By far one of the worst elevated dining experiences. Food was sub par. No atmosphere. Over serviced but no one really knew about their menu, how it should be suggested, or presented. Table across from me looked like their meat was over cooked. Our food was 7/10 but at the price I expect 9+/10 read more

I had a wonderful experience here as a treat from my sister. After a day out in London this was the highlight of my trip. I should have posted this like 10 yrs ago read more

The food is really good - but nothing special. We had butter chicken (called something more exotic) and Saag paneer. They were definitely good but by no means worth the 300 pounds for 2 people price. read more

Benares Restaurant is AWESOME AMAZING AND FANTASTIC Ambiance was GORGEOUS Staff was gracious Vegetarian appetizers were DELICIOUS Vegetarian entrees were unique especially paneer makhani DESSERT especially Rus Malai Rose Cardamom Tres Leches was BEYOND DELICIOUS HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION read more

We entered Benares with extremely high expectations: it is the first restaurant on our honeymoon, we were tremendously tired after being awake for 30 hours, and it is an Indian restaurant with a Michelen star which at least in the states, is a rare thing. We were taken to our table and note that at this point there was nothing overly different between this restaurant and the ones we have been to in other countries. The service started right away and was in poor order. It was unclear who was waiting on us and who was assisting. Within five minutes of seating, before a drink order, we were asked to place our whole order in. We told them we needed more time every five minutes. After a reminder we weren't offered drinks, our drink order was taken. First look at the tasting menu, I couldn't help but feel unimpressed with the options. Meat not usual to Indian cuisine was listed and poorly described. We instead ordered a la Carte which options were quite few. The lamb while well presented was over cooked. The chicken Tikka was good but not in anyway refined. The Naan was inconsistent with some spots extremely chewy whereas other parts crispy. Only one dessert option without nuts. The experience was lack luster and I am at loss at how this restaurant got a Michelin star after considering the poor service alone. Would consider other dining options in the future. read more

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This dining experience was superb! Our friends who are locals took us here and it was all of our first times. I was thrilled to try my second Michelin starred restaurant. Our friends had arranged the reservations before we had a chance to look at the menu. I have an all encompassing legume allergy that our friends didn't know about, so neither did the restaurant. Our waiter was certainly surprised by the allergy, but all night was very good about communicating with us what the chef said about each dish and which ones were safe for me. We were choosing from the tasting menu, so our options were already more limited, but I was still able to find some amazing items. First I had the paneer as my starter which was really good. Then I had buttered chicken and they brought out extra naan bread & rice since I couldn't eat the veggies. The chef blew me away by making me a special bowl of creamed garlic spinach, and I am certain spinach will never taste that good again! Their garlic naan was also incredible. The waiters and waitresses were very accommodating and very attentive. For dessert, we had a pot of peppermint tea for the table and a few creme brûlées. I was absolutely obsessed with the chocolates they brought out with the bill. Everything was visually stunning and delicious! The restaurant itself was a little dark and loud, but very beautiful. read more

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Definitely a good place if you can manage to book or show up when it is not busy. Chutney martini is a great way to start the dining experience here. Noise level is a bit high for their dining area and for a restaurant of this caliber. Food and service is great. read more

Amazing food around the park. Lamp chops are some Of the best I've ever had. Solid option if gym khana is too busy. read more

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Had a great experience at Benares. Their veggie options are limited but the quality was awesome. Rasmalai was out of the world. read more

Benares Restaurant & Bar - Papad and Khakhra - Indian Near Me - London, XGL

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Absolutely the best Indian food I have ever had the pleasure of having! Everything was superb, from the moment we walked through the door! The attention to detail was first class and well deserving of their Michelin rating if they still have one. The wine list is excellent and the food was unbelievably fantastic! The baked Malabar scallop was out of this world good! I seriously can't imagine tasting anything quite so amazing! We also had the Samosa Ragda and again, a beautiful preparation and explosion of taste. We had a number of entries including the lamb chops with seasoned basmati rice, which was unbelievable! The butter chicken was exquisite as was the Palak Paneer and the Dal Makhani! For desert we had the Madagascan Vanilla Rasmalai Strawberry, the Panna Cotta and the Gulab Jamun. All were incredible! This was truly an extraordinary dining experience! read more

Food and service are very food. I would definitely recommend while in London. The ambiance is wonderful. read more

Everyone is so kind. The water chestnut soup, rasmalai, and rose ice cream are the best in the WORLD!!!

