Rasa in City of London, Westminster

Great restaurant with highly authentic Indian food that arrives in those wonderful small metal bowls. Great service and jus great food.

Great service, Luigi was excellent and charming. The food was very authentic and the menu was very unique and just what we wanted. You have to go here. The owners try and make your meal as enjoyable as possible.

Has there been a new chef and/or management? I've been coming to Rasa for about 5 years now and it's always a fantastic experience... however this time we ordered pretty much the same things we always do and it was like a completely different place: Chemmeen karumaru - usually a delicious and very spicy prawn dish had no chilli whatsoever. If you're going to tone down the spice because you don't think the diners can handle it maybe ask first? Adipoli erachi - heat levels were ok but this dish tasted different (worse) compared to the amazingly flavoursome lamb dish we've been eating for 5 years (perhaps the chef has changed) Appam - previously one plate came with 2 pieces of appam as is pretty standard. This has changed at some point in the last couple of months and you're now paying £2.95 for one appam which is extortionate Wine - decent wine list but if you order white it gets plonked on the table with nothing to keep it cool We love this so much we are going to hope this was an off day and try it once more...

Beautiful place in a lovely neighbourhood, great service, super professional. Had a great night with some family here last weekend. Ordered many different Indian dishes and I cannot be to objective since I just came back from 14 days in India, so I think nothing was too tasty. Went for different ginger prawns dishes plus the big pancake and my gf had lamb that was a bit tasteless too. Shame, I will come back maybe some other time tasting something else.

We have been to Rasa W1 several times over the past years. It was one of our favorite Indian restaurants in the entire world. We were looking forward to returning on our trip to London. We ordered the Vegan Feast. We were so disappointed. The food was totally lackluster. It seemed to be thrown on the table with no thought or care. The main courses were horrid. I've had far better food at a buffet. It has declined so drastically it is incomprehensible. We would never return and would not recommend this place to anyone. How sad!! It had been so good on our several previous meals.

I had been there with a friend last year and knew about this place. So when we had a meeting in london i mentioned about this place and took approx. 8 colleagues with me. They accept only cash if you are going for lunch so it was inconvenient as people had to go looking for a cash point. Only two of us had vegetarian thali - a compact lunch plate and i had stale vegetable curry that had gone bad. So i called for the manager. He was arguing about it and when he smelt it he accepted and went away. Whilst I just had some plain rice and tried it with the other curry but had lost my faith and appetite. The manager did not show up till we decided to leave and came with a very little portion of another curry but we had stood up to leave already. For non indian people who donot know the taste, will never know if the food has gone bad until it reacts with yohr system and i would suggest it is a matter of luck. Pricing wise, £5 for a veg thali and £6 for a non veg thali may sound good but not when they serve stale curry. The manager was arrogant and initially said I'm lying till he smelt the curry and was convinced and had no courtesy to offer to change to fresh thali. With this attitude i am not sure i will visit again or recomme d this place to anyone i know. Thank God there is a McDonalds just around that came to my rescue!

Ein absoluter Glücksfall - ein hervorragender Spot für alle die indische authentische Küche genießen wollen!

Had lunch with a colleague at Rasa. Fabulous South Indian restaurant not far from Bond Street tube. Small, rustic, authentic and friendly atmosphere. Very welcoming and attentive staff. We opted to share a chicken and lamb curry with bread. Delicious. Reasonable prices. Typical South Indian menu. We booked to secure a table. Recommended.

This quality at this price can’t be beaten! Dishes are well prepared, quality is undoubtedly good and service makes you feel at home. The premises may need some renovation but the overall experience is great! I am a regular at Rasa, I enjoy returning there, feeling at home and having great Southern Indian cuisine at very affordable prices.

No more to say... best Indian food we've ever had. Top service as well. Located next to Oxford Street, great after a shopping tour.

