Top 10 Curry Houses in Brick Lane London

Brick Lane: From Huguenot Weavers to Banglatown

Walk down Brick Lane on any given evening and you'll be hit by a wall of fragrance — cumin, coriander, fenugreek — before you've even picked a restaurant. Touts in waistcoats will offer you free poppadoms, cheap pints, and twenty per cent off your bill. It's chaotic, theatrical, and completely wonderful. But beneath the tourist theatre lies a genuinely fascinating food story stretching back half a century.

This narrow stretch in London's East End has reinvented itself more times than most cities manage. French Huguenot silk weavers settled here in the 17th century. Jewish immigrants followed in the 19th. And from the 1970s onwards, Bangladeshi families — predominantly from the Sylhet region — transformed Brick Lane into what locals now call Banglatown. The neon-lit curry houses that line both sides of the street are their legacy, and whilst some have become tourist traps, others remain genuinely brilliant.

How We Picked Our Top 10

We've been eating our way along Brick Lane for years. Our criteria are simple: consistency, flavour, and value. We don't care about flashy interiors or celebrity endorsements. We care about whether the lamb shank falls off the bone and whether the dal has been simmered with actual love. Here's our definitive list.

1. Shahin's Kitchen

Tucked away at the quieter northern end of Brick Lane, Shahin's doesn't bother with touts or neon signs. The dining room seats maybe forty people, the tables are covered in white linen, and the menu hasn't changed much since the mid-nineties. That's the point. Their chicken rezala — a Kolkata-style mild curry cooked with yoghurt, cashew paste, and whole green cardamom — is the single best dish on the entire street. Mains sit between £9 and £14, and you'll struggle to spend more than £25 a head with drinks.

2. Bengal Merchant

If Shahin's represents Brick Lane's old guard, Bengal Merchant is pushing things forward. Chef Rafiq Ahmed trained at some of London's better-known kitchens before returning to his roots, and the results are stunning. Think tandoori stone bass with curry leaf butter, or slow-braised goat shoulder with date and tamarind chutney. It's pricier — mains from £14 to £22 — but worth every penny for a special night out.

3. Monsoon Express

Don't let the slightly naff name fool you. Monsoon Express does the best takeaway-style curry on Brick Lane, and their Friday night queue tells you everything. The chicken tikka masala is properly smoky, the sauce rich without being cloying, and a large portion with pilau rice and a garlic naan comes in under a tenner. Perfect when you want comfort rather than ceremony.

4. Roshni

A family-run place that's been quietly excellent for over two decades. Roshni's speciality is their Sylheti home-style cooking — dishes you won't find on most Brick Lane menus. Try the shutki bhorta (dried fish mash) if you're feeling adventurous, or their pumpkin and prawn curry for something gentler. Mains £8–£13.

5. The Cinnamon Brick

A newer arrival that's found a clever middle ground between traditional and modern. The interior is all exposed brick and copper pendant lights, but the food stays rooted in North Indian classics. Their butter chicken is genuinely one of the best in East London — the sauce has that deep, slow-cooked sweetness that only comes from hours of reducing tomatoes with fenugreek. Mains £11–£18.

The Next Five: Hidden Brilliance

6. Spice Village

Upstairs from a slightly grungy entrance, Spice Village opens into a surprisingly elegant dining room with views over the rooftops. Their biryani — properly layered, sealed with dough, cracked open at the table — is theatrical and delicious. The lamb version, slow-cooked with saffron and crispy onions, is a must-order.

7. Dhaka Express

Tiny, no-frills, and completely brilliant. Dhaka Express seats about fifteen people and serves some of the most authentic Bangladeshi food in London. The menu changes weekly based on what's fresh, and the prices are almost absurdly low — you can eat well here for under seven pounds.

8. Tamarind House

South Indian food on Brick Lane is rare, which makes Tamarind House a genuine find. Their dosa menu runs to fifteen varieties, the sambar has real depth, and their weekend thali — seven dishes, rice, and accompaniments — is outstanding value at £12.95. The coconut chutney alone is worth the visit.

9. Aziz & Sons

Three generations of the Aziz family have run this restaurant since 1982. It looks like a time capsule — flock wallpaper, brass ornaments, framed photos of Dhaka — and the food has that beautiful homely quality. Their fish curries, particularly the tilapia in mustard sauce, are exceptional. Don't skip the hand-made paratha.

10. Korai Kitchen

Named after the small metal wok used across Bangladesh, Korai Kitchen focuses on doing a handful of dishes perfectly rather than offering an enormous menu. The korai gosht (lamb cooked in a dry spice mix with peppers and tomatoes) is their signature, and it's magnificent. Small place, big flavours. Book ahead for weekends.

Tips for Navigating Brick Lane

• Avoid the touts. If a restaurant needs someone standing outside begging for customers, it probably isn't filling seats on quality alone.
• Go midweek. Tuesday to Thursday you'll get better service, quieter tables, and often the same lunch specials running into early evening.
• Bring your own. Several Brick Lane restaurants are BYO with a small corkage fee (typically £2–£3 per person), which saves a fortune on drinks.
• Walk the whole street first. Don't commit to the first place you see. Wander from one end to the other, check the menus in the windows, and trust your instincts.
• Order off-menu. Ask if there are any specials or home-style dishes not on the printed menu. The best Brick Lane meals often come from these hidden options.

Beyond the Curry: Brick Lane's Full Food Story

Brick Lane isn't just about curry anymore. You'll find excellent bagels at the famous 24-hour bakeries, Vietnamese pho, Ethiopian injera, and some of London's best coffee. But the curry houses remain the beating heart of the street, and they deserve your attention — and your appetite.

If you're exploring London's broader curry scene, don't miss our complete guide to London's best curry restaurants, which covers everything from Tooting to Wembley. And for the fascinating backstory of how curry conquered Britain, read our piece on the history of curry in Britain from the 1700s to today.

Brick Lane will keep evolving — it always does. But the best curry houses here have something timeless about them. They're places where recipes carry memory, where a single mouthful can transport you six thousand miles, and where a meal with friends still costs less than a round of cocktails in Shoreditch. Long may that continue.