Chaat

Was looking for an alternative to Dishoom in the area and found this little place via Unilocal.The 4 & 5 star reviews definitely helped us make a decision however I’ve only given this place a 3 star review because, although well cooked, presented and served, the food was a bit on the bland and oily side. We expected the flavours to be richer, with a bit more of a spicy kick.
Great alternative to Dishoom when it’s super busy there and definitely miles ahead the dirty Brick Lane haunts.

Had a great meal! It’s a small restaurant but we were able to get a table on a Friday night with no reservation. The saag aloo and coconut green beans were amazing. There’s not much of a wine list, but beer goes better with Bangladeshi food anyway.

Nice little gem in the Shoreditch area… we wanted to go to Dishoom initially but then decided to switch to Chaat.
The place has wonderful interior (feels like somebody’s living room), the menu is really smart and all the dishes were fantastic.
Would definitely recommend to go there if you are in the Shoredtich area.

The food was of good quality and the ambiance is nice. The food may have very well been ‘authentic’ as well, but I found it rather bland, both in flavor and in spice (heat).
Again the service was good, the food had good texture and quality but I won’t be going back because I like my Indian food to be more flavorful and spicy.

What a nice place this Bangladeshi restaurant is. Away from the crowds and rip-​off restaurants on Brick Lane, this place is really recommended. They only have a couple of tables and the menu is not long too, but I had one of the best currys I ever had.
We were a bit in a rush because we wanted to go to a concert at Rich Mix. This wasn’t a problem at all. The food came quickly and the service was very nice.
I will definitely go back with more time.

I was looking for a pre-​cinema meal, as I was heading to a show at Rich Mix Cinema around the corner. (P.S. — if you’ve not been to Rich Mix, do it. Such a lovely venue).
I digress.
We were pressed for time, so I wanted somewhere fairly close to the cinema, and since we’d eaten at nearby Pizza East more times than I care to admit, I forced myself to try something new. Trusty Unilocal came to the rescue and informed me that this spot was about a 2-​minute walk from the cinema — so I decided to pop in! Lucky for us, 2 seats were available in this tiny but very busy spot.
The menu is pick-​and-​mix (similarly to Dishoom, but with a Bangadeshi vibe instead of a Bombay one), and as such, it adds up fairly quickly.
We had some decent mint tea, some lamb curry, stewed spicy veg, some bread I can’t remember the name of and some samosas. The food was really quite good, aside from the fact that I was starving and the portion sizes seemed a bit on the smaller side.
All in all, I’d go again.

I was slightly disappointed with Chaat. I really like the concept and they have an extremely appetising menu, but overall I left thinking that I’d spent quite a lot of money yet was still slightly hungry…
Some of the dishes were excellent, especially the daal which was delicious and buttery. Others, like the prawn curry I had, seemed slightly lacking in flavour — I felt the urge to add salt which I rarely do. Perhaps it’s just my poor taste. Loved the onion bhaji, surprise I love deep fried onion based cuisine…
Other than that, it’s cute place although the lighting was dim to the point of being gloomy and it was quite hard to see the menu! Service was fine. Overall I wouldn’t run back here but I’m glad I tried it.

Lovely small menu with homestyle food. Quite nice.
This place is tiny, cozy, and casual. The menu was the same. Limited options (which is nice!) and all the options seem like house specialties. Very good!
The food was nice, but I will gripe a lil… the paneer wraps were excellent but miniscule for the price. The niramish was tasty, but juuust lacking in flavor to be truly standout.
Oh, you have to get the sweet chutney here. It was a damn gamechanger and went well with the chapati bread.
All in all a lovely place. Don’t expect the world, but do expect kind service and a decipherable menu.

Excellent food all around. We had 4 people in a group, each with different tastes. Ordered from the simple menu that has 5 categories and 6 items each, with the option to mix-​and-​match. Lot’s of combinations possible.
Restaurant is located in a side-​street, small but quaint inside. There is seating for probably 10, maybe 12 total. Staff is very friendly.
Drink selection is rich in teas, which come in a proper mini-​tea kettle. Small selection of beer and wine, but what we had was all quite good.
Good desert selection and they have a proper Espresso machine — so coffees are good as well.

This is a lovely Bangladeshi restaurant tucked away from the masses of busy curry houses on Bricklane.
It’s a really small place, possible sitting 15 – 20? my math is no good but you get the drift that it’s tiny!
Menu is small too and they have a really yummy HOT sauce! Food is well cooked and very tasty.
Suitable for a catch up with a friend/​date/​quick satisfying dinner or whatever you want really.
Recommend!

Although we were left waiting longer than usual for one of our group’s main, the food that did turn up on time was really great. Simple menu (always a plus), good food, reasonable price. Thoroughly recommend.

