release on SevenRooms, two months ahead. Lunch and early weeknight tables hold for weeks, and the private Vaults open three months out for groups. Set a release day reminder for a Friday or Saturday night; otherwise flexibility gets you in comfortably.
What should I order at Gymkhana?
Build around the wild muntjac biryani, one per two guests, then add the kid goat methi keema, tandoori lamb chops and a vegetable dish for balance. First timers do well on the set menus at £120 to £195, which sequence the signatures without over ordering.
Does Gymkhana work for vegetarians?
Better than its game heavy reputation suggests. The vegetarian set menu runs the same tandoor and chaat logic through paneer, dosa and seasonal vegetables, and the kitchen marks heat honestly on the card. Tell the booking notes and the brigade paces a mixed table without fuss.