Chai Thali - Camden in Camden

Exceptional food coupled with fair sustainable prices = lethal combination! Put aside Dishoom. The food here hits a home run!

If you're curious to experience food poisoning, eat here! I visited Chai Thali on 19th February with four work friends. The staff were friendly, and the food was beautiful—I had butter chicken with steamed rice, lamb samosa chaat, and garlic naan, and it was delicious. Unfortunately, the next day, three of us who had the butter chicken became very ill. One of my friends vomited several times throughout the day, another felt unwell but luckily wasn’t physically sick, and I had several terrible times ‘the other end’. Concerned about this, I filled out the restaurant’s online enquiry form two days later, informing them of what had happened and requesting a refund for my starter and main. Their form promises a response within 60 minutes, yet four days passed, and I heard nothing. Meanwhile, my friend—the one who had been vomiting—called the restaurant the same day I filled out the form. He spoke directly with the manager, who eventually offered him a partial refund (starter and main). Since I still had no response, I decided to visit the restaurant with my friend when he went to collect his refund. The employee who served us the week before was again very polite and even asked how we were feeling, which was nice. However, when I enquired about my own refund, the manager was called over and the situation turned hostile instantly. From the moment he approached, he was rude and confrontational. He accused us of not calling the day after our visit. When my friend explained that he had been too unwell to call, the manager sarcastically responded, ‘Mate, it’s a phone call,’ making a dismissive phone gesture with his hand. He repeatedly insisted he was not refunding anyone else and said he had only agreed to refund my friend - Which he was correct of course but even though I told him I ate the exact same food as my friend, he decided to completely dismiss my experience! I explained—again—that I had filled out their enquiry form. The manager snapped back, ‘We don’t have an enquiry form.’ I told him I had filled it out (as had the third friend who was also ill), and neither of us had received a response. He continued to deny its existence. He then doubled down on the ‘you didn’t call the next day’ argument, again requiring the both of us to explain that we were too sick to do so, which is why I myself used the enquiry form—a form he apparently doesn’t even know exists. Rather than showing any concern or professionalism, the manager tried to usher us out. That’s when my friend pointed out that their website lists a 5/5 food hygiene rating, yet the official government website shows 3/5. The manager shouted back, ‘We’re getting that changed,’ and once again, pushed us towards the exit. Later that day, when we checked their website again, they had already removed their food hygiene rating. PLEASE DO NOT EAT AT THIS RESTAURANT. The food made us ill, it will make you ill too and the owner does not deserve your custom or your hard-earned money. He could have spoken to us like human beings, but instead, he chose aggression and confrontation, which left me shaken for the rest of the day. The moment he was called over, the situation escalated from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye—completely uncalled for. On a side note, we noticed that on both visits, the restaurant was completely empty—which now seems like a red flag in hindsight and I’ll certainly think twice before eating somewhere so devoid of customers in the future. UPDATE - MY RESPONSE TO OWNERS COMMENT: I appreciate your response but not the dishonesty. You never offered me anything and dismissed me when I mentioned your online enquiry form, claiming it doesn’t exist. If your website is being updated, remove the form if messages don’t reach you. You refunded my friend for contacting you directly—I also did via the form, which you ignored. That’s on you. Offering (or pretending to offer) a discount after making me ill is insulting and absurd. The lack of accountability is appalling.

AVOID this Restaurant – Severe Food Poisoning! Contacted and no refund offered!

Good and clean ambience Friendly staff and Good service

I have had meals at the restaurant with my family and friends since it was opened, it is by far the best place to eat authentic Indian food. The staff and management are exceptional! Keep it up!

