Salaam Namaste

I only came to this establishment for takeaway bread for an Indian dish I was cooking myself, but from what I experienced, I know I will soon be back. The service was excellent. To get a few pieces of bread took only about 10 minutes, but you also have the option to call ahead and pick up. I told them I had made chana masala and one of the servers helped me choose naan and chapathi that would complement the dish. Each was warm and fresh and buttery — delicious. It is dark and cozy inside the restaurant. One a weekday evening, it was not very crowded. It is mid-​range price, but it seemed more upscale than cheap curry houses, and if the bread is as good as the rest of the food, I think it is worth it.

Salaam Namaate is as good as any Michelin star restaurant in london. Menu was quite unusual to me so i requested Restaurant Manager Imraan to pick something for us. he got us Portebello mushroom, green chicken tikka as appetizer followed by a Crab dish and Sea-​bass curry for main. me and my partner agreed it was the best Indian meal we have ever experienced.
wait staff seemed friendly, professional and nicely synchronized.
Salaam Namaste offers quality food and definitely incredible service with smile. shame we live so far. cannot wait to come back to Salaam Namaste. highly recommended

Arrived on time for an 8pm reservation, dining solo on business. I was offered only a table within 1 meter of the door although several other tables in the restaurant were still empty, including another same-​size table just further in the restaurant. I kindly asked to be seated somewhere else and suggested two different available options, but the «host» said the other tables were «reserved” – no one else was waiting at the time. I reminded him that I too had a reservation and would very much prefer not to sit right by the door, and that the other tables were the same size, to which he replied again that the first table was my only option. Really? And this restaurant is named «namaste»? I opted not to stay, as I didn’t feel at all welcome. A dinner out isn’t only about the food.

I love this Indian, it has the probably the best looking Indian food, I usually go for the mixed grill, the one I got here was very colourful, clean, it is a very modern style Indian, if you are in the area and want to impress someone, I’d go here for food.
They also do great cocktails as my friend found out.
They also take Tastecard.

Great little out-​of-​the-​way Indian restaurant. One must know it’s there (thanks Unilocal users!)
We went without reservations and were quickly accommodated even though they were pretty full.
GREAT QUALITY. My wife and I split the Chicken Tika Marsalla with a Cod/​crab cake appetizer and olive Nan. Each item was well presented, subtlety flavored, and delicious. Friendly staff ‘though a bit slow.

Amazing contemporary indian food and attentive staff. They even made special dish not in menu for our kid when he asked. I honestly don’t know why people wait in line for dishoom. This place is plainly better and has no lines.

This is a fashionable place rather than a hole-​in-​the-​wall curry house, with prices to match. The room is modern if a bit cramped, and it’s nice that they take bookings for large groups.
We came as a group of 8 people for a work dinner, and it was overall a decent experience.
Presentation is fantastic, everything looks fancy and avoids the classic curry presentation of «brown stuff on a plate,» by adding colour through garnish and side items.
I was very hopeful about the food when the chutneys and pappadums came– clearly not out of a jar and very tasty. However, the rest of the food was decent but nothing amazing. I had the Chowpatti Bhelpoori and was glad to have saved a bit of chutney to add some flavour. The black dal was tasty but no better than I can make at home.
I’d say this is a good option if you don’t want anything too heavy, it’s not greasy or heavy. But it’s also not very spicy, and misses that medley of flavours that Indian cooking is all about, so I don’t know that I’ll be back.

This is an above average Indian restaurant, tucked away in Bloomsbury!
Came for lunch one day with friends, and was pleasantly surprised. The lunch set menu was affordable, and actually a cut above average. Perhaps because it wasn’t so busy on this weekday, but the service was fairly attentive well.
The food was excellent. Some Indian restaurants are a mishmash of flavor, without being able to distinguish much apart. Here though, the flavors were subtle but noticeable, such that I could appreciate mute of what was going on.
Would definitely go back.

We booked an OpenTable reservation only because we were traveling. When we arrived and were seated we were told we’d get 30% off our meal for booking through OpenTable (something we were not aware of), but that there were stipulations for getting that including having to order two starters and two mains and that if we ordered anything with seafood there would be an up-​charge of £3 per item. I watched a waiter take a swing from an open bottle of wine when he thought he was out of view, so don’t order wine unless it’s an unopened bottle. The food was fine. It was nothing particularly fantastic, but it was decent Indian fare. Of the four Indian restaurants we tried on this trip, it was our least favorite, however it was the most expensive — even with their reluctant 30% off.
If you don’t want to offer a deal, don’t. It’s extremely awkward and makes an experience negative to get people in the door only to make them feel weird for receiving a discount they had no idea they were receiving, especially when the food is merely average.

