Where To Celebrate Diwali In London 2024
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6 hours ago
Restaurants to visit for the Festival of Lights
Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is India’s most important holiday of the year. Every year it falls at some point between October and November, but the date varies as the Hindu calendar is based on the moon. In 2024, the festival takes place on 1 November, though celebrations usually take place across a few days. London’s restaurants get involved by introducing special dishes and hosting events – from Indian-inspired afternoon teas to candlelit dinners and tasting menus. We’ve rounded up the best of the bunch for 2024.
Diwali Menus In London For 2024
Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea
Vivek Singh’s Indian restaurant group Cinnamon Kitchen always goes big on its Diwali festivities. This October, the Battersea branch is hosting a special dinner, where Singh will be joined by celebrity private chef and author Nisha Parmar. Together the pair will cook up a six-course feast featuring dishes like chilli paneer dumplings, butter chicken chops, and lamb biryani.
When? 24 October 2024, 6.30-10pm
Where? 4 Arches Lane, Nine Elms, London, SW11 8AB
BOOK: £120pp, designmynight.com
Trishna
Michelin-starred restaurant Trishna, which sits in the heart of Marylebone Village, offers fine dining amid relaxed, informal settings. The eatery is jazzing up its look for Diwali, with a colourful exterior installation of flowers and lights, alongside a six-course feast curated by executive chef Sajeev Nair. This includes dishes like ghee roasted lobster, coconut and curry leaf scallops and tandoori lamb chops, alongside veggie highlights such as jackfruit pepper fry.
When? 28 October – 3 November 2024
Where? 15-17 Blandford St, London W1U 3DG
BOOK: £120pp, trishnalondon.com
Intercontinental London Park Lane
Mayfair hotel Intercontinental London Park Lane will be welcoming MasterChef: The Professionals semi-finalist Arbinder Singh Dugal for a Diwali dinner this October. He’ll be joining forces with the hotel’s executive chef Lalit Kumar to create a menu of festival dishes: think Kashmiri chilli lamb, and the Malai paneer pie, with optional wine pairing.
When? 24 October 2024, tables available from 6-10pm
Where? One Hamilton Place, Park Ln, London W1J 7QY
BOOK: £95pp, parklane.intercontinental.com
Babur
Neighbourhood favourite Babur is a stalwart in the Forest Hill area, having been around since 1985. This October, the gourmet Indian restaurant is throwing a Diwali party, which includes a five-course tasting menu inspired by the traditions of the Festival of Lights. Highlights include Dhanteras (‘Prosperity’s Welcome’), a potato cake served with mint and tamarind; and Govardhan Puja (‘Gratitude’s Harvest’), cottage cheese dumplings in a creamy tomato gravy. For dessert, there’s a Bhai Dooj (‘Affection’s Sweetness’), a light and fragrant milk sponge cake with saffron gel and masala milk.
When? 30 October 2024, babur.info
Where? 119 Brockley Rise, London SE23 1JP
BOOK: £60pp, babur.info
StuartMilne
Kutir
While the meaning of Kutir (‘a small cottage in the middle of nowhere’) doesn’t exactly apply given that the townhouse can be found just off the busy King’s Road, Kutir is magically quiet and feels worlds away from the bustle of its neighbours. It’s the perfect spot for some hearty Indian food after a day of shopping, focusing on traditional flavors in refined dishes. This month the eatery is introducing three Diwali menus: Signature, Vegetarian and Hunter’s, which feature dishes like harissa chicken with almonds, venison with green peppercorn, and paneer with sorrel, followed by malpua: traditional festive Indian pancakes.
When? 29 October – 3 November 2024
Where? 10 Lincoln St, London SW3 2TS
BOOK: £75, kutir.co.uk
Kricket
Modern Indian restaurant Kricket has restaurants dotted around the city in places like Soho and Brixton, but its Diwali celebrations are taking place at the Canary Wharf outpost. The event will be family-friendly, with activities like screen printing and henna tattoos on offer, alongside dishes like autumnal root vegetable biryani and bottomless chai.
When? 2 November 2024
Where? Frobisher Passage, E14 5HA
BOOK: £30, kricket.co.uk
Taj St. James’ Court
There are lots of Diwali celebrations going on at five-star hotel Taj St. James’ Court. Kona, the hotel’s restaurant, will be serving a limited-edition version of the Indian Jasmine Afternoon Tea, complete with an array of Diwali-themed pastries. At Th@51, meanwhile, a selection of Indian regional thalis will be on offer, plus a weekend brunch and festive cocktails, like the Rasa Royale, the Delhi Heart and East India Reserve.
When? 12 October – 14 November 2024
Where? 54 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF
BOOK: stjamescourthotel.co.uk
Gymkhana
One of London’s finest Indian restaurants, two Michelin-starred Gymkhana always pulls out the stops for Diwali. This year, there’s a choice of two Diwali menus (one classic, one vegetarian), alongside optional wine pairing. Begin with starters of Amritsari pink shrimps and beetroot raj kachori followed by the likes of salmon tikka, tandoori broccoli, wild muntjac biryani and chicken butter masala.
When? 28 October – 3 November 2024
Where? 42 Albemarle St, London W1S 4JH
BOOK: From £110pp, gymkhanalondon.com