¡EVITA EVITAR EVITAR! Recientemente visité Chai Thali, y desafortunadamente, tuve una experiencia muy negativa. Después de cenar allí, me enfermé de intoxicación alimentaria, que no solo fue angustiante, sino que también arruinó toda mi experiencia. Lo que lo empeoró aún más fue la completa falta de compensación o cualquier reconocimiento del restaurante. Esperaba un mejor servicio y atención al cliente, especialmente cuando se trata de problemas tan graves. Hasta la fecha, no he recibido respuesta ni resolución de la dirección, lo que es increíblemente decepcionante. Aconsejo encarecidamente a los demás que sean cautelosos antes de cenar aquí. Es inaceptable cobrar a los clientes el precio completo por los alimentos que los dejan enfermos sin ningún seguimiento o compensación.

Visité Chai Thali el 19 de febrero con cuatro amigos del trabajo. El personal era amable, y la comida era hermosa — yo tenía pollo con mantequilla con arroz al vapor, cordero samosa chaat, y ajo naan, y estaba delicioso. Lamentablemente, al día siguiente, tres de los que comimos el pollo con mantequilla nos enfermamos mucho. Uno de mis amigos vomitó varias veces a lo largo del día, otro se sintió mal, pero por suerte no estaba físicamente enfermo, y tuve varias veces terribles ‘el otro extremo’. Preocupado por esto, rellené el formulario de consulta en línea del restaurante dos días después, informándoles de lo que había sucedido y solicitando un reembolso para mi entrante y principal. Su forma promete una respuesta en 60 minutos, pero pasaron cuatro días, y no escuché nada. Mientras tanto, mi amigo, el que había estado vomitando, llamó al restaurante el mismo día que rellené el formulario. Habló directamente con el gerente, quien finalmente le ofreció un reembolso parcial (inicial y principal). Como todavía no tenía respuesta, decidí visitar el restaurante con mi amigo cuando fue a recoger su reembolso. El empleado que nos atendió la semana anterior fue de nuevo muy educado e incluso preguntó cómo nos sentíamos, lo cual fue agradable. Sin embargo, cuando pregunté por mi propio reembolso, llamaron al gerente y la situación se volvió hostil al instante. Desde el momento en que se acercó, fue grosero y conflictivo. Nos acusó de no llamar al día siguiente de nuestra visita. Cuando mi amigo le explicó que no podía llamar, el gerente respondió sarcásticamente: ‘Amigo, es una llamada telefónica’, haciendo un gesto desdeñoso con la mano. Él insistió repetidamente en que no reembolsaba a nadie más y dijo que solo había acordado reembolsar a mi amigo - que tenía razón, por supuesto, pero a pesar de que le dije que comí exactamente la misma comida que mi amigo, decidió descartar completamente mi experiencia! Le expliqué —otra vez— que había llenado su formulario de solicitud. El gerente respondió: “No tenemos un formulario de consulta”. Le dije que lo había llenado (al igual que el tercer amigo que también estaba enfermo) y ninguno de los dos había recibido respuesta. Continuó negando su existencia. Luego redobló el argumento de “no llamaste al día siguiente”, requiriendo nuevamente que los dos explicáramos que estábamos demasiado enfermos para hacerlo, razón por la cual yo mismo usé el formulario de consulta, un formulario que aparentemente ni siquiera sabe que existe. En lugar de mostrar preocupación o profesionalismo, el gerente trató de sacarnos. Fue entonces cuando mi amigo señaló que su sitio web enumera una calificación de higiene alimentaria de 5 / 5, sin embargo, el sitio web oficial del gobierno muestra 3 / 5. El gerente respondió gritando: ‘Estamos logrando que eso cambie’, y una vez más, nos empujó hacia la salida. Más tarde ese día, cuando revisamos su sitio web de nuevo, ya habían eliminado su calificación de higiene alimentaria. POR FAVOR, NO COMA EN ESTE RESTAURANTE. La comida nos enfermó, te enfermará también y el propietario no merece tu costumbre o tu dinero ganado con tanto esfuerzo. Podría habernos hablado como seres humanos, pero en su lugar, eligió la agresión y la confrontación, lo que me dejó conmocionado por el resto del día. En el momento en que lo llamaron, la situación aumentó de 0 a 100 en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, algo totalmente innecesario. Por otro lado, notamos que en ambas visitas, el restaurante estaba completamente vacío, lo que ahora parece una bandera roja en retrospectiva y ciertamente lo pensaré dos veces antes de comer en un lugar tan desprovisto de clientes en el futuro.

