Thali

It was our 1^st night in London and decided on Thali, it was recommended by the hotel + they were supposed to give us 10% discount.
The person that took our order was either the manager or the owner. He quickly suggested a bunch of fancy dishes, but we only were able to settle on a few. He was «nice» enough to say– let me fix up a nice meal for you guys!
I picked out 4 appetizers and all of us had picked out each individual dishes, some didn’t come with neither Nan nor rice, that was strange I thought. After about 25 mins the appetizers were brought out, instead of 4 kinds, we got 6, and 3 orders of each! Now we had 18 appetizers. Wow! They were pretty «generous» by giving us enough food but without much explaining! So my appetizers were good, but everything was in super-​small portions! Just that portion of the meal was about 80 pounds!
At the end of the meal, the mysterious bill came, but with chicken-​scratched writings which none of us could comprehend. And no where on the bill I was able to find the 10% discount they had promised.
Overall, the food was just ok, nothing too fancy. I would not recommend this place.

Wonderful date night here on Friday. Wandered in after Lates at the Natural History Museum and there was one free table upstairs at 9:30 (looked like maybe a few more downstairs) so we were seated right away. I had a puri and the veggie thali, hubs had the samosa and the fish curry, we each had a well paired red wine. Everything was delicious, it’s a bit pricey but definitely much better than anywhere I’ve had Indian food in the states. Ambiance was lovely, candles and dark and romance. I actually thought we might be a bit chilly by the door but there were heaters under our table and it was very comfortable! Lovely evening.

Unbelievable! We went on a Saturday night without a reservation but luckily they had a table for us. We started with some papadum that were great. Then, the staff brought us a crispy spinach salad (on the house) that was quite delicious. Our entrees, the non-​veg Thali (a sampler platter), chicken tikka, chicken with aubergine and saag paneer were amazing. The food had such excellent flavor– and by far, I think this was the best Indian food I’ve ever eaten. The service was top notch and our waiter was very attentive without being overbearing. Desert was a wonderful, not too sweet delight. I would eat here again tomorrow and will absolutely visit when I return to London. The check was not as much as I expected for such a wonderful meal with high class service. Wow– a must try! You will not be disappointed!

Sadly, after being a loyal customer here for a year, I have to report that the food quality has slid to such a state that I will no longer dine at Thali. After a one hour wait for our palag chaat starter that seemed to have lost its way from the kitchen to the table and arrived soggy and cold, the tandoori salmon I had ordered many times in the past tasted like the fish was purchased 3 days after the expiry date at a Tesco Express. The manager’s offer of compensation by way of a free bowl of mango kulfi was greeted with a chuckle and a polite no thanks.
Noor Jahan next door is much better so I would suggest eating there instead.

Did was good. My meal was delish, and my wife’s was less so. The staff was nice. When I walked in, they acted like my lack of reservation was a problem, even though the place as empty. Other than that, the service was great.

It was the end of a long day, a long week, and this was going to be my last dinner in London [for this trip]. Alas we had no reservations. But we were able to secure a table with only a ~20 min wait. The food was not too special although the spinach appetizer was a pleasant surprise. We were expecting a creamy saag, but it wasn’t creamy at all. Had a fresh, salad appearance, a pleasant crunch from another ingredient, and was a nice light start to the meal. The khorma dish could have been slightly less creamy, but overall wasn’t too overpowering. The service was great and never was my glass empty, always half to ¾ full. There were some cute quotes in the hallway on route to the bathroom. The décor was a mix of modern and traditional; lovely.

Excellent. Nice people and great food. Go out of your way to come here if you want good Indian while in London!

We had a party of four for dinner at Thali and we’re able to walk in at 9:00 on a Friday night, so was concerned that it might not be as good as the reviews; that was quickly proved wrong. The wines are reasonably priced, although a small selection.
We skipped the appetizers, except for papadams, and went straight for the main course. The table had Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Makhani, and Tandoori Chicken. The lamb was excellent, spicy but not hot, Tandoori Chicken was nice but a bit dry so the mint sauce was required. Chicken Tikka Makhani was perfect nice and creamy, mild in spice but very flavorful.
Sides of Sag Paneer, Lemon Rice, and Pulao Rice. Sag Paneer was different than most I’ve had, it was pured and not as creamy, but nice chucks of Paneer.
I’d recommend the Lamb over the other mains. Definitely go again! Only downside was the dining room was too warm.

Husband and I had lunch at Thali today… here are my thoughts:
Ambiance: We were the only two diners in the restaurant, which was a bit awkward. But aside from that the restaurant is quite pretty, nicely decorated, and clean.
Service: The hostess /​server was really quite rude from the start. She kept texting on her phone in the back of the restaurant and never checked on us. We had to ask to order, ask for more water, ask where the food was, ask for the check. And she spoke in a whisper so it was quite difficult to hear her. It was quite frustrating.
Food:
– Aloo Tikka with chickpeas was excellent and the highlight.
– Kachumber salad was fresh and a good compliment to the meal.
– Chicken tikka wasn’t that great according to my husband. I don’t think the meat quality was quite up to par.
– Crab cakes were greasy and didn’t taste like crab at all. We actually returned this dish to the kitchen, which speaks volumes.
– Rice Pulau was excellent.
– Naan had too much butter on it but was fine aside from that.
– Complimentary papadums were excellent. Loved the accompanying mango chutney.
Overall: If it weren’t for the terrible service I would return here because the food was good for the most part. Unfortunately there are just too many good Indian restaurants in London to go back to one that missed the mark on a few levels.