Good food and warm service. Had appams and fishcurry. Topped with adappayasam and kesari for dessert. Good authentic Kerala cuisine. 👍👍

My sister and I headed to Rasa restaurants for some authentic Keralan dishes. The restaurant was filled with beautiful South Indian motifs and the food was divine 🤤 For starters we got: ➡ Pre-meal snacks - Achappam, pappadavadai, pappadoms, banana chips, muruku (A great mix, loved the 🍌 chips and muruku ) ➡ Pickles & chutneys - Garlic pickle , mango pickle, lemon pickle, coconut chutney, mixed vegetable chutney, coriander chutney (An impressive variety of dips, my favourites being the 🥥 chutney & coriander chutney) ➡ Rasa platter- Banana boli, mysore bonda & kathrikka (aubergine) served with chutneys (loved all 3 of these! A great dish to share 😋) For mains we got: ➡ Malabar erachi charu - Tender pieces of lamb cooked with aromatic spices, turmeric, red chillies and onions (A fantastic dish! The level of spice was to my liking, which is a little hotter than average 🙄 and the lamb was cooked perfectly👌🏽) ➡ Malabar paratha, A Kerala speciality - wheat dough layered, coiled into shape and then cooked on the griddle (This was nice, hot & crispy) ➡ Konju manga curry - King prawn cooked with turmeric, chillies, green mango and coconut (Another terrific dish! Absolutely loved the green mango & the juicy king 🍤 combination) ➡ Boiled rice (Cooked nicely and was a great sized portion) ➡ Appam - A type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk (This was being made behind where we were seated, they gave us one to try but I was too full to do so 😩) This is a hidden gem, right around the corner from Bond Street station. If you’re looking to try some great South Indian food, then this is your place! 😍

The food is simply divine and authentic. It’s the best vegetarian South Indian food I had so far besides my own home cooking.

We went to eat here for my birthday going by the tripadvisor reviews. I was really disappointed at the small portions, more like tapas. Further more the food was tasteles and the Biryani consisted of 4 little chicken chunks and a boiled egg. The restaurant is also overpriced for what you get and upstairs is freezing so bribg a warm coat.

I will let my photos do the talking. I went with my Indian colleague who ordered DOSA for me. Never had them before. Heaven! Service good and lovely little place just off Bond Street.

We had our second, lovely meal at this restaurant, which specialises in Southern Indian food. I can recommend the dosas - delicious! The staff are very friendly, and also very happy to chat about the food, how it is prepared, etc. Next time we are in London, we will be visiting Rasa!

I purchased a groupon deal to take colleagues to this restaurant as a thank you. I telephoned the restaurant as per the instructions, made a booking and stated that I had a groupon. When we got to the restaurant they informed us that they did not accept groupon at the weekend and furthermore could not find my booking. I showed them on my phone the call I had made to book but they were extremely rude and would do nothing to help.

As confirmed by our group member born and raised in South India. Light, tasty and spicy food. A bit down at heel as a restaurant. We had a great night hosted by the friendly and informative staff.

One of the best south Indian restaurants in central London. Authentic food, polite and helpful staff, excellent service. Have been going to this restaurant for the last 10 years and it is as good as ever

Hadde bestilt bord før vi kom, det var lurt denne søndagen - Remembrance Sunday. Rask bestilling, hjelpsom ansatt ga info om rettene!. Avslappet og rolig stemning i lokalet!

Great way to enjoy/try south Indian cuisine. We were almost 40 minutes late for our reservation on a busy Friday night but they still accommodated us. Service was great and staff were very friendly. Very reasonable prices and great masala dosa!

Visité para almorzar más temprano hoy y me asignaron una pequeña mesa al lado mientras cenaba solo.

We were really impressed with the service and quality of food. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Menu is full of options that satisfy all. We had the pickles and chutney, aubergine, prawns, chicken and lamb mains, plus breads and kulfi! Left very satisfied and will happily return.

Had another lovely lunch here today. Great tasting food as usual. The parottas were lovely and flaky. The kappa and fish curry was great too. Great location in Central London.

Authentic traditional Sri Lankan cuisine with calipso and bails music....... thank you for the management and the excellent serivice staff with grate hospitality........

I love Rasa which serves only vegetarian dishes from South Kerala cuisine. Banana Boli and Masala Dosa. Vegan and gluten free options available. When it is very busy it gets a bit squeeze though. Worth a try 👌

We are South Indians who love Keralan cuisine. So Rasa was going to ne visited at some point the moment we heard of it. Celebrating a special occasion we booked a table for 3 to include our 12 year old. The booking process though easy over the phone did make me wonder if this was the right thing to do as the person on the phone did not seem to be able to communicate well. We had the pickles & chutney with poppadams as a pre-starter which was nothing to write home about for South Indians. My husband rated the fish fry quite highly and my son and I thoroughly enjoyed the chemeen karrumurru (roast prawns). The chicken samosas were not a massive hit - not flavoursome enough I'm afraid. For mains, my son and husband shared the Calicut Chicken Kurma. One had it with paratha, the other with Lemon Rice. Was nice - not great. I had the lamb curry (cant remember which), nothing geat - ok. The appams I had it with were fantastic. The reason we'll go back is mainly due to the service and we reckon if we express we needed more spice in our food, they could sort us out. They gave us a plate of a mix of all the desserts they had with a lit candle on it. To my stonishment they actually sang happy birthday as well and everyone dining joined in as well. That was a beautiful touch and we felt very special (except hubby who doesn't like attention). Will go again.

