Few cuisine types have pervaded British culinary culture as much as Indian cooking. From your local curry house to MICHELIN Star restaurants, Indian food is an ever-present these days – and is understandably beloved by many. In Ireland, too, Indian cuisine has seeped its way into the dining scene and added a welcome hint of spice. Once thought of as somewhat homogenous, India’s regional specialities – from Kerala to Punjab, Rajasthan to West Bengal – are now more widely known and appreciated.
Here, we’ve gathered together every Indian restaurant in The MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2024.
Two MICHELIN Star Indian Restaurants
The MICHELIN Guide Ceremony 2024 was a significant day for Indian cuisine in the UK and Ireland. It marked the first time that an Indian restaurant in either country had been awarded Two MICHELIN Stars. This would be a landmark event in any case, but it was made all the more special by two restaurants receiving such recognition at the same time.
The two restaurants that are therefore now leading the way in Indian cooking are London’s Gymkhana and Opheem in Birmingham. Showing the great diversity of the British Indian restaurant scene, the two operations differ dramatically in their approach. Gymkhana focuses on traditional recipes, the kind you may have tried at other restaurants on this list, but executed with a level of technical skill that has rarely been achieved. Opheem, meanwhile, takes a much more creative approach and would better be described as ‘Indian-influenced’, such is the amalgamation of styles present in Chef-Owner Aktar Islam’s dishes.
One MICHELIN Star Indian Restaurants
Cementing its position as the best city outside India for Indian cooking, London is home to all six of the UK’s One MICHELIN Star Indian restaurants. Each one takes a slightly different approach to the cuisine, but they all add something to the rich tapestry that is the city’s dining scene. They are:
Amaya
Benares
Jamavar
Quilon
Trishna
Veeraswamy
You can read more about each of these MICHELIN Starred restaurants at our guide to The Best Indian Restaurants in London.
Bib Gourmand Indian Restaurants
Indian cooking has long been a cuisine type that lends itself well to great value dining. Based on judicious use of spices and layers of flavour, it makes great use of vegetables and less glamorous cuts of meat.
It should therefore come as no surprise that, as well as several of the cheapest MICHELIN Star restaurants serving Indian cuisine, there are also a host of Indian Bib Gourmand restaurants in the UK. As with the Stars, many of these are in London:
Dastaan
Empire Empire
Gunpowder Spitalfields
Hoppers
Kricket
pahli hill
Outside of the capital, brilliant value can also be found at Haveli in the Newcastle suburb of Ponteland and in the vegetarian dishes at Prashad in Drighlington.
MICHELIN Guide Recommended Indian Restaurants
Other Indian restaurants in the UK that have impressed our Inspectors enough to make it into The MICHELIN Guide selection are:
Asha’s, Birmingham
Bhoomi Kitchen, Cheltenham
BiBi, London
Black Salt, London
Bombay Bustle, London
Brigadiers, London
Café Spice Namasté, London
Chatora, London
Chutney Mary, London
Cinnamon Bazaar, London
Darjeeling Express, London
Heritage Dulwich, London
Kahani, London
Kanishka, London
Kutir, London
Memsahib’s Lounge, Cheltenham
Prithvi, Cheltenham
Purple Poppadom, Cardiff
Tamarind, London
Tamil Prince, London
Yaatra, London
Zaika, London
Indian Restaurants in Ireland
Despite much of The MICHELIN Guide’s selection of Indian restaurants being concentrated on London and the UK as a whole, Ireland is not entirely lacking in fantastic Indian eateries. All four are located in or near Dublin, proving that the capital is the place to be for delicious Indian flavours. Here are all the MICHELIN Guide Indian restaurants in Ireland:
Ananda, Dublin
Chakra by Jaipur, Greystones
Pickle, Dublin
Rasam, Dun Laoghaire
