Veeraswamy in City of London, Westminster

With a name like Veeraswamy, one would hope to find atleast one South Indian dish in the menu. But the menu reads like a typical "India Palace" serving Chicken Tikka Masala affair. FALSE ADVERTISING!

Went with my family for a birthday celebration.The food was absolutely delicious.A wide variety of drinks were available as well.Service and ambience were good as well.Will definitely visit again.

The experience was a complete disaster, a total fraud. The food was subpar and highly overpriced. Nothing stood out as special. Initially, the lady who took my order clearly stated that there were no minimum charges per person. However, upon bill arrival, when I requested to waive the discretionary service charge, they insisted on a minimum charge of £55 per person. I mean, what kind of crisis-hit establishment claims Michelin star ! Total Avoid. There are better Indian places nearby.

Very nice place, a star restaurant with a long tradition. There is a large selection of dishes, the service is friendly and attentive. The dishes are unusual, certainly very good. Something is missing from the big picture, I call it attention to detail. The presentation of the food was not particularly good, and the service was sometimes lacking, e.g. espresso was served without sugar and a spoon, then the sugar was served without a spoon. The price is made up of several loopholes, there is a minimum consumption, then the side orders have to be calculated. There is also a 15% service fee, which is around €100 per person. Worth it because it's the oldest Indian restaurant in London and because of the location.

Absolutely amazing place. From the food, to the service to the atmosphere. We celebrated a birthday, got a window seat as requested, got a lovely surprise of a dessert to celebrate and well wishes from the staff. The decor is fab. The staff were really nice and attentive. The food was outstanding, full of flavour.

Excellent food and service. Fantastic all round.

Awful service, food was a disaster and untrained staff. do not waste your money and time. Better go to some other small place.

One of the Best Indian Restaurant in London, Delicious food, Excellent Ambience and superb service.

Excellent as always. This was my inlaws favourite restaurant beloved by them and their parents who first visited inthe late 1920's. Although we have not been here for 15 plus years the standards of both the surroundings and the quality of the food remain very high with Excellent service. All the dishes were excellent and full of subtle flavours

Spectacular meal, good range of options for non meat eaters. The goat's cheese kebab tasted unreal, as was the raj kachori starter. The biryani was simply amazing and a very good portion for such a high end restaurant! The black dal could be improved a bit. The srikhand chaat was tasty but a bit pricy for what it was. Excellent abd friendly service, amazing ambience. Would recommend!!

Beautiful place. Food is excellent and so is service. Some dishes are more impressive than others but overall it’s a solid restaurant to take a date or for a celebration. Not cheap and the drinks get you. I suggest starting slow and ordering more if needed. The chicken tandoori appetizer was divine.

Nice food but on the expensive side for what it is. That said, Central London restaurant prices are ridiculous these days.

This was our second visit. Exceptional food, attentive service, a nice location, reasonable price.

I went for my partners birthday recently for an weekday evening booking. We have been Tamarind (before revamp) and Benares so that is what my review is based on. Place was around 20% full with diners. Food was expensive (£55 for 6 bits of meat on the platter!) and service wasn't impressive for 15% service charge. Me and partner both had the non-veg platter, papad selection, lamb and garlic nans. Flavours were nice, though the lamb curry meat was very gamey in flavour. However we both had gurgling in our tummies next day. Off putting was how this michelin star place was a little below par from staff. They decided to spend an hour putting away cutlery in front of us, and our waitress had her friends seated on the next table and spent a good half hour talking about how she would arrange her social life with them, even called the head chef to their table with some free samples when all that table ordered was a few soft drinks. I cannot recommend and the small print requires minimum spend of £55 per head (we spent £150) and the place is anti- children really.

We felt extremely comfortable. A completely perfect evening. The service was really excellent. The food was wonderful. As the evening progresses it gets a little louder. But given the outstanding service and delicious food, you can more than get over that.

I can truly recommend this place. Really nice decor and vibe + loads of natural light during the day! Food is delicious and staff very professional. Considering food quality and location I think it's reasonably priced. There was no issue getting some leftovers packed to take away.

