1. Attawa – Dalston

Our list of best London Indian restaurants must begin here at Attawa. Apart from the comfortable, gimmick-free décor and rich, delectable wafts of spices, freshly baked naan, and coconut, the first thing you notice about Attawa is its position – smack-bang in the midst of Dalston’s main strip and just steps away from its station. Ravinder and Amar Madhray, husband and wife, own Attawa, which is housed in a building that Ravinder’s parents used to run as a shoe business and where he spent a lot of his childhood. They sold the store, and Ravinder was only able to repurchase it years later, working with Arbinder Dugal and his mother to create a simple yet upgraded menu with a modern edge.

Attawa, named after the Punjabi village where the Madhray family originates, delivers simple fare done well, from butter naan to rose-petal-strewn Cardamom Blush cocktails. The palak papdi chaat, which combines creamy yoghurt and potatoes with chickpeas and crispy baby spinach, is a fantastic small-plate option, as are the khatte ladoo – rich fried lentil dumplings – and the lighter soft-shell crab. Meat aficionados should check out the tandoor selections, which include the flavorful lamb seekh with mint chutney and the chicken tikka, which is coated in a dhal marinade and paired with cucumber salad. The lamb biryani is a delectable testament to the family’s cooking, while the tadka dhal with kale pakora bursts with comforting flavours and is best mopped up with a warm tandoori flatbread or chilli naan. This location is well-oiled (and high-octane).

2. Amaya – Belgravia

Amaya, which specialises in sophisticated pan-Indian tapas, has a clientele of well-heeled professionals with impeccable taste. A tempting blend of black granite, dark wooden fittings, terracotta figures, and a splash of modern art furnishes the sleek cocktail bar and eating area. For a view of the cooks working the clay tandoor, charcoal grill, and griddle, request a table near the open kitchen. Aromatic and delicate chicken thighs steeped in fresh turmeric with lime juice and grilled in the tandoor have recently been added to the menu. The fragrant and floral notes of Lucknow’s sausage-shaped kakori kebab, fashioned from skewered pounded lamb flavoured with cardamom and cloves and cooked over charcoal, were a tribute to the royal kitchens of its birth. We enjoyed our delicate, almost spongy tandoori cubes enveloped in a wisp of a chilli crust produced by Amaya’s homemade paneer. With a superb sirloin boti, beef makes a surprising appearance, the peppery, meaty chunks getting a gold star for their smoky-citrussy marination. To finish, a delectable cardamom-scented chicken korma is cooked in a silky wild garlic masala with onions, coriander, and green chilies. The service was silky smooth, almost like Indian silk.

3. Dishoom – Soho

We most definitely had to add this big-name restaurant to our list of best London indian Restaurants. First and foremost, anticipate a line. If you persevere, you’ll find yourself in a lively environment modelled after a Bombay café, complete with whirling ceiling fans and antique magazine prints on the walls. The lamb biriani, bhel -puffed rice with a spicy tamarind chutney-, and black dal are our favourites from the menu. However, we like Dishoom for breakfast not only because you can reserve a table, but also because the sticky char-striped streaky bacon naan is delicious. The Big Bombay, which comes with spicy Shropshire pig sausages, masala baked beans, grilled field mushrooms, and buttered, home-made buns, is a must-try if you’re truly hungry. Dishoom has grown steadily since opening its first location in Covent Garden in 2010, with five locations in London and one in Edinburgh. While we like this spot off Carnaby Street in Soho, the Shoreditch courtyard is equally stunning.

4. Chai Ki

It’s a pleasure to eat in a restaurant where the special spice blends that go into our surrogate national cuisine are truly allowed to sing. In a city where many of us still think of Indian food as an either/or situation (hottest thing on the menu lads/chicken korma wimps), it’s a pleasure to eat in a restaurant where the special spice blends that go into our surrogate national cuisine are truly allowed to sing. It’s a surprise to discover it at Canary Wharf (after wasting a significant portion of my phone power trying to find the damned place), where it takes a lot to make us feel secure about parting with money. Once inside, you’ll have to decide whether to eat in the Toddy Shop (the restaurant’s somewhat less formal front part), where the menu is basically Indian tapas, or the more conventional dining room in the rear, where you may order three meals without confounding the waiters.

Chai Ki’s cuisine is definitely prepared by someone who is passionate about flavour. Not every meal we tasted was outstanding, but when it fell short, it was due to overconfidence rather than inexperience; for example, delicious fowl slightly overwhelmed by tart pomegranate molasses. The majority of the menu, on the other hand, has delicious, moreish, sophisticated meals, the type you always want from an Indian restaurant but seldom get. Yes, we ordered the butter chicken (wimps), and yes, the combination of tandoori thigh flesh, fenugreek sauce, crispy spinach, melon seeds, and miso base is extremely excellent.