Parveen

Accompanied by locals, I was asked if I wanted posh Indian or dirty Indian. We settled on dirty Indian because I ain’t fancy and I’m poor. That is not to say that this restaurant or food is dirty. Please don’t think that. I think my friends were talking about expensive vs. cheaper food and overly fancy vs. casual restaurant atmosphere.
My friends took me to their local go-​to, Parveen. We had a good meal. I wouldn’t call it a great meal but it was good. I was dying to try Indian in London so I will say I was slightly disappointed that I wasn’t absolutely blown away by the food. I have had lots and lots and lots and lots of Indian food in the states, from all variety of Indian restaurants in Chicago and St. Louis to home cooked Indian by natives who know what the heck they are doing. Parveen was just good, not great. We all shared the Madras chicken, chicken korma, balti chicken, chana masala, garlic naan and naan with sultana and coconut among other accoutrements. Paratha was brought to the table with the usual chutney, raita, chili paste with onion and cilantro. The balti chicken was the best but none of it really wowed me. I felt like there was some spice or spark or oomph that was missing that made their food, the chicken korma for instance, kinda fall flat.
It wasn’t a bad meal though, I’m sure I’d frequent Parveen a lot if I lived in the hood like my friends, but I was looking and hoping for something VERY special as a tourist whose heard lots about the Indian cuisine in London. The meal was still good, we ate well and their service was very kind and attentive. While apparently on the cheaper side compared to some of the local Indian restaurants and more causal than others, it was still a very nice, intimate, white table cloth setting. I wouldn’t really call it casual actually but I guess my friends had other fancier establishments in mind. So if you’re a tourist looking for great Indian food, I’d probably suggest trying another restaurant. If you’re a local looking for a less expensive Indian restaurant, Parveen is probably a good option to try to see if it suits your needs.

Parveen does do some tasty curries, but I found the portion sizes to be quite a bit smaller than other curry houses in London, while still maintaining the same price point. The service was okay, but not great, and the ambience left a bit to be desired. The garlic naan was the stand-​out of the evening and easily the best I’ve had outside of Brick Lane. I think we’ll stick to Brick Lane in the future, though, as we just weren’t impressed with these guys. With so many great restaurant options in the area, there’s no point revisiting a let-​down.

Great filling food, really sweet service, cheap as chips and also they gave us a shot of martini each and an after 8 on the house. would definitely go back because of this.

A very busy Indian restaurant just off the increasingly pretentious Upper Street. The food is good, the service is charming and they offer a set menu deal, even on a Saturday night. Although it’s not the best Indian food in the world, it’s still better than average, and in a suburb full of average restaurants, Parveen is a welcome breath of fresh air.

I think Parveens should really invest a bit more in getting it right, given their great location. Its not the worst Indian but i expect a bit better in this corner of the world. Staff are sweet enough though

Looking for some quick curry take out and a bottle of wine, this place is conveniently located next to Oddbins and hit just the right nerve for us that night.
It’s not a takeout restaurant at all though, as all the patrons were dressed to the nines and on their way to a night on the town. Prices were maybe a tad more than average (10% discount for takeaway), but the overall quality was quite good. creamy but not oily curries, harmonious tastes and generally tender lamb. Service was attentive and rapid, even for us slobs not eating in.
Although I would have to say it’s not adventurous Indian food, they did all the staples just right, and I can see ourselves going back for more, both eat in and out.

Parveen certainly did the trick before a cold evening of trick or treating. Within about 25 minutes of sitting down, we were fork deep in chicken tikka, madrasi fish curry and lamb bhindi, which all had lovely robust flavours and the perfect amount of respective spice. This of course was after far too many poppadoms, as usual.
The dishes were a bit smaller than any I had encountered before in London and the prices were still around £10 for a main dish, so it’s definitely not a place that my wallet would appreciate I visit often. Once the price, the ambiance, the service, and the portion size are included in the rating, a-​ok sums it up perfectly.

was very unimressed. food was about as bad as a tesco ready meal and service was very unhelpful, waited an hour for the food as well. to top it all off my expresso tasted suspiciously like instant cofee, for the cut price of 1.95. really overpriced for the very low quality, come on guys we’ve moved on now and dont only eat curry while inebriated…

My boyfriend and I recently discovered this gem. As we were strolling around Angel looking for an appealing dinner spot, we walked by and saw the advertisement for their Sunday/​Monday dinner special: appetizer, entre, dessert and drink for under £10. The place had a cute atmosphere too, so we were sold. The food was delicious and copious. I had the chicken vindaloo for my entre. I ordered it hot and I definitely got what I ordered. For dessert, I had pistachio ice cream and my boyfriend had mango sorbet; both were awesome. The service was great — attentive without being pushy or impatient. We’ll definitely go back.

Parveen, how sneaky and cheeky you are. I first encountered you in 2005 when I lived in the neighborhood and loved popping in for the best chicken tikka I’d ever encountered (yes, it was so often that your staff came to know, and hopefully love, me).
Fast forward to 2009, and while sitting inside with Adam (after getting handed a 20% off voucher on our way in the door — score!), when I overheard some men talking about how it had been a French bistro (with Parveen moved upstairs) only a few months prior — such a shocker!
Luckily the whole place has converted back to Parveen, which is just as tasty as ever. The chicken tikka was succulent and served on a bed of grilled onions via a sizzling platter, and Adam loved his mixed tandoori grill composed of chicken, lamb, and king prawns.
While the service can be slow at times (how about we just say ‘leisurely?’), I still adore this place for its light fare and still superb after all these years staff.