Yes, yes, yes.
This was delicious. And excellent value for money. The menu has a great simple set up making it easy to share a range of different sides and main dishes with a group or for individual set several-​course meals.
You could really taste how fresh the ingredients were in everything, and the selection of plates was nicely varied. Not your intensely rich over greased and viscous curries, in fact it felt like healthy eating (apart from our third round of vegetable samosas)…
To top it all off the serving staff was so charming and polite, I would undoubtedly bring more people here for «Brick Lane curries». I can’t wait to go back and try all the things we didn’t have room for last time!

I’ll be honest (please forgive me Anne S and Mina K) — when I first read the reviews for Chaat, two orange-​heads and an out-​of-​towner didn’t do much for my faith in Chaat’s worthiness of a Friday night date spot. But then there was Natalie K’s glowing review, and anyone who has a list called «Places to get your stare on» solely dedicated to London’s best people watching spots is someone worth trusting in my book.
I’m happy to report that Natalie did not lead us astray — Chaat was intimate, friendly, simple, and most importantly — absolutely delicious. I’m obviously not the only one who doesn’t often indulge in Bangladeshi cuisine, as Chatt had a simple ordering system to help you make the most of your meal: Choose one of 5 starters, one of 5 main dishes, one of 3 «moppers» (or carby-​goodness to soak up your main dish), one of 6 accompaniments, and finally a dip or sauce that you’d like for your meal… one of which carried a health warning. So that’s exciting.
Word to the wise: don’t order one item from every category. (Whoops.) But I can say that Chaat was just as delicious for lunch (and likely dinner) today as it was last night.

Went here last night and thought the food was awesome. I’m Indian and I live on Brick Lane — whilst I love the atmosphere I’ve never been too impressed with the food; its all about the gimmick over the taste. But Chaat was a gorgeous little cosy restaurant, service with a smile, and most importantly a great menu with plenty of options, some great, authentic flavours and not bad prices. Highly recommend! Will be going back.

Chaat was my first experience with Bangladeshi cuisine. I must say, I am now a fan, both of the restaurant and the cuisine itself.
The restaurant is small and simple, but has a nice intimate feeling to it. There are only a few tables. I got the idea that during the day Chaat is more of a place
To go for an afternoon tea. However, it is a great place from a healthy and delicious dinner for two or for a small group.
The menu at this restaurant is a bit unique, but there are a great selection of starters, mains, dips, and breads. There were also quite a lot of healthy veg options on the menu, which made it quite hard for me to make a decision. Also, the prices here are amazing, starters at only 3 quid? This is my kind of place.
My starter was so delicious and garlic drenched, just like any food of my dreams. I ordered the prawn and spinach that was served with a traditional whole wheat flat bread, chapati. I also recommend the fish stew, which my boyfriend ordered. It was also so delicious and very healthy tasting. I really was a fan of the fact that they don’t overuse oil here. When I left the meal I felt so satisfied and full, without feeling weighed down by grease and oil.
Overall, I had an awesome experience at this restaurant. Pleasant service, Coy and intimate atmosphere and of course absolutely delicious food. I can’t wait to venture back out here and try the other veg dishes I was eyeing on the menu.

The food here was excellent, but it’s not your typical traditional Indian restaurant. It’s quite small with only 5 or 6 tables and nicely decorated with a bright and clean feel to the room. The owner was very nice and seems to be the one waiting tables as well. The menu is odd as there isn’t much choice here. You choose from a few options in each category to come up with a meal. Not your typical Indian meal or Bangladeshi meal for that matter…

Chaat is a cosy little Bangladeshi café serving up much better food than 95% of what you’ll find on Brick Lane so it’s well worth the small diversion. The fish curry was excellent, the samosas tasted freshly made, and the atmosphere was really fun. The spicing of the food was the closest I’ve tasted in London to the dahl I used to eat in Calcutta, so as far as I can tell it was fairly authentic Bangladeshi food as well! Strongly recommended

I can eat curry pretty much any time of the day and in any weather, but last week’s weather was cool and wet and I just needed some spice to warm me up.
I remembered seeing Chaat one night walking home from the movies and thinking to myself that I should try it and so I suggested to my friend that we go there.
The manager, Shanaz Khan, waited on us and as it had just opened for the evening, we had the place to ourselves for quite a while. Before we left, however, the larger tables were taken as it began to fill up with diners.
I’d never tried Bangladeshi curry, but I’m not sure I noticed a huge difference in spices. The main portions and sides were of typical size, but the home made dips were small and left us wanting more.
The restaurant itself is a tiny, cosy place. I’d go back for the samosas alone, and I’d suggest the hot mint sauce for its tasty kick.