London’s Indian food scene is arguably the richest and most varied of any city outside the subcontinent, stretching from a Regent Street dining room that’s served curry since 1926 to a Whitechapel queue that’s been forming outside the same Punjabi kitchen since the 1970s. It takes in a two-Michelin-star reinvention of the colonial-era gymkhana club, a Bombay café chain that’s become a London institution in its own right, and a family-run South Indian spot on a quiet Peckham backstreet. Here are the eight best Indian restaurants in London worth seeking out in 2026.

Gymkhana takes its name from the social and sporting clubs of colonial India, and its Albemarle Street dining room leans fully into that world — ceiling fans, marble tables, and hunting trophies attributed to the Maharaja of Jodhpur set the scene across two floors. Opened in 2013 by the Sethi family’s JKS Restaurants group, it earned a Michelin star within a year and became the first Indian restaurant to win Restaurant of the Year at the National Restaurant Awards; a second Michelin star followed in 2024, making it one of only two Indian restaurants in Britain to hold that rank.

The menu runs predominantly North Indian, and the tandoori masala lamb chops are the dish most diners build a meal around, alongside a kid goat methi keema that regularly appears on “best dishes in London” lists. Two private dining vaults on the lower ground floor make it a popular choice for smaller celebrations, though the restaurant doesn’t take phone or email bookings — tables are released online through its own booking system and tend to go quickly.

Gymkhana — 42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4JH | gymkhanarestaurants.com

Opened in 1926 by a retired British Indian Army officer, Veeraswamy is Britain’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant, and its first-floor dining rooms overlooking Regent Street have hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to visiting Indian dignitaries. Current owners Namita Panjabi and Ranjit Mathrani took over in 1996, modernising the kitchen while keeping the 1920s Raj-era interiors, and the restaurant earned its Michelin star in 2016 — which it’s held ever since.

The signature raj kachori and a Kashmiri rogan josh are the dishes most associated with the restaurant, alongside seafood plates drawing on the coastal cuisines of southern India. Please note: as of autumn 2026, Veeraswamy is in an ongoing lease dispute with its landlord, the Crown Estate, over the future of its Regent Street site — the restaurant remains open and trading while the matter is contested in court, but it’s worth checking its website for the latest before booking a special occasion.

Veeraswamy — 99–101 Regent Street, Mayfair, London W1B 4RS | veeraswamy.com

Dishoom was founded in 2010 by siblings Shamil and Kavi Thakrar as a tribute to the Irani cafés that once dotted Bombay, and the Covent Garden branch — with its Talkies-era art deco styling near Seven Dials — is one of the most consistently busy restaurants in the group. It’s grown into a small London-wide chain since, but the format has stayed the same: an all-day menu running from breakfast through to late-night drinks in the Permit Room bar.

The bacon naan roll is the dish the chain built its reputation on, while the house black daal, slow-cooked for over 24 hours, and the chicken ruby — a rich tomato and butter sauce — are the two most-ordered mains. Expect a queue at peak times, since Dishoom doesn’t take bookings for parties under six at most branches, though the wait is part of the ritual for regulars.

Dishoom — 12 Upper St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9FB | dishoom.com

Kricket started life in 2015 as a 20-cover shipping container at Pop Brixton, and the Denman Street branch it grew into keeps the same small-plates format that built its reputation — modern Indian cooking built around seasonal British produce rather than a fixed regional style. Founder Will Bowlby’s menu changes regularly, but the format of ordering several dishes to share across the table has stayed constant since the container days.

The samphire pakora is one of the most talked-about dishes on the current menu, alongside a keema pau and a rotating list of small plates built around whatever’s in season. The Soho dining room is compact and often booked up well in advance on weekends, so it’s worth reserving ahead rather than turning up on spec.

Kricket — 12 Denman Street, Soho, London W1D 7HH | kricket.co.uk

Founded in 1972 by Mohammed Tayyab and now run by his three sons, Saleem, Aleem and Wasim, Tayyabs has been synonymous with a good time in Whitechapel for over fifty years — before the pandemic it had one of the most famous queues in London, snaking down Fieldgate Street on a Friday night. The restaurant is BYOB with no corkage charge, which regulars tend to make the most of.

The grilled lamb chops, marinated overnight and finished on the grill, are the dish Tayyabs is most known for nationally, alongside karahi dishes cooked to order and a seekh kebab that turns up on nearly every table. It’s loud, fast-paced, and unapologetically no-frills — the food, not the atmosphere, is the reason people keep coming back after five decades.

Tayyabs — 83–89 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London E1 1JU | tayyabs.co.uk

A short walk from its more famous neighbour Tayyabs, Needoo Grill is the quieter alternative that regulars swear by — an unlicensed, BYOB Punjabi restaurant spread cavernously across three levels behind an unassuming shopfront on New Road. It’s won awards including Time Out’s Best Restaurant and the Ethical Good Food Awards, and has built a loyal following among people who find Tayyabs’ queues one curry house too many.

The mixed grill starter, piled with lamb chops, chicken and kebabs, is the dish most tables order to share, while a dried, shredded and reheated meat dish — closer to a spiced biltong than a curry — is the one regulars point newcomers towards. Paneer dishes cover the vegetarian side well, and portions are generous enough that ordering conservatively is usually the safer bet.

Needoo Grill — 85–87 New Road, Whitechapel, London E1 1HH | needoogrill.co.uk

Ganapati opened in 2004 on the corner of Holly Grove and Bellenden Road, the result of a trip to India that persuaded British-born Claire Fisher to teach herself South Indian cooking and eventually open her own restaurant. Vividly decorated in green and orange and drawing on the street food of Kerala and the south, it’s remained an independent, family-feel fixture in Peckham for two decades, marking its 20th anniversary in 2024.

The masala dosa — a rice and lentil pancake stuffed with spiced potato — is the dish most first-time visitors are steered towards, alongside a stuffed plantain starter and a rotating thali that changes with the seasons. One table each night is designated the “special charity table,” with its profits going to a small South Indian charity that supports child education and healthcare.

Ganapati — 38 Holly Grove, Peckham, London SE15 5DF | ganapatirestaurant.com

Tucked among Tooting High Street’s long run of South Asian restaurants, Apollo Banana Leaf is a family-run, BYOB spot specialising in Sri Lankan and South Indian cooking — a cuisine that’s harder to find in London than mainland Indian food, and one locals travel across the city for. The décor is unpretentious and the room is small, but it’s built a loyal following for food that regulars describe as properly, sometimes fearsomely, spiced.

The crab masala, served whole with the claws left on and finished in a rich spiced sauce, is the dish most associated with the restaurant, alongside kothu roti — shredded flatbread stir-fried with meat, egg and vegetables — and an aubergine curry that turns up in nearly every review. Spice levels here run to genuine Sri Lankan heat rather than a toned-down version, so it’s worth asking before ordering anything marked with a chilli icon.

Apollo Banana Leaf — 190 Tooting High Street, Tooting, London SW17 0SF | apollobananaleaf.com