Very delicious food but expensive The reception is beyond bad, but the waiters are excellent The food is delicious, but you have to eat spicy, there is nothing without their spicy

Born and grew up in central London... have been aware of Veeraswamy for very MANY years - taken me far too long to actually go there. A super evening... Food was really great and lovely staff, helpful and knowledgeable who really enhanced our experience. Was a special occasion - so we did push the boat out a bit - but a really enjoyable night. Already planning when we can return!

Soo bad But the food good , and the cook is same watar

The food was amazing, specially the lobster and the lamb shank (meat was so tender, melted in our mouths), best Indian food I've had in London.

The restaurant was absolutely stunning, the food was memorably delicious, and the staff was attentive and so kind. We will be back anytime we are in London. Thank you for a fabulous evening! We had a duck vindaloo, beet croquettes, and crab biriyani, it was all so incredible!

I have visited Veeraswamy and the other 2 'elite' restaurants of this restaurant chain in the past when they were still inclusive. The food used to be alright and I remember having a fun date night a few years ago at Veeraswamy and another party at Chutney Mary when it was in Fitzrovia. Recently though, it is such a pity that the company has turned these restaurants into elitist spaces. The minimum spend per person is between £55-85 so a party of 4 has to, I mean has to eat for (or pay regardless) £200-£300 for a dinner. I mean honestly in this time and age, restaurants still do this sort of atrocity? They also don't allow children under 10 except for weekend lunch which to some extent I can understand however I remember in the past, they used to allow children between 5-10 years of age for early dinner during week days. What happened to the management now? Why such blatant snooty and elitist attitude, effectively alienating a huge segment of customers (or redirecting them to so called poorer cousins the Masala Zones)? Appalling honestly. Such a pity because there aren't that many Indian restaurants that offer a good ambiance for special occasions so it is a terrible injustice to customers when the restaurants who used to once upon a time be special occasion places become so money obsessed and exclusive.

Simply fantastic! Every element of the meal was superb and service was first class. We did the pre-theatre menu, which is extremely good value at £34pp for 2 courses! With many set menus on the cheaper side, you expect small portions but that was no the case at Veeraswamy, and the selection of dishes available included some of the best items from the A la Carte menu! I would highly recommend this historic establishment to anybody that enjoys traditional Indian cuisine! We will be visiting Chutney Mary later this year and we would have visited all three restaurants in this group, I would also recommend everyone reading this does the same!

Nice and formal ambiance. I tried the vegetarian tasting menu and I give overall 4 star. Nothing out of the world for me to give 5 star:. Rest the service was good.

Ils demandent de dépenser une somme minimale par personne s'il y a des enfants. Donc ce n'est pas qu'ils ne les veulent pas pour une raison de calme mais juste pour optimiser la table. 😅

Michelin star quality shines through here, great traditional decor and classy food with great service

Beware - they won’t do takeaway containers any more. We only ate 1/5th (maybe less) of the chicken biryani and were told they stopped doing containers a few months ago because people complained about food poisoning. They didn’t offer to take money off the bill. I could have declined the service charge but that would be unfair to the server. The food also wasn’t as good as before - maybe because we went for lunch.

Lovely welcome by the staff with quick and friendly service. The staff were wonderful, answering questions about the menu and also offering helpful suggestions. The menu was amazing - we had the lunch menu and I was surprised by the number of different options available - similar lunch menus usually offer two or three choices but this had five or six per course not including the vegetarian selections. The food was really good: beautiful presentation and deep rich flavours. Quality really good as was portion size - perfect. Desserts were great, cocktails were strong and the wine was fine. Overall: we had a very nice time, great food, lovely service and good value for money.