A bad experience at a restaurant I like. Two "dudes" seating next to me kept playing the audio of their cellphones. At this kind of retaurant, this should have been impossible, but they kept doing it, and as my table was next to theirs, I just called my bill. My host told me that he had spoken to them about this, but obviously this had no effect, because it continued. If the manager can't control their unruly clients, it's a bad sign. when I left, they giggled at me. It would take a lot for me to go back, and I will mention this experience to the Mayfair hotel that booked it. read more

We had not been for a number of years (so much great Indian cuisine in London) and had a wonderful dinner. We tried the tasting menu and captivating wine pairing. First off we had a revitaliser and gold old fashioned, which were a nice start to the meal. The flavors and textures across the courses were so well balanced with just enough heat to make one want more. We will definitely be back much sooner! read more

Came here 8 years ago and loved it. In the intervening time I've recommended it to anyone coming to London. But as our reservation approached I started to wonder if I'd built it up too much in my head, maybe it had declined over the years. No. It was just as enchanting a dining experience as I remembered. We opted for the tasting menu in the wine cellar, which allowed us some privacy as well as a perfect environment to enjoy our meal. Every course was perfect, the drinks were on point, and the service, led by Mukesh, was top notch. Can not recommend it more highly. read more

Incredibly rude service - don't get me wrong food was absolutely amazing but as a Michelin this should definitely be an all encompassing experience. When I was called to remind my reservation, the hostess on the other end was very to the point and more of a "DONT FORGET" than a gentle reminder. Arriving literally 1 minute late, and steps outside the restaurant, a hostess called me and basically said "WHERE ARE YOU"... and I said well I'm right outside and she's like "HURRY COS ITS THE LAST SEATING".... When I got in, I didn't get a gentle hello or warm welcome but instead "WE HAVE TO HURRY, COS THE LAST ORDER IS AT 2:45 PM" And when seated at the table, a waiter was like "WELL WE MUST HURRY because the KITCHEN CLOSES"... and upon ordering a dish (Hake), he sternly corrected my pronounciation. It did not seem like service was a consideration at all, even by British standards where they don't work for their tips. Food was a+, service was f- read more

Can I put 7 stars??? Outstanding food, drinks, and service. Every dish we ate was incredible. True art of mixing Indian ingredients with western food. I cannot choose my favorite dish, as they all had so many flavors , but mango mousse with grapes salsa was a heaven. I'm looking to come back. read more

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This is probably a four star establishment in terms of food but gets knocked down a star as it is priced for perfection. The service was definitely lacking and there are many reasons why. The food was solid but not spectacular. Dishoom offers a much better experience for 1/3 the price. Won't return but glad I checked it out. read more

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The ambience at Benares is sleek and modern. Service could have been better considering this is a Michelin starred restaurant. We did not order wine and they left the glasses on the table for awhile until we asked them to be removed. When we asked for this, the waiter seemed oddly confused. Food wise, we enjoyed our meal. We tried a couple appetisers including the vegetarian sampler which was quite good. For the main, I had the seafood stir fry which was nicely spiced with a variety of seafood. The highlight of the night was a solo rider behind us getting sloshed and knocking over his table. It was a total mess with liquid and glass everywhere. Apparently he's a regular so beware if you are seated next to a man throwing back glasses of red wine! read more

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We had a great experience from beginning to end. Service was amazing, especially from our waitress. We had the Tandoori Ratan to start with and the main dishes were the Kashmiri Lamb Rohan Josh, Old Delhi Butter Chicken with sides of pilau rice, butter naan, Dal Makhani and Podi Aloo. Dessert was the pistachio praline tart. The food was fresh and the quantities were generous except for the rice. We also had a bottle of the Klein Constantia Estate Red which was amazing. read more

