Lokhandwala

Beautiful food with vibrant colours full of flavour and not overly spicy in a characterful environment, with friendly staff - and great value for money. We enjoyed the delicate smoked chicken and beautifully sweet/yoghurty tikki chaat starters, followed by wonderfully delicate slow cooked lamb and amazingly flavourful chicken makhani. Absolutely bowled over by the value for money at this place; I've had similar fare from a two Michelin plate restaurant which was triple the price.

I had a wonderful experience at Lokhandwala! We visited for a birthday and everything was perfect, from ambience to service and food. Tasty, creative and well-presented indian tapas. We loved the fact the they took some time to prepare us a special dessert for the occasion! Thank you - we will definitely be back and recommend this restaurant with no hesitation!

A very contemporary take on traditional Indian cuisine in an intimate, quirky setting. The cocktails are sublime and beautifully served - in birdcages and all manner of things! The small bar to the rear of the restaurant is a delightful place to wait for guests. Food was relatively small portions compared with most Indian restaurants, but I personally prefer to try more small dishes - quality rather than quantity. So you’re going to pay considerably more than for traditional Indian restaurants but, for me, the overall experience is worth it.

A delightful new take on traditional North Indian cuisine! The tapas-style small plates are wonderfully creative - the flavors are familiar, but combined in innovatively delicious new ways. The sesame-crusted paneer was particularly toothsome. The lamb curry was perfect, with slivers of crunchy fresh ginger providing an unexpected punch of freshness. The decor is elegant and stylish, with atmospheric music that doesn’t interfere with conversation. Service was friendly and attentive. I look forward to my next experience here!

Lokhandwala Indian restaurant in London is named after a notorious district in Mumbai, where Lady Charlotte Louisa Fitzrovia and her lover Vijay eloped to. This love affair has been transported to the pretty streets of Fitzrovia, less than a 10 minute walk from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the discreet gold signage of Lokhandwal outside.. The plants and flowers with a couple of tables for outside diners will also catch your attention. The restaurant certainly has a romantic feel with low lighting, large ornately framed mirrors, birdcages and a decadent floral archway. We absolutely loved the interior which is absolutely perfect for a date night. The restaurant has a good selection of wines but obviously I was all over the cocktails. Made upstairs in the lovely Vijays Lounge the cocktails all have a story behind them as part of the Lady Charlotte and Vijay heartache! We loved Like a Bird with Hendrick’s Gin, Blood Orange, Organic White Wine, Orgeat Syrup, Peach Liqueur. Served in a birdcage, this cocktail was so well executed and so beautifully presented. If you are not dining at the restaurant, we definitely recommend a visit to Vijay’s speakeasy lounge, upstairs to Lokhandwala ,for cocktails. The menu at Lokhandwala is designed for sharing with a mixture of smaller and larger tapas dishes from different parts of India. Thought has clearly has gone into designing a creative menu at Lokhandwala by using a variety of cooking styles, ingredients and spices. We had a selection of fish and meat dishes from the tapas and the curry section of the menu. We particularly enjoyed the Pata Chaat: Crispy Spinach Leaves Served With Sweet Yoghurt And Tamarind Chutney (£5.50) and the Smoked Chicken with Clove, Coriander Pesto (£8.50). The Chaat (vegetarian) was so tasty and the flavours complimented one another. The chicken was tender and we loved the pesto dressing. We were a little surprised to see the Baked Neeli: Mussels cooked in lemon coriander butter (£9) on the menu as it did not seem to fit in with the other dishes. That said, we were told it was a popular dish on the menu and it was pretty tasty! The Fried Quails Egg Wrapped With Minced Lamb Meat (£8) worked well together. The meat was flavoursome but did not overpower the egg. We were surprised at how tender the Lamb Chops (£12) were. Clearly marinating them for 24 hours with spices and then cooking them in the tandoor worked a treat. It can be so easy to ruin lamb chops but these were fantastic, served with yogurt and the same pesto as the chicken dish. Whilst we loved most of the tapas plates, the curries were absolutely standout dishes. The Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken): Tomato Fenugreek and Butter Stew (£12.50) was just stunning. Perfect consistency, not too creamy and a hint of spice, this dish was an absolute treat. We also tried the Slow Cooked Lamb cooked with onion, tomato and ginger (£14). Similarly to the chicken, this dish was very impressive. The lamb was tender without being too fatty and the sauce was tasty without being too spicy or heavy. These were two very well executed dishes which were accompanied by a delicious and light garlic naan (£3). Lokhandwala is a fantastic Indian restaurant in London offering inventive dishes, good service and great cocktails. What makes it even more attractive is the reasonable cost of the dishes. Whilst it is a more expensive than a typical Indian restaurant, it is levels above most of the places I have visited so well worth it.