Gymkhana

Gymkhana delivered a truly enjoyable experience. The food was excellent, with bold and vibrant flavors — the lamb chop, in particular, was outstanding, possibly one of the best I’ve ever had (and I usually swear by Middle Eastern spots for that). The tasting menu was generous, with five courses at £145, which felt fair for the quality and quantity. The service was friendly and came with good recommendations, but it didn’t quite meet what you'd expect from a two-star Michelin restaurant. It felt a bit rushed, likely due to the high volume of tables, even though the staff seemed sufficient in number. The atmosphere is casual chic — stylish without being pretentious. My main critique: refinement. While the flavors were excellent, some dishes leaned too heavily on salt. At this level, seasoning should be flawless. It didn’t feel like a true gastronomic experience, but rather a very high-quality, upscale restaurant. Would I rate it two stars? Personally, no — one star feels more appropriate. That said, it’s immensely popular and getting a table is a challenge for a reason.

My first visit to Gymkhana was over 10 years ago, when it was merely the hottest new Indian restaurant in town. Since then it seems to have only grown in stature, having now received a second star, to the point where it has become almost impossible to get a booking at prime times. Having booked 2 months in advance, I finally made it around to my second visit with my wife at lunchtime on a Friday. Seating is split between ground and basement levels, and we were allocated a corner table at the former, which gave us a good view of our surroundings. Our view also included the restaurant entrance and hostess desk, which did provide some great people watching opportunities but it was a bit odd to see deliveries also arriving through the front entrance. Not quite 2 star if you ask me. On to the food. While there was a very attractively priced lunch set menu on offer, the a la carte menu looked more appealing. The two of us ordered the kid goat keema, Patiala fried chicken, channa masala, and two of the restaurants signature dishes - the lamb chops and the butter chicken. We were also given a chaat starter on the house. For dessert we tried the kheer and the gulab jamun, and got another freebie given we were celebrating my wife’s birthday - this being a very chocolatey mousse. The goat keema and the chaat would be my top picks from what we tried, the lamb chops were solid, and I liked the chocolate dessert as well. There was a good hit of spice in a few dishes which we enjoyed. That said, I was not really blown away by any of the food and there were a couple of items like the channa masala that were surprisingly mediocre. Portion sizes were huge and we did have to pack quite a bit of food to take home. I was told that many guests struggle to get through the set menu portions as well. Service was a strong point. Our primary server was very friendly and we enjoyed our interactions with him. The food was delivered at a reasonable pace as well. The bill for our lunch came to £339 of which £113 was spent on drinks. Food pricing was surprisingly reasonable if considering the (very) generous portions but the drinks bill did rack up quite easily. In conclusion however I couldn’t see what the fuss was about. There are definitely better Indian restaurants in London. Even within the JKS family, I would rate sister restaurants Ambassadors Clubhouse or BiBi comfortably ahead of Gymkhana. The menu here lacked the creativity you would expect at a 2 star establishment, I suppose they are sticking to the classics but in this case the dishes really need to stand out, and I don’t think this was the case here. It was also telling that most of the other guests on the day were overseas tourists. Overall I couldn’t see a reason to come here unless you were ticking off Michelin stars or looking for a good value 2 star experience (with the set lunch menu priced at £65 per head).

Absolutely the best restaurant experience I've had in London! Gymkhana offers a cozy, welcoming atmosphere paired with an exceptional menu. Our waitress was incredibly helpful in guiding us through the course menu, and every dish was bursting with rich, unforgettable flavors. Hands down the best Indian food I’ve ever had.