Baboo Ji Vegetarian Kitchen in Southampton

Baboo Ji is my absolute favourite place to eat in Southampton! I love coming here as the atmosphere is fantastic and the food is always incredible. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to try somewhere new!

This restaurant was a big disappointment..it was busy with lots of people and all but the food was not upto the mark. The items we tried were Benguluru wings( the batter was not cooked well and it appeared as though the oil was used many times. Corn tikki was mid for mains we had naan ( it was just about ok) Dhingri mushroom and mattar( average) Soya Chaap ( was good) and most of all the Ayurveda veggies ( the dish was very salty) and not sure whether the oil was too much or mixed with water from veggies. The pilau rice also was very salty and the bottom bit was slightly burnt and the portion was also small. We thought of ordering more items but then left it. Overall it was a huge disappointment..was so wanting to try this place but not sure we will come back again.

Dined in on a Tuesday evening and had attentive and friendly service and a great mix of flavoursome dishes. Our server explained all the dishes and options and accommodated our various preferences.

We love baboo ji. The food is divine and there are so many vegan options. The cauliflower wings, butter tofu, the gunpowder fries and the sizzling brownies are some of my favorite dishes. Great friendly service and a wonderful cosy atmosphere.

Lovely all veggie/vegan spot with a nice extensive menu. The cauli wings were the highlight of an all round lovely meal! Had a 7pm booking on a Saturday night and weren’t rushed and were allowed to stay and chat long after we’d finished. Would definitely come back!

Incredible food, the best and most authentic Indian food I have found in the south!

Been to Baboo Ji so many times and never disappointed! Food is always delicious and service is very quick. Amazing vegan / vegetarian dishes that even meat eaters love!!

Love this place! The food is brilliant (highly recommend the butter tofu with JFC), the staff are always really nice & the decor is great!

Great meal at Baboo Ji’s last night. First time of visiting having heard so much about it. Relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff and exceptional food. Highly recommended. Thanks, Absey 👍

The most lovely Indian ever, my boyfriend and I here left feeling very full and happy. Would definitely come again. The Byrani is amazing and so big of a portion! Ordered too much but took everything home for the next day.

When we arrived we were told to order immediately. Others came in after us and ordered. Waitress was the rudest woman I have ever been served by. Never smiled. Ordered us to give her our plates. Came back ordered us to give our glasses. No one asked if we'd like more drinks coffee etc. Then charming woman who we hadn't seen before asked for a google review!@@ such a shame great food .DREADFUL rude service. We will never go back.

5/5 on every visit we've ever made. Absolutely delicious, lovely atmosphere and always look forward to a ChaIPA to go with it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tonight was a gathering of 5 friends to enjoy good food and company and both was achieved. The restaurant is rustic and has happy and interesting art work on the walls. The atmosphere was vibrant. 2 out of the 5 of us are vegetarians and the remaining 3 , meat eaters. We found the menu was varied and interesting; none of us went home hungry. Staff were very kind and helpful. Good value for money. I will definitely return.

What fantastic little gem in southampton, amazing food and atmosphere

Out of the 6 of us there were only one vegetarian, really enjoyed the food, service was good and all friendly staff, great

We went to this authentic vegetarian restaurant for my son’s birthday and we absolutely enjoyed their delicious food. I just wanted more and more! My 3 year old son found the gun powder fries spicy but couldn’t stop himself. It was so nice to see him enjoy the food on his special day. We had aloo tikki, pani puri, gun powder fries, hara bara kebab, biryani, daal makni, gajar halwa…. Basically a variety and glad that we did so we got to try a number of dishes. The service was also outstanding, all the staff were such a delight. They really have a great team and know how to please their customers. Don’t think twice, you have to go to this restaurant and you will not be disappointed:-)

I understand this is the only Pure Vegetarian Indian Restaurant in Southampton, a good choice for those who don't wish to eat at places which also serve meat. The food tasted good and quite authentic, but nothing spectacular for Indians who are only visiting the UK. Service is perfect and nothing to complain about.

went here on a thursday night and it was so lovely! the food was wonderful and very reasonably priced (we got the butter tofu curry, subz meloni, pindi channa and dal makani) and shared it between two. the dal makani i definitely recommend so delicious!! the service was great, very polite and friendly staff and the atmosphere was wonderful. couldn’t recommend more!!!!

We fancied a light meal and decided on this restaurant after reading reviews. We booked a table online and found it quite easily. The restaurant is small but nice and clean. It wasn’t busy as we expected but we were greeted and seated at a table of our choice. We ordered the recommended cauliflower ’wings’ crisp and very tasty indeed. Not being too hungry we had two mortals and ordered the mushroom and pea dish with pilau rice. The food was very tasty and nice. It came out fresh and hot. I had an opportunity to meet the chef from Delhi who has been at this restaurant for a long time. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a Vegetarian/Vegan meal.