Das Rasa W1 würde man in London kaum zufällig finden, da dieses Lokal in einer kleinen Seitenstraße gut versteckt ist. Ich hatte das Glück, von meinem früheren Vorgesetzten, einem Inder, einen entsprechenden Tipp zu erhalten.

We used a voucher here to have a three courses meal. I thought it might be good like Dishoom as how they advertised on line. But it’s nothing like that.

Had dinner at the Stoke Newington location. Great meal five of us shared different dishes and they were all quite good. The bill was quite reasonable as well.

Went with my daughter and husband for dinner. We had made reservations and the restaurant wasnt hard to find as there was a cute little pink signboard directing us there.

The exotic smells outside the restaurant weren't matched by the quality of the food. It was difficult to tell which was seafood and which vegetable. Two prawns were a bit dry and shrivelled. Other items were greasy. The service was very slow.

While shopping with my wife in London, we accidentally passes across Rasa W1.

Fuimos a este restaurante en una oferta de Travelzoo y mirando la clasificación tripadvisor tenía algunas dudas en cuanto al servicio. Sin embargo, desde el momento de llegada hasta la salida, el servicio era excepcional y sólo puedo suponer que quienes han criticado debe haber sido muy mala suerte.

Been visiting Rasa W1 periodically over the last few years.

Great food and people at a reasonable price for London its a great find.Would recommend it to anyone.

Hamnade här av en slump och det blev en lyckoträff. Fantastiskt gott, jätte trevlig personal och toppen service. Ett favoritställe och jag vill varmt rekommendera alla ett besök här!

We came her for lunch & couldn't fault the service or food. There had been some negative reviews about the service but we found it very good! I did contact the restaurant a couple of times beforehand though but received no reply!

Yo no recomiendo este restaurante. La comida es bastante buena, pero la comida estaba arruinada por el pésimo servicio. De sólo tres llegaron juntos, tuvimos que esperar más de 20 minutos para los otros dos de nuestros cinco entradas. Ninguno de los nan llegamos hasta que habíamos terminado el plato principal, las bebidas no llegó al pedido etc. No fue como si estaba lleno, ya que muchas de las mesas vacías. Lo siento por los chefs como su buen trabajo se ve perjudicada por la espera (si se puede llamar eso) personal.

Ich war zum Abendessen hier und hatte Roti Canai und Nasi Goreng Malaya, war beides ausgezeichnet und ist nur zum empfehlen.

Soy un ventilador de largo tiempo de la Rasa, pero esta es la segunda vez que he tenido una mala experiencia aquí. Esta vez llegamos en un tranquilo Domingo de lluvia, sólo el downstaris estaba abierto. Literalmente, sólo queríamos un almuerzo rápido pero nuestros camareros eran muy decepcionado que no estábamos pidiendo más y nos hablaron en algunas bebidas más razonable. También fueron asustados no queríamos empezar o budines. Me sentí presionado para pasar más. La comida estaba bien, pero nada especial para el precio. No volveré de nuevo en una prisa - estoy cansada de la venta sugestiva en restaurantes - como cliente uno se siente estafado.

Heden voor de zesde keer hier geweest. Doen we telkens we enkele dagen naar Londen komen. Ons hoogtepunt inzake culinair genot : het Vegetarian Feast (25 BP).

Das Restaurant liegt sehr zentral in der Nähe der Oxford- Street. Es ist sehr sauber und schön dekoriert.

Went there on a Wednesday night. The restaurant was not busy. We were served quickly. The service is just ok, some of the waiters were not really friendly. The food is good but nothing out of the ordinary, or anything worth coming back. The prices are on the medium high zone. The staff tries to make you order the "feast" but I suggest you don't. The feast is overpriced and you are better off ordering a few dishes individually. So overall good food but your taste buds deserve better.

Good ambience, located in a hotel, serving tasty food, tastes like home cooked. Though price is comparatively a bit more expensive compared to other Malaysian restaurants in London, but the food is worth the price.