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Was really looking forward to this dinner. Ordered the chicken starter, which is ground chicken in balls. Bit into something very hard. The waiter came over and saw me looking at it. He brought it to the chef. The chef said it was cartilage that shouldn't have been in the dish. Disgusting! BTW, I was still charged for the dish even though their chef admitted it was a mistake. Shocked. I won't be back despite enjoying a few of the other dishes. Just felt wrong and gross. read more

One of the best meals ever and the service to match. Had a cocktail before sitting for dinner and the atmosphere was very nice from the start, with friendly and attentive staff. Dinner consisted of appetizers and shared dishes for the table. The request for gluten free was taken care of nicely and there were several dishes. The nan was for the rest of us and was delicious. All memorable dishes, in particular the lamb. read more

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Wow! Definitely know why Benares has a Michelin Star. Dined solo around 9:15pm on a weekday and it was packed as I was getting seated so knew that was a good sign. I was pretty quickly brought the restaurants version of popped chips with 3 different chutneys. This was a great way to start off the meal (I was ravenous!) after ordering my appetizer and main, I was served an amuse bouche - pumpkin fritter with lemon dip underneath. This was delicious! Next up was the Jerusalem artichoke appetizer with paneer and parsnips with a romesco dip. This was absolutely to die for. The flavors went so well together. Wish I asked for a paired wine with this course. For the entree, the waiter suggested I try the most popular dish, which was the smoked tandoori lamb chops with a bold glass of red. These paired perfectly together. The lamb was SO tender. Wish there were more. Would love to do the tasting menu next time or try more dishes if dining with someone else. read more

I walked in and asked for a table for one, on the recommendation of a friend. They told me they were fully booked for the evening. Ten minutes later I was able to book a table for two at any time I wanted on OpenTable. Liars. read more

This is a beautiful posh restaurant. I felt special when I checked in because they gave me a beautiful Indian silk scarf as a welcome present! We were a large group and ordered lots of items ala carte including crab, lobster, duck, vegetarian dishes etc. The vegetarian dishes were my favorite. This was a nice place to take clients. The presentation of food was dramatic because they had three people holding it on large silver trays while the waiter put on the table and mentioned each dish. The signature Smokey old fashioned was a smooth end to the evening. read more

Benares Restaurant & Bar - Showing off my cool scarf welcome present! Cool start to a nice evening! - Indian Near Me - London, XGL

The best meal I have ever eaten! Lots of nice little touches including spiced nuts with our fabulous cocktails, little popadoms to start, an amuse bouche, petit fours and a dessert for my birthday. I started with the scallops which were perfection, then I had the venison which came with delicious veg, rice and a chocolate curry! Followed by the refreshing strawberry semi freddo. Service was attentive but informal. £200 for 2 means I'll only be going back for a very special occasion, but the food really was outstanding. They serve a street food menu in the bar that is much more reasonable.. looking forward to giving that a go! read more

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I was so excited to try Indian food in London being Indian myself. This Michelin rated restaurant was highly recommended to us by our hotel concierge. Although the restaurant only had three other tables seated, we were told we had to sit at one of two top tables because they would be getting busy Which we did not see even at the time we were leaving. The service was not worth a Michelin rated service and what we've come to expect when a restaurant is rated such as that. The service was sparse and slow and although we had told him that I was vegan, he ended up recommending dishes that had dairy which I had to tell him there was dairy in it. We ended up ordering an appetizer and a main which were all just very bland and almost seemed like they were curated with just the spices of india and lacked taste. I was so disappointed with the taste that most of the food was left on the plates. The English pea tiki was the best thing I had and it was just okay. The cauliflower had a raw masala taste and the potatoes which looked like it was taste phenomenal were so sad when it came to seasoning. Pretty to look at with no depth or flavor. That was the theme of the food. Although I appreciate that they had a gluten-free flatbread, the food was just not what I was expecting in London especially for a Michelin rated meal. read more

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After Atul Kochhar left this place has gone down hill. Honestly most of the crowd was non-Indian and many were Americans. I am American myself and trust me when I say, there isn't good Indian food in America. England does it better and I felt really disappointed coming here. The food was so watered down in flavor, it was obviously catering to American tourists tastes. The inside was not as glamorous as it once was. It looks like a bad version of a PF Chang's. My husband and I did the tasting menu and nothing was flavorful or spicy. If you are looking for good Indian in the U.K. check out Amaya or Dishoom. read more

