Cinnamon Kitchen — Restaurant in London

So I went on a 9th date last week to The Cinnamon Kitchen - City branch just off Devonshire Row, Liverpool Street. My date and I had not seen each other for two weeks so we were super happy to meet up. ☺️

I noticed they had a private event going on outside so I had a feeling they would be busy.

I must caveat all of this with the fact that I have been to The Cinnamon Club in Victoria and I came to the Cinnamon Kitchen back in March 2022 for my daughter’s 18th birthday. The Cinnamon Club in Victoria was fantastic and I’ve included pics from the Cinnamon Kitchen back in 2022 as well.

It wasn’t too busy when we went in and we were seated. I was really excited as I had not seen my date for two weeks so we had loads to talk about plus I was absolutely starving. The service was pretty slow and I don’t if this was because they were pretty busy. However when I went to Dishoom a few weeks back, they were packed out during the week but the service was top notch.

They took our drinks order - For me a mango mocktail and a glass of wine for my date. We ordered our starter and our starter arrived but our drinks didn’t which I found a bit offish considering the starters takes time to cook. Our drinks arrived towards the end of our starter.

Our starters were nice but the restaurant got pretty loud that I was having to speak loudly to compensate for the noise which I’ve not had to do up until now.

I felt the atmosphere and service was much better back in 2022. I don’t know if their standards have dropped but I was disappointed with my main. I had the Lucknow chicken biriyani back in March 2022 and it was far more decadent and luxurious compared to 2025. It felt like they had cut corners, it wasn’t the same, it was even decorated differently back in 2022, like a real showstopper. Now if I had not been here before, I wouldn’t have known any different but where I have experienced Cinnamon Kitchen to a really high standard, I felt this was really disappointing considering this is not a cheap meal. The standard was higher at Dishoom.

However they had lots of gluten free options so my date was really pleased about that. They had a tasting menu and I’m glad my date did not order that because the atmosphere was loud and I wouldn’t want to have a tasting menu in that environment. But they did say, they could make it gluten free which was good.

My date enjoyed his lamb starter. I had the chargrilled kerelan squid, the flavour was nice. I completely forgot to take photos as we were so engrossed in our conversation. 😄

My date had the Tiger prawns with rice for his main and I had the Lucknow biriyani. My date enjoyed his prawns but I was very disappointed with my biryani. Back in 2022, they really finessed it up and the flavour was phenomenal. This seemed mediocre at best, nothing luxurious about it considering it’s meant to be one of their specials.

My date had the passion fruit crème brûlée which he said was nice and I tried the Rasmalai leche cake which was tasty.

Overall I’m disappointed the standard has dropped, I will have to back to The Cinnamon Club in Victoria and do a true comparison from when I went years ago with my late husband. Am I in a hurry to return? Not really which is a shame as the food, service and atmosphere used to be topnotch. However, I got to see my date and we are going on date number 10 and we can try out another restaurant.

All I would say to Cinnamon Kitchen is please bring your standard up to how it used to be, I have the cookery books and I know your standard used to...

The Cinnamon Collection has been established since 2001 with Cinnamon Kitchen opening its modern Indian restaurant in the city in 2008. Located in Devonshire Square it is perfectly situated just outside the hustle and bustle of the city. It also offers covered al fresco dining, which is useful for the typically rainy London days!

Head Chef, Vivek Singh, is keen to transform traditional Indian cooking to create dishes ‘beyond authenticity’. Outside of the kitchen, Vivek has authored three bestselling cookbooks and is a regular on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, Celebrity Masterchef and UKTV’s Market Kitchen.

Anise is a separate cocktail bar that is part of Cinnamon Kitchen offering a wide range of beverages. We were able to sit outside on the terrace and sample some of their cocktails. We chose the Winter’s Morning G&T: Bombay Sapphire gin, cucumber, elderflower liquor, tonic water, mint (£11.50) and the Singapore Sling: Bombay Sapphire, cherry liqueur, coriander, ginger, lime, pineapple juice, Triple sec, Benedictine, angostura bitters & hibiscus suga (£11.50). Both of these were light and refreshing cocktails before tucking into dinner.

There are so many great small plates, Muzzeh (any 3 for £12.50) and Tandoori & Grill dishes to choose from. We put our trust into our waiter Jonny to choose for us! He presented us with Chicken Tikka and Cheese Naan (£5.00) and the Firecracker Chicken Wings with chili garlic sauce (£5.80). Two great choices which weren’t too filling before the main dishes. We loved the chili kick to the tender wings and the combination of chicken tikka and cheese with the naan.

Again, there are so many great main dishes to choose from including curries and biryanis and cinnamon kitchen classic dishes. They also have a separate vegan section with 6 dishes to choose from.

Jonny chose the Chettindadu Style Mutton Curry (£12.50) and the Punjabi Kurchan Chicken Leg Curry (£10.75). Both curries had plenty of sauce which was great for dipping the garlic and peshwari naan. They were flavoursome without being too spicy and overpowering and were a decent portion size for the price.

We also tucked into the Char-Grilled Broccoli with spiced almond flakes and rose petal (£6.50). It was perfectly al dente and a great accompaniment to the curries.

We were pretty stuffed and took leftovers home! However, we could not resist trying one of the desserts on the menu – the White Chocolate Tart with wild berry sorbet (£7.50). This was a winner for us. The tart was light, the white chocolate creamy which was offset by the delicious tangy sorbet.

Cinnamon Kitchen is a fantastic modern Indian restaurant in the city. With its attractive al fresco terrace in Devonshire Square, the friendly service from Jonny and the amazing food, we loved our visit. For such great food in gorgeous surroundings, we thought the price point was great. At lunch time they also have an express lunch menu with one main and a side...

Dinner for six, including children, on a weekday evening at Cinnamon Kitchen Spitalfields. That sentence alone conjures a few dread-filled images: the inevitable dousing of tikka masala across freshly pressed city shirts, and a wine list that might as well feature Vimto for all the thought given to the pairings.

But, to my surprise, none of that happened. The place was unexpectedly comfortable for our families– a sleek, quietish bubble just far enough away from the Liverpool Street crowd to avoid the full braying post-work city lad brigade. Yes, they were there in pockets, perched at the bar, clearly convinced they had just stumbled upon some "secret" Indian haunt. But the room itself hummed along at a comfortable, civilised volume.

We went for the summer sharing menu, which, at the price, felt fair. Dish after dish of gorgeously spiced delights landed on our table, one-upping the last with ease. The lamb? Tender and perfectly garnished. The prawns were spicy and vibrant, kissed by the right amount of heat. If only all curries came paired with a bottle from their tidy little wine list. It’s small, but packed with carefully chosen bottles that actually complement the food – a rarity at most Indian joints.

Service, too, was spot on. Attentive but not in that hovering, desperate-to-refill-your-water-glass way. And yes, for all the parents out there eyeing this place with trepidation: kids are welcome. Ours were catered to with quiet efficiency, and there was never the faintest whiff of an eye-roll from the staff.

If I had to pick a fault, it would be the daal. Passable, sure, but it paled in comparison to the rest of the menu. Hardly a deal-breaker, though, when everything else bordered on superb.

But a word of caution – don’t confuse it with the Cinnamon Club in Westminster. Different beasts altogether. This is a solid, polished, city haunt with classic Punjabi dishes done well and with prices that won’t make you weep.

Would I go back? Yes, especially if I was in the area with the family and wanted some top quality Indian food in a non poncey restaurant that would be sure to fill...