21 indian rooms worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United Kingdom.
This and That ★ 4.8 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. The original rice-and-three counter, served canteen-style, still under ten pounds.
Tip: Open 12:00-19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
Gymkhana ★ 4.7 · London
mayfair · 42 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JH
Karam Sethi's Albemarle Street Indian dining room in Mayfair London, opened 2013 and Michelin two-starred since 2024, modelled on a colonial-club room.
Tip: The basement bar serves the same kitchen as a la carte without the tasting menu lock-in. Book a fortnight out.
Lily's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine ★ 4.7 · Manchester
rusholme · 85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7DF
P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with Manchester regulars. Best Vegetarian 2018 award winner.
Tip: Twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Dishoom ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD
The Edinburgh outpost of London's Bombay-Irani cafe chain on St Andrew Square, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the old Bank of Scotland HQ.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and the wait is 30 to 60 minutes. Drinks at the basement bar while you wait.
Dishoom Edinburgh ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
new-town · 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD
The Edinburgh outpost of the London Bombay-Irani cafe on St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the former Bank.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and wait 30 to 60 minutes. Basement bar pours while you queue.
This and That ★ 4.6 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW
Family-run Indian cafe since 1984, on Soap Street behind the Arndale. Rice-and-three counter, canteen-style, still under ten pounds a plate.
Tip: Open 12:00-19:00 weekdays; takeaway queue moves fast at lunch.
Lily's Vegetarian Indian Cuisine ★ 4.6 · Manchester
rusholme · 85 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7DF
P G and Lilawati Sachdev opened Lily's in 1972; pure vegetarian, family-run, packed with regulars. Best Vegetarian at the 2018 Food Festival.
Tip: Ashton-under-Lyne is twenty minutes by tram from Piccadilly; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Bundobust ★ 4.6 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AQ
Indian street-food and craft-beer hall in a basement off Piccadilly. Twelve keg lines pour Bundobust's own brewery beers alongside the snack plates.
Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends.
Mughli Charcoal Pit ★ 4.6 · Manchester
rusholme · 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ
Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991; family still runs it. Focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by platter.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; family-lunch crowd from 14:00 Sunday.
Ranjit's Kitchen ★ 4.5 · Glasgow
southside · 607 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G41 2QG
Ranjit's Kitchen is a family-run Punjabi vegetarian counter in Glasgow's Southside, serving fresh, meat-free thalis and samosas for under a tenner.
Tip: It is cash-only with a handful of tables; takeaway is the reliable option when the room is full.
Mughli Charcoal Pit ★ 4.5 · Manchester
rusholme · 30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ
Mohammad Arshad opened Mughli on Manchester's Curry Mile in 1991. Family-run, focal charcoal pit, Mughlai cooking, lamb chops by the platter.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 00:30 Friday and Saturday; Sunday is family-lunch crowd from 14:00.
Bundobust ★ 4.5 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AQ
Indian street-food and craft-beer hall in a basement off Piccadilly. Twelve keg lines pour Bundobust's own brewery beers alongside the snack plates.
Tip: All vegetarian; gluten-free options marked. Bookings rare on weekends; arrive at 17:30.
Mother India ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
west-end · 28 Westminster Terrace, Glasgow G3 8AD
Mother India has served home-style Indian cooking in Glasgow's West End since 1990, a warren of small rooms famous for its sharing plates and slow-cooked dal.
Tip: The tapas-style spin-off, Mother India's Cafe on Argyle Street, is the cheaper way to eat the same kitchen's cooking.
Trishna ★ 4.4 · London
marylebone · 15-17 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DG
Karam Sethi's Blandford Street Indian coastal restaurant in Marylebone London, opened 2008 and Michelin-starred, focused on Konkan and Mangalorean fish.
Tip: The tasting menu is the best route in, but a la carte stays open at lunch and books a week ahead.
Dakhin ★ 4.3 · Glasgow
merchant-city · 89 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NP
Dakhin was Scotland's first dedicated South Indian restaurant, a Merchant City room in Glasgow serving dosas, appams and Chettinad curries, all gluten-free.
Tip: The whole menu is gluten-free, which makes it a rare safe bet for coeliac diners in the city centre.
Shish Mahal ★ 4.2 · Glasgow
west-end · 66-68 Park Road, Glasgow G4 9JF
Shish Mahal is the West End curry house that claims to have invented chicken tikka masala in Glasgow in the 1970s, still packed for its Punjabi cooking.
Tip: The claim is contested but the cooking is genuinely good; book ahead at weekends when it fills with regulars.
The Dhabba ★ 4.2 · Glasgow
merchant-city · 44 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1LE
The Dhabba has served North Indian cooking in Glasgow's Merchant City since 2002, a smart Candleriggs room strong on tandoor breads and Punjabi curries.
Tip: This is North Indian, so ask staff to steer you away from the Glasgow-Punjabi standards toward the regional dishes.
Chaakoo Bombay Cafe ★ 4.2 · Glasgow
city-centre · 79 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5TF
Chaakoo Bombay Cafe channels the Irani cafes of old Bombay on St Vincent Street in Glasgow, serving small-plate Indian street food and railway-station snacks.
Tip: Order in rounds like tapas rather than one big curry; the small plates are where the kitchen shines.
The Wee Curry Shop ★ 4.2 · Glasgow
city-centre · 7 Buccleuch Street, Glasgow G3 6SJ
The Wee Curry Shop is a tiny, much-loved curry room on Buccleuch Street in Glasgow, cooking a short, fresh Indian menu at a handful of tables since the 1990s.
Tip: There are only a few tables in the Garnethill room, so booking ahead is essential most evenings.
Dishoom Shoreditch ★ 4.1 · London
shoreditch · 7 Boundary Street, London E2 7JE
The Bombay-cafe-styled Indian dining room on Boundary Street in Shoreditch London, opened 2012 as Dishoom's second site, runs Parsi cafe cooking.
Tip: No bookings for weekend lunch; expect a 45-minute queue on Saturday. Weekday breakfast from 08:00 walks straight in without waiting.
Mister Singh's India ★ 4.0 · Glasgow
finnieston · 149 Elderslie Street, Glasgow G3 7JR
Mister Singh's India is an Elderslie Street institution in Glasgow, an Indian kitchen famous for haggis pakora and kilt-wearing staff since the 1990s.
Tip: The Scottish-Indian theme is played for fun; it is a reliable, generous curry house near Charing Cross.