Amazing food, good service. All the dishes tasted authentic. This is definitely a food coma place.

The best Indian food i've even had. They actually have two locations opposite of each other - one of them is vegetarian and the other one is not. We tried both and were really impressed. The vegetarian place is always very crowded. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Absolutely fantastic ... I make special trips out to Stoke Newington regularly because Rasa is consistently excellent. Cheera curry with lemon rice is a favourite, and their version of pappadoms (pappadavadai) are remarkable. The rice pudding dessert is outstanding. I love my meats and fish and somehow it always comes as a surprise to me at the end of dinner that I have just had a fully vegetarian meal ........... soooo satisfying! read more

If you are craving authentic and affordable South Indian food - Rasa is the 5 star pick! I've been here twice and have left there happy with a food coma. I suggest trying the avial and the tart mango curry with the appam instead of the dosas. Everything is so well priced that you can get several curries and sides. Make sure you leave room for the mango halwa! read more

great indian food in stoke. always packed but seem to have room for me! my go to pace for sit down Indian in stokey. they have a vegetarian place across the street. the best dish we had that nice was the lamb in coconut sauce, but the curry lamb was amazing as well. the fried aurbegine appetizer was underwhelming. rice, nan - its all good... read more

A different Indian restaurant, which serves an interesting selection of dishes from south west India. The restaurant has two buildings on either side of the road. One is entirely vegetarian, the other serves meats and veggie dishes but not the same ones as in the veggie building. The food was a pleasant surprise and the service was very friendly and the staff knowledgeable. A great place for people who would like to try a different taste of India. read more

There are two Rasas here, just about opposite to one another, one vegetarian one not. I have but been to the vegetarian one, and will always go back. The food is quite simply incredible. Everything is much more exciting than the usual Indian fare. Instead of poppadoms, there are strange curly, crispy things that look like dried starfish but are just perfect savoury biscuit-like things for dipping in special dips. There is an amazingly strange but wonderful mango main course, a variety of rices, and every dish is differently delightful.It is also extremely affordable - there are other Rasas closer to central London (one on Charlotte Street and one near Bond Street, and one strangely in a hotel off Kings Cross Road) but they are more expensive and not exclusively vegetarian either. It is just perfect here. And pink. read more

This is a restaurant which is reportedly one of the best for serving South Indian food. It has proved so successful that there are actually now eight venues spread all over London. In fact in Stoke Newington, the site of the original Rasa, there are two alone - right across from each other! Rasa N16 in Stoke Newington is a bit of a journey to get to but worth it. Especially when you consider the premium on the prices on the more centrally located venues. We were feeling hungry so nearly everything on the menu was looking good to us. We started off with a Masala Dosa which is a thin pancake filled with a spicy potatoes mix and served with sambar and coconut chutney. Along with this we sampled a number of starters (descriptions from the website): - Bhel Mix. Fresh crispy chickpeas, bhel, sev, peanuts, onions blended in spicy tamarind juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves. - Medhu Vadai. A spongy dumpling in a crunchy case, made from urad beans and chillies - served with coconut chutney. - Banana Boli. Plantain slices dipped in a batter of rice and chickpea flour seasoned with black sesame seeds, then crisply fried. Served with our specially prepared peanut and ginger sauce. - Rasa Idli. Steamed urad dal (black lentils) cakes topped with chef's speciality mixed vegetable masala. Served with coconut chutney. - Kathrikka. Finely sliced pieces of aubergines are dipped in a special batter, blended with coriander and chilli, before frying. Served with a fresh tomato chutney. We were also going to order a curry and rice but our waiter was like, maybe you should eat the dosa and starters first and see how you feel. Good advice indeed. That didn't stop us trying a couple of desserts though - a rice pudding (Pal Payasam) and semolina sweet (Kesari) served with mango ice-cream. Everything we ate, with the exception of the Rasa Idli which was fairly tasteless and quite dense, was delicious with my favourite savoury dishes being the Dosa and Bhel Mix (good use of tamarind juice.) Service was very friendly and quite efficient and they didn't hassle you unnecessarily, which makes for a nice change. Its also great for vegetarians - I didn't even miss my meat tonight! Surprisingly good value for money. read more

My absolute favourite Indian food in London. As a vegetarian it is an absolute delight to come here and have your choice of everything on the menu. Incredible flavours, plenty of variety, very friendly and helpful staff. I cannot say enough good things about this place! This is my favourite neighbourhood spot for dinner with friends any night of the week. I've been here with many sized groups from 2 of us to 10 and they are very happy to accommodate. It's a definite favourite, always crowded, with a great lively atmosphere, so be prepared in case you have to wait. read more

This pink gem is a joy to behold amongst Church Street's fine selection of restaurants. Simple yet elegant, delicious yet great value - this establishment cannot be faulted. The staff are attentive and friendly. As for the food, it is simply brilliant and perhaps the finest Indian Ive come across in London. The ingredients are delicate and expertly prepared, combining a fascintating array of distinct flavours. My curry was a brilliant balance of spinach and daal, while the starter of battered aubergine was cooked to perfection - not too greasy, finely spiced. I would recommend this to everyone. read more

