Babur

Forest Hill's Indian Kitchen, Forty Years Running

If you're weighing up a neighbourhood Indian dinner in London, Babur in Forest Hill is a different proposition from a Mayfair venue like Amaya or Benares. Those rooms offer the full metropolitan-polish experience at metropolitan prices. Babur trades on something harder to manufacture: four decades of consistent cooking, a genuinely local following, and a kitchen that skips the korma-and-dhansak shorthand in favour of regional Indian ideas that take real effort to source and execute.

The venue has been serving Indian food on Brockley Rise since 1985, and under chef Jiwan Lai and its family-run management, the cooking has grown more ambitious rather than coasting on reputation. The atmosphere reads as warm and considered rather than formal — exposed brickwork, low-hanging lights, wooden partitions framing elaborate floral displays, and a hand-painted kalamkari horoscope in the foyer. The energy in the room sits at a comfortable level: convivial without the noise spike that makes conversation difficult after 9 pm. For an explorer who wants depth over spectacle, that balance is more useful than a buzzy room that demands you shout across the table.

The menu bypasses familiar curry-house staples and moves into territory that takes deliberate work: goat tikka served with a cumin puff and aubergine mash, a shoulder of lamb marinated for 100 hours before being steamed and plated with beetroot rice, and spiced stone bass with chana masala yoghurt and papaya chutney. Vegetable dishes carry the same intent — garlicky spinach with sweetcorn and mushrooms, thinly sliced fried potatoes dusted with mango powder. Desserts extend the logic: milk sponge cake with saffron gel, or a chocolate fondant spiced with cumin. This is not a kitchen doing approximations.

Babur holds an Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe ranking, placing #547 in 2024 and #663 in 2025 , a ranking system that rewards consistent quality in non-fine-dining environments. The Google score of 4.6 across 1,215 reviews adds weight: that volume of reviews narrows the margin of error considerably. For comparison, Trishna in Marylebone or Bombay Bustle in Mayfair offer Indian cooking at a higher price point with a more central address. Babur is the call if you want equivalent ambition at a neighbourhood price, or if you're already in south-east London.

After-Hours and Sunday Considerations

Babur runs until 11 pm Monday through Saturday , later than many comparable independent Indian restaurants in London , making it a workable late-dinner option for south-east London without the last-train anxiety that a central London venue can impose. Sunday closes at 10:30 pm, and Sunday lunch features a family buffet that has become a local institution. If you want to experience the kitchen across a wide range of dishes in one sitting, Sunday lunch is the most efficient way to do it. For a focused à la carte evening, any weekday or Friday/Saturday service will give you the full menu and a room that fills but doesn't overwhelm.

Booking at Babur is rated Easy , this is not a venue where you need to set an alarm for the reservation window opening. That said, Sunday lunch and Friday/Saturday evenings fill at a reasonable pace given the local following, so a few days' notice is sensible. Groups should note that the kitchen accommodates special dietary requirements with dedicated menus, which makes Babur a pragmatic choice for a mixed-requirement table. For comparable Indian cooking further afield, Opheem in Birmingham and Trèsind Studio in Dubai operate in a similar register of modern regional Indian cooking , but for London, Babur remains the neighbourhood benchmark south of the river.

The wine list is assembled with the food in mind, and the cocktail programme takes an Asian-inflected approach. If you're coming primarily to drink rather than eat, London's dedicated bar scene offers more options, but the cocktails here function well as part of a full dinner rather than as a destination in their own right.

Practical Details

Explore More in London and Beyond

For a broader view of London dining, see our full London restaurants guide, our full London hotels guide, our full London bars guide, our full London wineries guide, and our full London experiences guide. If you're planning a wider UK trip, Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood are worth adding to the itinerary. For Indian cooking with a similar level of ambition in other cities, see Ambassadors Clubhouse in London as a further option.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What should a first-timer know about Babur? It is a family-run Indian restaurant in Forest Hill that has been operating since 1985, ranked #547 on Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe in 2024. The cooking moves past standard curry-house fare into regional Indian dishes with genuine technique. Prices sit at a mid-range neighbourhood level rather than Mayfair rates. Booking is easy, the staff are noted for a warm welcome, and the kitchen provides dedicated menus for dietary requirements.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Babur? For a broad introduction to the kitchen, Sunday lunch with the help-yourself family buffet is the most practical option. For the full à la carte menu in a more typical restaurant setting, a weekday dinner gives you the complete range without the weekend crowd. Both lunch and dinner run daily from 12 pm, so there is no service gap to plan around.
• Can Babur accommodate groups? Yes, and it is better suited to groups than many comparable Indian restaurants of similar size, partly because the kitchen offers dedicated menus for dietary requirements. The venue does not publish a seat count in available data, so for larger parties it is worth calling ahead. Booking is rated Easy, which suggests flexibility on most nights.
• Can I eat at the bar at Babur? The venue has a cocktail programme with Asian-themed drinks and an assembled wine list, but there is no confirmed bar-seating information in available data. If counter or bar dining is your priority, venues like Trishna in Marylebone offer a more explicit counter option for Indian cooking in London.
• What are alternatives to Babur in London? For modern Indian cooking at a higher price point and more central address, Trishna in Marylebone, Amaya in Belgravia, and Benares in Mayfair are the main comparisons. Bombay Bustle in Mayfair offers a similar neighbourhood-warmth approach at a central location. Babur is the stronger call on value and booking ease, particularly if you are already south of the river.
• Is Babur good for a special occasion? It works well for a meaningful local dinner rather than a formal celebration. The room is stylish without being stiff, the cooking is detailed enough to impress a guest who cares about food, and the staff receive consistent praise for their welcome. For a special occasion where the room and the address are as important as the food, Benares or Amaya carry more occasion weight. Babur is the better choice when the food itself is the priority.
• What should I order at Babur? The database highlights goat tikka with cumin puff and aubergine mash, steamed shoulder of lamb marinated for 100 hours with beetroot rice, and spiced stone bass with chana masala yoghurt and papaya chutney as representative dishes. For dessert, the milk sponge cake with saffron gel or the cumin-spiced chocolate fondant are both noted. The Asian-themed cocktails are specifically recommended alongside the wine list.