RFK Cuisine · Indian · London
Best Indian Restaurants in London 2026
Indian · London · 7 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
London cooks better Indian food than any city outside India, and the proof is on Albemarle Street, where Gymkhana became the first Indian restaurant in the city to hold two Michelin stars. No other Western capital comes close to this depth — Punjabi game cookery, South Indian coastal seafood, Goan and Parsi kitchens, Bombay-cafe nostalgia — built over a century of migration and now running from two-star Mayfair tasting menus to the bacon naan queue at Dishoom. These are the seven London Indian restaurants worth booking in 2026, ranked on the cooking, the room and what the bill buys, with the dish to order and how to get a table at each.
1.Gymkhana
London's first two-star Indian, JKS's tribute to the sporting clubs of the Raj; book Gymkhana for the meal of the year.
Gymkhana, the JKS Restaurants flagship on Albemarle Street in Mayfair, became London's first two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant in 2024, more than a decade after it opened. The room channels the gymkhana sporting clubs of British-era India — ceiling fans, dark wood, hunting trophies — and the kitchen cooks serious tandoor and game: the wild muntjac biryani sealed under pastry and opened at the table is the signature, alongside kid goat methi keema and a famous masala dosa. It is a special-occasion restaurant in every sense, the cooking confident and the spicing fearless. Expect around £90 to £130 a head, less at the excellent set lunch. For the best Indian meal in the city, book it weeks ahead.
Reserve direct, weeks out; the wild muntjac biryani, the kid goat keema, and a cocktail from the Raj-era list.
2.Amaya
The one-star Belgravia grill where the kitchen is the show; book Amaya for tawa, sigri and tandoor small plates to share.
Amaya, in the Halkin Arcade in Belgravia, has held a Michelin star for years on a simple idea: put the three Indian fire techniques — the tawa griddle, the sigri charcoal grill and the tandoor — in an open kitchen and let the room watch. The food arrives as a stream of small grilled plates rather than a curry-and-rice procession: tandoori broccoli, griddled scallops, chargrilled lamb chops, smoky and precise. It is lighter and more sociable than the heavy-sauce houses, and the glossy room suits a date or a celebratory dinner. Expect around £60 to £100 a head. For grilled Indian food in a glamorous setting, book it a week ahead and ask to sit facing the kitchen.
Reserve direct; the tandoori broccoli, the griddled scallops, and the chargrilled lamb chops to share.
3.Jamavar
The polished Mount Street pan-Indian with a star since 2022; book Jamavar for the Old Delhi butter chicken and lobster neeruli.
Jamavar, on Mount Street in Mayfair, is the Leela hotel group's London restaurant and won its first Michelin star in 2022 for a pan-Indian menu that ranges from the north to the coasts. The room is all marble, oak and brass, the service smooth, and the signatures travel the country: the Old Delhi butter chicken, the lobster neeruli from the south, the adraki lamb chops. It is the most classically luxurious of London's starred Indians, built for a smart Mayfair dinner rather than a fireworks-and-spice show. Expect around £80 to £120 a head, with a strong-value set lunch. For refined pan-Indian cooking in a grand room, book it a week or two ahead.
Reserve direct; the Old Delhi butter chicken, the lobster neeruli, and the adraki lamb chops.
4.Quilon
London's one-star coastal South Indian by St James's; book Quilon for Keralan-Goan seafood the heavy curry houses never touch.
Quilon, near Buckingham Gate in St James's, has held a Michelin star for years cooking the food of India's south-west coast — Kerala, Goa, Mangalore — with seafood at its heart. This is a different India from the Mughal-rich north: lighter, tangier, built on coconut, curry leaf and the day's fish. The signatures run to seafood like the char-grilled prawns and the Mangalorean fish, and a celebrated black cod, alongside coastal vegetable dishes. The room is calm and grown-up rather than flashy. Expect around £60 to £100 a head. For coastal South Indian cooking that the standard curry house never attempts, book it a week ahead and lean into the seafood.
Reserve direct; the char-grilled prawns, the Mangalorean seafood, and the coastal vegetable dishes.
5.Benares
The Berkeley Square modern-Indian veteran with a star; book Benares for British produce — Scottish scallops, Welsh lamb — under Indian spice.
Benares, on Berkeley Square in Mayfair, is one of London's longest-running starred Indians, built on a clear idea: the finest British produce treated with Indian technique and spice. Hand-dived Scottish scallops, Welsh lamb and seasonal game come through the kitchen, plated with a modern restraint that leans more fine-dining than fireworks. The first-floor room is discreet and clubby, suited to a quiet celebration or a deal dinner where the food still has to impress. Expect around £80 to £120 a head, with a set lunch worth seeking out. For modern Indian cooking on top British ingredients, book it a week or two ahead.
Reserve direct; the Scottish scallops, the Welsh lamb, and the chef's tasting if you have the evening.
6.Brigadiers
JKS's Indian barbecue mess hall in the City; book Brigadiers for smoked meats, a great bar and the best-value cooking from the Gymkhana group.
Brigadiers, in Bloomberg Arcade near Bank, is the JKS group's homage to the army mess bars of India — a big, clubby room with sport on the screens, a serious bar and a kitchen built around Indian barbecue. The smoked and grilled meats are the draw, from the brisket to the whole-leg masala, alongside beer-snack chaat and a long list of cocktails and draught. It brings the JKS cooking pedigree to a fraction of the Gymkhana price, and it is as good for a long lunch with colleagues as a late dinner. Expect around £40 to £60 a head. For Indian barbecue and a great bar in the City, book it a few days ahead.