Still rates as one of the best vegetarian curry houses in london. Pink and cosy and ambient of india and every single dish is mouth watering. I can never decide what to order and so always end up ordering the thali. Reccomend booking a table if its near the weekend. read more

Sometimes Rasa is amazing, other times the standards slip and you end up with too much sauce relative to the actual food. The flavours are always good, especially the starters. I could happily just eat the variety of mini papadom and banana chips etc with the divine sauces and dips. I mark down by one star, as the smell of incense is a little too hippyish for me- yes I know its Stokey and I should expect this, but I'd rather not taste patchouli while i'm trying to enjoy a curry. The variation in quality should lose Rasa another star, but its such good value it would be mean to criticise this, as even on a bad day they're pretty generous. read more

This place was nice but too tight. Then again everything in this county is a tight squeeze. That being said not a bad place but don't plan on dining with a huge group of people. read more

A wonderful vegetarian indian restaurant. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and will help with the menu which has many meals on it never seen on other indian menus. The portions are generous and the food is absolutely delicious, especially the dosas. read more

One of the best Indian restaurants ever! such a fantastic selection of dishes that you will never find in any of the many generic tandoori restaurants around London. The spices are delicate and add to the overall flavour rather than swamping the flavours of the food. It is such a joy to find a restaurant that truly demonstrates why vegetarian food is not inferior to meat cuisine read more

Now I'm not vegetarian but this place is pretty good! Food is banging and prices are great. The only way it loses stars is the service and table space. Me and my friends were in the back room which was way too cramped for the amount of people. And the service was slow! So I'd say if you do go make sure your on a table with plenty of room and in good view of the waiters. read more

I would just like to say that this rasa is brilliant, and that the one just of oxford st in central london is amazing! I really like the dhal that they serve here. But book ahed, I usually find that I get there for a meal, and the seats are all taken up :0 read more

Rasa has a few resturants and this one is ment to be the meaty one (as apposed to the vegitarian one that is across the street). Despite being for meat eaters the vegiatarian options were delicious (as was the lalb dish i had). They are listed as side dishes but i would say any vegitarian (or meat eater) would be happy with the portion sizes. Infact everything i had was inventive, well portioned and delcisious. I highly recomend the breads, the lemon rice. Will definitly go again read more

I have been dining at Rasa for at least 15 years. On Wednesday, I ordered a take-away over the phone, from the menu on their website. I calculated the cost of the order before I went to collect it so I would know whether I had to stop at an ATM on the way. I was stunned to find the bill 20% higher than I had calculated and by the casual way in which I was told that the prices on their website were out of date. I pointed out that it was probably illegal, and certainly poor practice, to change the terms of an order by not even warning customers that the prices were no longer valid. All I got was a shrug. So, that's the end of a long relationship. read more

This is my favourite Indian Restaurant on the fantastic Stoke Newington chuch street, home of many Indian restaurants. It is Southern Indian cooking traditional Kerelan cuisine, that is pure vegetarian, but don't let that put you off I'm a meat eater and its surpasses the meat serving Rasa across the road. Just try the starter Kathrikka, aubergine in batter with coriander and chili, served with a tomato salsa sublime flavours that will blow you away. They make fantastic Dosa's, rice pancakes filled with spicy potatoes, among other classic and unusual Kerelan cuisine. I can't recommend this place enough the prices are astonishly reasonable, so book in advance to guarantee a table, and have a Kerelan feast to remember! read more

Nice Indian Restaurant around the area.

Rasa is both an Indian and a vegetarian restaurant which in my eyes is a double win. Every dish is delicately prepared and enables you to fully appreciate the fine indian spices. In my opinion one of the best around. The only setback is that it is crowded most of the time but that's mainly because Rasa is the preferred choice of many. read more

love it here great source of inspiration for indian vegetarian food. i bought the cookbook. particularly like the potato pancakes and had a lovely beetroot dish here. read more

This is not so much as Indian cuisine as it is Indian Coastal cuisine, mostly from the state of Kerala. Foodies from the US who watch Anthony Bourdain, would recognize the owner from one of his recent shows on the state. Food from this region is not easy to find as most South Indian restaurants tend to be dominated by Tamil cuisine. The gently spiced and flavorful food is a finger in the eye for those who claim Indian food is too spicy. The waiters were very well informed and made excellent suggestions, a welcome departure from most of the nodding drones I'm used to in Indian restaurants. Close to the British Museum so was able to accomplish quite a few things read more

I need to be honest... I decided to give Rasa a second chance. When I working in the west end I would get there lunch take away. Even then I found there food to be very bland. Also not sure if it was made for a western palette. So my partner and I decided to attempted the Rasa in Stoke Newington. The waiter was very friendly and very accommodating. He did recommend the best choices for us. We couldn't wait for the experience of this popular place. I have to admit the Dosa's were very good and tasty. However once our mains came along there wasn't any taste!! Sorry it actually tasted like a flavourless soup. I wish I could say better words about Rasa. Though this was my second attempt and wasn't blown away by the food. read more

