The Arena Club and Sports Bar in Barnet

After going to the same restaurant in Kingsbury probably twice a week for the last ten years the waiter I thought was rude so I have decided to take my custom elsewhere. We have been to the Arena Club many times and generally when we go it’s very quiet usually not long after 6pm. It’s tucked away down a flight of stairs next to the train station so you really have to know where it is. It’s been here years with the same very nice owner. The staff are always nice and my aloo and dhall curries vegan are always very good. It has a lot of TVs and shows sports and I think it does get busy. Not too expensive and a nice curry.

Having lived in Bradford for many years, I am hard to please when it comes to curry. However, The Arena has captured my loyalty by the excellence of its food, its great staff and the friendly informality of its setting. Don't be put off by the entrance - easy to miss close to the exit from Hendon Central tube and down a shabby corridor and some stairs - the basement venue is open, light, warm and attractive.

Hi Went again for Christmas ⛄🎁 Eve and the food was delicious as always and service excellent 👌.There was a DJ who played festive music 🎶 and wonderful singing 🎉 songs. Well worth a visit for watching sports as they have 5 screens and if that is not enough a pool table as we. Keep up the good work. Bhaskar

I was so happy to be able to catch not only some of the IPL final, but the end of a football match I cared about too! All while eating some delicious chili paneer in a relaxed environment- life doesn't get much better.

While my partner goes there regularly for 'the boys' to meet for an Indian meal, I hadn't been for a few years! Three of us went for dinner recently, and I'm pleased to report all is well. The decor is ok, nothing fancy, just as before. Service has suffered a little bit as they are short staffed like most restaurants and other hospitality venues. But the food is as good as ever! This time we had a meat eater in our party, so we ordered a few non veg dishes. The veggie stuff (dhal, vegetable jalfrezi, and chili paneer) were just as good as I remembered them. I eat mostly vegetarian, but not 100 pc, so I was able to taste a bit of the chicken tikka and keema which were also very tasty. Service was a little slow but efficient and funny (she was the only one serving). Including sides like nans, rice, plus a few drinks, our bill was GBP65 incl. a tip. Not bad at all.

Been before and was ok. However this meal wasn’t great and had to ask several times for the coconut chutney which was much better last time this time so thick.My aloo was too hot. The kebabs tasted frozen. The chicken curry was like a supermarket curry. The lentil curry was the best. Papadams lovely and fresh. There were a group of men watching tv who were very loud. It reminds me of a working men’s club. Good for people who like to watch sport TVs everywhere. Didn’t feel like a dining experience. It is what it is and will probably suit some.

We have been going to this restaurant for past couple of years. Never had an issue, food tasty and service is top class Definitely recommend -

Waited ages for the main meal after asking several times, finally asked for the bill and had to leave. Really disappointing and poor service. Recommend not to go here.

I’ve been here lots of times over the past nearly 5 years & I have honestly never been disappointed. There’s something about the relaxed atmosphere, the pool table down one end & the restaurant seating/tables down the other end. It never feels dark even though your at ground level and there’s only a few shallow windows. There’s a massive selection of drinks on offer. The staff are always super friendly. The food, oh the food! The food is absolutely on point! Always served piping hot, fresh and well presented plus really well priced! I highly recommend this place to anyone far and wide.

Top quality food and service staff are excellent and food is excellent best Indian food i have had in London

The food is nice, i had 4 vodkas with my meal. When the bill comes I see I got charged for 8! I asked why I was charged for 8 and the reply was “we always presume a double unless you ask for a single” isn’t it standard that you presume a single unless asked for a double? Such a rob. This added an extra £20 to our bill unknown to us? Found it a bit of a joke.

Take away , ordered from here a number of times and every time it has arrived on time and piping hot, with some Indian restaurants all of the dishes can taste the same but with Arena everything that we order has it's own unique look and taste, never had a bad dish and all of our food has been very tasty.