Having just been to Kerala, we wanted some top notch vegetarian South Indian food - and we got it! from Dosas to classic Biriyanis, all tasted fresh and well spiced.

We ordered a starter and two dosas. To our astonishment, it took an hour for the first plate of food to arrive. Strangely this was one of the mains. We tucked away being hungry. It took another 15 mins for the next main to arrive. With both mains, we waited nearly another 10 mins for the starter to arrive (at this point well beyond an hour). to add to it all, the food was greasy and cold. Horrible experience.

Really enjoyed it here. I have eaten at many Indian restaurants in London and this is one of my favourites. Recommended to me and I will return.

Gut besucht am Wochenende - also reservieren. Central gelegen - aber familiäre südindische Atmosphäre. Viele Optionen für Vegetarier und Veganer. Es hat uns gefallen.

A nice range of selected higher quality dishes across starters and mains with a good selection to suit vegetarians Service was efficient and pleasant. Prices average Overall a nice place to pop into for a pleasant meal

I went to Rasa in Charlotte street around 15 years ago, then I tried both Rasas in Stoke Newington. I haven't been to one in some time but this one is lovely too. Everything we ordered was a little bit special and at reasonable prices - especially for this part of town. Always order the beautiful dry snacks and chutneys to start with. This time we had a fish mix grill, the cutlets were delicious. Then we had all 3 dosas - I think my one (the one with mixed veg was the best. The Sambhar is earthy and fragrant. The decor is cheerful. I'm still a fan all these years later. Only criticism would be that the cutlery was really chunk and hard to hold.

I love this Indian restaurant. It is not glitzy but in my opinion it has the best Indian food. I love the coconut chutney. The dosas are great and the mains always more interesting than the regular Indian restaurants. Most importantly unlike the Northern Indian food, it has very to no dairy and very limited gluten- most of the starch is lentil based. So I can eat yummy Indian food without worrying about butter, ghee or hidden gluten. Try it, you will not regret it.

Genuint, gott och dessutom ett väldigt mysigt ställe. Servicen var ypperlig!

Jag och mitt sällskap beställde in vars en god kycklingrätt med citronris (JÄTTEGOTT!) och kokosris och friterat bröd som sideorder.

Have been here and to other Rasa branches in london and have always found the food very good. It's still a relative rarity to find an Indian restaurant that provides a different menu. The set menus are varied with generous portions.

We arrived in the later evening, and were instantly greeted and seated. The staff was attentive and very informed. We had a number of dishes, and enjoyed them all. The prices were very reasonable, and representative of the dishes ordered. The flavors, aromas, and taste of each dish was properly represented, and you could enjoy every mouthful. We started with the Kathrikka, and then Vadakkan Koyi Biriyani (which we have tried in many restaurants) and this was one of the best we have enjoyed. Travancore Kayi Curry and Erachicharu rounded out the meal. Their Malabar Paratha was tremendous. The restaurant is older for sure, tables and chairs have been around for a while, still comfortable though, but if you come for food, don't worry about the decor, as that is really secondary. The food is most excellent.

Found this restaurant in central London. Food was good, menu a bit limited however. Service was good though there was a slight mix up with drinks ordered.

I was there last week for lunch with friends. The food is okay - just that - and the service is rudimentary. It has certainly seen better days. They try to do a hardsell on "Keralan" cuisine. There is no such thing as that. Kerala has different cuisines!

Vi tog sådan en tasting menu og hold nu op med mas vi fik. Det var super lækkert og rigtig god betjening. Klart anbefales!

Delicious aromas assail you as you enter which had my mouth watering. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with tables with enough room, so it is intimate but not crowded. I really appreciated the good acoustics. You can hear your companion without shouting and without the wall of noise you get in many places. We selected dishes from the starters, vegetarian and sides. Keralan fish fry consisted of beautifully spiced king fish. We also had aubergine curry and Savoy cabbage. The dishes were exquisite. There was no generic sauce. Each dish was prepared with great ingredients and the flavours and textures were gorgeous. The finest of Indian food. Staff are friendly, helpful and welcoming creating a warm, relaxing ambience. Would go again (often).