The Tawa Lamb Chops at Salaam Namaste are one of the best Indian dishes I have ever had. Fantastic.

Elegant and modern Indian cuisine can be hard to find at home; so it’s always a treat to be in London.
My father in-law’s flat is right down the street from here. He eats there once a week and once you go, you would too!
You MUST have their Chowpatti Bhelpoori. It’s modernized a bit in presentation but has all the great flavors: chickpeas, puffed crunchy rice, peanuts, sprinkled with pomegrantes… FANTASTIC. And every table needs an order of papadum. So fragrant and crunchy, served with the colorful trio of sauces – love it.
For my main, I had the Tandoori Rubiyani Duck. The flavor combination (yogurt and cream cheese marinade), roasted prawn, and dressed greens truly was delicious. We added a side of naan and ordered a special rice dish that was seasonal offering for their Gujarat menu (I can’t remember what it was called) but it tasted like it had everything but the kitchen sink in it – in a good way!
The service was perfect; the chairs soft, and the beer cold. It kills me not to be able to get food like this all the time. I mean, how many Indian places do you know that has seasonal menus that emphasize different regions?

Staying at the generator on holiday from USA, i wanted to get a good curry takeaway that i could walk to. This place was the best i tried. This was seriously the best in the area.
If you are new to london, here is a quick HOW TO for British Curry.
The British (i.e.: Original) version of this curry served here is much less salty than it’s American cousin. From the dearth of sodium-​chloride, the wide array of spices show their awesome strength as they Captain Planet inside your mouth. It’s like eating a Bengal tiger whole. I paid £14 for the best meal of my stay here. Zero regrets. Give it time to cool a bit before you eat. You will notice a rounded flavor of turmeric, and the garam masala.
Remember to breathe. You are experiencing this as nature intended: In London, hopefully with a tall ice cold lager.

The place is beautiful and the food was amazing! We had the Shahi Palak Paneer, Aloo Matar Gobi, and the Tarka Dhal from the vegetable menu with rice and garlic naan. Everything was so good! We were really happy with each choice.

Good Shiva is the butter chicken here amazing. AH. MAZE. ING. Having been in London for 3 days, I knew I couldn’t leave the following day without trying some proper English curry. Out comes my phone and a a quick search reveals there is a highly rated Indian Restaurant just around the corner from my hostel, SCHWING!!! I pull up their website and instantly zone into the Tandoori Portebello Mushroom starter (Mushroom filled with figs, cashew nuts, curry leaf, raisins, green chilli, and homemade cheese… um, please sign me up for that mouth party) and of course the Moti Mahal butter chicken.
I mosey on down to the restaurant and order in person for take out. They seated me at a nice big table all to myself and although they were a little slow to take my order and pay attention to me, (I 100% understand that dine in patrons are like 5 times more important than me) the maitre’d took my order soon enough, offered me water and refreshments and I was on my way to curry town.
I found the wait to be a little on the long side, but nothing I couldn’t handle, perhaps I was beyond excited for the food and couldn’t wait one minute longer to stuff my gourd with delicious majestic curry. I got my food after what seemed like 20 minutes and I RAN back to my room in excitement.
And just to underline, the food I got was AMAZING. This meal will go down in history as one of the best I’ve ever experienced… and I was sitting on the floor in a tiny hostel all my myself and yet, the butter chicken and mushrooms transported me into a curry heaven of epic proportions. It was just perfect. Words cannot describe how amazing the butter chicken was? I mean, I’ll try… this is a Unilocal review after all. Uhhh, buttery? Just the right amount of kick in the spice? Tender chicken? An ideal portion?
Basically…RUN, don’t walk to Salaam Namaste. And order 1 of everything.

We visited late on a weeknight, and the place was nearly empty, only one other table seated. We received excellent attentive service. The food was flavorful, and the portions were generous.

Let me start by saying I am not a huge fan of Indian food at the best of times — mostly due to the resulting stinkfest. That blessed aroma permeates even concrete and I can’t stand how it sticks to every inch of your being even decades after exposure. And so on that happy note…
Salaam Namaste is an absolute winner! It is a decent sized, somewhat modern looking restaurant near Russell Square — right in the middle of a dark, quiet and otherwise deserted street. Upon entrance I am beyond ecstatic to find the place not nearly as smelly as feared — and so first impressions are overwhelmingly positive and suddenly I am on cloud cuckoo land!
Things remain impressive thereafter. Service is outstanding — the waiter is attentive without being pushy — the wait for food, and the prices are reasonable and quality is pretty good too. We even took the leftovers home and enjoyed the next day.
I wish my friend and I had been offered a larger table to make for a more comfortable experience, but it wasn’t possible since the place was busy, which is a testament to its well-​deserved popularity.

