Roti Chai

Indian Restaurant in Marylebone
Roti Chai image
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5 / 10 from 2 reviews
Address
3 Portman Mews
Marylebone
London
W1H 6HS
Map
Telephone
020 7408 0101
Cuisine
Indian
Region
Marylebone
Nearest Station
Marble Arch
0.13 miles
Opening Summary
Street Kitchen
Monday - Saturday: Midday - 23.00
Sunday: 13.00 - 21.00

Dining Room
Tuesday - Saturday: 18.00 - 23.00
Restaurant Facilities

Disabled Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

A new modern Indian eatery just north of the busy Oxford Street, serving street food upstairs and more formal dishes downstairs. Roti Chai is run by Rohit Chugh (formerly of The Cinnamon Club fame).

Roti Chai Picture Gallery

Roti Chai Picture
Roti Chai Picture
Roti Chai Picture

All In London Review

Trendy all-day Indian is satisfying and affordable

This side of Oxford Street, behind Selfridges but not quite in Mayfair, used to have nothing to offer in terms of eating until Roti Chai came along. Taking its inspiration from Indian street food, this all-day eatery has a “street kitchen” on the ground floor, and a sleeker, basement level dining room which opens in the evening.

The more casual room is a little canteen-like save for the bright posters advertising condiments and sauces. Small plates are keenly priced around £4-£5, while the larger dishes are under £9. There is wine by the glass and cocktails, but while the non-alcoholic guava and coconut is an ideal summer’s drink, the bubblegum pink lychee and vodka mixture tastes as sickly as it looks.

We’re told food will arrive as it’s ready, and first on the table is the dhokla, canary-yellow chickpea cakes which appear to vie for attention with the colourful walls. Despite their pretty, spongy appearance they have a surprisingly fiery aftertaste. A dish of papri chaat is cooling by comparison, consisting of little wheat crisps topped with cold potato, yogurt and pomegranate seeds, a lovely mixture of sweet, savoury, crunchy and mushy.

From the larger dishes we try the “railway lamb curry”, with beautifully tender lamb and wholewheat chapatis, and the bun tikki, a crispy potato patty in a bun with chutney and coriander that turns out to be our favourite. Less adventurous is the idli sambar, a very spicy lentil stew, but we do like the saucer-shaped steamed rice cakes that come with it.

For dessert we opt for the sweet, refreshing mango kulfi (in other words, ice cream on a stick) and the Keralan fruit salad, a bowl of strawberries, bananas, apple and blueberries in a golden saffron and almond custard. More trendy than authentic? You bet, but it’s also cheap and very satisfying.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Apr 3, 2012


Best For

The best small plate dining in London picture

The best small plate dining in London

A little goes a long way

This colourful eatery serves up contemporary Indian street food as well as traditional regional dishes. Sit upstairs for Punjabi mini burgers and steamed chickpea cakes, or head downstairs to the slightly less casual dining room for curries and butter chicken.

User Reviews

hugosengal

Apr 11, 2013

Had great expectations when I walked past this establishment a few months before it opened. This place was heaving at lunchtime. Lunched with 2 friends in the Indian Street Kitchen - my overall experience was just lukewarm.
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