Wonderful Ambience. Friendly staff. What an experience!😆

Highly recommend this restaurant! The service is always great and the food is delicious. It’s reasonably priced especially for the quality. The servers have consistently been kind, attentive, and always make sure everything is done at a high standard. Chai Thali is definitely the restaurant I visit most often when I’m in London.

Chai Thali in Camden offers a vibrant and authentic Indian street food experience that delights the senses. The menu features a diverse selection of dishes, from flavorful curries to crispy samosas, all prepared with fresh ingredients and traditional spices. The garlic naan is particularly noteworthy for its crispiness, and the samosa chaat comes highly recommended.  The atmosphere is lively and welcoming, making it an ideal spot for both casual dinners and special occasions. Service is attentive and efficient, ensuring a pleasant dining experience. While some may find the portion sizes modest, the quality and taste of the food more than compensate.  For those looking to explore a variety of flavors, opting for multiple small plates is a great way to experience the rich and diverse offerings of Chai Thali.  Overall, Chai Thali provides a delightful culinary journey through India’s street food culture, right in the heart of Camden.

Fantastic restaurant, serving great food! Big menu with lots of Indian street food style dishes. We had a mix of starters, including a dish of mixed pakora and a mixed non-veg tandoor platter.....all delicious. I then had the Dhaaba Murg for my main course....again, fantastic flavours and well presented. The staff are great as well....friendly and very helpful! All-in-all, I highly recommend a visit to Chai Thali (Camden)!

I have been visiting them from last 4 years and food is good. They have good garlic naan, curries and taste close to authentic. Lets talk about cost now: Cost close to Dishoom prices and some items even more expensive, compared prices to them as they are well known. Service charge: 12.5% American culture is creeping everywhere, let's charge what it actually cost and tell me upfront. Portion Size. This is the reason for 3 stars. They have really small bowl to serve the curries, Honestly speaking they have the smallest portion size of all the places I have ever eaten, it is so small that 2 curries won't be enough with 3 Naans which tbh is a shame for otherwise a very decent place. Considering portion size is half as compared to standard places and price same and in some instances even higher, overall this becomes very very bad value for money.

The service is good , the food is delicious

Best Indian restaurant in London!

My favorite Indian place in London. I love the food, the atmosphere and the service!

The paneer makhani was delicious!

The starters were great, especially the soya chaap and mixed pakoras. The chai was great, my wife drank 2 of them. The paapri chaat was not as good, because the filling was cold from a refrigerator (not great for sensitive teeth). Our server, Deepak’s service was great! Thanks

The staff is sweet, the food tastes great and the atmosphere is lovely. I recommend

Great experience, I loved the food !

This is my second visit and it never ceased to surprise me. Any outsider wanting to feel the desi vibes in and around Camden town should visit here. I decided to go vegetarian this time. Loved the Palak paneer and pulav rice. Loved their khatam chai with Parle G Biscuits. A service with a smile. A place with loads to pose for the gram. They also have desi nights once a month. So go solo, with your partners or your family and kids. One place fits all..♥️♥️

Excellent food and friendly service, I recommend!

Location was a bit odd but the restaurant is lovely with great food.

This was one of my favourite place until today. I Honestly the food isn’t as great as it use to be. I was quite disappointed .🙁🙁🙁 won’t be going back!