My wife and I ordered two of the specialty dishes and were blown away. Well worth a visit and well priced.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Indian is one of my favorite ethnic cuisines. I absolutely love the variety of flavors in dishes, the different type of dishes you can find, and the atmosphere in most Indian restaurants. So It was a bit shocking to me when I realized that after nearly two months in London, I still hadn’t had any Indian food.
Quickly remedying the situation, I popped round the corner from campus to Salaam Namaste for take-​away lunch one day. I was a bit before the lunch rush, which is nice because I was able to see how nicely kept the restaurant is, how the buffet looks quite good, and how there’s plenty of space for both big and small parties for any meal.
My take-​away was pretty standard: chicken tikka masala with plain naan (I guess that’s like saying it was standard peanut butter and jelly; I need to get more adventuresome!) but it took away nicely, was piping hot, and provided all the flavors I love in Indian food.
I always prefer things more spicy, so maybe next time I will ask for a spicier dish or option, but they did a nice job for the price, they’re in a great location and served food quickly for the lunch rush. All’s good about that.

My friends were enthralled with their orders at Salaam Namaste, particularly my pal who went with the tandoori mix platter. I was left wondering where I went wrong. My chicken tikka masala was strangely sweet and that’s by no means a compliment to the dish. The onion bhajis were slightly more appealing but nothing I’d go on raving about.
The interior surroundings of Salaam Namaste are more swish than your average curry house (you won’t leave here smelling like your dinner) and the prices head north to match. Still, they’re fairly reasonable.
I have this odd feeling that maybe the place deserves another shot, especially given the dearth of nice Indian food in this area. But for now I can’t in good faith rate it better than just okay.

Where: Salaam Namaste, Kings Cross
With Who: a whole heap of reprobates
How much: £30 a head for curry, rices and breads, (a lot of) lager and service
Come here if: you’ve run out of options in King’s Cross and can’t face the walk into town
So we needed a curry house. For ten people. Nothing too clever or too different but somewhere that would satisfy my foodie pretensions. And, at the request of Lebanese Al, over for a very short visit from Beirut, somewhere that served Chicken Tikka Masala… oh yeah, and we needed it in King’s Cross.
Sometimes a total lack of options helps sharpen the focus. Once we’d ruled out the fantastic Eritrean restaurant Addis (for its lack of Tikka Masala) and veto’ed the shit in a tray merchants along Pentonville Road we were left with one choice, Salaam Namaste. I say only one choice, it had been checked out slightly. Telegraph critic Matthew Norman has rated it his favourite Indian restaurant in London and it’s the only one in the area covered by Charles Campion’s excellent local restaurant guide. Preparation prevents piss poor performance. Or so my teachers told me. And thankfully it’s true in this case, preparation led us to a pot of gold.
It certainly doesn’t look like much. Large open windows, bright generic décor and furnishings combine with the sub continental muzak to make the place timeless and placeless, and not in good ways. The food on the other hand is as lively, fresh and refined as you could want for. Poppadoms and zingy pickles took the edge off our hunger as we scanned the diverse menu. They don’t seem to have any regional specialism, bouncing from West to East coast taking in
My lamb barra kebabs, an Afghan speciality, were small but perfectly formed. Cooked to a deep pink and charred on the outside by the heat of the tandoor, the spice kick came after a sweet and unusual taste of kachri or dried cucumber powder, a regional ingredient and not one i’ve tasted before. A ‘tarragon’ squid dish also stood out, partly because the predominant herb was a clean and (for sub continental cuisine) unusual shot of dill. The squid was soft and sweet, like al dente pasta of the sea.
The mains were similarly intriguing. They too zipped around the region, like a hyper-​active Michael Palin, taking in treats from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and every nook of India. Conventional curries lurked for the unadventurous. A dry beef curry came spicy with citrus sour kick and a wonderfully subtle Welsh lamb biriyani arrived authentically and theatrically with the bone protruding through a thin dough ‘lid’. Other standouts included a refreshing and light Goan green curry with tangy tamarind and a clever vegetable side of mixed peppers and onions dry fried with a coconut crusting. The targeted Tikka Masala was pronounced perfection on a plate by Lebanese Al, but the sauce was too astringent for me. The chicken was well enough cooked but I didn’t feel the love here.
It wasn’t particularly busy but we didn’t arrive till 9.30. At lunch, and earlier in the evening, I’ve a feeling it’ll be packed with lawyers from the many nearby courts though it’s cheap enough and authentic enough to garner an audience among the sub continental students around Russell Square.
Salaam indeed…