Excellent as always. Atul Kochar no long owns it, so we were told. But he has created a gem! We had the 2 courses with wine pairings. Dee-lish! I hope it doesn't go downhill now that Atul has gone onto other things. Please keep the cheaper set menu for those of us who could not otherwise to eat there but who appreciate excellent food. read more

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So first time here having seen Atul Kochhar on the tv on many occasions I was very excited to actually go to this resturant. The actual setting was very easy on the eye and very well polished from the time we went through the front door to the time we left. The lady on the door was very polite and well turned out. The decor has its light and dark areas and unlike some restaurants is not so dark you cannot see the person across the table without leaning over and I always find that to be a plus. The background sounds were not intrusive so definitely no shouting to be done to have a conversation. We had a very nice champagne cocktail to start with along side the mini popadoms and a selection of dips to go with them. As to be expected in an establishment of this nature there was a waiter to take your wine order and a different one to take your food order. It was quiet when we arrived as we were their for lunch so perhaps that is why by the time we left we had been looked after by at least four different waiting staff, but it was not a problem as none were intrusive and it never affected our order. Whilst the portions are not large they most certainly hit the spot for both taste and quantity. For some people out their the first two courses would have constituted a meal (we had a four course meal ) surprisingly for an Indian resturant the deserts were very good. All in all I would definitely go back and try something else on the menu as what I had was all very tasty. The only downside I guess is that the main man was no where to be seen . I guess everyone gets a day off at some stage. read more

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I came here on a recommendation from a local chef, whom I got to know a little bit. We discussed how Indian food had been so assimilated into British life that chicken tikka masala is now considered a national dish of the UK. Naturally, after so much talk, I was craving Indian food, and so he recommended this place that is one of his favorites, which has a really unique twist on Indian food. Details: 1) Came for a pre-show dinner, reservation seating @5.30p. 2) Ordered the 2-course prix fixe meal (29 GBP) - a little pricey. 3) Sipped on a refreshing glass of Gewurztraminer while I absorbed the ambiance of the restaurant. YAY -- It's all about the food: 1) Amuse bouche - spinach cake stuffed with apricot with mild green chutney. Who doesn't love a delicious freebie? 2) Papadum with chutneys (gooseberry, spicy tomato, and mango). I had to consciously stop eating these or I would ruin my dinner. 3) 1st course - cauliflower assortment. I never thought I would get so excited over cauliflower, but every bite of this amazing assortment was packed with flavor: white cauliflower roasted with parmesan, purple vinegar cauliflower, cauliflower puree, and pickled cauliflower. YUM. 4) 2nd course - roasted sea bream with masala chips, basmati rice, lentil soup, and whole wheat naan. UGH --Not so great on the service: Service here is off, uncoordinated, inefficient, etc. When I was seated, the waiter made multiple interruptions, like 4-5 trips, just bring menus and water. 2 separate waiters waited on me at first and didn't communicate with each other beforehand. Then by the end of the dinner, I didn't have any specified waiter at all, and I had to wave someone down to get the check. All in all, there just needs to be some level of consistency with the service to have a really fabulous experience. So why 4 stars? Because the food was just that good. Really. I would go back for the food, and more of it! read more

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For a one star Michelin restaurant, this place really underwhelmed. The food was mediocre and the service was friendly but abysmally slow. They forgot our drinks twice and we cancelled one of the orders because it didn't come during dinner. read more

Here's a shout out to the wonderful staff (all from Goa!). I have a picky daughter and they bent over backwards to get her the perfect butter chicken with naan. The three course meal - with the alfonso cheesecake at the end - is divine! Thank you. read more

