Star of India

The place serves good food and has a good menu which is different to other Indian restaurants. Service is a big let down — but that hasn’t stopped me from going to this place. Then again, it did stop me from giving this restaurant a good rating. If service isn’t huge on your list of requirements for a nice restaurant, I would highly recommend this place.

Excellent place and if we lived in London I’m sure we’d become regulars. Loved being seated upstairs because it was quieter and we had very attentive but not overbearing service. The wait staff took the time to talk with us about the dishes and had just the right level of friendliness. What we would definitely go back for is the food. Superb flavours and acceptable portions, in sharing plates/​bowls. All six of us finished everything on all our plates!

Very good curry, sitting somewhere between a high-​street curry house and one of these Michelin star spots. Menu isn’t the typical bhuna, tikka, vindaloo vibe though if you’re keen on these you can read between the lines and kinda find them.
Service is good, esp for me because I am a regular. You may have a different experience, you may not, I am not svengali.
I don’t think most neighbourhoods have these types of curry joints; its a sort of anomaly because unlike the tuxedo clad servers at pretend high end Indian restaurants, this place is actually quite swish.
Worthwhile, plus pub right next door so if you have to wait for a table you can get crunk first.

Delicious Indian food! Had the special chicken with mushroom, it was amazing. Everything was delicious. Casual atmosphere. Excellent service.

Amazing food and incredible service… You really feel like you’re getting the best quality food of India!

Ridiculously rude staff. Ruined our family dinner. We placed our order and my young niece wanted some okra and rice so we asked our waiter to add the additional 2 dishes to our order. An older waiter (Rahim?) not our waiter flipped out on us saying we were messing them around and we should try and place our order all at once. At first we couldn’t believe what was happening and things went further downhill from there. He ended up being rude to two other tables. I live around the corner from the restaurant and will never go back again.

Worst food. They can’t make naan. Very less quantity of food, bad service! this is Not how Indian food tastes.

We love Star of India. Best Indian Food in London! Fun. Friendly. Lots of great recommendations from the staff. Go there!!! Ask for Mashuk — he’s the best…

Excellent and well known. I first dined here in 1970 when operated by the current owners father. Star then specialised in great traditional Curries served with lager beer, after the pubs had closed. A lot has changed over the years, but it is still one of the best places for Indian food in London. Many UK Indian restaurants are bog standard. Menus can be very similar. The Star of India, on the other hand, has many of its own variations and they will usually be flexible and preparing what you like. What they are really famous for is the tandoori chef. Great tandoor chicken, excellent breads and fine tikka makhani (tikki masala). I highly recommend the Tandorri Salmon, split as a starter, green beans with cashews, tandoori broccoli, «green chicken» starter, and the lamb curries. The staff has all worked there for years, the service is great and you won’t be disappointed. If you are a tourist and have been told the Bombay Brasserie is the ticket for Indian food, this is a much more intimate and less formal alternative with food that, in my opinion, is better. If you would like a bog standard UK indian menu, with the full traditional range of curries, go to the excellent Noor Jahan just around the corner on Bina. It has a greater range of curries (Claudia Schiffer loves the chicken korma) and not bad tandoor.

I’m a regular eater of Indian food, and I’m used to have a nice meal with friends. My normal habit is to have all dishes in the middle of the table for all to share.
However here you’re not sharing… Everyone chooses their own dish and selfishly eat it. Of course food gets put in small plates that you can pass around but here it does not feel like it is the idea.
With regard to the food itself, it’s good but nothing to brag about.
With regard to the restaurant itself: we got a table upstairs. I was put next to the window as I don’t mind cold air… Insulation is quite bad and they even add small heaters on the floor to keep the room warm… Mind you it was far from freezing outside, so I don’t want to know what’s happening it it’s really cold.
For the service, quick and relatively friendly (a bit quick to clean up the table at the end though)

Went here based on reviews. Four of us, all professionals. Upon entering, the waiter chastised one of our party as he was dressed in «long shorts». (He was dressed similarly to many other diners in my opinion).
The waiter steered me away from my choices, saying that I had only ordered three side dishes. Turns out this would have been a much better option as the main dish was 90% rice…
Food was bland, and not particularly well prepared. Price was 86 pounds for the four of us, and no alcohol, which I found to be quite steep.
To top it all off, the waiter asked us to increase our tip twice (what the heck?). We gave him 9% which we felt was a gift based on the abusive service we had been given.
The only good thing to report is the fresco on the ceiling is quite nice

Went to this restaurant on our last day in London, looking for a special experience. The restaurant has a great ambiance, an extensive wine menu. The food was really delicious too. But the service was so bad we were extremely surprised. We were seated without a single good evening or welcome and the waiters barely talked to us. The lamb dish came with two huge pieces of bone, which took more than half of the plate and when we voiced our discomfort regarding this the staff started arguing with us. Charging £3 for steamed rice is also a complete ripoff as well.
Although the food is really delicious, it’s really overpriced and because of the service we didn’t feel welcomed at all, when we left the restaurant we left with a bad taste in mouth because of having a bad experience on our last night in the city and feeling completely ripped off.

