Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Shareable Indian street food, no fuss.
Roti Chai is the practical pick for Indian street food in Marylebone — easy to book, walk-in viable, and backed by three consecutive years of Opinionated About Dining Casual recognition in Europe. It works best as a shared spread rather than a single-dish stop. Go for lunch if you want a quieter room; dinner runs louder and more energetic but suits groups well.
Roti Chai is the right call for Indian street food in Marylebone, particularly if you already know what you like and want to build a shareable spread rather than work through a linear tasting menu. It has earned consecutive Opinionated About Dining Casual recognition in Europe from 2023 through 2025, reaching #631 in 2024, which puts it in legitimate company for the casual Indian bracket in London. If you have been once and ordered cautiously, this visit is the time to go wider across the menu and commit to a fuller selection of small plates. Booking is easy and walk-in availability is realistic, which removes the usual West End friction.
Roti Chai sits on Portman Mews South, a short walk from Marble Arch and the eastern edge of Marylebone, placing it in a part of London where Indian dining options range from high-end tasting menus at Amaya to neighbourhood staples further afield. Roti Chai occupies the casual middle ground deliberately. The format here is less about a structured arc from amuse-bouche to petit four and more about the rhythm of street food service: dishes arrive as they are ready, the table fills up, and the pace is driven by the kitchen rather than a fixed menu progression.
That energy shapes the room. The atmosphere runs warm and active through service, with the kind of noise level that makes it work well for groups and relaxed dinners but less suited to conversations that require quiet. Early in the evening, before the room fills, you get a version of Roti Chai that is more manageable and slightly easier to hear. Later sittings lean noisier but more energetic. If atmosphere is part of your calculus, the early window on a weekday is the more comfortable seat.
Under chef Karan Kashyap, the kitchen's OAD trajectory tells a clear story: recommended in 2023, climbing to #631 in 2024, and shifting to #770 in 2025. The downward move in ranking is worth noting but should be read in context: OAD casual lists in Europe are increasingly competitive, and retaining a ranked position across three consecutive years signals a kitchen that is performing consistently rather than one in decline. For Indian casual dining in London, that track record puts Roti Chai ahead of most comparable options in the neighbourhood.
If you are returning after a first visit, the practical advice is to resist ordering what felt safe last time. The format rewards a wider spread. Order more than you think you need, share across the table, and treat the meal less like a structured progression and more like a series of well-timed arrivals. The dishes work leading in combination, and the value proposition improves considerably when you use the menu fully rather than treating it as a single-dish stop.
For context on where Roti Chai sits in London's Indian dining picture: Trishna is the pick if you want more refined coastal Indian cooking with a longer tasting option. Benares adds a Michelin-backed formal register if the occasion calls for it. Ambassadors Clubhouse is worth checking if you are after a more drinks-led Indian casual environment. For something further south, Babur in Honor Oak Park delivers serious Indian cooking in a neighbourhood setting. Roti Chai's advantage over most of these is accessibility: no months-out booking window, no dress code pressure, and a price point that does not require a special occasion to justify it.
For Indian cooking at the ambitious end of the spectrum, it is worth knowing that Opheem in Birmingham and Trèsind Studio in Dubai represent what happens when Indian cuisine is pushed toward a full tasting-menu format with genuine architectural progression. Roti Chai is not competing in that category and does not need to. It is doing something different and doing it reliably.
Open Monday through Saturday from noon to 10 pm, and Sunday from 12:30 to 9 pm, the hours are practical for both a long lunch and a weeknight dinner. The Google rating sits at 4.4 across 5,264 reviews, which at that review volume is a more reliable signal than most restaurant averages in the city. Explore more options through our full London restaurants guide, or check our full London bars guide and our full London hotels guide if you are planning a wider evening.
Roti Chai is open seven days a week: Monday to Saturday noon to 10 pm, Sunday 12:30 to 9 pm. Address: 3 Portman Mews South, London W1H 6AS. Booking is direct and walk-ins are a realistic option, particularly midweek. No dress code is specified. Dietary restriction queries are leading directed to the restaurant directly on arrival or at the time of booking.
Quick reference: Marylebone, open daily, easy to book, walk-ins viable midweek, OAD Casual Europe ranked 2023–2025.
Most Indian street food menus include a range of vegetarian and plant-based dishes by default, and Indian cuisine in general is well-set up for non-meat eaters. That said, specific dietary needs — allergies in particular — should be confirmed directly with the restaurant before you arrive. Do not assume based on cuisine category alone; always ask at the time of booking or on arrival.
Bar seating availability at Roti Chai is not confirmed in our current data. If a solo visit or a more informal perch appeals, it is worth calling ahead or asking when you arrive. London Indian casual venues of this format often have counter or bar options, but confirming directly saves the uncertainty.
It depends on what you mean by special. Roti Chai is not a formal occasion restaurant , there is no tasting menu format, no white-tablecloth register, and the room runs energetic rather than intimate. For a birthday dinner with a group who enjoy sharing plates and a lively room, it works well. For an anniversary where quiet and formality matter, look at Benares or Amaya instead. Its OAD recognition across three consecutive years does confirm consistent quality, which matters if you are bringing guests who expect a reliable experience.
Specific dish recommendations require verified current menu data, which we do not hold for Roti Chai at this time. The practical advice: order more than feels comfortable for the table size, treat the meal as a spread rather than a single-course selection, and ask the staff what is performing well that week. The OAD recognition points to a kitchen with range, and the format rewards exploration rather than safe single-dish ordering.
Lunch is the stronger option if you want a quieter, more comfortable experience. The room is less full, the noise level is lower, and the pace is more relaxed. Dinner works well for groups who want energy and do not mind the volume. Both services run the same hours Monday to Saturday (from noon), with Sunday lunch starting at 12:30 pm. If you are coming for a first or second visit and want to actually taste what is in front of you, midweek lunch is the practical call.
If you are using a London trip to explore serious British and European cooking beyond the city, Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton are the obvious anchors for a longer trip. Closer in, Hand and Flowers in Marlow and Gidleigh Park in Chagford are strong options for a day trip with serious food at the centre. Hide and Fox in Saltwood rounds out the southeast if you are heading toward the coast. See our full London experiences guide and our full London wineries guide for more.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roti Chai | Easy | — | |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Indian street food menus typically offer strong options for vegetarians, and Roti Chai's format of shareable small plates makes it easier to mix and match around dietary needs. That said, specific allergen policies and vegetarian or vegan labelling are not documented in available venue data — call ahead or check directly with the restaurant if this is a firm requirement.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the venue record, so it's worth checking when you book or arrive. The casual, OAD-ranked format suggests a relaxed approach to seating generally — this is not a stiff, reservation-only kind of room.
Probably not if you need a grand-gesture dining room. Roti Chai is ranked in the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list — the emphasis is on the food, not the ceremony. It's a better fit for a low-key birthday with friends who like shareable plates than for an anniversary dinner requiring a formal atmosphere.
Specific menu items are not listed in the venue data, so ordering specifics can change here. The kitchen is led by Karan Kashyap, and the format is Indian street food built for sharing — the move is to order broadly across the menu rather than anchoring on one main. Ask staff what's moving that day. Check the venue's official channels for the latest details.
Lunch is the lower-friction option: the room opens at noon Monday through Saturday and 12:30 on Sunday, and midday sittings at casual OAD-listed venues typically mean shorter waits and a less crowded room. Dinner runs until 10 pm most nights, which gives flexibility, but if you want a quieter, unhurried meal, lunch is the call.
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