Summary: for the price, the food quality could be much better. Full review: We arrived a bit early for our reservation and were seated in the bar in the meantime. The bartender was extremely friendly and made great, strong, drinks. If we were to return, it would probably be only for drinks. Once seated, the experience was one of refined elegance. The waitstaff did a great job, as expected for such an upscale restaurant. We both had the tasting menu and I opted for the wine pairing while my fiancée stuck with her drink from the bar. The stand-out course was the seared scallop, which was delicious. Everything else was executed well, but not impressive. In fact, the main course of lamb was dry and a bit tough - a grave error. There were two options for the wine pairing and I opted for the slightly less expensive of the two. All of the wines served were good, but nothing stood out enough to merit seeking out a bottle of the stuff. For the price we paid, we expected better in terms of food. Otherwise, the experience was average for this type of restaurant. Hence, we deduct one star from the average three to arrive at a final verdict of two. read more

Other than the food, it was below our expectations. Great food; modest service (although nothing too formal, we asked for water which was never delivered etc.) and modest atmosphere. It missed a cosy "feel", potentially driven by the low ceiling, the lighting choices & the somewhat crammed seating. All of this for quite a premium price, driving the rating to 3.5 stars. read more

Disappointing. Really. When you are a highly recommended, Michelin Star, Indian restaurant in London people get excited. We made reservations weeks in advance, specifying the tasting menu for four at that time. When we arrived they had no idea we had confirmed the tasting menu in our reservation. Once the food began to arrive it looked lovely, but was completely lacking in creativity, depth, flavor and spice. The main course was lamb which was nicely grilled, but had raw masala on the meat. Many flavors felt more European than Indian. Have they attempted to reach a non-Indian audience with a compromise in their recipes? The service was the biggest weakness. A tasting menu comes with the expectation of discovery and flavor. We wanted to experience the breadth of food your chef has to offer but instead got a string of surprisingly similar grilled options. We often had no idea what we were being served (is that salmon on pink trout?) and the staff were preoccupied with others. After our three hour fifteen minute meal we were sort of abandoned before they remembered our dessert. Then we had to ask for the check three times, finally hailing the manager in desperation. Pretty big disappointment after our anticipation of a Michelin Star experience meal. One of our guests actually said, "We should have ordered take out from our local Indian place, would have been better." read more

Everything was unique .. Exotic and fabulous. Presentations was very nice as well. The also have a nice lounge/bar area. Specialty cocktails : Pomegranate Raspberry Caipiroska... read more

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Highly recommend this delightful restaurant to dine! Had scallops,ceviche, lobster pulao, halibut, palak paneer and dal tadka all superb. An excellent wine to pair with the skillfully spiced dishes. Polite and professional service. read more

Extremely disappointed by my experience here. My partner and I were on holiday in London and wanted to try a Michelin-rated Indian restaurant. Benares was one of the few places open in the afternoon that had an opening for a reservation in the bar area for the Street Food tasting menu, and had good reviews, so we opted for Benares. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly. The bar area was beautiful (but empty--though it was 2pm). We started with cocktails, which were delicious. Soon after, the first course of the tasting menu arrived--a salad course with a lovely tamarind dressing. It was flavorful, tangy, sweet, and salty--we were both quite impressed. As I drew towards my final bites, I bit into something hard. I pulled out from my mouth a piece of plastic--likely from some sort of packaging. I wish I had taken a photo at that moment, but I was in shock. I brought this up to the server, who immediately apologized and whisked away the dish. Soon after, the manager came over to apologize. I asked him if he would expect something like this to happen at a Michelin-rated restaurant (if he were a customer). He said that he would not expect it. Then, he just stood there awkwardly and asked if there was anything else he could do. I felt VERY weird that he did not offer anything, but rather made me have to ask for a round of drinks. He obliged but it really soured my experience. Looking back, we should have just left, but we were hungry and the dish we ate was great until I found that plastic in it. So we ate the remaining courses, and while they were ok--it was hard to enjoy them after what had just happened. Ultimately, we were charged for both tasting menus and our first round of drinks. I really feel like we should have been comped one of the tasting menu purchases, and that the apology should not have been so awkward. The manager has the power to make or break the experience in that moment, and in my opinion, he totally broke it. I would not recommend going here. read more

Excellent service and I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 course set-menu which started with some crispy prawns with raita, and a main course of the most delicate and tender chicken. The waiter explained that the chicken is left in yoghurt for some time to tenderize the meat. A quiet setting, seemed to have lots of business meetings. The only thing I would recommend is a refresh on the interior design but otherwise recommended. read more