The space is sumptuous and inviting. Even just getting in the elevator, the delights of curry smells envelop you. Very attentive staff and our table by the window was lovely. Nice starting cocktails, especially the Malabar Martini featuring cardamom gin. We ordered the Tasting Menu in order to get a bit of everything. The amuse-bouche mulligatawny soup was amazing; I wish I could make one that good. The two tandoori dishes of Green Prawn with coriander, mint & chilli and Angara Chicken Tikka coriander chutney were both outstanding and I'm starting to wish that I, like Heston, would dig a tandoor oven in my backyard. However we weren't thrilled with the four curries — Lobster Malabar Curry, Chicken Makhani Masala, Champaran Lamb (Roghan Josh of Bihar), Fresh Pineapple Curry. All three felt rather one dimensional. The lamb in particular was tough when I wanted succulent bites. The accompanying naan was good, but not pillowy soft as some in London are. The rice was unremarkable and lacking in the perfume of jasmine rice. Dessert was a very decadent chocolate ganache with tart fruits. All in all, a good meal that slightly missed perfection.

It could not be beat. I know a thing or 2 about this kind of food and service...

First time here and it was fantastic. Delicious food and attentive service without being intrusive. Restaurant decor was very nice. Really enjoyed the sharing starter platter - gilafi sheek kebab, tandoori green prawns and angara chicken tikka all of this tasted wonderful. Chicken biryani was superb it was cooked fresh and layered with chicken. Champaran Lamb Rogon Josh was very good and had the right spice and heat. Staff kindly gave a complimentary celebratory dessert (chocolate ganache) and we also ordered the coconut and jaggery brûlée and masala chai. Coconut and jaggery brûlée was divine. Can’t wait to come back again and try the prawn curry and lamb chops.

Veeraswamy is London’s oldest Indian restaurant and it is by far my all time favourite place to go for delicious and top tier Indian food. The atmosphere is lovely and the restaurant is beautifully decorated. All of the staff who work there are always so kind and friendly and the food is exquisite. I always love going to Veeraswamy because my expectations are not only met, but they are always exceeded.

We took my parents to celebrate their 80th at this establishment but sadly it didn’t live up to our expectations. The decor was far from what is advertise on website and looked more like any other Indian restaurant. The service was chaotic, staff not attentive and generally handing around the bar too much. The table wasn’t cleaned after each course or of any mess made. What was the most disappointment, was the food. When our starters came out, many of the dishes were Luke warm at best. Same was said about the main course. As mentioned by other reviewer, the wine was serviced warm, despite asking the staff to ensure the wine was well chilled. In my opinion, the experience doesn’t warrant its 1 star status and they take our feedback on board.

The best Indian restaurant in London. I had lunch with my wife and we ordered Chicken Beryani and Chicken Makhani. The food was very tasty and delicious. The service was perfect and the staff at the restaurant were very friendly. I also had a dinner and celebrated our anniversary in this distinguished restaurant. They offered us a complimentary sweet stamped with congratulations.

last year on out annual visit to London we eat in the sister restaurant Chutney Mary's so this year we tried out the "Oldest Indian Restaurant in London" - we'll we were not disappointed - it was very good indeed, but because of the size o the group 7 in total we were only able to get a table for 21.00 which was a little late for me to he honest. However in saying that the food was just top drawer, very good indeed, I had the "Duck" as a mail course it was very good indeed, and the Lobster as a starter was equally as good, - I'd have to say the atmosphere was a little dull, but we made up for it - will be back when I've tried some more restaurants on my bucket list

Tried this place for a work dinner. Excellent location, tucked away in the heart of Oxford Circus. The venue builds on many years of experience in the industry and you feel you’re in safe hands. The staff are very professional and attentive to your needs and order specifics. The service is timely. The food is quite delicious, Indian fusion with modern touch. I was less impressed about the deserts though. The atmosphere is quite dim and could use if some light music in the background.

Lovely place, service was excellent and the food outstanding

Authentic food in a nice atmosphere 😍

Amazing food, lovely service. The only shame was for a very expensive wine served lukewarm, and not even presented with the bottle before pouring. It's a small detail but that kind of restaurant, it's really something basic to address.

