Punjab Restaurant — Restaurant in London

I was in central London, I couldn't get a reservation in Veeraswamy, an Indian restaurant off Reagent St so decided to come to Punjab restaurant , after 12 years of my first visit here. I managed to get a place straight away. Due to limited space, the seating is cramped in the restaurant. Tables are sitting close to each other.

I ordered a bottle of cobra, which came chilled but wasn't served to me by my waiter. I then ordered kebab for starters and butter chicken for my main meal. The seekh kebabs were £19.95 and the butter chicken was £24.95. It said on the menu that the chicken could be ordered boned or boneless. I asked my waiter whether thigh chicken was used for boneless. His answer was it is boneless. After a couple of times of getting the same answer I had to ask if the chicken was thigh or breast that was used, hoping thigh was being used for the £24.95 that was being charged for the dish. He replied, breast chicken. I reluctantly ordered it hoping it will be still be a good experience. I ordered the spice to be medium and a bottle of still mineral water with lemon and ice.

The seekh kebabs came chopped and sat on a bed of fried onions. Presentation was very average. The kebabs were succulent and tasty but was nothing special in terms of taste or presentation.

The butter chicken came to me as very spicy, even though I ordered it medium. Tge spice kept catching the back of my throat and I kept coughing. I politely mentioned this to my waiter whose response was; "you ordered medium, this is how it comes." I eat in many restaurants and this had to be the spiciest butter chicken that I had tasted. I had to send the dish and requested it to be mild. This time the spice level was right but the dish lacked any flavour or depth that I was expecting. The chicken breast was very dry and this certainly was the worst dish.

Do you remember I asked for lemon with my water, well, the waiter gave me lime. I mentioned this to my waiter. His solution was to bring a couple of fresh slices of lemon. I didn't want the lime any lime but was to tired to keep complaining. I went along with it. It irritates me that waiters can't get basic things right. Is it that hard to know the difference between lemon and lime? How often do customers order lime water over lemon water???

For desert I ordered Rasmalai which was average in taste and texture and masala tea. The masala tea was surprisingly good and finished off the meal nicely.

One thing that I did notice was when I last visited the restaurant, approx. 12 years ago, the crockery was bespoke and had Punjab written on. This time, the plates were plain white. Another thing, the plates were served nice and hot but went cold by the time the food came. Isn't the whole point is to serve hot food on a hot plate?

I wasn't at all impressed with the food and service of Punjab restaurant which I brought to the manager's attention. Who listened and apologised but didn't offer anything for my dissatisfaction. The food is very average in terms of quality and I didn't leave feeling that £75 that I spent was good value. My waiter certainly didn't look like he enjoyed his job. I wasn't greeted by a warm smile, he wasn't professional in hia manner and certainly won't be returning here, again. There are much better options to eat in central London.

Furthermore, it is 5 am as I'm writing this review, suffering with an uncomfortable night sleep with an upset stomach, hot and sweaty from all that spice from the butter chicken. I have needed to drink cold milk and yoghurt to cool my stomach down.

This has been a terrible experience of dining in a very long time indeed. This is simply not...

We have been to this restaurant for the last 4 years. To celebrate my birthday but this year we were really disappointed. The restaurant staff are great and efficient in serving everyone. As it is one of the busiest restaurants in covent gardens. As it's one of the oldest Punjabi places in the London. We queued outside for a short while but that's not too bad as they have external heating and a canopy to keep you dry. The disappointing thing on this occasion is the food. The rice and nan were fine but we ordered a Chicken Jalfrezi and it came out with the chicken pieces cold and the sauce hot. So we sent it back and got another one. But it tasted so bland it didn't taste like a traditional Punjabi dish at all. We complained to the manager or I believe him to be a manager as he had a blue shirt on and the others wore polo shirts. He said thats a shame and we can't have that and that he will sort it. I don't know what he meant by that but I had all ready finished my meal and my wife couldn't eat the Jalfrezi and left it. The waiter cane to collect the dishes and we told him also that the jalfrezi wasn't any food also. We asked the manager for the bill. To find that that still charged us for the curry which we returned once and never eat the replacement. But as it was my birthday I didn't want to ruin the evening any more. So just paid the bill. But I would have expected a restaurant with this level of reputation and that we drove from the Midlands to come here to celebrate my birthday they would have provided better customer service. So that was disappointing. Although they did come out with a complimentary ice-cream with a sparkler in it singing happy birthday. So it wasn't a total car crash of an evening. I am not sure if the business has changed hands or they have a new chief but they seriously need to quality assure what the chief is sending out to its customers. As I have had better microwave Chicken Jalfrezi meals. Which is a shame as this this is a great place or used to be and could be again if they sort the issue with the food. My wife won't come back again which is a shame as it ha been a tradition for us to come here every time we come to London.

If you found this review and pictures benificial...

A Taste of Punjab in the Heart of London – Punjab Restaurant, Covent Garden

Stepping into Punjab Indian Restaurant near Covent Garden feels less like entering a typical London eatery and more like being warmly welcomed into a proud Punjabi home. Established in 1946, this iconic gem holds the distinction of being the UK’s oldest North Indian restaurant, and it’s no surprise that four generations later, it’s still serving food that sings with soul, tradition, and pure Punjabi swagger.

This is no faceless chain. It’s a family-run institution, lovingly passed down through generations, where recipes aren’t just followed — they’re honoured. During our visit, we had the true pleasure of meeting the owner, whose roots stretch back to Amritsar, a city we were lucky enough to visit earlier this year. Swapping stories of the Golden Temple, bustling bazaars, and the aroma of street-side chole bhature gave the whole experience a personal, heartfelt touch. You could feel his pride not just in his heritage but in keeping the flavours of Punjab alive in every dish.

Now to the food — Wah ji wah! The Paneer Butter Masala was nothing short of divine. Silky, rich, and spiced just right, with melt-in-your-mouth cubes of paneer swimming in that iconic tomato-cream gravy — it was the kind of dish that makes you want to call your mother and tell her you’ve found the one. The pakoras, crisp and golden, had that homestyle touch — no soggy batters or bland shortcuts here, just perfectly seasoned, crunchy bites that demand to be dipped and devoured.

And what’s a true Punjabi meal without a chilled Cobra beer in hand? It paired beautifully, cutting through the richness like a lassi after a bhangra performance. Every sip and bite took us closer to the streets of Punjab, and for a moment, the London drizzle outside was forgotten.

Punjab Restaurant isn’t just a meal — it’s a memory. A culinary celebration of heritage, community, and authenticity, run by people who don’t just cook food, but tell stories through it. If you’ve been to Punjab, you’ll be transported back. And if you haven’t — well, this is your ticket.

Verdict: 5/5 — Full Punjabi power, heartwarming hospitality, and food that dances on...