Kolam South Indian Restaurant in Wandsworth

I've been to the Kolam many times over the years, and I've yet to have a bad meal. It's a more traditional type of Indian restaurant and family-run, and the service is always very friendly and helpful.

This South Indian restaurant on the busy Tooting High Road is a real gem It is clean and fresh with simple Indian paintings and Hindu woodcuts on the walls. The husband and wife team that run it are some of the kindest people I know. The food is straightforward and different from Bangladeshi style curries. But is easier to digest and Kolam offers a wide range of Vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. They have a good wine list. Many of the customers are regulars. You must try the Aubergine Bhajis Martin

Tooting is probably the best place in the UK to eat South Indian food. Kolam is the best South Indian restaurant in Tooting. You do the math(s).

Would thoroughly recommend going to this restaurant - delicious food and very friendly service. We had the lamb dosai, chilli chicken and chicken biriani and all dishes were excellent, one of the nicest curry’s we’ve had for ages. We will definitely be returning soon.

My partner and I recently had a takeaway from Kolam and I couldn’t recommend this restaurant highly enough. This was the best South Indian food I’ve had in London and really good value too. I’d recommend ordering from the restaurant directly for even better prices.

We had a takeaway from Kolam and it was delicious! One of the best Indian meals I've ever had, for a great price. Recommend calling in advance to order, both to avoid waiting and it's much cheaper than ordering online.

Had one of my first Indian meals in here many decades ago. It hasn't changed much. The family who own it still do the cooking. The regulars still eat here. It's not as flash as many other restaurants as you head towards Tooting Broadway. But if you like good Tamil food at reasonable prices you can't do better than Kolam.

Nice and tasty food. Different to the usual North Indian cuisine on offer in other restaurants nearby.

The best South Indian food in London! The dosai are the best I’ve eaten ever. The paper roast dosa is spectacular ! My kids love this place and whenever we’re in the area we make a special trip to eat here. Friendly family service. Lovely ambience.

We ate mainly veggie food which was unfancy but delicious. Plenty of meat on the menu, though, and it's licenced. Very friendly service. Inexpensive too: £50 for three including drinks and there was still enough for a doggie bag!

Been here a few times when visiting family in the area. Great service. Delicious food. Exceptionally clean. Would thoroughly recommend.

Hands-Down the best South Indian cuisine in London. Great Tadka Dhal, coconut rice, you name it, they have it with decades of experience in cooking the London’s best South Indian food. Our first outing post Lockdown, such delicious aromas, service and friendliness. Highly recommended.

Place is nice. Service was good. And I'm happy that they were serving lunch , you expect a good palada to say the least. Was very disappointed by the end of the meal. Their Other dishes was too good. Really yummy.

This is a delight.Run by a charming couple.Pillowy light aubergine bhajis,melting lamb on firm spinach,chilli chicken with a cheeky well hidden whoomph,fluffy buttery pilau rice and,with the merest nod to health,a crunchy carrot something or other.Go and experience a rare light in the present darkness.

We tried Kolam just before second lock down having walked past it many times over the years. So pleased we did as we had a really good meal. They specialize in food from the tanjore region of Tamil Nadu in South India . We had the aubergine dry masala, the carrot poriyal, tarka dhall with pilau rice and roti. All freshly prepared and delicious. We could even hear the vegetables and spices being chopped in the kitchen! The owners were very friendly and welcoming. A cold cobra beer and poppadoms appeared within minutes of sitting down. It was worth waiting a bit longer for the curries. It was quiet , but the other tables were regulars who know where to go for good food and a friendly welcome. We are looking forward to getting a take away this month and visiting the restaurant again after lock down.

Loved the southern indian cuisine. Everything was delicious. The place is cosy and comfortable. The service was great too. Top notch Indian restaurant among all the Indian food I had around the world over the years. Highly recommended.