Really good foods & hospitality

Hard to find this place for first time

Great atmosphere. Loved the food and portion size. Food was worth the price we paid. That's all i expect when i go to a restaurant and Not over pay for a small portion

I booked a table for work colleagues & myself for our end of year celebrations.The restaurant were very accommodating as many people did not turn up. I informed them & they were grateful to be informed.The food was very tasty & the service was excellent.I also liked the fact that we were not played music that was too loud.The manager even gave us 20% discount as we work for the borough of Camden.Thank you for a wonderful experience.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Food is too good and in love with the ambience. Go to place for all the Indians put here.

We came for a Bollywood night to celebrate a birthday, the doors were supposed to have opened at 10pm however the running of the night was terrible there was about it 30 of us and they didn’t let us in saying it’s not ready. Why advertise as 10pm door open and not onside by it? They eventually let us in at 10.30pm and said we can’t use the cloakroom until another 20mins and we have to wait by the bar!! This was an absolute disaster on the people who ran the night. The worst of all the guy at the door who was running the night didn’t even apologise. I don’t think I would be coming back here and would not recommend l. There are other Bollywood nights who stick to their timings. As per your response there is not a way in which I can respond back to you! Also as your floor was oily and multiple people fell. And after telling your bar staff to clean it up they applied salt instead of cleaning it up! Which has also resulted in one member of our party requiring surgery on her foot! What a terrible experience. Espically with Christmas and new years around the corner!

Dinner served until nearly 9.30pm. The Bollywood Night was great fun, cleared the central tables to dance, modern Bollywood/Western music, from the movies, great atmosphere, danced until 2am. 10 minutes walk from Mornington Crescent, Northern Line. Would visit again.

Excellent food and authentic atmosphere

Very nice and quiet restaurant to go to with family and friends. Lovely place to visit.

It was really nice and lovely place and quiet restaurant.

Had a 3 course set meal at dinner. Good indian chaat / snack options like onion fritters,dahi puri etc. Indian deserts like gulab jamun and kulfi were fantastic !! North Indian starters like Paneer tikka could be added and prefer more variety in main course dishes.

Good food, great service and an extremely lively atmosphere. We focused on a bunch of starters / chaat items rather than the main course, which was a good decision. Their chai was made fresh and it was very good! We got mixed pakoras, samosa chaat, paapdi chaat, and kurkuri bhindi, all of which I would recommend. (Double up on the mixed pakoras, trust me! They were the best.) Among the starters, I wouldn’t recommend the mini masala papad basket– it’s just plain mini poppadoms with chutney and doesn’t have any value for money in my opinion. For the mains, we got the subzi aur paneer biryani which was ok. I’m aware that vegetarian biryanis aren’t always amazing, and this one you can easily pass on. However, the banarasi kofta, daal fry, and kulcha were much better. The kofta was not sweet (per everyone at the table), and the daal had all the right flavours. I can always appreciate a restaurant that does a good daal rice with banging starters. For dessert, our table got the shahi matka kulfi, and devoured it! It was a tad bit too sweet for my liking, but very creamy and had a decent amount in there. I’d recommend splitting one matka between two people. Overall, it was a good experience and I’d definitely visit again.

Main course was really bad especially Sabzi

10/10 recommend FOOD: super yummy. I usually do an extended review but all I can say is try it for yourself. We didn’t have a single bad dish at Chai Thali, and we chose this spot over Mowgli Street Food which I’m now curious to compare. Ordered the Aloo Corn Tikki Chaat, Paneer Tikka, Hyderabadi Chicken, Garlic Naan, Kulfi (pista flavor) SERVICE: very friendly, and very helpful with suggestions. ATMOSPHERE: casual PRICE: I felt the price was very reasonable for two I will certainly be back on my next visit to London and recommend to others.

Delicious breakfast menu! Idlis, dosas, and uttapams are all must-trys.

Impressive variety of chai options! From classic masala to unique flavors.

Chai Thali offers excellent quality food at reasonable prices. The portions are generous, and the variety on the menu caters to everyone, including vegetarians and meat lovers. Don’t miss their Butter Chicken—it’s the best I’ve had in a long time.

