La Porte Des Indes, Marylebone, London

Wonderful indian restaurant, excellent food. But honestly overpriced and as they are always pretty busy, the service is not always very good...
perfect place for business dinners

I have been a frequent visitor to this restaurant for many years and it has never failed to impress! - Excellent service in a lovely atmosphere; a jungle themed bar downstairs & very spacious dining area situated on two floors... I would not hesitate in recommending this restaurant to anybody looking for a wonderful dining experience and who likes a fusion of french & indian cuisine...

My favourite Indian restaurant in London. The Sunday buffet is a treat for the family on those special occasions or when trying to impress visitors from out of town.

If you can excuse the slightly OTT formality, the "days of the Raj" act and the price you are in for a real treat. The food is absolutely delicious and you'll look forward to your next visit.

Summary - Good, but not as good as Red Fort or Chutney Mary (but that’s maybe because i like slightly more anglicised indian food).

This place is HUGE! Very nice little bar area in the basement with a slight gentleman’s club vibe. I’m sure if you add together upstairs and downstairs this place could seat at least 250, maybe more. Very good curry, but not mouth wateringly excellent. My Poulet Rouge was tasty, the vegetarian platter was huge and the prices were actually very reasonable indeed.

Very attentive service (they wouldn’t let me pour my own wine!), but at times a little bit pushy. I’m very keen to go back for kingfishers in the bar, but i feel like better indian food can be found elsewhere in this part of London.

3.5-4 stars.

I visited La Porte des Indes on Wednesday evening. I had read the reviews and was very sceptical but thought as it was part of the Blue Elephant chain it couldn’t be too bad.

I was wrong!!! The food was cold and not very well cooked. The service was slow, the waiters seemed to need to ask permission every time we asked them to get something. It was very bizarre. If you would like a good Indian meal then there are a number of other fantastic restaurants for you to visit!!! I am of Asian origin myself and can tell you that this was deeply disappointing!

The decor is fine but not as nice as the Blue Elephant thai restaurant in Fulham. If you want a good Indian don’t

OMG - one of my favourite Indian restaurants ever.
The Tardis-like exterior is disceptive as it does not prepare you for the the opulence of the interior.

The menu is extensive, my favorite dish is the Aloo Dum - yummy potatos in a creamy, nutty tomato sauce. Delicious! The deserts are not that great - but then again I hate indian sweets (barfi, jambos yuck!) but the Belgian Dark Chocolate is gorgeous.

The service is attentive without being over bearing.

The interior - OMG where to start? They have a waterfall in the middle of the place. It gives a lush “conservatory” type ambience to the place. However its getting slightly worn-down and can do with some cosmetic updating.

Fair disclosure - I am a British Asian (of Indian origin) so I KNOW my aloo from my tikka. Having eaten indian food since I was a baby, means I have very exacting and discerning tastes. Most of the rubbish sold in supermarkets and at local takeaway joints that say they are indian food do NOT register with me (frankly I think they are crap - but hey no Italian person would say Pizza Hut is the real authentic thing!).

So you can bet that when I rate an indian restuarant in London its far exceeded my standards!

An excellent choice of restaurant!

The decor of the restaurant has to be seen to be believed…there is a giant waterfall in the middle of the restaurant with palm trees and white columns.

And then we discovered that it was not just a “gimicky” restaurant - the food was excellent! One of the best meals I had had in ages! We went for the set menu as we wanted to try abit of everything and a great choice. The butter chicken was so rich , I couldn’t have eaten any more and the fish was fabulous!
The waiter also suggested a German wine to go with our dinner which initially we had reservations about - but it was superb!

With impressive decor once you pass through it’s unassuming entrance, La Porte des Indes feels like a well-kept secret, an exclusive colonial-era club that serves a superbly crafted, well cooked menu sampling the best the sub-continent has to offer. At the top end of the price range for an albeit delicious curry, it may be something to enjoy as a couple, rather than a post-match dinner with the lads, but if price is an issue, you could always hit the buffet on Sunday. The sister restaurant to Fulham’s Blue Elephant, there are better curry houses in London, but none more grand.

This place is worth a trip just to check out what old school British / Indian work they’ve done with the space alone.

I had a Tamarind Margarita to start - it was way better than it sounds. The menu is inventive, a nice mix of Indian and French. I had a very tasty curry that I’d never heard of before.

I would try it if you’re looking for good Indian in a very unique atmosphere.

This place takes you back to the heyday of the British Empire in India. The place is beautiful and the decor is stunning....especially the waterfall feature. The restaurant is set to a British colonial theme with lots of plants and bamboos furniture etc.

The food in Indian and the menu has all your favourites. The cocktail list is extensive and very creative....Pina Colada served in a coconut shell!

The only down side is that is expensive but is an excellent place to take someone for a special occassion.

If you have been to their restaurant the Blue Elephant in Fulham Broadway then you will be prepared for this in Marble Arch.
There is a 40 ft waterfall and some very exotic flowers to set the scene for a very special dinner. The food is actually very good here and I don't thinkthat you will mind paying the high prices.

This place is absolutely fantastic. It had the wow factor the first time I dined here, and has not lost any of it's punch since. It has spectacular decor and an amazing range of imported ferns and flowers fresh every week. There are antiques imported from India in every available space and a marble staircase joining both levels. Soft lighting and a waterfall cascading down the centre of the room gives La Porte des Indes an amazing ambience.
The cuisine is the best Indian I have ever had, with a strong French influence, and there are some amazing cocktails (try Bombay dreams). If you have to wait at all, there is a bar equiped with bamboo seats and leopard rugs for the floor, and if you're extremely well off there is some very expensive alcohols on the drinks list, pricing up tp £4000.
It is a fantastic place for a romantic dinner, or a stylish night out with friends!

A really good restaurant with a deserved reputation for great food. At the top end of the price range this is a dining experience, not a late night curry joint. With a French colonial influence the focus is on high quality traditional dishes. The restaurant is massive, over several floors. Like its sister (Thai) restaurant The Blue Elephant the extensive vegetation, palm trees and babbling brook (oh yes!) are supposed to transpose you to the tropics. Sadly though it feels more like a rich auntie's conservatory that's seen better days. Definitely needs updating but shouldn't deter you from a visit.

My father took me to La Porte Des Indes for my birthday and it was fab! I'll describe...

The restaurant itself comprises a double-height ballroom with a sweep of imposing staircase and a domed skylight with a balcony area. Jungle themed through out, crammed with exotic flowers, that my grandma could not believe were real! There are even tigerskin rugs and waterfalls! Really authentic and really beatiful.

The menu was vast............. a strange mixture of French and Indian cusine. We all ordered set meals, where you received two starters and a main course with a vegetable side dish, everything that I ate was exquiste and look divine.Scallops & prawns to die for with inventive sauces. The only thing that we didn't think was great was the tarka dalh (lentils) which were sweet and not garlicy enough, perhaps they were trying to make the dish more modern? But it didnt work.

I ordered a birthday dessert which was a great variety of Indian desserts and ice creams with exotic fruits, all the waiters came out and sang a jazzed up version of happy birthday and there were even sparklers!

If you want a bit of glamour then try it out, the price isn't through the roof either!