La noche de mediados de semana que fuimos no estaba muy ocupada y es un poco más un restaurante que otros lugares de estilo cantina cerca.Nuestra selección de comida era buena (aunque sus dosas no son mis favoritas, y los naan (¿en un restaurante del sur de la India?) No eran los mejores, habiendo dicho que estaba encantado con nuestros otros platos y con mucho gusto volvería a probar los menos. platos familiares en el menú.El personal (¿los propietarios?) Era encantador y servicial.

Extremely friendly staff, all the food is cooked from scratch, the chutneys are delicious and the prices are reasonable. I can't emphasise how much I recommend this place!

We had a great evening at Kolam, it was easy parking and we found the staff to be extremely welcoming and friendly, the food was absolutely authentic Sothern Indian, all cooked from scratch, and at very reasonable prices, highly recommended.

Now a regular visitor, don’t be put off by the older look and feel compared to more flash restaurants in the area.......this is the best food for miles. Not a massive choice on the menu, what they have is superb and the service is fab👊

La comida aquí es normal ya que el Medu Vada no era un Medu Vada y además el sambar para acompañarlo no era auténtico y tenía un sabor extraño. He tenido dosa mejor en otros lugares ya que el dosa no se hizo la receta auténtica.En el lado positivo, un servicio muy amable.

Terminamos yendo aquí por casualidad, ya que está cerca de donde vivimos, pero fue una gran decisión, he estado en muchas casas de curry en la votación y creo que este puede ser nuestro favorito. La comida era deliciosa, pedimos un menú para compartir que tenía una excelente relación calidad-precio y más comida de la que podíamos comer, aunque lo hicimos. El personal también fue muy amable y servicial. , ¡Volveremos pronto!

Hace 3 años escribí una reseña, así que pensé que sería mejor actualizarla. Este lugar es mi lugar de confort en Tooting y la comida nunca te defrauda, siempre fresca y a la orden. Los propietarios sin lugar a dudas lo reciben con una sonrisa y charlan y luego llegan rápidamente con vino, cerveza y poppadoms. ¿Qué más se puede pedir en una deprimente noche de Navidad / año nuevo? ¡Quiéralo! ! Muchas gracias a ambos por cuidarnos a lo largo de los años y hasta pronto.

Authentic southern indian food - have the Masala Dosai and try the chilli chicken. Friendly satff and great value

Vino a cenar con un gran grupo de amigos un sábado por la noche y disfrutamos de una comida maravillosa. El menú es variado y la calidad excelente. Dhosa y bhajis son buenas opciones para empezar y el pollo picante es imprescindible para cualquier amante de la comida caliente. Servicio personalizado de los encantadores propietarios. Lo recomendaría altamente.

Good food and good value for money!! Will be returning. Perhaps music would be nice to create an atmosphere??

I've eaten many times here. Great family team, care and love put into the food. I've brought many visitors time and again. Love the team, the food. Neutral ambience but I don't need dancers or loud music around me.

popped in here for dinner on a trip from glasgow and was more than pleasantly surprised.The food was extremely tasty and very well presented and very good value for money, i know if we were back in glasgow we would have expected to pay more for the standard of food served here. The gentleman who served us was very pleasant and service was excellent.

The food was amazing! My partner and I got the non-veg set menu, they were happy to swap the lentil dish for me to a different lentil dish so I could try something new, no problem. Everything, the dishes and dips and sauces were all explained to us as it came out. There was so much food! We had to take a lot home as leftovers. Our server was friendly and helpful. If we lived in London we would be repeat customers for sure.

This restaurant is a hidden gem. It's not very crowded which is counterintuitive but it's probably because of the location . The food is excellent as is the service. Try the lamb fry as a starter .

We've been going to Kolam for thirty years. Never failed to have a fantastic meal. The family who run it are lovely - really friendly and welcoming and make for a great, relaxed atmosphere. The food is outstanding, even by Tooting standards! I took a very well traveled friend for dinner here - he said it was the best South Indian meal he had ever had.

We had chicken masala dosai and samosa for starters, and lamb madras and Kolam Bhoona (lamb) as main course. Nice food and friendly waiter.

