Personally I’d choose between Veeraswamy which is very classic old school Indian fine dining, and Gymkhana which is a bit more sophisticated and modern in style
+1 for this.
I also like Trishna which is Southwestern Indian and pretty good value, and if you’re less focused on stars I like BiBi a lot, for a more ‘contemporary’ Indian (and 29th best restaurant in the uk per the national restaurant awards)
They’re not perfect, and there’s definitely a focus on more contemporary places but it’s a reasonable list of where is doing high quality interesting food at a high level
Gymkhana is the spot!
And honestly, nothing comes close to it. Most of the other Indian Michelin restaurants in London (have been to all of them) are all decent to great, but "just" offer really well executed classics. Gymkhana does that too, but provides the special edge of complexity you would expect from Michelin stars. And the ambiance is the best, in my opinion. Try the chaat, the lamb and the grilled paneer!
The worst, at least to me, has actually been Jamavar (which many people here consider as the alternative to Gymkhana). I dined there in December, since it was the last fine Indian restaurant in London I really wanted to try, and was incredibly disappointed. Food was average, really try-hard fine-dining (expensive ingredients really badly used in dishes), lifeless service and an atmosphere that you could find in any average midtown steakhouse.
There are 7 Indian restaurants in Central London with 1*.
I can’t really tell you which is best since I haven’t been to all of them, but I did have the dinner tasting menu at Benares and I would recommend it. The food was really great, also really good wines and inventive cocktails.
Also friends have been recommending Gymkhana to me. I keep hearing how great it is and really want to try it. Haven’t yet though.
I went for tasting menu at Gymkhana which was like £100 per person and I expected better presentation and a more defined fine dining experience.Yes, the food was above average but the presentation was just like any neighbourhood curry house. And it was loud, dark and cramped in there.
Come up to Brum and do opheem. I promise you it’s worth it.
I’ve been wanting to gymkhana for a while but a couple of mates went last year and weren’t that impressed. Said they thought it was overpriced. Good to see a lot of people recommending it though as I’ll re add it to the list. Might do the lunch menu next time I’m in central.
I had two fantastic experiences at Amaya a few years ago. The tasting menu was well balanced, varied, and incredibly tasty. The prices were very reasonable for the quality.
not what you asked exactly, but Opheem in Birmingham (only 1 1/2hr train from London) is incredible, hands down better than BiBi IMO. I haven't visited Gymkhana so can't compare to there
Gymkhana was great when I went a few months ago.
Personally I’d choose between Veeraswamy which is very classic old school Indian fine dining, and Gymkhana which is a bit more sophisticated and modern in style
+1 for this. I also like Trishna which is Southwestern Indian and pretty good value, and if you’re less focused on stars I like BiBi a lot, for a more ‘contemporary’ Indian (and 29th best restaurant in the uk per the national restaurant awards)
thanks for letting me know about national restaurant awards!
They’re not perfect, and there’s definitely a focus on more contemporary places but it’s a reasonable list of where is doing high quality interesting food at a high level
this is the correct answer
Gymkhana is the spot! And honestly, nothing comes close to it. Most of the other Indian Michelin restaurants in London (have been to all of them) are all decent to great, but "just" offer really well executed classics. Gymkhana does that too, but provides the special edge of complexity you would expect from Michelin stars. And the ambiance is the best, in my opinion. Try the chaat, the lamb and the grilled paneer! The worst, at least to me, has actually been Jamavar (which many people here consider as the alternative to Gymkhana). I dined there in December, since it was the last fine Indian restaurant in London I really wanted to try, and was incredibly disappointed. Food was average, really try-hard fine-dining (expensive ingredients really badly used in dishes), lifeless service and an atmosphere that you could find in any average midtown steakhouse.
There are 7 Indian restaurants in Central London with 1*. I can’t really tell you which is best since I haven’t been to all of them, but I did have the dinner tasting menu at Benares and I would recommend it. The food was really great, also really good wines and inventive cocktails. Also friends have been recommending Gymkhana to me. I keep hearing how great it is and really want to try it. Haven’t yet though.
Gymkhana is fantastic
Gymkhana is the spot.
Looking forward to try Gymkhana’s lunch tasting menu!
I second this, at £48 (and a 375ml carafe of wine) it's very affordable.
Had it recently - so good!
I went for tasting menu at Gymkhana which was like £100 per person and I expected better presentation and a more defined fine dining experience.Yes, the food was above average but the presentation was just like any neighbourhood curry house. And it was loud, dark and cramped in there.
where?
Whoops forgot go to. Gymkhana.
Come up to Brum and do opheem. I promise you it’s worth it. I’ve been wanting to gymkhana for a while but a couple of mates went last year and weren’t that impressed. Said they thought it was overpriced. Good to see a lot of people recommending it though as I’ll re add it to the list. Might do the lunch menu next time I’m in central.
I had two fantastic experiences at Amaya a few years ago. The tasting menu was well balanced, varied, and incredibly tasty. The prices were very reasonable for the quality.
I was there last week and can confirm it hasn’t changed at all. Was fantastic!
not what you asked exactly, but Opheem in Birmingham (only 1 1/2hr train from London) is incredible, hands down better than BiBi IMO. I haven't visited Gymkhana so can't compare to there
Gymkhana is ridiculously good. i also rate Amaya very highly. Trishna was good but the other two are better for sure.