This was our first takeaway during lockdown and I have been excited to try The Arena for some time. We ordered two chicken starters, crispy bhajias, chilli garlic mogo and the daal makhani. One of the chicken dishes was drenched in oil, it was a little off putting but once we wiped most of the oil off, the chicken was nice. We loved the vegetarian starters but found the daal makhani had a strange tangy taste. I have to say it didn’t taste right at all and we sadly didn’t eat it. We ordered our meal via an online app and had specified for no coriander to be used on any meals and if it was possible to have extra mint sauce. We were disappointed to see the food was covered in coriander and we’d only been given one tiny tub of mint sauce. My partner had to go to Tesco’s during our meal just to get yoghurt to help the meal. Disappointing that our notes weren’t taken into consideration!

The best Indian food in the area, this is an informal bar/restaurant where the food is outstanding. As it’s a bar there’s no particular rush to finish up so you can relax with some drinks before and after your meal. Also a great place to watch football on a weekend with plenty of Tvs. I can recommend the mixed grill!

Been here several times. The food is always lovely and good size portions. Most recent trip I tried the chilli , garlic lamb which was delicious as was the chilli paneer and jalfrezi I really enjoy the popadom sauce they have (red chilli one). Staff are always friendly. This is also a good place for a drinks

Entrée un peu difficile à trouver. C’est juste à côté du métro minuscule entrée. Personnel chaleureux. Plats délicieux. Prix tout doux.

I m very fussy about food but will surely taste the food as A*. Very polite, friendly and pleasant staff. Starters were amazing and mains were excellent too. The chef had catered to your individual taste, medium spicy mild and extra hot. I am super impressed. I would definitely recommend it to all. After a long time I had good Indian food in a restaurant. Ambience could be improved though.

I had been to this place for quite sometime. However as usual, the owner is friendly and helpful. The food was amazing. In fact I forgot how good it was. Every dish was delicious. Plates were empty. Now that’s a good sign. I’d highly recommend this place as it never fails.

He estado aquí varias veces y la comida ha sido deliciosa cada vez, ¡nunca he tenido nada que esté bien! Es un lugar muy sencillo con una entrada engañosa. Genial para disfrutar de la increíble comida india y el fútbol, pero no esperes una buena comida y mucho ambiente. El personal es amable y en general, realmente no te puedes equivocar!

Este lugar no pretende ser algo que no son.Soy un verdadero fan de eso.Es al azar una pelota de fútbol que muestra a la India, pero no de una manera brutal. Muestran los juegos mientras disfrutas de la comida.He estado aquí trabajando para comidas y bebidas navideñas, no una queja.Aquí con mis amigos para el curry y el fútbol y siempre tengo una experiencia agradable.La comida está golpeando, como algo realmente bueno y no tengo nada malo que decir, como que literalmente no puedo criticarlo.El personal es superior también.Por lo tanto, es posible que no haya mantelería blanca y flores en las mesas, pero para la auténtica comida india, y este es un buen momento, ¡este es el lugar para ir! !

Mi compañero se reúne regularmente con sus amigos allí. Hace unos meses quería enseñarme el lugar y nos fuimos a cenar. A menos que estés en el saber, nunca te aventurarás allí! Desde la calle hay una puerta pequeña y una escalera estrecha que conduce a un amplio restaurante en el sótano, con las ventanas que dan a la plataforma de la estación central de Hendon. Es un bar deportivo con muchas pantallas grandes para seguir varios deportes, pero también hay muchas mesas para comer.El menú es un tesoro de comida principalmente del norte de India. Teníamos tadka dhal, pollo karahi y tawa bhindi acompañados de arroz y nan. Todo fue recién cocinado con excelente sabor y saborizante. Ellos tomarán en cuenta sus preferencias personales y ajustarán el picante en consecuencia. A diferencia de muchos restaurantes del subcontinente, la comida no es grasosa. Disfruté todo lo que teníamos y espero volver pronto y probar algunos platos más.La decoración no es glamorosa, es un bar deportivo, después de todo, pero la excelente comida, el servicio cordial y el buen precio aseguran el regreso de los 'chicos' cada dos semanas, ¡y ahora ahora por qué!

Fuimos a ver un partido de la copa del mundo y también tuvimos la oportunidad de probar algo de su deliciosa comida. Debo decir que me decepcionó el excelente ambiente, el servicio del personal y la comida exquisita.Definitivamente recomendaría una visita.

Visité aquí el 17 de marzo ya que estábamos en un hotel local.

What can I say, very friendly staff, very tasty food, nice atmosphere! Everything is good about this place, therefore we visit this place regularly! highly recommended!

