W1 London / Where to eat

The Best Indian Restaurants in W1: Nine Picks, From Two Michelin Stars to a Bombay Café

The best Indian restaurants in W1 make up one of the strongest runs of Indian cooking anywhere outside India. Six of them hold Michelin stars in the 2026 guide, including Gymkhana, which has two, and they sit within a short walk of each other in Mayfair and Marylebone. Around them are a Bib Gourmand in Soho, the restaurant that won one of the first Indian Michelin stars in Britain, and a Bombay-style café that is easier to get into. This list covers nine, with the address, what each does best and when to go. Michelin distinctions were checked against the Michelin Guide's own pages, and addresses against each restaurant's website, in October 2026.

1. Gymkhana, Mayfair

42 Albemarle Street, Mayfair. Gymkhana is the most decorated Indian restaurant in London. It won its second Michelin star in 2024, the first Indian restaurant in the city to hold two. The restaurant takes its inspiration from the members' clubs of colonial India and is spread over two floors: booths on the ground floor that suit lunch, and a vivid red basement for the evening. It is run by JKS Restaurants, the group behind several others on this list. Book well ahead, especially for weekend evenings.

2. Trishna, Marylebone

15 to 17 Blandford Street, Marylebone. Trishna has held a Michelin star since 2012 and is the most relaxed of the starred group. The cooking is coastal, built on seafood, and the tasting menus are good value for the level. In warm weather the doors open onto Blandford Street, which gives the room an almost pavement-café feel. It is the one to choose for a long weekday lunch in Marylebone.

3. Jamavar, Mayfair

8 Mount Street, Mayfair. Jamavar holds one Michelin star in a smartly dressed dining room. The Michelin Guide notes that the menu looks to all parts of India with a slight lean towards the north, and the restaurant works for a business lunch as well as a celebration dinner. Mount Street is one of Mayfair's best-looking streets, so it pairs well with a walk round the galleries and shops nearby.

4. Benares, Mayfair

12a Berkeley Square, Mayfair. Benares is a long-running Berkeley Square fixture with one Michelin star, named after the holy city now usually called Varanasi. Guests are met at the foot of the stairs and taken up past a flower-filled pool and a busy bar to the first-floor dining room. The cooking pairs traditional Indian dishes with more modern ideas, and it suits a formal dinner.

5. Ambassadors Clubhouse, Mayfair

25 Heddon Street, Mayfair (W1B 4BH). The newest star on the list, awarded in the 2026 guide. Ambassadors Clubhouse is another JKS restaurant, and the Michelin Guide describes chef Shantilal Bhushan's menu as boldly flavoured and inspired by Punjabi recipes. Heddon Street is a small pedestrian lane of restaurants just off Regent Street, which makes it easy to reach from Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus.

6. Veeraswamy, Regent Street

Victory House, 99 Regent Street. Veeraswamy opened in 1926 and is the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in Britain, now in its 100th year. It holds one Michelin star and sits on the first floor overlooking Regent Street, and the Michelin Guide still rates its kitchen for authentic, satisfying cooking. One caution: its landlord, the Crown Estate, declined to renew the lease, and the restaurant took the dispute to court in summer 2026. It was still trading when we checked in October 2026, but confirm on its website before you plan a special occasion around it.

7. Kricket, Soho

12 Denman Street, Soho. Kricket started life in a shipping container in Brixton and now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, the guide's award for good food at moderate prices. The menu is small plates, made for sharing, with Indian flavours applied to British ingredients, and a cocktail list to match. Denman Street is just behind Piccadilly Circus, so it is the best pick on this list before or after a West End show; our West End theatre guide has the rest of the plan.

8. Tamarind, Mayfair

20 Queen Street, Mayfair (W1J 5PR). In 2001 Tamarind became one of the first two Indian restaurants in Britain to win a Michelin star. It no longer holds one but remains in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant is spread over two floors, with an open kitchen and tandoor on the lower ground floor and views of Queen Street from the level above. It is quieter than the newer names and a good choice when you want a conversation rather than a scene.

9. Dishoom Carnaby

22 Kingly Street, just off Carnaby Street. Dishoom is modelled on the old Irani cafés of Bombay, with an all-day menu that runs from bacon naan rolls at breakfast to black daal, biryani and grills later on. It is the cheapest option here and the one that suits a casual meal while shopping. It is very popular, so expect to queue at busy times. Our Carnaby Street guide covers the streets around it.

How to choose

Michelin stars change every year, and booking rules change more often. Check each restaurant's own website for current hours and deposits before you go. For every starred restaurant in the postcode, not just the Indian ones, see our list of Michelin-starred restaurants in W1, and for the wider picture start with where to eat in W1 or the W1 London home page.