Chowki Restaurant

Nice setting and great food!

Another one of the restaurant visits ruined by the seating. They have benches. Without a backrest my back starts feeling queasy and uncomfortable after 30 mins — especially after a morning of walking/​shopping on Oxford Circus.
The food — It just appeared a bit boring to be honest. Also the portions are minuscule — which is something others have said already. For the price I guess its OK. There are few affordable Indian places in the vicinity.

Great food; great concept; great presentation; child size portions.
Their lunch deal: you pick a curry; a lentil dish and a rice, it arrives on a wonderful arrangement of plates with a naan. You eat it all up and marvel at the spicey wonder that is Indian cooking, then leave slightly hungry. In short, a really nice place to have two lunches at.

Lunch only:
Lunch specials!!! A great deal but they give you the regular menu first so ask for the lunch menu. There were 5 pounds plates and 2 course meals for about 8 pounds. I got the beef kabob appetizer and the chicken tikki masala. The kabob appetizer came with a green spicy sauce which had great flavors and a good spicy kick to it! The chicken masala was really good. It came with a lentil soup and rice. The naan was fresh, hot and eat it while it’s hot! Great for dipping in the chicken masala.
It is true that England has good curry! I’m glad I got to try it. Definitely a favorite. Also free wifi!

Bland bland bland bland bland. And overpriced. The rice tasted like cardboard. My «spicy» chicken dish was not much better. There was nothing overtly objectionable about it but everything was just so flavorless. It had nothing to recommend it, and it certainly was not worth the inflated prices.

Fantastic Indian restaurant that a) has a rotating menu that focuses on different regions of India each month; and b) has enough chrome and style to feel «hip» without beging «too hip», if you know what I mean. Dinner was lovely and delicious, and amazingly affordable!

The place is nice and it’s in a great area (near the Piccadilly Square). However we only visited this particular restaurant because they were listed as a discount partner with the London Pass.
The London pass says, «Show your London pass and you will be offered a 20% discount from the total food bill when ordering a minimum of two courses. «
Only we ordered 3 main courses and when we received the bill that we couldn’t get a discount because we didn’t order appetizers with our meal.
My wife and I eat a lot of indian food (in the united states) and we were rather disappointed in the bland and rather unexciting food they presented us, and the overall experience was soured by the restaurant cheating us out of our discount.
This place is not worth the visit.

Unpretentious restaurant serving fun and delicious Indian food! They have communal tables so you can get cozy with your new neighbors while enjoying good drinks and food. YUM, YUM, YUM!
Non-​veg special meal + a drink:
(1) Paradise Martini: Strawberries shaken with vanilla vodka, crème de fraise and coconut
— pretty yummy girlie martini drink :)
(2) Bombay Bhel Puri: This appetizer blends good spices with crispy mini puris. It is a little spicy if you are looking for a kick to start off your meal.
(3) Mumbai Fish Curry «Chowki Pot»: The fish is very tender and spicy (even when you order medium spicy). The rice is nice and fluffy. The Dal balances the spicy fish curry. Naan has the right texture.
(4) Matka Kulfi: This Indian ice cream dessert is such a treat! It comes in a little ceramic pot (big enough to share with at least two people).
The service is wonderful; extremely attentive and considerate. I will definitely return to this restaurant when I visit London again.
The best part of this experience was when the manager offered to give me the ceramic pot that the matka kulfi came in! THAT IS GREAT SERVICE! THANK YOU CHOWKI — you ROCK! Two thumbs up! :)

Nice decoration and great service. the Samosa were good and the recommendation they gave us of good variation of curries. Chicken curry and bombay Aloo was a little too spicy for my friend but I enjoyed it.

Das Chowki leigt sehr Zentral, nicht weit von Piccadilly Circus und wird deshalb von vielen Touristen besucht. Das Essen wird modern serviert.
Früher hatte man jeden Monat eine monatlich Karte mit Schwerpunkt auf eine Region z.B. mal Goa, mal Punjab usw.
Die gab es bei den letzten Besuch nicht.
Das Essen hier ist sehr empfehlenswert.

Un petit restaurant très sympa au coeur de Londres !
une cuisine indienne très interressante, un service des plus agréable
A mon prochain voyage a Londres j’y retourne !!

Great place to grab a bite before watching a play in Picadilly. They have show specials Monday-​Friday. the restaurant is great serving up delicious food. We ordered:
Mix grilled chicken, lamb, salmon, prawn: Great flavor, prawn and salmon was a bit overcooked but tasty none the less
Spicy Muscles Appatizer: Great tomato based sauce and flavoring. Excellent dish worth a try.
Cobra Beer: Ice cold and perfect compliment to a spicy meal!
Give this place a try, its worth the visit!

Underwhelming. Much revered by many, Chowki, certainly wasn’t bad but I expected more.
The place is nice. Very presentable, pleasant and bright. A seating layout not too dissimilar to that of Wagamama (rows of long tables with joined seating, sort of communal), this is a friendly, space efficient way of doing things. I didn’t particularly like the table service though, not bad service at all, just a bit hurried. I was under the impression that a higher turnover of clientele was the aim for the staff rather than greater care for the diner.
Depending on the season in which one visits Chowki, will dictate the menu as they change it up (quarterly, I imagine). The menu won’t be extensive however, I believe a choice of 5 or 6 mains will be available and a further selection of starters and sides (as to be expected really). The meal was nice, but I’ve had considerably better Indian meals around the capital. Also, I’ve had more meal on my plate for less £s than Chowki charge and felt more content with my food intake as a result.
The location is a convenient one, being in Soho, making it quite accessible for most and although I would go back I rather more look forward to trying the next Indian restaurant, which ever that may be.
for now, Ian

Heard that this was one the best Indian places we could eat at while visiting London, so we gave it a try. Very true. It was one of the best Indian meals I’ve ever had.
The ambiance is really great.
I enjoy spicy foods very much, and this met my expectations and more.
I would highly recommend it if you like ethnic foods.