I’ve been to Star of India twice (once with my family when my dad was living in London for work, and once with a dear friend when I was studying abroad)… the trips were about 2 years apart but I was blown away by the food here both times. If you want authentic north Indian food, this place is for you. Everything from the samosas to the black daal to the Chicken Tikka Masala are amazing and full of flavor. Prices are a little on the steep end but what else is new in London?

I just love this place. Stayed in London 3 times and ate there 4 times! The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. Definitely happy to recommend! I can’t remember specific picks, but I do remember being very satisfied and that it was all outstanding. I have to say I didn’t think the price was bad at all.
Note: I got there one day right as they opened and another American couple were also in the restaurant. The woman wanted change for a large bill before they ate. The manager informed her that they didn’t have it and that woman, oh my gosh she was so obnoxious she wouldn’t let it go! She went on and on, I was so embarrassed for her as she kept demanding their give her change. But the staff, they were so polite and patient, the very quietly told her «no» 27 times till the blow-​hard calmed down. I was very impressed with the crew in dealing with this awful woman.

Star of India is okay, but — as the location would suggest — it’s expensive and the portions leave a bit to be desired. The restaurant is busy, so booking ahead is a good idea. When I visited, I had to wait over a half hour for my food and ask for water to be refilled… the wait staff seemed very busy
But how was the food? Good. Better than your average curry, but nothing to rhapsodize about either… Highlight for me was the naan. My brother thought the lentils tasted «off.»
Still, if you’re in the area and are in the mood for some spice, I’d give this place a try. The odd décor (check out the fake frescos on the ceiling and the ‘80s lamps!) is worth a glance alone…

We stayed in a hotel not far from here, for a week and this was one of the true discoveries of the trip. Great food, service, ambiance, prices. We’ll definitely be back when we’re back in London. Odd thing was a «service charge» on the bill which we hadn’t seen all week in London, but just balanced that out with the gratuity.

**3.5 stars**
On the second trip back to LHR, I was determined to try the Star of India because Hugh Grant mentioned in an interview that he loved their chicken curry.
It was fairly easy to get there using the Tube and once we were there, we took note of the intimate and classy setting. We perused the menu, which had a nice assortment of things to order, and I of course knew what I was getting. Uh, right.
Our waiter comes to our table and takes our drink orders. Since one of my colleagues chose the wine (a Merlot) at our last Indian feast on our prior trip to LHR, I chose a Syrah. Our waiter was quite helpful as well as patient, so I give him kudos on his elegance.
When it was my turn to order, I sat up smartly and said, «I’d like the chicken curry, please» and he said, «Which one would you like?». Hugh Grant didn’t say anything other than chicken curry, so I’m looking at the waiter thinking, …“yah, you’re right. Which one, indeed.” Crap, I just screwed myself and didn’t know what to do about it. I turned the tables on him and asked what his favorite one was. He pointed to a concoction that looked like it would have me on a toilet most of the night rather than on the Tube on the way back to my hotel. It looked spicy and fiery hot. I asked if it was very spice and he said yes.
Long story short, we went with the Chicken Tikka Makhanwala. In comparison to Chowki, it was slightly better tasting in that it was a tad richer in flavor.
The things we didn’t like about the restaurant:
1. We were charged for rice. That was a surprise since the other places I’ve been to included rice in the order.
2. We had a «service charge» added to our bill. There were only four of us, so we wondered what was being serviced. I know I didn’t leave with a happy ending, so WTF? I asked about it and was told it was for the table linens and utensils. Seriously? There went the tip, because I’d never seen a charge like that either. Is it a UK thing?
Our food was tasty, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat at this restaurant again. With all of the Indian food choices that are in London, I’m prone to visiting many, many more of them on future visits.

The very BEST Indian food in a city FULL of Indian food! Much, much more than just «a curry». The menu changes constantly, but everything is fantastic.
I used to live in East Acton and ate here frequently. Hoping to get back to London soon, and I will definitely be eating at the Star of India!
**Please note — the website listed above is NOT correct. Their correct website is.

I was introduced to the Star few years ago by a friend of mine and it’s one place I’ve been to again and again. Food is fantastic. With great Indian flavours. Many unusual dishes that are unique to the Star of India. I do love the new updated deco. Friendly waiting staffs and this is one of very few Indian that I’ve been to that has actually has a great selection of wines.
You have to try their Chocomosa for afters.

Spent Thanksgiving eve here in 2008. I have to say that this is one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever been to. The food was very well prepared and the byriani in puff pastry was killer. The service was great, the menu is awesome and the rooms are very comfortable and contemporary. Go to this restaurant. On a another note, I left my umbrella and stopped by the next day to see if they had found it. They had not, but the owner overheard me asking and complementing the prior evenings experience and chased me down the street and handed me a star of india umbrella (quite nice) and thanked me for dinning. Now, thats a hands on restaurant owner…