Amazing curries at very reasonable prices 👏

I’ve been several times to Baboo Ji and it’s always been a great experience! Food is packed full of flavour and the tapas option means you can share and try lots of dishes. Great place and would absolutely recommend, catered well to my allergies and staff have always been very attentive. A great local independent with great vibes.

I had been hearing a lot about this veg restaurant - but I am utterly disappointed when I finally went for it. - Pani puris were stale - Dosas were just average - Lassi had a peculiar flavour and had to be changed - Chai was just about ok I would rather not recommend

Such a great find, the atmosphere was buzzing, the service was excellent but most of all the food was incredible. Really innovative take on some classic Indian dishes, fantastic taste & presentation. If all vegan food was this good I’d be a full time convert. Thanks Baboo Ji for a great night!

Really tasty and imaginative flavours, I'm normally a meat eater but would eat here before any other Indian based restaurant. Lovely staff as well and reasonably priced.

We were a party of 4 and chose the set price menu so shared 4 main dishes and 4 sides with all the extras included. Every single dish was delicious. There is no comparison to your 'normal' indian restaurant. The flavours and ingredients are out of this world.

What a gem! Almost walked past, and SO glad we didn’t! As a staunch meat eater, I was a little hesitant to go to a vegetarian Indian restaurant, but the reviews said this was excellent, so why not? The menu wasn’t encyclopaedic, just enough to make it fell as though each dish had been chosen carefully. My wife ordered the Makhani, and I had the Goan curry. Both came with a choice of rice which was excellent value. On the side we had the cauliflower ‘wings’ on recommendation, and a couple of butter naans. To drink, we had a couple of house-made Chai-pa beers. Saying the food was worth the wait wouldn’t make sense as the meals arrived in minutes. (benefit of not having to wait an age for meat to cook I would guess) — but it was some of the BEST curry I’ve ever had. And I’m half Indian. I’ve eaten a heck of a lot of curry. The beer is wonderful. Not florally bitter like many ipa’s, this was ice cold, crisp, citrussy, lightly sweet and extremely drinkable. Perfect pairing for spicy food. We had some wings first. They were a revelation, and not at all what we were expecting. Coated in a thick, slightly chewy (in a good way) spiced batter, hiding perfectly al dente cauliflower, and glazed in sweet chilli… these were divine. If this was all we’d ordered we would have been happy. Next up, the curries. I was very happy that my Goan curry had a good kick to it. Not insane, but satisfyingly potent. The flavour here is where it really shone. This curry was packed to the brim with beautifully balanced spices that worked perfectly with the coconut base. The paneer Makhani was probably the best version of this curry however had ever had. My wife can’t really do spice, so she opted for this, but even as a spice lover, I thought this was exceptional. The fenugreek -forward flavour with the sweetness and creaminess was a taste sensation. If everything else wasn’t my favourite, this would have been my favourite. Dipping the naans into the sauces and mixing and matching the currys just made for a great dining experience and one that won’t be our last. Baboo Ji - your team (wonderfully attentive btw) and food are a credit to the restaurant industry and proof that you don’t need meat to make a perfect meal. You must open more branches as this concept is ahead of its time and quite frankly needed. 100 stars out of 10.

I’m a big curry fan, was slightly worried about a veggie only experience but was massively surprised. Fantastic curry and some very nice side dishes to accompany. Overall a great experience, will definitely be back!

Lovely place to go for dinner, but as a Indian eating Indian food, there was such lack of flavor in all foods I ordered. There was no zing and just tasted very English.

They charge 10% extra for serving customers, over the price of food which is already costly compared to counterparts..... Masala dosa was also not good enough to pay that much for it and took extra 3.50 pounds for additional sambhar, which is to be given free as every restaurant does..... overall poor experience in terms of food and amount paid for that food. Atmosphere was good, this was the only part that I liked about this place.

We got a fabulous take out, good portions, flavouring was amazing. For me I find Indian food very oily, this was not. If you want to try authentic Indian food, then this is very close to it, and you dont need to go to Delhi ! I forgot to take pics but the portions were good and presentation nice.

Fabulous little find, so much choice if you are vegan, and everything tastes amazing. We gonna be back thank you Baboo Ji

Amazing meal at Babooji with a friend. Buzzing atmosphere and the food was incredible. The flavours were so fresh and really interesting menu. Will definitely be returning, thank you!