Estaba buscando una experiencia de curry sencilla y Kolam era mucho mejor que esto.

Compartimos el cordero Madra y el pollo vindaloo, ¡con algunos entrantes antes! No puedo hablar mejor de lo deliciosa que estaba la comida! Si te gusta la comida picante, el vindaloo es una gran elección, y el cordero se derrite en mi boca, ¡ya que era tan tierno! No puedo esperar a volver!

Nos basamos en Tooting Broadway y nos aventuramos un poco más lejos de casa para probar un nuevo lugar de curry. Kolam fue un verdadero placer. El personal era muy amable y nos recomendó el curry de berenjena y el cordero frito. También tuvimos la masala dosa y un curry paneer. Toda la comida era fresca, deliciosa y en porciones grandes. Tuvimos un gran momento y definitivamente volveremos pronto!

Este restaurante tiene algunas atractivas opciones indias S, especialmente en los entrantes, por ejemplo, el dosai, las espectaculares tortitas y las opciones de lentejas crujientes. Hay algunos platos principales distintivos también; Disfruto del cordero frito, que no se ve en ningún otro lugar, pero también hay algunos buenos cursos de pescado. Es de buena calidad y es fácil de atender, posiblemente porque está más lejos del tubo Tooting Bec que de la competencia local.

Este es mi restaurante indio favorito y, mejor aún, está al final de mi calle. He comido aquí muchas veces a lo largo de los años y nunca he tenido una mala comida. Es uno de los restaurantes indios más tradicionales en lugar de uno de los cafés "modernos" más nuevos, pero me gusta mucho más por eso. Los precios también son muy razonables. Se lo recomendaría a cualquiera que le guste la comida india.

We came across this restaurant by chance and we were delighted , staff were excellent and food was amazing and great value.

Authentic, full of the rightest flavours cuisine, family atmosphere, reasonable prices, highly recommended (we live here)

Starter was a meat dosai which was nice. Vegetables tasted fresh and meat was very tender.

It was ok, small portions but with a starter and popadoms it’s was the perfect amount. Not much choice for curries. Service is slow but fine if you aren’t starving. Very reasonably priced and had a nice evening.

Worst Indian myself and my friend both have ever had ..... I have no idea how this restaurant has 5 stars on TripAdvisor... the meals were tiny portions, definitely not worth the amount they charge and they were absolutely tasteless !!! And the naan bread was so tough and almost not edible ! Very disappointed and the man there did not care at all when we told him our feedback, didn’t apologies or say anything just shrugged his shoulders ! Very annoyed and disappointed, will definitely never be visiting again !!!!

We normally go to Lahore Karahi but the last couple of times, the food has been disappointing to say the least. For that reason, we decided to try the food in Kolam instead and we loved it!! It feels like a proper old school curry house. Super friendly service, super reasonable prices and most importantly, super tasty food!! We had poppadums and chicken dosa to start (My boyfrie d said the poppadums were the best he ever tasted!) The chicken dosa was delicious (My first ever dosa).

This restaurant is a real gem - warm welcome, great selection of dishes, delicious fresh cooked food (the fried lamb and the cauliflower dry are amazing),and very friendly service.

Una pequeña joya de un auténtico restaurante indio. Buena elección de comida y personal preparado para ajustar de acuerdo a sus propias preferencias. Teníamos dos platos principales, el cordero, el cual fue excelente y también una amplia selección de platos vegetarianos. Personal agradable y servicial, y el menú está bien de precio para satisfacer las necesidades de todo el mundo.

Been going here since 1986, great grub, genuine South Indian food with excellent service and staff who know how to please all at great prices

We got dosa and it was incredible! Really similar to the dosa I get in Kerala! Beautiful! Amazing service and great prices too!

Deliciosa comida que se sirve en el homeliest de dueños. He regresado varias veces y nunca he sido decepcionado por la calidad de la comida. La masala dosa es la mejor que he comido en Londres. Los diferentes vegetariana y curris de carne que están en el menú son una gastronomique's delight.