THIS is, excuse the bad vernacular, 'Da Bomb'. As far as i'm concerned it's the best curry house, and one of the best places to eat EVER. Just take a peek through the window - it's always packed. But somehow the friendly staff will still usually be able to find you a seat if you just turn up anyway. And the food! the food is vegetarian curry house heaven, where curries go to escape the cycle of birth and death. From the pre-meal snacks with a selection of mouthwatering dips all the way through the fantastic black pepper soup, the potato balls, the Dosa, one of the incredible and unusual curries (although perhaps it's best to share the creamy aubergine number as it's TOO rich), the delicious side dishes.tmarind or lemon rice.the list goes on.i've only had desert here a couple of times as i'm usually too stuffed, and the large bottles of Cobra don't help. This place is one of the reasons i moved to this area. Just go. read more

I could never understand why Indian friends would not eat in bog standard Anglo-curry houses, until I ate at Rasa. Outstanding food. All the spices are there in the food as flavours and not just hot-sauces! Charlotte Street branch in the west end does great takeaway lunches (especially nice is the fish soup.) read more

We were in London for a 9 hour layover and went to Rasa as it was highly rated. This was absolutely the best Indian cuisine we have ever had. I had the vegetarian feast and my husband had the non vegetarian feast. Each dish was exquisite! read more

Love Rasa, it hasn't changed much during the years which is a good thing.

I visited Rasa last night, initially the Vegi one across the road but we were squeezed into a corner under an air con unit and I had to look at a wall so were recommended the sister restaurant across the road, Travancore. A lovely greeting, we smiled at the poor harassed mother with the toddler who had managed to through rice EVERYWHERE, and were ushered to a lovely table opposite the bar. Really great welcome and we quickly tucked into a selection box of different popadoms and chutneys which we crunched on whilst looking at the menu. The waiter was really helpful and recommended two curries to follow the starters we selected. Within 5 minutes our 3 starters arrived, a Lamb Puff, a King Prawn something and a chicken patty (forgive the descriptions). They were dreadful, the Lamb puff was a greggs pasty heated through at best, the chicken patty was presented in the shape of a love heart? And the battered prawn was tasteless. It was all dry, pre prepared, heated through hideousness. We didn't complain but explained we were disappointed with the starters, the poor waiter looked personally attacked. We decided to stick with it, that surely the main would be good and the starters were merely a glitch! I ordered a Prawn Masala and my friend order a dry Lamb dish. The Lamb was passable, nothing exceptional but edible, the Prawn was just rotten, sorry but it was genuinely the worst curry I have ever been presented with, the sauce was made from tinned tomatoe tonnes of tomatoe puree, it was the over riding flavour. We looked around and the relatively busy restaurant seemed to be enjoying thier food without a problem, it just seemed to be us!? Perhaps its a Stokie thing, if I lived in Stokie i'd love it? But these reviews are all great too so im baffled, I have eaten at Rasa in town before and enjoyed it, I have tried numerous curry houses in and around London and they do vary but this was unquestionably the VERY WORST CURRY I HAVE EVER HAD. EVER. Thanks Paul read more

excellent southern Indian food. completely different than most Indian restaurants in around .Great food. Amazing atmosphere

Third visit to this place for my birthday. First time I tried it I wasn't too sure because the flavours aren't as rich and over packed with herbs and curry as I'm used to. However, I loved the seafood soup starter and I found the food easier on my insides than my usual Indian (no wind or diarrhoea) as I am very sensitive to various ingredients. However, me and my BF are a fan now had some prawns fried in rice batter for my starter and I could literally order those everyday. (absolutely delicious). Where my usual favourite Indian across the road is empty this place is packed solid. The only thing is the place is dark, they could add some kind of lighting, and create a more inviting atmosphere. read more

This is my fave Indian restarant ever. I cant fault it - the food is south indian and very unusual compared to your standard chicken tikka. I reccommened the starters - the homemade chutneys burst with flavour in your mouth and the poppadoms and other crispy morsels are an absolute delight! The decor is very pink and very Indian, creating a warm inviting atmosphere. The staff are super friendly and efficient and if your not sure what to order will always reccommend something delicious! I suggest rounding of your meal with the mango kulfi - mmm! Oh almost forgot - it is also amazingly cheap! Some of the curries are only £3 - £4 ensuring you can sample as much of the menu as possible even if your on a budget. I would eat here over the upmarket mint leaf restarant any day of the week. read more

I have tried it twice and found it to be very average both times. No idea what the fuss is all about. I may be in a minority but frankly, I wouldn't rush. read more

Good South Indian food and very good value prices. Yum

My favourite indian! I'm usually not partial to vegetarian cuisine, but the meals at Rasa are so good and fulfilling you forget you're not eating meat. Yum! read more