It had been a long time that an authentic Kerala haunt serving non vegetarian had been explored. The pre meal treat of achappam, pappadavadai, Pappadoms, banana chips and murukku served with garlic pickle, lemon pickle, mix veg pickle , mango pickle, coconut chutney and coriander chutney was the perfect start. The sea food platter with the crab Thoran, fish fry and konju (prawns) fry was equally delicious. The mains brought back so many memories from Kerala - koyilandi konju masala, kappayum meenum, varutharacha kozhy curry, Konju manga curry with parothas, appams and lemon rice. And finally payasam and kulfi as desserts. Overall an excellent Sunday lunch service was polite and non intrusive

The resturant was situated at nice locationThe ambience and decor of the resturant was good and the quantity served was good.All over our experience quality and quantity was very satisfying

Sono stata in questo locale su suggerimento di un amico che vive a Londra.Il locale è piccolino e curato, e sembra di sentirsi a casa.Il personale è gentilissimo, capace di consigliarci degli ottimi piatti.Di antipasto abbiamo preso il Masala Dosa, ottimo!Poi abbiamo preso il Bagar Baingan e Thakkali Curry accompagnati da Lemon Rise e Malabar Paratha. Spaziale il Bagar Baingdan.Qualità prezzo ottima! (50pound in due)

Today was my 2nd time i went there to get a lunchbox and i can tell you they are really nice.Good portition and good food.Will continue to go there for sure.

We came here hoping to replicate the experience we had at another Rasa restaurant that has since closed (Rasa Samudra) from our visit to London about 10 years ago and weren't disappointed. It was a Monday night so we didn't both to make a reservation and when we arrived were asked if we had a reservation. When we said we didn't we were shown to a table upstairs which was totally empty. Sadly we were one day too late for their Onam based menu. By the time we finished our meal the second floor was packed. We ordered three entrees, stuck to tap water and ordered paratha. The Vadakkan Koyi Biriyani that my son ordered was bland and I need ended up switching my dish, the Calicut Chicken Kurma with his and shared my wife's order the Bagar BainganAfter a minute or two of eating with a fork, I switched to the Indian style of eating with my right hand (Indian food tastes better when eaten this way). The service was good and the final bill came out to be around 60 £. Restrooms located one floor up were clean. The background music selection ranged from Malayalam film songs to Guns N Roses and Metallica (sounds like someone's nephew might have gotten into the playlist)We'll come back next time we're in London!

Fuimos dos personas, queríamos probar la comida por las referencias que habíamos leído del lugar pero no teníamos excesiva hambre, además de que habíamos visto que era algo caro. Al llegar allí vimos que los platos rondaban las 10 libras, de 8 a 12, pero que el coste principal residía en que el pan y el arroz se piden a parte, y las bebidas eran muy caras (3.5 libras, unos 4 euros medio litro). Finalmente pedimos un travancore cayi curri y un beet cheera pachadi. Fue un error importante no haber preguntado qué platos no contenían picante, ya que nos resultó difícil comer lo que habíamos pedido. El arroz (de coco) y el pan estaban muy muy ricos. Si no hubiera sido por la (a todas leguas excesiva) cantidad de picante, hubiera estado todo muy bien.Como se puede ver en la imagen, finalmente por un arroz y pan a compartir, dos platos y dos aguas de medio litro (las necesitamos por lo que picaba), el precio fue 31.75 libras (servicio no incluido). En definitiva, volveríamos pero preguntando por los platos no picantes.

We are in London every June and had the good fortune more years back than I can remember to discover Rasa--just off Oxford Street. We love Southern Indian cooking and can't find restaurants like Rasa in the States. There are so many things we like there--the dosa's--all of them--and since we go several times,we can get a different one each time. The cabbage dish is great, also the curries, and the parippu soup is out of this world. Eating it is a life-changing experience. The owners/staff have been there many years and we are treated like regulars even though we are only there a few times each June. We have taken many friends there over the years, and always get rave reviews from them too. It's a winner.

Met a friend for lunch. I can't comment on how authentic the food is but it was tasty. Unfortunately the experience was let down by the service. We had asked for a couple of more minutes but then were completely ignored.

It's a good sign when a restaurant is full of native people dining happily. My husband & I are Americans visiting London and found this hidden gem . It's quiet & unassuming from the outside, around the corner from a large noisy group at Bond Bar spilling into the street.The rosy painted walls with dark wood carved with Ganesh and other Indian figures decorate the room downstairs. There is a spiral staircase to the room upstairs. Colorful tapestries also adorn the walls. We ordered a curry chicken & a curry lamb. We also ordered 1 tomato flavored rice to share, 1 flat bread to share , and 1 salad to share. It was plenty for 2 persons. The curries are flavorful & complex, medium heat per request. The slices of cucumber & tomatoes in the salad cool your mouth. The cost was under 50 pounds.