Reserve direct; the smoked meats, the chaat, and a round from the long cocktail and beer list.
7.Dishoom
The Bombay-cafe phenomenon worth the queue; go to Dishoom for the bacon naan, the overnight black daal and a chai with no fuss.
Dishoom, which began in Covent Garden and now runs across London and beyond, is the casual icon of the city's Indian scene — an affectionate recreation of the old Irani cafes of Bombay, down to the sepia photographs and the ceiling fans. The bacon naan roll at breakfast is a London ritual, the house black daal is cooked overnight and worth the trip alone, and the pau bhaji and lamb chops keep the queues honest. It is cheap, joyful and ruthlessly consistent. Expect around £25 to £35 a head. For the most beloved casual Indian meal in London, go — but go early or off-peak, because most branches take only limited bookings and the wait is real.
Walk in early or book where you can; the bacon naan, the black daal, and a house chai.
How London eats Indian
London's Indian scene is unusually deep because it is regional. The starred Mayfair and St James's rooms each stake out a part of the subcontinent — Gymkhana and Brigadiers on northern game and barbecue, Quilon on the south-west coast, Jamavar and Benares ranging pan-Indian — rather than serving the all-purpose "curry house" menu the rest of the West knows. That is the city's edge: you can eat Keralan seafood, Punjabi tandoor and Parsi dhansak in the same square mile, all cooked by chefs who take it as seriously as any French kitchen. Below the starred tier sits an equally serious mid-market, from Dishoom's Bombay cafes to the Tooting and Whitechapel institutions.
A few practical notes. The starred rooms book a week or two ahead, longer for weekends, and their set lunches are the value move of the genre. Dishoom and the casual end take limited or no bookings, so go early. Sharing is the natural way to order across most of these kitchens — build a spread of breads, a tandoor dish, a curry and a vegetable rather than a plate each. Tipping in London runs around 12.5 percent, usually added as a discretionary service charge. For the wider city by neighbourhood and occasion, use the full London dining guide.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for a serious London Indian meal
The Brick Lane tout strip, for the cooking. The stretch of Brick Lane where waiters wave menus and promise a free bottle of wine sells the hustle, not the kitchen, and the food is generic. Brick Lane's real Bengali cooking is a few doors off the tourist run; for a sure thing, book one of the rooms above instead.
Gymkhana, if you want a quiet, quick dinner. It is the best Indian in London, but it is a destination — booked out, buzzy and built for a long evening. If you have an hour and want something low-key, that is a Dishoom or a neighbourhood curry house, not a two-star Mayfair tasting. Save Gymkhana for the night you can give it.
Frequently asked
What is the best Indian restaurant in London?
Gymkhana on Albemarle Street in Mayfair is the best, and in 2024 it became London's first two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant — JKS Restaurants' tribute to the colonial-era sporting clubs of India, built on tandoor and game cooking like the wild muntjac biryani. For grilled Indian food in a glamorous open-kitchen room, Amaya in Belgravia is the other one-star pick. Choose Gymkhana for the special occasion, Amaya for a lighter, sharing-led dinner.
Which London Indian restaurants have Michelin stars?
Gymkhana holds two Michelin stars, the first Indian restaurant in London to do so. The one-star Indian restaurants include Amaya in Belgravia, Jamavar in Mayfair, Benares in Mayfair and Quilon near Buckingham Gate, with several others across the city. London has more starred Indian restaurants than anywhere outside India, reflecting a depth of regional cooking — Punjabi, South Indian, Goan, Parsi — that no other Western city matches.
How much does dinner cost at a top London Indian restaurant?
Gymkhana runs around £90 to £130 a head for à la carte with a few drinks, more for the tasting menu, and Jamavar and Benares sit in a similar fine-dining band. Amaya and Quilon land around £60 to £100 depending on how much you order. Brigadiers, JKS's Indian barbecue and bar, is the value pick at roughly £40 to £60, and Dishoom is cheaper still — you can eat very well for £25 to £35. Most of the starred rooms offer a set lunch that is far better value than dinner.
What is Gymkhana known for?
Gymkhana is known for taking its name and look from the gymkhana sporting clubs of British-era India — ceiling fans, dark wood, hunting trophies — and for serious tandoor and game cooking. The signature is the wild muntjac biryani, sealed under pastry and opened at the table, alongside dishes like the kid goat methi keema. It opened in 2013, won its first star in 2014 and its second in 2024, becoming London's first two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant. Book the Mayfair dining room well ahead.
Where is the best casual or budget Indian in London?
Dishoom is the casual icon — a Bombay-Irani cafe homage with branches in Covent Garden, Shoreditch and beyond, famous for its bacon naan roll at breakfast, the black house daal cooked overnight, and queues out the door. For something between casual and fine dining, Brigadiers from the JKS group does Indian barbecue and a great bar in Bloomberg Arcade near Bank. Both take the pressure off the wallet while still cooking with real skill; Dishoom only takes limited bookings, so go early or expect to wait.
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More from RFK
Browse the full London dining guide, compare the global picks on the best Indian worldwide, read the verdict on two-star Gymkhana, plan a table to impress a client, find a first-date dinner at Amaya, or open the full RFK cuisine index.
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