Outstanding place, food and service. The staff is so gentle pro and nice!!!

من افضل المطاعم الهندية في لندن بنسبة لي

Londons ältestes indisches Restaurant. Alles war gut. Die Speisen waren qualitativ gut und geschmacklich tadellos zubereitet. Der Service war sehr hilfreich und zuvorkommend.

Had my birthday celebration here. The dress code is formal. The food and the ambiance is great！ We ordered many things to share. The restaurant is big，and has a few private dining rooms as well. The waiters and waitress are all friendly and welcoming，just the efficiency of the service could be improved a bit. We brought our own birthday cake and the restaurant gave me a mini cake as complimentry for birthday girl.

Best indian restaurant i have been to

Wonderful wonderful food and just awesome taste

Amazing Indian food. Lots of great vegetarian options. They helped me celebrate my birthday in style with a complimentary dessert. One of my favourite Indian restaurants in London. Great drinks too! Highly recommend and will be back!

Food tastes good but not amazing, staff are friendly but it's not the five star service you'd expect, I'm 23 years old and even I found it difficult to see anything in this restaurant because it was so dark. Been to its sister restaurant Amaya which has better tasting food in my opinion

Absolutely incredible! Amazing food and service. We had the taster menu so we could try lots of different things. Everything was so well cooked and great flavours! Cocktails were lovely too! Thank you for a lovely afternoon!

One of the best restaurants in the world 🌍

اكلهم سيىء و الخدمة سيىء واسعار غالية ميسوى 🤢 Their food is bad, the service is bad, and their prices are very expensive

On a business trip in 2022 with appointments in Soho, we discovered the nearby Veerasvamy and immediately took it to our hearts on our first visit. The location is good, the ambience pleasantly luxurious and refined, the food excellent and the service sophisticated. Since then, we have been back twice more and the high standard has been maintained with every visit and every single dish. In our opinion, the restaurant lives up to its history and its own high standards in every respect. We travel a lot internationally and Indian cuisine is one of our favorites. Veerasvamy now ranks high on our worldwide list of Indian restaurants and favorite restaurants in general. Thank you very much, we look forward to our next visit!

Best Indian food I've ever had. Very tasty and light. I'd highly recommend.

Great dinner....the tasting menu was excellent

Terrible service - had wine spilt on me. Food gave me the runs almost immediately. Not what it used to be in its heyday. Dreadful.

Had a great time at Veeraswamy! The ambience and food were delightful, but the major drawback was the portion size – it was too small for most dishes. As a result, we ended up paying more than £100 per person.

Though it was really good, I felt that the lamb chops were expensive for the quantity. That being said the service was impeccable and the food was really good. Recommend.

Five stars just for the fact that the chicken has saffron in it, an incredibly rare find when so many other restaurants claim to use the ingredient without actually doing so. Service was good and friendly and I dug their take on gulab jamun as well 👍🏽

I'm a huge fan of Indian food. Veeraswamy was the best Indian restaurant I've ever been to.

Absolutely delicious dinner. Special mention to the lamb champaran curry which was the best curry I ever had! Icing on the cake: the staff was absolutely brilliant. Attentive, professional, kind. Kudos to the Veeraswamy team.

The food was delicious. Specially, the crab biryani.

Veeraswamy was our favorite restaurant in London. We had not been back to London in more than 10 years so were hopeful that it was still good. Not only was it good, it was outstanding. During Covid they took the time to remodel and the place looks great. The service and food were amazing. Can't wait to go back.

5 star simple as that. Food and service where exceptional as you would expect.

Went here to celebrate our anniversary. Amazing experience and super delicious food. We got the tasting menu which was very filling and delicious. The highlight was the chicken Tikka starter - which even though I've had it a million times at various places - this one was the most tender and flavorful chicken I've ever had. Will come back for sure.