Oh Chowki, how I wanted to like you. I’m sorry but I can’t. It came up as a recommendation for me here so when looking for somewhere to have dinner on a Sunday around the city centre it came to me as a good place to try.
I went for the Chowki pots — one rice, one dal and one curry with a naan. For over £15 I really expected to leave the place stuffed but what I received was quite small. Feeling disappointed about the size (specifically didn’t add a starter because I thought I would have to open up my trousers after finishing the main) I hoped that the flavour would make up for it. I had the Prawn Grassi, the region of the time was Mangalore. The sauce was very nice, lots of subtle flavours coming together but the prawn didn’t seem to be of good quality and when you order a prawn dish you really want to get the full flavour of that prawn.
Maybe getting the deal through toptable makes it worth it but if you don’t I would suggest skipping it. Maybe it’s interesting to try once but expect to pay a lot and leave hungry.

Cute little place that had an equally fun menu.
Three of us ordered the Chicken Tikka Makhanwala, and I, being the pig I am and not being satisfied with one (dish that is… cough), ordered a mini bowl of the Awadi chicken curry.
The way the food was plated was a little odd; there are odd shaped plates and bowls that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
We loved the CTM; it was delicious. It’s chicken in a rich and creamy tomato sauce and served with rice. The portion at first glance appeared to be small, but in all actuality, it was just right. I really tipped the jelly belly scales in attempting to finish the Awadi chicken curry (chicken marinated in a yogurt, ground cashew nut, almond & poppy seed sauce), which paled in comparison to the CTM.
I look forward to our next trip to London so I can visit this place again! Our server was both helpful and accommodating to our curiosity in their menu offerings, which definitely makes me want to try a few more dishes in the future.
Located near the Piccadilly Circus stop of the Picadilly Line.
One quick note about the bathroom: you’ll go on an adventure to find it and proced with caution while you’re at it. The stairs are steep.

Umm! Some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. The atmosphere is great, and the plates are very unique & chic. The service was very friendly, and the food served up quickly –great if you’re in a rush. Be aware that the food is much spicier than the average Indian dish as well.
Tip: Be sure to ask for TAP WATER, otherwise they will bring out a £3.90 bottle if you only say «water».

Loved Chowki! A modern, stylish restaurant with a wide selection of regional Indian food.
The menu offers so many delicious options which is easy to read and offers the options of getting just a curry and rice or a «meal» which includes the curry, dal, rice, and naan.
Prices range from 8 – 14 pounds depending on what you’d like. I found it spicy and delicious, much better than the Indian fare found in the US.
Staff were attentive and friendly throughout the meal. A great stop while shopping around Picadilly circus area.

Went to chowki with a friend last night, the first place i went to since deciding to join Unilocal and so this is where we shall start.
Its a small place, and very easy to miss among the myriads of shops around Piccadilly circus. But once you are in, that doesn’t matter right ?
The food is good … and whats more important, it is different. This is one of the few Indian restaurants in London where i can say that the food is truly Indian, and not only Punjabi. It has rajasthani and gujarati and dishes from several other parts of India, which makes it worth a visit. The menu keeps changing every three months, which means i will go back again in August.
The size of the portions is small relative to the price in my opinion, but isn’t that the case everywhere in W1?

Just on the food and ambience, I would have to give 3 stars because the food was good, but nothing special and the ambience was ok as you sit on long wooden tables. But if you book through toptable or have a tastelondon card, you get 50% off the a la carte menu which, in my opinion, makes it one of the best value eating places around Picadilly Circus.
They have a wide range of curries, which come with rice or naan, although both the sides were distinctively average. Their mango lassi was pretty good. The portions look small when they arrive, but do not underestimate how filling a small bowl of curry, rice, and naan bread can be!

Although Madhu’s in Southall in my favourite Indian restaurant ever, Chowki comes in a close second.
Chowki has long tables and benches that eaters share. There’s lots of room, with two levels of seating.
It’s very reasonably priced, and you can get a set menu of a curry, a side dish, and rice or naan for a single price that’s cheaper than you’d pay otherwise. It comes in the types of sectioned dishes common in India and in cheaper eateries, but here those dishes are fine porcelain.
You can order anything from the a la carte menu, but the best aspect of Chowki is their rotating set menu. Each month they select different set menus from three different areas of India, so multiple visits throughout a year give you the chance to sample food from all over the subcontinent. Really delicious.
It’s location makes it a great place to go before or after the theatre, or Regent Street shopping.

Chowki serve absolutely superb Indian food at totally reasonable prices. I’m not a big fan of Indian cuisine but I had such a fun time here. Good staff, great vibes — good times!
I had the Keralan Prawn Curry which is a mango and coconut curry you can either get with rice or rice and bread. These curries are under the «Chowki Pots» options on the menu. A cute name! The stuffed potatoe pattis were also superb. This place served good old hearty food!
Chowki’s desserts are also amazing… the mango mousse comes highly recommended from me!
Please visit here if you like Indian food — you will NOT be disappointed.