While in London, there are many places for Indian food. For a reliable, tasty dinner, try Rasa. Don't eat here if you are in a hurry.

Visited here with my wife and two kids for lunch. The dosas arrived after an hour, the manager was arrogantly justifying the bad service. To top it off, he said their service is usually very good so one complaint isn't a big deal!! Won't recommend this place especially for families with kids.

Took my cousin who was visiting from Toronto.We were missing half the order so we were waiting 30 minutes to get all the dishes we ordered . Obviously food was cold by then - no offer to heat it up or replace. One of worst dining experiences I have had in years . Such a shame as had such fond memories of this place . Afraid I won't be returning or recommending . Go to Woodlands instead .

excellent indian cuisine, very friendly staff but they take their time, near to busy shopping area but quiet restaurant

The main thing going on its favour is that a Kerala restaurant as rare as a white tiger. Secondly they have the meal box which is decent value for money.The service was okay and the restroom was well maintained. The food was quite decent although nothing to write home about. The chicken / kozhi curry was nice, and parothas were average. I would give the mango prawn curry a miss as it tasted more like a prawn moilee. The texture was too watery for my liking. The Rasa platter can be given a miss. The beetroot / cheera pachadi is to die for.If you are desperate for Kerala food, then definitely this place is for you. If not then there are not any alternatives I know of in London. Sorry!!

Visited this restaurant with a friend as she had heard good things about it. It is located just off Oxford St, nearer to Bond St tube station than Oxford Circus station. The exterior is pink so you can't miss it. Nicely decorated with friendly staff, excellent service. When the food arrived, the first thing you notice is the smell which is heavenly. We had the plantain boli as a starter which I really liked and is enough for 2 people to share, followed by chicken masala curry, Erachi charu (lamb curry), spiced potatoes, rice, paratha and salad. Both curries were excellent, plenty of flavour but not too hot to burn your mouth. I will be back!!!

Great little restaurant. A little hard to find but worth it. Nice Italian red wine which is unusual for an india. Food was authentic and not too spicy, if your not familiar with south India food then go with an open mind and don't expect your traditional English Indian restaurant.

Waited for over an hour for appetizers and after 45 minutes waiting for main course, walked out. Servers were nowhere to be found and there was no manager when we asked to speak to someone. Worst experience I've had in years at a restaurant. Is there a no star option?

Went for lunch on Saturday and we were there by about 1230 pm. It opens at noon. Plenty of place , we were among the first customers, but the place rapidly filled up, clearly showing its popularity, considering that it is tucked away out of sight from Oxford Street in a quiet side street with hardly any other shops ! The main limitation of this place is therefore its lack of visibility, yet it seems to be doing very well on clientele ...Some nice very Indian authentic artifacts lying around, small place and rather crowded tables , more space on first floor, toilets on second floor involving a pretty stiff climbElaborate menu of drinks and food, very authentic, very different from curry houses, real Kerala food.A delightful change for discerning lovers of real Indian food.We had a tough time choosing whether to stick to dosa kind of offerings, or proper lunch with rice and other dishes, from the a la carte menu. We asked the staff member attending to us about the Rasa Veggie Feast which was a full meal offering various dishes to give us a total Kerala experience, and at the risk of this becoming too heavy a choice, we bravely went ahead.There is also a similar non vegetarian feast available for meat eaters.The a la carte options include various starters, various main courses and desserts, with very helpful descriptions of the dishes, so many very typically Kerala things with raw plantain, appams, coconut milk etc. Our meal started with a basket of poppadums ... but not just the usual, it included a few pieces of rice sticks, achappam, tapioca nachos ( mini poppadums) accompanied by four dips - two were pickles , two were chutneys - all utterly delicious and unusual.This was followed by starters which included three items , one piece each, consisting of a potato bonda, a sweet plantain bhajji and a medu vada. All fried very well, not soaking in oil, the unusual taste of sweet plantain fried in batter quite delightful, the medu vada crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, although perhaps the stuffing of potato inside the bonda could have been spicier.The mains were based around coconut rice ( surprisingly the staff member did not know what rice would be served when we asked earlier, he said it could be plain rice or lemon rice or coconut rice ! ) , appams, and three vegetables with gravy and one dry vegetable ( cabbage with shredded coconut poriyal ). The three gravy veg included a travancore curry consisting of pumpkin, beans, potato, peas and delightfully spicy ( not chilli hot ), an outstanding and unusual ripe mango curry in yogurt ( mor kuzhambu ) with spices, like a sweet and sour offering, and a superb spinach kind of greens with yellow lentils, mild and flavourful. All three were big hits. The cabbage was standard.The coconut rice could have done with some more spiciness, and more sesaonings. The appam was excellent . Finally, the dessert was the paal payasam, a milk pudding with rice and cashew nuts. This was brought piping hot, I prefer my payasam to be ice cold particularly in summer. And it would have done with some saffron, cardamom and raisins rather than just rice and cashew. So a bit of a let down, considering how good the rest of the meal was.Overall, the quantities were substantial, we could not finish it all, but then we are light eaters.Service was fairly quick considering how busy the place was. There is an "optional" 12.5 % service charge.A great experience overall