Not fully Halal- ask which dishes are halal. Good service and decor. Food is okay. Nothing noteworthy. Their famous kachori is fine as a starter but nothing special. Biryani was average. Rice well cooked and soft but chicken seemed a tad undercooked. In this price bracket, there are better halal fancy places for food. I wouldn't say food is Michelin star level but worth a visit once for the ambiance and decor (better than other Indian Michelin star in London)

A must visit restaurant in London. Excellent food and service. Top management team too which is why they are deservedly the best!

We dined on a Sunday evening and the place was full so booking is definitely recommended. The restaurant is located upstairs (there is a lift) and has a really homely atmosphere. Staff were really friendly and attentive and the food was delicious. We opted for the tasting menu which was £75 pp (all table needs to have this) which for a Michelin star restaurant I think is reasonable. Food was outstanding, every course was delicious and the portions were perfectly sized. Rice and naan breads are plentiful and they are happy to bring more if required. Highly recommended

Lovely lunch today with fantastic service. Big meals as normally go for 1 main to share and 2 starters at Indian restaurant but were happy to pack leftovers for us Papri chat starter was beautifully made and very authentic! Thanks

Great location and history. Staff were very attentive - thank you. Favourites were the mixed non veg starter, chicken makhani and slow cooked lamb for mains paired with the Spice Route Bushvine Mourvèdre red. Downside small portions

I was not allowed to enter simply because I was wearing shorts

Amazing as always, my partner and I have been coming here for years and we can confidently say that It is our favourite restaurant in London!

Veeraswamys is London's oldest Indian restaurant set up in 1926. It is located in the heart of London on Regent Street. The ambience is luxurious but conventional. The food overall is geared towards a milder palate and the curries did not taste very authentic. But the starters were excellent with the grilled meats and fish having a lovely melt-in-the-mouth consistency and great flavour. The desserts were delicious too. Overall, Veeraswamy is a conventionally good Indian restaurant with all the classics but faces tough competition to stand out among a crowded field of amazing Michelin-starred Indian restaurants.

A glorious meal in a gorgeous place. And the staff are wonderful. Genuinely one of the best meals I've ever eaten.

10/10! Great food, great coffee, great staff! Best indian restaurant in town 🔥

Tasting menu was awesome - we especially loved the lobster and chicken curries. I was less into the lamb (but I generally don’t like lamb) and pineapple (a little too sweet for me) but they were still fun to try. Neighborhood is super touristy but once you’re inside it’s a great vibe

Great indian food in one of londons oldest Indian Restaurant

Delightful experience with very friendly staff who were welcoming and attentive. The food was delicious.

It was amazing to back this place and we enjoyed our time there. The foods and service was really good. Highly recommend.

Wine Pairing Price = $56 (45 British pounds) Retail Value = $12 Markup = 480% There were 4 glasses paired with the meal. It's lovely that the restaurant will print on the menu what they are in advance. Generally, the retail cost the bottles was $27, except the rosé appears to be exceptionally cheap under $10. None of the wines were exceptional, but they all paired well with the meal and wer nice sized pours (probably 3.5 ounces). The food was so delicious. I loved every bit of it. Service was great as well as the ambiance. I would definitely return, but get a bottle of something or go by the glass.

Amazing fine dining experience !!! The food is authentic and very well pre paired…. The verity of dishes make it a perfect option for a special occasion

Drinks were good but the food was below average - like Indian food made for the European palette. Service wasn’t great; considering the Michelin rating. Staff were huddling in groups, too many of them around; fumbling, dropping things and rushing around. Ignoring us when we tried to get their attention. Ambience could’ve been improved as there was no music, just talking. Disappointing experience.

I love eating here, a truly exceptional Indian restaurant with great service in a prime location. I've eaten here with many Indians who praise the food here as being some the best they've ever eaten.