I went for a quick takeaway, looking for a wrap, around 8pm on a weekday. The place was practically empty, but they declined to go the extra mile to make wraps or even customise my takeaway requirements- which was not complicated ask - just split the dishes in smaller portions because my daughter was to eat in the car on our long drive home. The food was ok, at best. The smile on the guy's face, I guess the one who cooked and/or packed the dish was priceless and if my observation is right, had a tinge of apology. I guess poor management decisions.

This restaurant offers a warm, inviting ambience perfect for a cozy evening out, with dim lighting and tasteful decor. The food is beautifully presented and packed with flavor, making every dish memorable.

Great quality of food taste and very Very beautiful atmosphere

Great Food with Great Atmosphere 🤤

This restaurant is best restaurant of my life

Good bskak ankah a iwoka. Jaoba ak aihavanajhwbe w

One of the best food corners around loved it

Off the beaten track of Camden High Street, a real gem with the best food I've had in a long time!

Been there around 40-50 times in the last few years. Food, atmosphere is amazing, and all the staff are so friendly and curtious. In my opinion it is equal to Dishoom but so much cheaper and not so precocious and a much better experience all round. Going again on Saturday for a family meal, can't wait, keep up the good work guys.

Excellent restaurant, very pleasant room, reasonable prices, generous portions, pleasant service. The dishes were excellent, a superb discovery 👍

Absolutely awesome food.i have ordered chicken biriyani,tandoori,samosa chaat.Mouthwatering experience for me and my friend,morethan that- the enviorment is very pleasant, calm .love this place 😍

Great first time experience, customer service, food and it tasted delicious 😋 will definitely be returning, thank you for a great dinner out!

Tried Chai Thali for the 1st time. Fantastic food, comfy location and amazing service by staff. Satisfied meal of the day that much I can say, we managed to satisfy our taste buds through food we ordered, Rasmalai was best of them.

Aadi was an amazing host, and made a great meal extra special! 🫶🏼

For me the food is not good at all I ordered paneer makhani and daal fry with laccha paratha. Paneer makhani was sweet and daal was taste less

I have had delivery from here, great food with lots of flavour. Authentic

Friendly staff, efficient service and delicious food and drinks. We always come back :)

A bit out of the way in Camden Town but serves delicious Indian food in a fantastic setting with great service.

Unfortunately the reviews seem to be about the food that used to be good there perhaps. The menu is too big and the food was stale. Pani Puri was not fresh and the papdri chaat was bland and soggy. Fancy presentation doesn’t mean authentic street food. Service was good 👍 but food was a let down.

it was so good. i love chai thali yay!

Food is pretty bland and overpriced. However the waiters are super nice and the atmosphere is good. I can see this being a good option if you're in a big group or if you value drinks over quality of food.

We were here as a group of 50 people and the service was the best i‘ve ever seen. Food was quickly brought to our tables quickly and so delicious.

Lovely curry’s, I ordered the meat thali… not good value for money. Everything else was really nice. Deepak was amazing

Lovely food, helpful call staff and the delivery was friendly and fast. Thank you xx

Was my first time eating here, just I can say it was a nice surprise somewhere in Camden Town with excellent food! Nice environment and the services was five starts! I'll come back!

Probably the best Indian restaurant in North London - we went on Bollywood night and it was such a great atmosphere! Would recommend the Samosa Chaat!

The food is absolutely amazing. Waitress khushi is absolutely fantastic. She is so friendly and helpful. Me and my wife loves the food and great service. Definitely come back again. Highly recommend.

Gr8 Restaurant - nice and professional service from Kushi!

Food is epic and customer service also.

Good range of options. Good service.

Beautiful ambience and what a scrumptious food. We were served by Deepak, he was so patient and humble. I went with my friends and we all loves it, highly recommend!

We had a great dinner on Friday night, it was delicious. The service was by Khushi, she was very polite and helpful. We didn’t wait long for our food and will gladly return again soon!