I have known the Rasa in Stoke Newington for years and was expecting something comparable. This was without doubt one of the worst dining experience I have ever had. Eye-watering (the bill not the curry). The venue was without atmosphere (I took pity on a dead plant and took it to the loo to be watered), poor communication and rude service, everything was overly sweet and unspiced. Half of us wanted a thali and were advised to order the vegetarian feast at £25 per head. Others ordered a starter and main £16 or so per head. What arrived was a small selection of bhajis and bland, sweet shared vegetable curries. We had a couple of beers each or a couple of glasses of wine, no desserts or coffee and the bill came to.... £58 per head for embarrassingly bad vegetarian food.Looking through the reviews there are several like this interspersed with ones that read like fake rent-a-reviews. Believe me, this review is real. Head to the original in Stoke Newington instead.

Très bon rapport qualité prix. De très bons plats vegans ou pas.La pâte à beignet est très fraîche et le pain (nan) est fait maison, à decouvrir

Ate here last night. Requested a table and was made to wait 10 mins standing at the bar with no word from the waiter/manager. Completely ignored. Very strange. We were then silently lead to a table and provided with stand offish and rather rude service. When splitting the bill the waiter ensured one of us paid an extra 24p so as the full 12.5% service charge was covered.Food was okay but won't be returning.

Los platos no son los habituales en un restaurante indio "estandar", por lo visto, son de una zona en particular de la india llamada Kerala. De los platos que pedimos, uno estaba correcto y otro fatal, que además de que picaba horriblemente (cosa que no advirtió el camarero ni aparecía en el menú), no sabía a nada y no se notaba lo que llevaba. Supuestamente eran unas lentejas, pero aquello era algo muy líquido sin nada visible tipo verduras o legumbres de ningún tipo.El precio estaba bien. Supongo que si sabes pedir o eres de los que preguntan al camarero por todo, la experiencia puede ser buena. Si vives en Londres está bien, pero como turista creo que hay mejores sitios donde ir. No digo que esté mal, ojo, solo que probaría otros sitios antes.

We went to this restaurant after reading rave reviews here, but unfortunately it was a complete let down. Food while is authentic is very mildly spiced which made it unappealing to us. The only thing we found delicious was the pre-meal snacks, which was flavorful especially with the drippings and chutney and the variety of items offered. Even though there were only two other patrons in the restaurant when we arrived, service was poor as the waiter seem completely uninterested. Nonetheless, food was promptly served.

The food was excellent as was the service. Friends in NYC recommended Rasa and thought we wouldn't need a reservation. But we did and on a weekday night - so make one. This is as good as it gets. Very helpful wait staff in ordering. Prompt service without feeling rushed.

Rasa has an interesting menu, with many dishes that are not on the typical indian restaurant menu, but generally I found the food just 'ok'. To be fair I have benefited from living near tooting for many years (where you are spoilt for choice in terms of indian restaurants, including south indian specialist restaurants, of which Rasa is one).I tried the fish fry starter (think fish fillet nuggets). Very dry. Dosa (nice), Prawn mango main (pleasant but a little odd and not something I'd re-order). I tried several other dishes too, and nothing made me want to come back. Service was polite and as attentive as it needed to be. Seating was timed. The meal was around 30 each though that only included one cobra beer as the group mostly drank water.

We were regulars at the Charlotte Street restaurant, which closed a while ago. This place, immediately off Oxford Street, serves consistently good food. The cooking is several steps above a neighbourhood curry house. Beware the spice levels, however, as some dishes pack a punch. It's undeniable that the decor is tired and the acoustics are poor. Also, the service is professional without being friendly - the waiters are perfectly efficient, but don't expect any banter. None of this detracts from the quality of the food or value for money. Definitely worth visiting.