He visitado muchas veces a lo largo de muchos años y aunque vivimos de ahora que aún Yo lo intentaría volver.

Hemos ido a Kolam durante un número de años y nos encanta. La comida siempre es maravilloso. . Siempre recién cocinado, con los ingredientes y saborizantes. Todos los platos son diferentes y únicas con el extraño pod y hojas que las especias son señales que cuento la comida es auténtica y superior a muchos de los típicos restaurantes indios. La variedad de platos es amplia, con increíble, siempre lados vegetales más orden porque sólo odio pierda nada. El servicio es genial y siempre nos dan una cálida bienvenida desde el maravilloso equipo de marido y mujer que dirige este restaurante. Lo recomendamos y lo consideramos la mejor comida india alrededor.

We stumbled upon this restaurant as part of an early evening family catch up. Made very welcome by the couple who run it. The menu was very different to our usual haunts and we tried some dishes we hadn’t had before - very fresh and tasty. It was quite empty when arrived but full when left - clearly a favourite for many. We shall return.

What the waiter suggested was spot on. Beautiful food, good choice and great service. We will return, thanks Sath.

Excellent food and outstanding service. The staff serving us were really helpful with the meal choice advice.

My wife and I had an excellent meal. From freshly prepared starters, including the lamb house special for me and the vegan dishes like biryani and aubergine bhaji its always a pleasure. It’s nice quiet atmosphere with subtle decor make for a lovely dinner destination.

First came here over 30 years ago, thought I'd take my kids and they loved it too. Same family running the business and cooking the same wonderful food. We have dosas and friend lamb. Delicious South Indian food. Very friendly.

I went to Kolam on a monday night with my mum. For the whole time we were there it was a completely empty restaurant, although this being slightly weird the food absolutely made up for it. We had a masala dosai, an aubergine dry masala, an okra curry and a single roti. This was all to share. When the food came we dug in and everything was delicious, the aubergine curry especially. Everything was spiced to perfection and we had more than enough food between the two of us with a couple of drinks at the great price of £24. We will be sure to be heading back there again some time as it has been open for 37 years and have sadly never been.

Visitamos este restaurante recientemente y la comida era deliciosa, nos llevó de vuelta a viajar en rmight sur de la India. Los propietarios son de Tanjore, en Tamil Nadu, un estado lleno de comida increíble. Teníamos pescado frito poriyal king, bean y arroz, coliflor al curry y estaba todo precioso. La cosa a recordar es que se necesita una mezcla de platos de salsa, si no estás seguro del operador, sólo pide es muy servicial y amable. También están autorizadas.

Nunca he tenido la comida del sur de la India antes, así que fue mi primera vez en probar algunas de este menú. La comida era fantástica y recomiendo encarecidamente la casa frita cordero especial ya que era magnífico. El personal era muy amable y muy atento. Sin duda comer allí de nuevo!

Mi opción 1 calle de las docenas de restaurantes en esta calle. Siempre el servicio es muy amable. Pollo chili y roti son geniales.

Con mi esposa y mi hija, yo llamé por aquí para una cena, el último sábado por la noche. El establecimiento parece bastante humilde de la calle, pero el interior está impecablemente limpio y acogedor. .

Comida deliciosa y fresca, auténtica del sur sabe de la India. Servicio muy amable y perfecta la tarde del domingo con la familia.

I have been gone from Tooting for a very long time now, and Kolam was always a firm favourite for my wife and myself, service exceptional, food even better, highly recommended.

Lovely food a little bit different from normal Indian food. Happily go there again.Very friendly staff and good price

We visited In January and it is a lovely family run restaurant in Tooting. Though it was during the week there was still a steady stream of customers. The staff really know the food they are serving as well as the ingredients. They also advise on portion sizes as well as spiciness. A couple in our party are keen on spice so they made it a little hotter for them. We are definitely looking forward to visiting again and have recommended to others.