Fantastic restaurant. I've been with work and family, everyone loves it. Too many dishes to choose from, I'll have to visit many times to try them all.

Outstanding food, excellent quality, great value and the service from Harry was exceptional, thank you.

Delicious veggie Indian. Taken loads of non-veggies and they’ve all loved it. Highly recommend. Always deliver delicious variety.

Highly disappointed, called at 8.55 pm for collection and they said kitchen is closed . Have been their regular customer but they should make sure that they follow the time routine whatever they display or shall change it .

Delicious veggie Indian food!! I haven’t gone out for Indian food since I went vegan 5 years ago. Only had bits and bobs from food markets. It was so nice to sit down and have a buffet of options!! Most of the options are vegan, with some vegetarian (contain dairy) and others with the option of being vegan. Our meat eating friend also enjoyed all the food! The bites were amazing! Loved the Cauliflower wings, I think I’d go back just for them. And the onion bhajis were yummy! Not like bhajis I’ve had before but exactly what I want from a bhaji - crispy onions! I got the butter tofu and it was great, I can’t handle spice very well and it was a bit spicy but not so much so that I couldn’t taste it. The staff were very attentive and friendly, I love the style of the decor too, it’s a cool place to go before you’ve even got to the food. Can’t wait to go back and try more options!

The Food for Dine in is really delicious but won't recommend takeaways for some reason quality droppes on takeaway but I suppose that goes for most restaurants! Good for the price

Amazing flavours, really good vegan options

Perfect place for a good vegan dinner. Food was delicious.

Came here on Friday and was blown away by how delicious everything was! This is my second visit and will certainly be back when I'm next in Southampton. Service was friendly, the food came out quickly and tasted so fresh and honestly everything was delicious. I'm just sad you guys don't have a restaurant in Brighton.

Not a proper Indian taste for most of the dishes I have had. Nowhere near to the authentic Indian taste. Sorry for being straightforward on this. But all thumbs up for the ambience, location and being one of the rare vegan/vegeterian (the Asian sense of vegeterian) restaurants around.

Food was hot and nicely presented. Very tasty and clearly a competent and skilled chef. Great choice for us non meat eaters which makes a change in a restaurant where vegetarians are often offered one or two choices. To improve : slightly slow service and we had to ask for drinks before ordering. Portion sizes were a little small. You may need to order more dishes to be full. Despite this we will be visiting again.

crashed my car into Baboo Ji and it was a write off

Amazing food, probably the best Indian meal I've ever eaten and a huge vegan menu to choose from. Cannot wait to go back.

Having been brought up in Birmingham, I know a good curry! This place is exquisite! Catered with our dietary needs really well, we had the sharing dishes. Their own chai infused IPA is just the icing on the cake…absolutely awesome food experience. Staff also lovely…defo be back!

Have visited a few times now and will continue to do so! Amazing food with a great relaxed atmosphere, manager and staff were lovely. If you go, make sure to try the ChaIPA beer.

Came here the other day with some friends and the whole experience was amazing. Food on point and service, and not to mention the CHAI-PA beer, DIVINE!!

Baboo Ji was such a pleasant and enjoyable experience. The food tasted great, the prices aren't too high, and the restaurant had such an interesting ambience. The Bengaluru 'Wings' was some of the nicest food I have ever eaten, I highly recommend you try these.

This place never disappoints. Gorgeous tasty food. Would like a few more milder dishes to choose from. We both loved it xx

What a delightful find. Have walked past this restaurant on MANY occasions, and planning a treat for a young friend encouraged us to book and go. The three of us just said WOW…so much so that we revisited with some other friends not very long afterwards. Each time we opted for different dishes to share between the group, so that we could sample a variety of dishes, we really couldn’t fault any of them, as they were all just scrumptious. Think the easiest way to appreciate Baboo Ji is to go down the dishes on the menu that you have never tried, and go for them (or take a pin and jab the menu at random!) The list of what we would recommend would have to include every dish we tried. However there was one dish that on both occasions we all said was the star of the show…..the Paneer Makhani is not to be missed. The Indian Cider was also well rated. Recommend unreservedly, but the second evening we visited it was bitterly cold outside, and we were glad that we were well wrapped up, as the dining area was on the chilly side.

Lovely little restaurant- fantastic yummy food and excellent service, despite being super busy on a Saturday night. Very friendly staff. Will be coming back and/or ordering takeaway.

Fantastic, varied menu. Lovely staff and a great vibey atmosphere. Definitely go back there.

Had an amazing meal here. Could have picked anything from the menu. Will definitely be visiting again

Really lovely atmosphere and staff, food was excellent and doable on a budget!