Excellent service,friendly staff nature,reccommodation good food quality is good.we really enjoyed over there.

Vibe, innovation, taste amazing. For photoshoot once for vibe twice and for food always visit genuinely recommended.

Delicious food, and great, friendly service thanks to Khushi taking care of us throughout!

Incredible food and absolutely impeccable service from Keshi. I cannot recommend this place more, go go go - it was fantastic

We came after a day at the zoo and it was the best end to our already lovely day. Our waitress Khushi was so kind and attentive. I would definitely recommend.

Khushi provided splendid service

Great food!!! Khushi is the best waitress!!!

Had an amazing dining experience at this restaurant! The food was delicious, and the service was top-notch. Khushi, our server, was attentive, friendly, and made sure everything was perfect. Highly recommend!

Kushi was an amazing waitress. The ambience was good and the food was great

I have often ordered takeaway from here, which has always been great. I ate in today for the first time and the food was just as good, with friendly service from Khushi.

didn't receive the chutney with my order making what I ordered dry 😒. also driver very lazy called recieved to come to the entrance of my building met on road as refused to lock his bike . and wrong drink was put in my order

Amazing food and nice atmosphere . Service is really good and I would recommend my friend to visit chai Thali. Deepak shah is really good in terms of customer service and very humble

Food was very nice, as well as excellent service from Aadi!!

Really good food taste was perfect

The food was brilliant, and to a very high level. The service from Aadi was very good and helpful, as well as this, the food was delivered promptly

Excellent food and friendly service from Aadi too! Would definitely recommend!!!!!

The chai tea was probably the most flavorless chai tea we’ve ever drank. Do better. How you have the nerve to promote this drink has the best chai tea in London is absurd.

We had an amazing experience. The food was delicious & it was very aesthetically pleasing. Aadi was really nice , helpful and provided a very good customer service :)

Nice service Great food Enjoyed tandoori platter Aadi was great host Thank you

Had been to restaurant, good service and good tasted nice, our host Aadi was good at customer service , we came back after 3 years here, will come back again for sure. Thank you chai thali

Had an amazing time at chai Thali with the family definitely recommend coming here if you want to spend a good time with your people. Also the service was really friendly all thanks to Khushi!!

This restaurant offers tasty food with wonderful furnishings in a quiet place.

Ok I know it's late, but I had to, let's start from the service waitress was rude and uninviting as if we were the problem, the food was cold only the kebabs "seems" be hot but NO! the taste was not at all the way the actual kabab tastes... Samoas where oily, the funniest part was that the chai was spicy... Biryani was kichadi.... And upon all that if that was less waitresses were deliberately forcing for the review on their name.... 👐

Excellent place, good food served, Friday nights ambiance is great.

The service provided by Priyal was perfect and she even brought us some yogurt because the dish we had chosen was spicy enough for us! It's a very good address, we particularly recommend Nanas, they were really incredible!

Khushi served us, really nice service and food Thank you so much

### Restaurant Review: Spice Route Indian Bistro **Rating**: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) Chaii Thali Camden offers a warm, inviting atmosphere with earthy décor and soft Indian Bollywood music that sets the tone for an authentic dining experience. The menu features a delightful mix of classic Indian dishes from fondue Paav Bhaaji to street side chaats each bursting with flavor. The fragrant biryani is a particular standout. Both Prayaal and Kushi were attentive and knowledgeable, adding to the overall enjoyable experience. The quality of food and ambiance make it well worth the visit. A must-try for Indian cuisine lovers!

We celebrated a birthday here a few weeks back and have visited a few times before. We are impressed with the food every time as well as friendly and helpful service by the staff. There is also an excellent range of vegetarian options including the vegetarian platter and nice mix of mocktails too. Very pleasant atmosphere and lovely decor. We will visit again! Thank you to all the staff for helping celebrate birthday especially Kushi who served us, great service