Relaxing environment... Lovely family run restaurant we come again and again.. Highly recommended

We visited Kolam on Friday 17th Feb and we had a great evening. We started with an onion and a masala dosai. We were advised by the owners how many to order as we had never eaten one before. When they arrived it was definitely enough for three people to share two as a starter. I had recently seen these being cooked on a Tony Singh television programme, where he traveled around Indian. These dosai looked identical to the one he ate in Indian, so they were certainly the real deal! For mains we had a selection of lovely lamb curry dishes. I had the lamb madras, which was beautiful spiced. The highlight for me was the aubergine vegetable side dish, fantastic! The service was very friendly and efficient. We are already planning our next visit. Thanks for a lovely meal. Can't wait to see you again soon!!

I have been going to Kolam for about the last 17 years which speaks volumes for what I think about the restaurant. Surely, repeated business is the best form of business you can have.The thing about Kolam is that not only is the food excellent, but it is such a cosy and friendly place to go - almost like being welcomed into a private house that just happens to serve food. The restaurant is family run, and I think it is correct to say, it is the second oldest South Indian restaurant this side of the river, so therefore, is one of the original Tooting curry places - to have survived that long in such a competitive market is indeed, an achievement.The Rasa Vadai is a great way to start off, then a toss-up between Chilli Chicken, Goan Vindaloo, maybe a madras....... I could go on and on through the menu in detail, discussing the individual merits of each dish as I seem to have eaten my way through most what is offered over the years. One essential is the Cabbage Poriyal which I could eat by the bucket full and get a bit irritated when others help themselves - get off, it is all mine!We try others in Tooting but always come back to Kolam - it is like going home to lovely, comforting, home made food.

Great, friendly service and the curry was top-draw. Bear in mind that it is South-Indian not generic Indian so a few of the dishes you're used to ordering may not be there. We tried some of their specials that I hadn't had before though and they were excellent.

The food was great, the staff were very pleasant and helpful. Seth was great at recommending food to our taste and pallet, and taking care of us. We had a great time and the food tasted GREAT! Can"t wait to go back to the UK to visit again.Thank you for a great evening.

Mainly we stumbled upon this place when we were hungry, looking for something to eat and trying to escape from the cold. I must say its quite a nice little find! It seems like a small family run restaurant but the place had delicious food, I guess with it being South Indian, it was a little different to the standard indian dishes you generally tend to find in Indian restaurants! The prices are very reasonable too. We had a chance to try some new things, and the staff were quite lovely too! they were quite attentive :) Would definately go back at some point.

I'm not usually a fan of South Indian curries (I prefer the cuisine of another local North Indian restaurant) but was pleasantly surprised with Kolam. We had a delicious dinner including scrumptious Masala Dosas. Will definitely return as an alternative to our usual.

Small, family run restaurant that was excellent. The staff were lovely and helpful, the prices were very reasonable and the food was delicious. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Indian food, and not just english versions of Indian dishes.

Hungry and waiting for my brother to return to his house where I was staying, I popped into Kolam on Saturday night on the basis of other reviews left on here (there's quite a few options in the area). Pleased to say that it deserves a good reputation. The staff were friendly and the food was tasty and (seemingly) authentic. All the usual anglicised dishes were available, but the menu was focused around South Indian specialties and I took the recommendations from the waiter on which to opt for and enjoyed everything I had, particularly the lamb and spinach curry. The outside doesn't look especially appealing and the interior is fairly minimal but the food and service were both very good; I'll certainly go back and have already recommended it to my brother.