Veeraswamy is UK's oldest Indian restaurant that is a Michelin Star restaurant. It is one of the best Indian restaurants in the whole of the UK. I have visited multiple times and have taken many guests along. Without fail it has been a thrilling experience. First thing you notice is the way you are welcomed at the entrance on the ground floor by the friendly Doorman. As you go up, the smiling lady Hostess makes you feel special. After you are shown to your table the Waiting staff are extremely knowledgeable about the dishes, it's contents, spice levels, popularity, etc. The ambience of the restaurant is very nice. Even though the restaurant is not too big, the tables haven't been placed too close to each other. You still feel like you have some space around you. The food is the best thing about Veeraswamy. You will not find your regular run-of-the-mill curries from your local curry house or balti here. This is authentic dishes from various parts of India, with a small variation that is a signature approach that Veeraswamy has followed. If you taste the food here, you would love to keep coming back for more. Overall the experience is truly enjoyable. Every time I have a guest here, I have got compliments on my choice of restaurants. Thank you staff of Veeraswamy for never letting me down.

I visited Veeraswamy restaurant to celebrate my partners birthday this week and was absolutely blown away by the experience, the Food and its flavours were to die for, service and ambiance of the restaurant were outstanding, The staff made the visit extra special for the occssion by bringing out a decorated happy birthday dessert plate which was lovely. Overall would recommend a must visit if you are in the area for indian cuisine.

Having been a bit disappointed with sister restaurant Chutney Mary, I was super impressed with Veeraswamy. From the doorman, to the lift, to the welcome...it was superb. Food much better than CM. Grilled prawns were huge and juicy with such a fresh green chutney. Lamb kebabs just spicy enough. Fabulous Duck Vindaloo. Butter chicken was probably the best I have had. Sublime Biriani. Excellent cocktails, worthy of any specialist cocktail bar. Good wines by the glass too. Exemplary service. Very helpful and lightning quick. Ok, so pretty expensive. But really is worth it for the overall experience.

Called to book table and dealt with a very rude receptionist( rozina) who was talking over me, and refused to call the manger,we have been here many times with kids and nanny, but this occasion the no kids policy was inforced on us, so which one is it kids or no kids, or when your sales are low and need custom it allowed, will make sure non of my clients use this establishment again. And stop employing hood rats who are on ego trips

Amazing experience, could not recommend enough!

Phenomenal dishes, service, staff and lovely ambiance. My husband and I ended up dining here twice. Both their lunch menu and the tasting menu for dinner were amazing. Every dish is thoughtfully created— the quality of ingredients, culinary techniques and the harmony of flavours truly guarantees an outstanding experience.

Everything was spot on!! Loved it ❤️

Excellent dinner - so full now. Varied and unique menu and knowledgable and friendly staff. Visited a few years ago with work and wanted to bring my wife this time. We both really enjoyed it.

What a fantastic gem of a place. Went here for my 50th birthday before a trip to the theatre. The food was outstanding and the staff absolutely fabulous. Only negative was that we didn't have time to stay longer. Will definitely return should we visit London again! highly recommend

We had our wedding reception in the Palmer Room at Veeraswamy 20 years ago and came back today to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The food and service was exceptional and we had a wonderful meal.

A very enjoyable evening post attending the Royal Academy.

Very nice place .. extremely high quality Indian authentic food you can taste.. very freshly made from kitchen.. -Restriction for kids can enter above age 10. -and you need to book in advance.. Its always full for evening dining.... we were Lucy we went in afternoon booked via phone call 10 minutes before entering it in.

Have you ever had a meal that was so incredibly moving, you cried? The emotions that the food here illicit are undeniably powerful. If I could give this culinary kingdom more stars, I would! Everything I had was beyond words. Go, just GO!

Every dish that we ordered was so flavourful especially Rogan Josh and chicken masala are both our favourites. My partner and I had an amazing evening at Veeraswamy, we love the restaurant ambience and big thumbs up to Sonya she is very attentive and always make sure that we are enjoying our moments.

In London, you can find one of the best Indian cuisine experiences at this restaurant, which has been awarded a Michelin star. Wonderful flavors make it a must-visit.

one of the best Indian food in town

Lov it lov the receptionist, the service, the samosa the table end of the night they made my day thank you

Best Indian food I've ever had!

Very nice food although expensive a good place for a special occasion