We were in the area and discovered this fantastic place. Totally vegetarian and mostly vegan the food was amazing. Only a small place so booking advisable. We will be back!

An absolute gem! Great service, amazing food, particularly the tandoori mushrooms. Come here even if you’re not a vegetarian. You won’t regret it!

Brilliant place, been several times the food is outstanding. Fresh different & perfectly cooked. Service is great friendly & knowledgeable, last visit the serving staff were run off there feet could have done with another. Felt for them, still did a fabulous job!

Food itself was not that pleasant....as an Indian I had high expectations from an Indian restaurant but dosa was my most disappointing thing .......2 tiny soggy peaces of pan cakes ....not happy at all

Authentic taste, reassuring menu, and the heart of India brought right here into Southampton. Before stepping foot into Baboo ji, I had imagined it to be a gloomy, lonely place. I mean, who would want to have vegetarian Indian food -- isn't that an oxymoron? But after having one meal here, I am not surprised by the amount of crowd I witnessed there, and it was not just Indians, I could see a lot of non-Indians enjoying food equally. I'd give full credit to the taste, the ambience, and the hardworking staff. They are everything a traditional Indian restaurant should be. Kudos! And I will keep visiting them until I've tasted the whole of their menu. :-)

Great food. Very delicious. The best daal makhni and naan i had in UK. But you may find the staff too busy to attend or serve you. Though they were very polite and humble. It took long to serve us but definitely worth the wait.

Always a favourite to order from, great on site too, very consistent. Only criticism is having to choose between so many good dishes!

As a vegetarian this made me so happy - the food is amazing filled and infused with so much flavor. Would eat there everyday if I could

Excellent service. Tastiest vegetarian food.

Baboo Ji is by far and away my favourite place to go for a really nice vegetarian/plant-based Indian food. Their Sharer plates is a great idea for 2 people because you get a nice variety of options included, along with THE World's Best Tadka Dal (seriously, there's nothing else like it!), and it's all in really unique surroundings as well.

Delicious vegetarian curry I'm not vegetarian myself but would happily eat there again.

Delicious vegetarian food, we had a selection of all sorts to share and it was all tasty, well presented and creative. Service was good. We will definitely make a point of going back next time we are in Southampton.

Cheerful, attractive cafe-type venue with good service and reasonable prices. Being familiar with South Indian cooking, I felt the way the ingredients were put together was innovative and attractive but the actual cooking lacked subtlety in some respects eg. the mushrooms and the tofu tasted as though not fried off before being added to the sauces. The "wings" cauliflower was tasty. Lovely rice and naans and we really enjoyed the Blow Horn cider. My biggest disappointment was the masala dosa, which didn't appear to be freshly cooked, and was stuffed and cut into sections and served cold. Would have liked to give them 3 and a half stars but 4 feels too high.

Great authentic Indian food one of the few places which serves soya chaap

Absolutely fabulous meal yesterday. So many dishes to choose from. Nice atmosphere and friendly service. Would definitely recommend it

Lovely little Indian Vegetarian restaurant. Makes a great change from the norm. Great tasty options.

Visited here after my son's graduation and loved it. The shared plates were an amazing range of tastes and textures. The service was relaxed and friendly and the complementary glass of prosecco was a really nice touch. Would recommend highly.

Cozy and wholesome - best Indian food I’ve ever had

Unfortunately the worst south Indian food I've had. Got a few dishes, all tasted the same and overloaded with mustard seeds. The dosa was the tiniest dosa I've been served. Don't understand the ratings, maybe it was bad luck on the day I went. But based on the unprofessional and disrespectful owner responses to other reviews don't think I'll be going back regardless

Great restaurant and pleased we visited. Food was great but would liked to of seen more variety and some Indian drinks like a lassi or chaas. Also be so much better if the music choice reflected the culture of the restaurant.

Best food ever. No exaggeration. Amazing choice, perfect for vegans (as well as non-vegan options), every dish we had was perfect. However, had to edit this review and drop a star now that the beer selection is awful! One lager and two pilsner?! We would have stayed on longer if there had still been decent beer to drink!

Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Excellent choice of vegan and gluten free food. Menu is not huge, but everything is beautifully prepared and can be adapted if needed - more spice or less spice, vegan or not . It's a real find for a family with one vegan and one gluten intolerant. Best of all the food is delicious!

We went as a group just 40 min before it was about to close, the staff was very helpful and let us dine even after knowing it would take long to serve all of us. Both food and staff didn’t let us down, also the restaurant is very colourful. Thank you guys

The food is simply amazing, the best veggie place I ever found. My meat eater mates love it too. 10 out of 10 for taste and quality. Highly recommend.