Excellent tasty food, friendly service and all at a very good price. Returned to Tooting after living there 25 years ago and what a good experience. Thank you

The best Indian food I have ever tried! Very different as South Indian dishes and amazing flavours!Excellent place & service! Worth a visit when in London

Our venue is Kolam. One of those that certainly fits into the often-overlooked category on Tooting High street. It's close to Tooting Bec and proudly advertises itself as South Indian. We kick things off relatively promptly and take our seats in a comfortable setting, with cushioned seats and tablecloths! We're also greeted by perhaps the smiliest waiter/Maitre D so far. Venue Score - 6.2/10.The starters commence. Finally an onion bhaji on offer and not just that, there are two other bhaji varieties available! We sample an onion and an aubergine as well as a good stack of poppadoms. Unfortunately the variety isn't quite matched by quality as we are presented with two plates of brown mis-shapen discs that most closely resemble those potato smilies Jamie Oliver spent his adult life trying to eradicate.Bhaji score - 3/10.The mains on offer have a familiar air with many a South Indian establishment under our belts we're now experienced connoisseurs of the sub-continent. We plump for Goan Chicken, King Prawn Kurma, Lamb Kurma, Chicken Keerai, Chicken Masala, Lamb Bhuna and a Special Masala Dosai. We're excited, hungry and lagered up with bottles of Cobra....we wait...a while. Then finally our mains arrive with Pilau rice and Garlic Naans. The curry is good, pretty tasty but everything is a similar shade of deep red. Over the past 15 curries I have come to realise that if all the curries look alike they probably taste pretty similar, as was the case with Kolam. The naan was also quite disappointing, lacking garlic and too crunchy. Food score - 6.9/10.Approaching 9pm I'm not feeling good about the number of CURRYBONDers that will maintain consciousness throughout the Bond leg...We get the bill after a bit of a struggle attracting Mr. Smiley which comes in at £116.55 that's £16.65/CURRYBONDer. Not bad value considering beers were on offer.Value Score - 6.1/10.Kolam therefore suffers from a similar plight to many a Tooting curry establishment, it's good but you could walk 5 minutes spend £10 less and probably be happier with your evening.Overall Score - 6.7/10

Best reviewed Indian restaurant in Tooting. Slight walk from hub of Tooting Broadway but a few mins from Bec, but make the effort.Menu appears a little simple compared to others but don't let this put you off. Try anything and you won't be disappointed.Simplicity, freshness and ownership of the family run business is key to the delivery of quality food. It's freshness is immediately obvious as the taste buds are awakened. Let the food speak for itself.Speed of service was fine, but even if busy, don't grumble as quality takes time and it will be worth the wait. Have a chat for a while!Exceptional!

Brilliant place! Often get a take away but have also eaten in. While you're waiting for the take away meal to be freshly cooked you can enjoy a cold bottle of Cobra. Lot's of the meals are vegetarian for a change and are very tasty. Well cooked and not too spicy, marsala Dosi are a favourite with us.Service is friendly and prices reasonable.But don't just take my word for it, try it!

Delicious food, lamb samosas wonderfully spiced. Pakora just golden to a crisp. Stunning lamb and spinach curry, chicken curries, aubergine dish and side dishes. Freshly cooked, spiced perfectly. Delightful welcome and ice cold beer! Thank you!

This restaurant is definitely worth a visit. Really nice food and attentive staff. The menu isn't as broad as some other restaurants in the area but everything that we had was great! Will be going there again in the future!

Every dish we ordered was just perfection on a plate. The service was excellent, lovely kind & friendly lady. Really authentic South Indian food, can't believe I've only just discovered Kolam after years of dinning out in Tooting. I'm already planning my next visit, I can't wait to make my way through the menu! My standards are very high as I've grown up eating my mum's incredible Indian cooking, lived & travelled around India but this has to be one of the best South Indian restaurants outside of Chennai!

