Veeraswamy Restaurant

"Indian" food is my vice and I have bad it for a long time. Purely because V iis the oldest restaurant meant I had to add it to my list along with the spurious Top 10s etc.

I knew it was expensive so had waited for my 50th birthday to justify dragging the family 120 miles south for a curry.

Every restaurant will have mixed reviews, why? The decor is impressive but I have seen better. Whether the the food is poor, good or excellent is your opinion, I think this is often down to people not really knowing what they've actually ordered. Indian, Pakistani and the more common Bangladeshi restaurants have their own characteristics.
My tip for a good meal is take your time, talk to the waiter and question the menu and (if in doubt) make sure you know exactly what your getting, it's your money. One man's bhuna is another man's mulligatawny.

My experience was overall very good but it I thought it wasn't worth the money although my wife & kids did. I particularly disliked the fact that none of the staff had Asian heritage but appreciate it could be different on another night.

Good choice of curry

Staff = good
Food = good
Price = High
Value = average
Location = close to Oxford St shops

Overall _good atmosphere and we will go again.

July 2010

Went again and was delighted

Atmospheric, friendly, easy access
colourful ...somewhat special

Not your average Indian! Stands a head above the rest, menu was very different to usual Indian restaurants. Cooking style was very light compared to many heavily oiled dishes at other places. Staff were very polite and the service was great. Highly recommended.

Established in 1926 (on the same day as Queen Liz's birth), Veeraswamy is Britain's oldest Indian restaurant, one of London's oldest surviving restaurants and possibly one of its most lauded. Indeed, National Geographic reckons Veeraswamy is among the ten best “destination and special restaurants” in the world. If you've got the cash, love Indian cuisine and fancy a superb view over Regent Street, I highly recommend a visit.

Menu highlights include a starter course of irresistibly crisp green leaf and okra bhajias (whole okra and leaves of fenugreek, ruby chard and mint coated in a light rice flour batter, £9) with a particularly creamy coriander and mint sauce and a tangy tamarind chutney with pomegranate seeds. For the main course, consider the Sholay chicken tikka smoked with garam masala (£9 as a starter, £18 as a main). Charred right bits of especially tender chicken with a bit of kick, I'd definitely choose that dish again. Another item I'd certainly be keen to enjoy again is the side dish of fresh pineapple curry (pineapple, curry, mustard and green chilli, £9). Unusually savoury, I'd go back for it alone. Veeraswamy's flaky on the outside/fluffy on the inside layered naan (£3.35) are delectable, while kaala jaam (large black gulab jamun with vanilla ice cream, £6.75) for puds ends any Indian feast on a moreish note.

Right off Regent Street (the restaurants' first floor dining room hovers above it), with an “ethnic” without being kitsch atmosphere, incredibly attentive service, fascinating history and an exceptionally tasty menu: Veerswamy is an elegant restaurant serving delectable Indian cuisine.

My boyfriend is an indian food fanatic. If he could, I think he would eat Indian food 3 times a day, seven days a week, and still never get bored.

Over the past three years of our relationship, we have been everywhere from traditional restaurants in Cambridge, York and Brick Lane, "modern" indians like Bombay Bicycle Club, Masala Zone and Imli, and "upmarket" joints like Amaya.

So, when I decided that an Indian tasting menu would be the perfect birthday present for him, I knew I needed somewhere special.

And that place was Veeraswamy.

As previous reviewers have mentioned, Veeraswamy is the oldest running Indian restaurant in London, which gives the place a sense of history. This is evident from the turbans hanging on the walls: gifts from visiting Maharajahs.

I booked the table weeks in advance and had 1 very annoying request: I wanted the tasting menu for both of us, but I don't eat red meat - would it be possible to do one veggie?

Now, any foodie worth their salt will know that the rule is always the same: the tasting menu has to be ordered by the whole table.

Not so at Veeraswamy. The restaurant was delightfully accomodating, not only over the phone, but in person too.

I can honestly say that the restaurant has the nicest, most welcoming staff I have ever come across. The gentleman who led us to the table reassured me that the chef is well aware of my request, but then reappeared a few minutes later to say, "The chef is worried that you're only having vegetables in your meal - he would like to know if you'd like some prawns with your main course?" Could they get any nicer?

I am still salivating over my starter: Raj kachori (a large crisp puri filled with lentils, tamarind chutney and yoghurt). This was beautifully presented with little pomegranate jewels, and the taste was extraordinary. And boy, am I glad I ordered the prawns: the giant green prawn was a dry dish with an intense flavour which followed perfectly on from my light starter. Alongside a keralan chicken curry (which I also tried) and a lamb curry (which I didn't), my boyfriend was in heaven.

The mango sorbet was the perfect end to the meal, but this was topped (if possible) when they brought out another tart, dark chocolate sorbet with a candle in it - completely out of the restaurant's own impetus - which made my night.

Yes, it's not exactly street food prices, but then it's not exactly your average Indian. It's special, and you pay for what you get - wonderful staff, delicious food and a colourful, romantic atmosphere right in the heart of London.

Doubtless, I was more impressed when I was there the first time, 1967!
Now I don’t like the - much praised - ambience and atmosphere of this place very much. It has coulorful lights like a cocktail bar.
A third of the food impressingly good, a third of standard quality and the last third boring in taste.
The prices are really high and are not justified.

The service is polite and tries to be really good - not always successfully.

I’m a bit of a foodie (really its the only reason why I go to the gym) and I LOVE LOVE Veeraswamy.
The food is authentic and some of the best that I have eatern. The staff are attentive, without being overbearing.
The decor was getting slightly tacky, but they have had a refurb thats great (but not as great as Porte Des Indes).

Horribly over-priced (£200 for 3 people) with lack lustre service. Our main dishes of prawns, chicken and lamb were all served in identical brown gloop. We are great fans of Chutney Mary and expected the same standard here. Really disappointing.

The longest established curry house in the UK (or so they say), this is not your run-of-the-mill establishment. Updated with colourful, ethnic design the restaurant serves modern Indian settings in a contemporary setting reminiscint of a Maharaja's Palace. Pricey, but worth the money, a great venue for a fun night out.