Returned here after not visiting for years. The food is very true to southern india, especially kerala.Amazing aubergine curry. Everything was fresh, lovely chutneys. Overall faultless flavour packed and unique food.Only reason it's not a five is due to the interior which is fine but maybe a little tired but I will be back very soon.

Heard a lot about this place. Unfortunately the service here is quite poor. They are understaffed definitely but also rude. The food is ok. I am a bit skeptical on the hygiene side. This place is still like a old curry house. Not recommended given the choice of good Indian places in London.

Having recently returned from a tour of India, ending in Kerala we thought we would give this restaurant a try to compare it with the food we had on holiday. The restaurant is quite small so it maybe best to book, however as it was only 2 of us we were lucky. We chose to have the set menu which was was not the cheapest option. The food was delicately flavoured and very plentiful. The service was first class and everything was spotlessly clean.

We went to Rasa W1 last weekend with friends expecting to eat good food. Unfortunately, the food was not authentic. We know what Keralan food is. We had a friend who was from Kerala and has cooked the real stuff. The curry we ordered was sweet. Prawn curry with mango is not prepared like this. The other food was just as bad. The biryani was dry. A complete food disaster...Had the service been good, one could let it pass, but the waiter was rude and abrupt. Was that because I said that the food wasn't up to the mark and ordered something else? Just adding coconut into a curry does not make it Keralan...The masala mix also counts. This restaurant disappointed us hugely. We went in expecting a good and satisfying meal and it was just the opposite. For the high prices, this restaurant is not worth it.

Visited Rasa this week after not visiting for a number of years as we have moved out of London and it is just as good as ever. The best popadom tray I've had, super tastey dosas and the prawn masala curry is delicious. Definitely still my favourite Indian in London.

Mkt gott, med kändisar ( Nigella )som sitter bredvid och trångt med massor av personal som springer o pratar i ett. Många indier som är här samtidigt. Kul att se att Jamie oliver varit här också. Mkt gott! Trots att det ringer i ett o stressad personal hinner de skämta med barnen som ätit chili o ge dem omgångar med vatten :) toppen!!

Un local pequeño, y limpio. Muy centrico y conveniente. Trato muy agradable por el personal. Precio muy razonable para la zona. Nos explicarn cada plato y la forma de comerlo. EL "Festin Vegetariano" tenia una variedad grande de platos. Y no todos picaban. Sabores nuevos.Para repetir la proxima vez que vaya a Londres.

The Food in Rasa was typical Keralite Food. Liked the Food. I took some traditional Kerala curry with Rice. The quantity of rice was less but the taste was warmful and good. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. I also met the management of the hotel that day in hotel luckily. They told me that they have a culinary school back home. This hotel btw is on the side. use google maps to reach it when you are done with your shopping at Oxford Street.

Lovely food - please try their biriyani & dosa . The portions are good. Flavours are amazing.The staff is quite friendly. I will keep coming back :)

My cousins who adore South Indian food found Rasa while we on vacation in London. It was fantastic. We had a mango cocnut curry that was superb! Also, the desert, pistacchio kulfi, was divine - so richly flavored. It was really special for us to have such a wonderful cultural food experience in London!

I love Rasa. I visited after a ten year gap and the quality and taste is as good as I remember. If you like Kerala food - with its spices and flavours and use of coconut and banana, you will love this place. We are vegetarian and ordered a few of their options - eggplant, cabbage and a yogurt bases dish (moru something). All delicious. Reasonably priced and located close to Oxford circus. Service is excellent - we had a play to catch and they served our food to us double quick.

The service is ok and the food is quite good. But please bear in mind that when they say "mild spicy" it's already very spicy!!! The toilets are on the second floor but clean. You can eat well for around £10 at lunch time, satisfying and quick.

My husband brought me here for dinner on my birthday and we were really impressed. I lived in South India for 4 years and this meal brought back sweet memories. The food is delicious and the staff/owners are very friendly. We went for the vegetarian thali option and got to try a good variety. If you want to experience the true taste of South India, this is the place to go in London!

Have been coming here for years and hope to continue coming as long as this place exists. The owner and staff are always friendly and smiling offering great service and hospitality. The food is absolutely delicious and filling, full of rich spices and flavour. Absolutely love this place 10/10.