My birthday wish was for a good dosa! My family and I had a really enjoyable meal here. There is a lot of choice in this area of South Indian food but this little restaurant turned out to be solid and we were happy to have discovered it since the ones that we had been familiar with had closed.We actually turned up for our reservation to find the place plunged into pitch darkness due to a power outage in the local area (completely out of their control, of course) but all the staff were still in good humour, doing what they could to establish when the problem was likely to be solved and we're happy to give us local information about other possible dining choices etc. We waited a while before reluctantly taking a walk down the road to eat elsewhere but very thankfully by the time we had had a little wander away and back, the power had returned and half an hour later we were warmly welcomed back and sat down to a very enjoyable meal.We all ordered dosas which were hot, crisp and tasty - great. I can also say that their daal and their dry fried vegetable dishes are delicious. They brought us the wrong dish initially (carrot instead of cabbage) which we actually didn't mind at all but with no prompting we were quickly brought the other one as a freebie: Nice service.Compared with other South Indian food I have had I found their spicing to be on the light side and they are very light handed with the chilli. Personally I prefer more but this is a very individual thing. I am guessing that if you requested your meal hot-hot that you would get just that. The decor and furniture is perhaps a little tired and tatty, and the upholstery could do with a clean, but I know that I was not there expecting luxury ambiance and would much rather have lovely service and tasty food in any old room. It depends what's important to you, I guess.As I said, there is a lot of choice in the area but I am looking forward to returning here. South Indian is a wonderful choice for vegetarians and meat eaters wanting something different. In general it seems lighter and healthier than your standard Indian curry house with exciting flavours.Satisfaction all round.

I've been invited for a dinner at this restaurant by a friend who lives locally and went there with a group of friends. I have to say that everything was perfect! Amazing service (very kind lady!) and food was really good to. We ordered different curries, starters, rices (lemon and coconut) and naan and everything was good. Not sure how many beers we drunk and the bill was £20pp including service so a real bargain.The restaurant is small and quiet so you can go there for a romantic dinner or for a fun a night with friends. Recommend if you are in the area and want a good curry!

Being an 'anglo indian' with South Indian roots myself it was a pleasure to experience the traditional South Indian food that is on offer at this very warm and friendly family run restaurant. The taste of the variety of dishes ordered was absolutely superb & second to none - I highly recommend the fried lamb house speciality dish. The service and attention received from the staff was 5* and it's quiet obvious they are very passionate in what they do - which is the best! Will definitely be among the regulars visiting Kolam at Tooting. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I can defenestration reconnect this place to be among the most delicious and authentic curries in tooting. I never been there eating it, but couple of times my husband and I had this as a takeaway as we live in Streatham. The food was excellent, fresh and full of flavours! Shame they don't do delivery and my favourite coconut naan, apart from that the place is just ideal for a curry lover! Will definitely come back there.

We loved the place, and the welcoming thoughtfulness of the family that's running it. Fish curry was especially delightful but overall, everything that we had was great. We will certainly go back again.

Yesterday, myself and a dear childhood friend had our evening meal here, based on the excellent reviews I'd read on Tripadvisor .Well we certainly weren't disappointed. The food, service and ambience were indeed excellent. Lakshmi was a delightful host and took the time to explain how the dishes were prepared. For me, having been born in Mauritus, it was like having proper home cooked food, which one could actually taste. Most curry houses nowadays serve food swimming in GI and overloaded with chilli powder, to disguise poor culinary skills.I lived in South London for over 30 years and this little diamond is by far the best Indian restaurant I have experienced. Thank you so much Lakshmi and Raj.

My daughter's last night in the area so with everything packed up we found this charming, unpretentious little gem of a restaurant with an unusual menu, staffed only by a lovely couple cooking, serving and explaining the dishes to help us with our choices. Cosy, relaxed atmosphere. Other patrons all looked and sounded very happy. Good wine list. Realised we were onto a good thing when the Papadams impressed! Had a selection of starters but we hit the jackpot with the main course. We shared the Fried Fish and a Chicken Bhoona along with a dry spinach curry (Keerai Dry). Utterly divine! I could live on that Chicken Bhoona forever - absolutely delicious - exquisite flavours and beautifully moist. Haven't had a curry so tasty since living in Oman many, many years ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since! A most reasonable bill along with the smiles of our hosts topped off an unexpectedly memorable evening.