Esta es la segunda vez que estoy aquí. Buena comida y tan pronto como entras en el lugar el olor de curry éxitos.

Una ubicación fantástica justo al lado de la estación de metro y Hendon Central mucho más grande por dentro de lo que parece por fuera. La comida era muy sabrosa que grande el tamaño de las porciones, especialmente los entrantes. El kebabs sheek eran un favorito. Servicio muy amable y con buena relación calidad-precio. Sin duda volveremos.

I love this place, very cozy, tasty food. We go here every weekend. Service is helpful and friendly. You can watch TV on big screens.

I had a dinner here. The food is amazing and the staff are very helpful in suggestions. Overall, highly recommended.

El estadio del Club es un bar deportivo que también sirve excelente comida india. El bar está decorado con varias televisiones que puede mostrar una variación de deportes en cualquier momento. El menú está cargado con muchos platos indios y estos son de un alto estándar. El personal es muy amable y siempre te hacen sentir bienvenido. El bar siempre está lleno con una amplia selección de bebidas alcohólicas y no alcohólicas, así que hay para todos los gustos (recomiendo encarecidamente los cócteles). Sin duda a nadie que visite este lugar. También está justo al lado de la estación central de metro Hendon, así que es muy práctico para viajar a/desde.

Muy al azar indios vienen sports bar!

He estado en Arena un número de veces, y tengo que decir que tienen la mejor comida india (y eso viniendo de un indio). El servicio es excelente y el personal es amable. Lo recomiendo encarecidamente, entradas de Paneer Tikka y champiñones rellenos. Para maíz espinacas y queso principal naan (terriblemente bueno!). He estado con amigos que aman la verdura. Recomiendo encarecidamente este restaurante!

Got to be the best Idian food in North London. Possibly all London! Great sports venue but also not overpowering for just a relaxing time with family or friends. 10/10! Well done!

Fui allí con mis colegas para una comida, buena comida a un precio razonable. todos disfrutamos de una noche buena. realmente recomendado

Un sitio donde el servicio es fantástico. Los nachos muy recomendables y de beber un snake bite (muy típico). Se puede estar apostando a una carrera de caballos y a la misma vez estar atentos a todos los partidos de la liga inglesa, además si le preguntas a los empleados por algún partido o carrera te lo ponen gustosamente

Chef definitely knows what he or she is doing.. the place is quite nice with pool tables and sky channels. Overall, a great little place for friends and families to go out for dinner. Drinks are quite fab too. :)

A friend an organised a celebration event at Arena. I am not sure how you would describe this place. A mix of a Bar, Restaurant and Nightclub venue rolled into one. The food was Indian and prepared to a good standard. Overall we had a good time. The entrance is a couple of doors away from the Hendon Central London underground tube. It is a tiny single doorway entrance, so easy to miss. The entrance leads to stairs below into a basement.Towards the end of the evening, they opened the greyed out windows and it was possible to see Underground trains going past! A bit of novelty!I checked their food hygiene rating and it was 5/5. However, the starter plates, looked like they had been hand washed. I prefer plates which are dish washed. The main dish plates were spotless.

Dans le coin, je ne suis pas certaine qu'il y ait vraiment moyen de trouver mieux, c'est pour ça que j'ai mis 4/5. La nourriture indienne est bonne. Maintenant, elle n'est pas exceptionnelle non plus, j'ai déjà goûté bien mieux à Londres. Et s'il y a un match de football, ça gueule assez fort dans le café, ce qui est normal, c'est un endroit pour ça, mais pas forcément sympa pendant qu'on y mange. Par contre, si vous aimez justement regarder le foot et manger quelque chose de bon en même temps, vous serez contents d'y aller. Par contre, si vous n'aimez pas le football, demandez la table la plus éloignée du bar.

Found this underground bar and Indian eatery as an alternative to eating in the hotel I was staying in. Great service and food. Enjoyed the chicken 65 and lamb madras, worth every penny. Would definitely go back again.