Friendly restaurant, great selection of starters and mains. The Bengaluru Wings, paneer makhani and the biryani were particularly good.

Sensational food and a buzzy atmosphere.

Food is OK but the service seemed a bit poor compared to other establishments. 1: was disappointed when I asked for more napkins to be handed 2 thin sheets and not a more significant quantity 2: "optional" service charge of 10% appeared on the receipt despite not being ever asked if I had the option. I would consider coming back but reading how the owner responds discourteously to negative reviews on here, I'll give it a miss.

Delicious vegetarian and vegan food

Amazing and delicious options and incredible choice for vegans! Have only had deliveroo so far but is really great to have compostable tubs etc

The food was awesome! Especially the special Baboo starters. Will definitely come back again. PS - the boozy banana is pretty boozy so be warned 😁

Genuinely excellent. Very good food, all veggie and with a range of heat levels. The only issue with food we had was the dosas, but that was a while ago. It's a small place and mostly seems to be busy but tables turn over pretty fast

Eaten in the restaurant & had deliveries too. Yummy food, good options & good service.

Finally made it to Babooji .. enjoyed the food

Always a great takeaway from these guys! We often pick it up and eat on the ferry back to the Isle of Wight. Delicious, exciting dishes that cater for our dietary requirements. Love that it's all in sustainable packaging too.

Extremely tasty food !!! With great customer service!! Would highly recommend!! Even if you are not vegan it is just busting with taste!!

The food here was delicious!! everything was 10/10 and the waiter ross was lovely!! absolutely recommend

We always have had nothing but incredible food and service here. The atmosphere inside is lovely and cosy, it will make you feel right at home; a feeling that is cemented by the amazing staff who are always friendly and so welcoming (thank-you Ross for a wonderful experience.) The food is some of our favourite in Southampton - approved by a 6-year vegan, a newly vegetarian as well as our meat-eating families who all sung its praises as well! All for very reasonable prices too (especially if you go for the social plate deal.) Another plus is that it’s extremely easy to travel to; being so close to many bus stops and St Denys station means there’s really no excuse not to pay a visit!

Arrogant staff and bad in taste, I went this restaurant with my friends. We booked prior 8 hours and went 10 min before our booking. Then staff said your booking is canceled, they didn’t informed us before reaching to restaurant. It was very bad weekend as we didn’t found any good food option immediately on time.

Was not told the booking is only 75 minutes sitting, we were rushed to leave as they have another booking after. We were in the middle of conversation and just finished main course, when told we have 10-15 minutes before next booking. I would not have come here if we had to rush to leave. So we didn't have time for dessert and would of liked to. Dosa was disappointingly small, floppy and soft, it was more like a wrap. I prefer the crunchiness of the classical large dosa which are available in other Indian restaurants. Bowls serving main course were too small and easy to drop the food if you didn't hold it well. The Sag paneer was nice. Gave one star for the dish that was ok. Our first visit and would not come here on a Saturday again with only 75mins sitting time. Not sure how the weekdays are. But was told all bookings are limited to 75minutes sitting. Hope that other vegetarian restaurants will open up knowing there's a market for it in Southampton. This will share the load of customers, and customers do not have to be rushed out without finishing a full meal properly.

Latest Comment: There is no option to reply therefore I am editing my response. It was booked online for 8 PM and I received the mail from the restaurant that my booking is confirmed. Therefore, I went there and unfortunately without citing any reason, they said my booking is cancelled. I haven’t received any mail of cancellation till now. I came all the way from London to Southampton. It’s very bad in service. My first comment: Very bad service. Don’t waste your time there. We booked online and went there. They told us that our booking is cancelled without giving any reasonable reason.

Love this place, food is amazing, great new dishes on the menu, went for Wednesday curry club and have booked again for next month before we’d left it was that good!!

Went for a birthday meal with a group of 9. Food came out at an amazing standard, staff were very friendly and good atmosphere. Will definitely go again

Great food, welcoming staff. My friend and I booked for a Friday evening and it's good that we did because the Southampton branch is quite cosy (small) but that's not an issue. As there were two of us, we opted to get the social plate and it was all delicious and great value for money at £19 pp. We will definitely be back!

My favourite restaurant - every time I've been here the staff have been lovely, the atmosphere has been perfect, and the food has been incredible!

It's Tuesday second time I've been here, I can't handle spice soni asked for it on the spice,no problem. All the food had an unreal amount of flavour, so beautiful. Il definitely be back soon. Really friendly staff too.