Rarely in the 4 years in Balham have I felt the need to review a place of dining, this place however, Kolham, just down from Tooting Bec station, attended by a lovely couple who served THE most amazing indian food, brought back memories of those trips to the far east. Be warned, your usual chicken masala is not what you would expect, SO much deeper (spicier) and tastier than the standard Engdian fare - naans and pooris (fried roti bread) that absorb the flavours and a chicken biryani with rice - I dont even like rice and I finished my partners...go for the Dosai for starters, get a couple and you will never look back.And to top it all off - the value for money, the bill came, left us speechless. You couldn't tip them enough to get it 3/4 of what it was further up the restaurants on the Northern Line.Awesome, if you can get past the need for expensive cutlery and lavish decor - get yourself over here - pronto.

This really is a great family run Indian restaurant. Great food friendly staff and not expensensive. Hope to be back one day....

We really liked the warmth of the staff. They helped us decide on the right amount of food and served it without much delay. It was fantastic authentic South Indian food that did not compromise on the flavours and prepared in the original way.

This is sort of place you could become a regular. The prices are cheap given the quality, the people are charming and the atmosphere is authentic. They cook food freshly despite the fact they know it means slower service. It is a restaurant working with a small scale personal touch and we shall be back. Thankyou Kolam folks for kindness.

Tooting has become a Mecca for South Indian food but most such restaurants are in Tooting Broadway. Hence not many people find the jewel of them all, the Kolam, a few minutes' walk from Tooting Bec underground station. We have been dining here for over thirty years and now our children love it too. Staff are friendly, the masala dosai is the best anywhere, and all the dishes in our experience are outstanding. Last night I tried the Goan Chicken Vindaloo and my wife had the Meen Varuval (fried fish). Unbelievably delicious. Atmosphere is quiet and relaxed - no overpowering music: good for conversation. This place is worth a pilgrimage.

Good food. However, being Indian myself I felt the staff were more attentive towards white customers. Turning up with my English husband got us a few odd looks which was a bit weird in London. We haven't been back since. But, well worth a try if you are up for it.

Friendly, attentive service and great food. My favourite curry place in Tooting, which is saying a lot.

This is the best Indian food we have ever had. The curry was great and the owner took time to explain to us that the curry dishes we ordered were made by cooking the ingredients slowly, which took a little bit longer. It was well worth the wait. My two teenage boys did not really like Indian food before this, but this experience changed their outlook on the cuisine.

Let's start off with two things I didn't like in what otherwise could have been an excellent night out.The naan bread was simply rubbish. It was like these supermarket naan bread one can heat in oven/toaster that resembles pita bread in all but name. Perhaps they got their in Tesco...The other thing was a misunderstanding where the waitress didn't make it clear my brother and mother are taking two mains instead of a starter and main as they thought (the menu wasn't that clear). It resulted in some people getting starters whereas the others stare at them while waiting for their mains, too many mains to fit the table.When the food came out it was delicious (apart from the aforementioned naan). The sauces were great and the vegetables fresh and nice.If you choose to go to Kolam of Tooting, make sure you know what you order and stay away from the bread. The rice is way better. It is quite a good Indian restaurant.

We make regular trips to Kolam and have done so for the last ten years. Having tried so many other Indian restaurants in London including high end ones, we are yet to find a place that offers more flavour, authenticity and richness than what we enjoy at Kolam. It has been recently refurbished and the quality of service, the personal touch and the atmosphere are second to none.

We found the Kolam today in Tooting. We had wonderful, and very tasty vegetarian meal for two. Starting with massala dosha followed by a main with three Currys accompanied with two separated plates of rice. I recommend a salty lassi for begin.A great expierence of the South Indian Cooking! Try it yourself!

Extremely accommodating and welcoming family Team. Tastiest dishes ever, all party from abroad enjoyed the food, the amicable service and interaction with all members of the family Team. Great evening where the noisy party were even having a sing song and hopefully did not distract other customers from enjoying their food!!! Highly recommend for truly authentic South Indian dishes. Thank you to Raj, Lakshmi and son and daughter for looking after us for so many years. Vina & Mohan