Working away from home I like to try different places to eat. I went on trip advisor and found this place first impression you think it's a pub with its pool table ' fruit machine and tv's with sky sports on which is good. It looks nothing like a Indian resturant but I give it a try and believe me it was worth it a true hidden Gem would definitely go back 5 star

Walking past this unassuming club you would never know what is hidden here. We went on the tripadvisor reviews and we weren't disappointed. In the basement is a basic club that serves delicious food. We had onion bahjis and samosas to start, yummy! I had chicken biriyani and hubby had butter chicken, butter naan bread and dips. With drinks the bill was £30. We will go back.

I`m biased having known Naresh,the owner for over 20 years,but saying that you only have to read other reviews on here to back me up.The food has always been the best in the area,even when it was called The Bridge Club,Naresh`s wife did the cooking then.The atmosphere is second to none,no stale beer smells,great for footie and any other sport you want to watch,there`s plenty of screens around,football on one cricket on another.Can`t recommend it enough,always the best bar staff and Naresh himself plus pool and slots and as regulars know the best juke box for miles and miles.Finding it is easy enough,come out of station "Hendon Central"turn left couple of doors along you`ll see the sandwich board out side and ARENA over entrance.I`ll be there this afternoon watching my beloved CHELSEA FC,come and say hi,i`m the one making all the noise when the match is on,Delboy.

the food is great , had the areana starter platter and the butter chicken. The prices are reasonably. if you want a good Indian in Hendon this is the place

The food in this place is amazing. Try the Goanese fish and the butter chicken, and the peshwari nan. You would never know about it unless someone told you. I had a recommendation from a friend, and it more than lived up to it. Friendly service and also a great place to watch the footy if you wish.

We stumbled across this hidden gem this week. The entrance is easy to miss as its a small door with a staircase that goes down a welcoming enclave of a sports bar/indian restaurant. The service was second to none, the food exquisite, and the atmosphere electric, considering we went in to watch a game. I thoroughly recommend this place.

Food is amazing here!! Everything is properly cooked with loads of flavours. Doesn't mess up your stomach!!Nice vibe when the football is on, done a few pre drinks here as well then caught the train into central. Its right next door to the station. Owner and staff are very friendly and welcoming. 5/5

Went there with work staff last week for a night out party, pre booked table and food, all was ready when we came in. Food was amazing, fresh and very tasty! One of the best paneer ive ever had! Service from all staff including the owner from Arena was great. Even that there is not a lot of space inside tables were quickly moved after dinner so we could have a little dance floor :) Great night and great place to go out in Hendon! Thank You! We will defo be back soon!

I have been to the arena a few times to eat and during the World Cup ate in... This nine I took away our food, the service was great from the owner/manager, they are always attentive, you won't find a fine dining restaurant here, you will find great indian food in a bar/club/pub environment. We have never been disappointed when we have eaten here. The arena is in a basement next to Hendon Central station and certainly the best indian in the area.

Lugar para tomar umas pints e assistir jogos. Para quem curte futebol esse é o lugar. Movimentado e duvertido.

This is our local Indian and we visit every fortnight or so, usually with the Tastecard discount. The food is always of an excellent quality and the staff are exceptionally helpful and friendly! It's always a very chilled out and relaxed atmosphere - nice for a game of pool.

Imagine Dr Who's tardist front door, well its just like that. Open the door and go down and it opens up to a big area. If your not looking for this place you would walk right past it as it is only a front door and a canopy there.This is my second takeaway and have to say the food is second to none and this time I thought lets try the lamb and was not disappointing, it was cooked well and no fatty bits of lamb which was great. My only little disappointment was that don't do anything off the menu if requested but hey overall i cant knock the food so well done to the staff and the chef. "I'll be back"

Just yards from Hendon Central u/g Station a narrow doorway you could easily miss takes you down a steep flight of stairs to a spacious bar with all the goodies to be expected in a sports dive: large screen Sports TV, pool tables, slots and poker nights. At one end there is a smartly furnished dining area offering Indian cuisine, many original dishes amongst the usual popular ones. The owner is on hand to explain what is on offer and recommend according to your tastes. We were a party of four and chose a variety of items all of which were delicious, obviously carefully and correctly prepared by real professionals.Prices were reasonable enough to be able to just "pop out" rather than a special treat. My only reservation is about the atmosphere: We went on Sunday so the bar was quiet, but I would be concerned about the crowd on a busy sports night. This could detract from the enjoyment of a meal. However don't lose the pleasure, order a takeaway. I understand the owner himself is the delivery boy!