Indian Food

Where are you staying?

When I visited London in 2012 I had dinner at the Indian YMCA which had decent food at a very low price. Out of maybe 40 diners that evening four were caucasian, two were non-Indian asians, and the rest were Indians or Pakistanis. These demographics indicate "authentic" to me. Here is the link to their menu. When I visited in 2012 I paid maybe five pounds for the all you can eat dinner (looks like it is now 8 pounds):

http://www.indianymca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Menu-Card.pdf

Here are some reviews of the dining hall:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d734172-Reviews-Indian_YMCA_Dining_Hall-London_England.html

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/indian-ymca

http://www.yelp.com/biz/indian-ymca-london

There are a number of possibilities in Drummond Street behind Euston Station.

We like Diwana Bhel Poori but it is vegetarian, as a lot of Indian food is, so may not suit your taste.

http://www.diwanabph.com/

It's very much a no frills sort of place with a cafe atmosphere. Worth a look though if you are anywhere nearby.

Alan

A local friend took me to Woodlands since we both love Indian food. They have several locations in central London, all vegetarian. They have dishes from several regions of India, but specialize in south Indian food. We went to the one at 77 Marylebone Lane, just off Wigmore St. There's also one near Leicester Square.

In a large number of Indian restaurants you will be having Bangladeshi food - many of the chefs are actually Bangladeshi.

I'm not a veggie, and I certainly enjoy all meat and fish... but one cuisine that doesn't suffer without meat is Indian, so don't be put off going to a veggie place, the food will still (generally) be tasty and exciting. Like for like, the meal is going to be cheaper too, if that's a consideration.

Dishoom at all its locations is a victim of its success - drop in and you will in general have a 1hr+ wait.

If you go to Euston station, and go about two blocks west to the corner of Gower and Drummond, there is a strip of Indian food places. Chutney's right on the corner and Taste of India a couple doors down. Both are delicious and well priced. Also, as bonus, go half a block south and you're at the exterior set for the BBC's Sherlock which I'm certain she'll enjoy.

If you find yourself at Borough Market, there's a vendor selling Indian street food (Indian food, but portable!) which is also quite tasty.

D

Hi Laurel!
We really enjoyed Punjab in Covent Garden. We ate there twice in three trips to London, and the other two Indian restaurants we chose did not compare. They are very good at guiding the uninitiated. I highly recommend making a reservation.

Laurel

I would second Punjab!
We stumbled upon it back in the early 90s one night when we were starving and wanted something besides pub-grub. It was our first time trying Indian food and we loved it. It turned us into fans and now we eat at our favorite local Indian restaurant at least once a week!
Now every time we go to London we have a tradition of eating there on our last night, then walking down to the Thames after dinner, sitting on a bench, and the listening to Big Ben chime the hour before returning to our hotel.
It's a great place to have Indian food!
I also see a difference between the Indian food served in London restaurants and that served in those that are here in California. There are definite regional differences in where people have come from in India to the two countries. I find that the food here is more yogurt based while that in London has sauces based on vegetables in flavorful but more clear broths.
Easiest tube stop is Covent Garden Station...80 Neal Street

We loved Light Of India: http://www.lightofindia.co.uk/location/index.html

It is just a block from the Gloucester Road tube station. We stayed at the Rydges Kensington hotel and ate here several times. Always an excellent meal.

Mike - London We're probably staying in Southwark. We really like that area.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm sure she'll find something she'll like.

Laurel

I also went to Punjab & loved it! One of my favorite dishes is Malai Kofta, and theirs was excellent. Also, for a bit of a twist go to Dishoom for Indian breakfast (yes, I said breakfast). It was amazing. :)