Having been seated outside quickly was the first and only instance of this restaurant doing anything in a timely fashion.
Service was absolutely unacceptable, and the poor food did very little to assuage my rage. We were seated around 8pm, and we finally finished at well past 10pm. Starters took in excess of 40 minutes, after waiting for an unacceptable amount of time for drinks and our order being taken. Venison tikka were dry, though the minuscule lamb samosas were good.
Another 45 minutes later we had received our mains. Our assumption, like at Star of India and Noor Jahan, is that while slightly more expensive than the average curry house in London portions would be standard sized. What arrived, however, were multiple tiny bowls of curry with equally small portions of rice, the type of portion you’d get for a £6 lunch special and still be disappointed. We asked for poppadoms so many times it got funny — perhaps 5 — and even after the main waiter promised to come and update us on our order (in 2 minutes — I promise, sir), he obviously was still fucking about doing something that prevented him from serving us (and other patrons, I found out).
I try to avoid writing negative reviews because I know how hard running a restaurant is in London and obviously, a single poor review from Joshua J can make or break a business, but this place doesn’t warrant my apathy.
Obviously, this place wasn’t super expensive but at comparable prices to other overpriced local places, you expect something more than a teacup full of shit food. Wow, free rice, I save all of 1 pound per head and in return I get massively fucked on portion size, a complete disregard for the value of my time, and surely service — thanks Thali for making it easier for me to choose a curry house next time.

Lovely food and good service… but the tables were so tightly packed, I could have held hands with the person sitting at the next table.
Opt for a table in the back… less hussle and bustle. Or right at the front for fresh air.

Not sure if I should give 3 or 4 stars, maybe 3.5 is OK. Some of the starters were quite good, some of the mains too. My fish curry was nothing special and the fish used was of the cheapest kind. Also, considering the prices I would expect somewhat larger portions for the mains…

Impeccable service (crumb scrapers!), amazing innovative Indian food, and remarkable attention to detail. I was quite surprised to go there on a rainy night and discover it half empty at dinner time, though I was happy to be promptly seated.
We ordered the mushrooms as part of the starter assortment, and they were like nothing else I’ve ever had, and lived up to the rave reviews I’ve seen. Every single dish we sampled in the vegetarian thali was also above and beyond. I will definitely go back to Thali if/​when I’m in London again.

Order Hydrabadi Biryani with Lamb. Not bad at all. Also ordered Bhndi (okra). I am pleasantly surprised and recommend this place. Great service. I will be back again. The only reason, I didn’t give it a 5 star is due to the fact their Raita is too thick.

This restaurant was so tasty! A lovely find in the Earl’s Court neighbourhood that our hotel was located in. The spinach palak chat was so delicious! I loved the flavours and the mixture of textures… this dish is a must try if you come here! I also enjoyed the chicken makhani, the flavours were complex and it was creamy and not spicy, which was perfect for me! The chicken in the dish was also very tender. Presentation of the food is very lovely! Atmosphere was classy and tasteful. Service was very good, the servers were friendly, and between courses they come with the little metal scooper to clean up my mess on the table!

Very nice food, well presented and flavorful. Portions are modest, plan on getting several. Food is flavorful and the default spice level for their «spicy» dishes was on the mild side. If you like your food spicier I would ask for them to add extra.
Oddly, more than half of the patrons in the establishment when I was there were from the U.S., on a Monday night and the restaurant was full.
Overall: good food and nice ambiance. I would eat here again.

Friendly service, nice food and setting.
Went with a girlfriend for catching up time.
We got a little beetroot kale salad as a starter on the house.
Had good recommendations from the staff who were very accommodating
Special requests were executed perfextly.
Casual place-​will be back!

One of the things I always look forward to when I get to London is good Indian food. Something my neck of the woods sorely lacks. After reading through Unilocal reviews, I decided to give Thali a try. I most definitely was not disappointed!
The restaurant is small with a nice low key modern design that does not detract from the beautiful food. Not the garish pseudo luxury décor of so many Indian places. The waitstaff was very friendly and fast without being in your face all the time. Also, the air conditioning works very well so that there are no kitchen smells in the dining area and you don’t end up smelling like you did the cooking yourself. Another grief I have with many other places.
The menu is sufficiently varied and the wine list is rather extensive for a small place like this. I had the crispy spinach (sorry, forgot the proper name) as appetizer. Light, yet very flavorful and the perfect start. The main course was the non-​vegetarian Thali, which is a combination plate of lamb, rabbit, veal, chicken and beef (if my food coma tainted memory serves me right) in small bowls with rice and Raita and a small dessert. The naan bread was crispy and moist.
The good even extended to a great cup of espresso at the end. Sorry, I’m Italian-​Brazillian and need my coffee…

They say Indian food is good in London.
Absolutely true.
Make reservations! We didn’t have and almost couldn’t get in. But they fit us in.
Get the seafood/​fish platter to share. Delish. Has shrimp, crab cake, scallop, salmon, calamari, and samosa. I love variety and everything tasted splendid.
We also got the chicken tikka masawa. Curry was good and not spicy since I can’t handle spice
Everything was full of flavor.

I ordered the vegetarian thali — and couldn’t be happier. Delicious, voluminous portions and a good selection. Friendly staff too!
J’ai commandé le thali végétarien et n’ai pas été déçu. Tout était délicieux: les portions sont généreuses et la sélection, variée. Service très agréable!
thali. ‚. , !
. . !