Is there a religious festival more fitting for a restaurant than Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights? The festival is marked by dressing up in your best clothes, sharing family feasts and exchanging gifts – and what better way to do that than at the table of one of London’s best Indian restaurants?
For Hindus, Diwali, which begins on October 31, heralds Rama’s return from exile and the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, as well as honoring Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune. But not only Hindus celebrate Diwali. Sikhs marked the end of the imprisonment of the sixth guru Hargobind Singh in 1619; Jains celebrate the moment Lord Mahavira, the last Tirthankara, attained Nirvana; and some Buddhists celebrate Diwali, too.
What unites each of these faiths is joy. Bright clay lamps called diyas are lined up outside homes and temples and will be in many Indian restaurants during the celebration. Sweet treats are an important feature of the festival when many Hindus give up meat for five days – most restaurants below will offer special vegetarian Diwali menus.
Diwali follows the Hindu lunar calendar, which means the date changes every year. Many London restaurants offer special events and menus. Here are some of the best.
Chef Ravneet Gill and baker Tarunima Sinha have collaborated to create a north Indian inspired Diwali menu that celebrates the flavors we know and love. The menu will be available for lunch and dinner from 12pm to 10pm at The Standard restaurant, Isla. It offers a small but concise selection of 8 dishes to share. Highlights include beetroot chunks with chilli chutney, grilled paneer masala in makhni gravy and mango kachumber. For dessert, they offer a festive gajar halwa. The menu is only available for 3 days during the Diwali period so space may be limited.
when? November 1st to November 3rd
how much Mains start from £16.50
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This year, Indian restaurant group Kricket is tempting punters to its newest outpost in Canary Wharf with family-oriented events including screen printing and henna tattoos. Food offerings are served in the form of autumn root vegetable biryani along with bottomless offerings of chai and nimbu panis (freshly made lime soda) for guests. Attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own home screen prints with artist Natasha Kumar, an Anglo-Indian artist with almost three decades of artistic practice.
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For nearly forty years, Babur has been a popular feature in the restaurant landscape in Brockley and the year celebrates the festival of light with two Diwali knees up and a special menu, in until early November. On October 30, a live dance performance by the Bollywood Vibes stud troupe is a special evening, with a promising menu featuring Kandhari chicken tikka and chargrilled pomegranate and malai kofta, fragrant cottage cheese dumplings in tomato sauce. For those who can’t make the party, a special menu is available until November 3. Quite reasonable at £50 for five courses.
when? Diwali party on 30th October, menu served till 3rd November
Cinnamon Kitchen City & Battersea
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Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Kitchen in Battersea is set to host a special evening with former MasterChef semi-finalist and cookbook author Nisha Parmar to mark the Diwali celebrations. The four-course dinner includes a six-course feast (to share), featuring king prawns and seafood johl, butter chicken pieces and biryani dum biryani. For early Diwali celebrations, this promises to be a winner, but for anyone who missed out, Cinnamon Kitchen outposts in Battersea and the City are serving up special Diwali menus until 17 November.
when? October 24, with Diwali menu until November 17
how much October 24 dinner, £125; Diwali menu until November 17, £39
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Westminster isn’t full of great places to eat, but Yaatra is on trend with hearty Indian fare that won’t disappoint. This year’s menu is yet to be confirmed, but last year, dishes like prawn malai tandoori and samosa tartlet, followed by a hearty saffron chicken tikka and lip keema mutter were the stars of the show (and we expect more of the same. ). At just £70 for five courses, and with a bellini on arrival, this could be one of the better value options in town.
when? October 28 to November 2
how much Five courses, £70
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Michelin-starred Benares in Mayfair, one of India’s longest-starred restaurants, presents a special Diwali menu in honor of the season. Head chef Sameer Taneja has created an eight-course menu, until November 3, with a dish that includes hing-mutter shorba with cauliflower scallops: a dish inspired by the ancient Indian city of Benares (now Varanasi). A butter chicken samosa and lamb pulao are set to follow, with gifts and gifts – ranging from cocktails to desserts – offered to guests dining from this menu, evoking the tradition of giving gifts during Diwali.
when? October 28 to November 3
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Just as polished as its Indian sibling the Leela Palace hotel, Michelin-starred Jamavar offers creative cuisine in a smart dining room, all right at home on Mount Street, Mayfair’s favorite food street. For the Diwali set menu, small plates along the lines of Konkan soft shell crab will be followed by Old Delhi butter chicken or Hampshire lamb with fragrant Lucknowi spices and garam masala. A vegetarian menu is also available, as well as wine pairings with each course.
when? October 23 to November 3
Restaurateur and founder Samyukta Nair (of Jamavar, Bombay Bustle and many other glossy restaurants) and Bombay Bustle’s executive chef Surender Mohan invited food writer Maunika Gowardhan to collaborate on a new festive menu, called Thali Diwali. Served on traditional silver serving plates, the thali will feature dishes from Gowardhan’s book, including paneer kadai with tomatoes and bell peppers and Malabar lamb curry with dry chillies, peppers and coconut. Good value at just £68 for the full menu.
when? October 23 to November 3
Hotel restaurants can sometimes be disappointing. While TH @ 51 – a truly ridiculous name, some might say – inside the Taj 51 hotel may not be on the top of many people’s list of restaurants to visit, this Diwali deserves a closer look. The restaurant will host a host of regional thali creations to celebrate the season each of which will represent a different region of India. Expect north Indian thalis to feature murgh tikka makhanwala and dal makhani, and west Indian thalis of methi thepla and kabuli pulao. It sounds like an original interesting and, dare we say, “original” journey across the subcontinent. With a menu until November 12, it might be worth a look.
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Chef Rohit Ghai’s modern Indian restaurant, Kutir, is one of the best restaurants in Chelsea, an elegant townhouse where visitors must ring the doorbell to enter the many rooms decorated with Zoffany wallpaper and scented with rose-scented diffusers. Top ingredients strike a fittingly festive note on the “Diwali Expedition” menu, which includes grouse with beetroot, sea bass moilee, and prawns with mustard and tellicherry pepper.
When: October 29 to November 3
