Tamil Prince

What Tamil Prince Is

Tamil Prince occupies a revived neighbourhood pub on Hemingford Road in Barnsbury, one of Islington's quieter residential pockets. The interior leans into the bones of the old building; dark walls, weathered bare-wood floors; while a bamboo-shielded terrace out front adds a layer of casual charm that suits the neighbourhood. Bar counter seating means solo diners are well accommodated without the awkwardness of a table for one. The space reads as a local with genuine culinary ambition, which is exactly what it is.

The kitchen operates under the influence of Tamil Nadu but does not treat that geography as a rigid boundary. Northern dishes appear when they earn their place: the chana bhatura, a huge puffed deep-fried bread served with chickpeas and raita, is described by Michelin as a showstopper, that assessment holds. The Chettinad lamb curry, a dish rooted in one of south India's most spice-forward culinary traditions, arrives with depth and exhilarating spicing. The Thanjavur chicken is an equally assertive option. Roti, made with evident care, is the kind of accompaniment that elevates every other dish on the table and should not be skipped.

The drinks programme is a genuine differentiator at this price point. Wine opens at £29 a bottle (£8 a glass), cocktails and mocktails carry Indian-inflected flavours, the whole setup is designed to complement food rather than compete with it. The fact that you can drink a pint alongside onion bhajis in a space that has kept the pub's original character is, as Michelin noted, an obvious pairing that somehow remains rare in London.

Multi-Visit Strategy

Tamil Prince rewards return visits more than most restaurants at this price point, because the menu spans enough ground that a single sitting only covers part of it.

First visit: Anchor around the dishes with the clearest regional identity. The Chettinad lamb curry is the centrepiece, order it. Add the fried prawn and curry-leaf varuval to start, the chana bhatura to share, the buttery roti as a non-negotiable side. Finish with gulab jamun, which reportedly carries a firmer, more satisfying texture than the usual rendition. This visit maps the Tamil Nadu core of the menu and gives you the baseline for everything else.

Second visit: Shift attention to the northern-leaning dishes and the butter masala paneer, which uses candy-like chunks of paneer in a preparation that sits slightly apart from the rest of the menu's direction. Use this visit to test the cocktail programme properly, the rebooted Piña Colada with cinnamon, toasted coconut and lime zest has drawn specific Michelin attention. If you came with two people last time, bring four this visit and order wider.

Third visit: Sit at the bar counter or take the terrace in warmer months. At this point you know the menu well enough to order around a theme: all the snack-format dishes alongside drinks, or a focused run through the curry section with different accompaniments. Tamil Prince is designed for the kind of neighbourhood regulars who come often and order differently each time. At ££ per head, that kind of repeat-visit habit is financially realistic in a way it simply is not at the city's Indian fine-dining addresses.

For context on the broader Indian dining spectrum in London: Trishna operates at a higher price point with a coastal Indian focus; Amaya and Benares both occupy the Mayfair tier where a meal costs considerably more. Ambassadors Clubhouse and Babur are worth knowing if you want south-east London alternatives. For Indian cooking at a globally ambitious level, Trèsind Studio in Dubai and Opheem in Birmingham represent what the category looks like with a much larger budget and higher ambition.