Curry Houses on Brick Lane, London

How to pick a good Bangladeshi curry house on Brick Lane in Tower Hamlets, what to order and how to avoid the tourist traps.

Brick Lane, in Tower Hamlets, is the most famous curry street in the country. The Bangladeshi and Bengali community built it, and at its best it is a brilliant place to eat. It also has a reputation, fairly earned in places, for pushy touts and menus aimed at people who do not know better. The good news is that once you know how to pick a place, you eat very well. Here is how a local reads the street.

How to choose a curry house

Ignore anyone standing outside trying to wave you in or offer you a discount. A kitchen that needs a tout on the pavement is not the one you want. Walk past, look through the windows, and go where local families and Bengali diners are actually sitting.

Check the menu properly. The best Brick Lane kitchens have dishes beyond the standard chicken tikka masala list: proper Bengali fish curries, dishes with mustard oil, shatkora, or dried fish for those who want it. The presence of those dishes tells you the kitchen cooks for its own community, not just for the tourist trade.

Ask the waiter what is good today and take the answer seriously. If they steer you towards a specific fish or a chef's dish, follow it.

What to order

For a first proper meal, order a lamb or chicken curry cooked medium so you can taste the spicing, a vegetable side like a tarka dal or saag, a rice, and a fresh naan. Add a starter of onion bhaji or a sheek kebab.

If you want to eat like a Bengali regular, go for a fish curry. Rui or another river fish in a light, sharp gravy is a world away from the heavy cream-and-butter dishes, and it is what a lot of families eat at home. Shatkora, a citrus that goes into beef or lamb, is another one to look out for.

Watch the heat labels. Vindaloo and phaal on these menus are often ramped up for people who want a challenge. If you want flavour rather than pain, ask for medium and let them cook it properly.

The listings below show real Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants in Tower Hamlets around Brick Lane.

Practical tips

• Some places are unlicensed and let you bring your own drink, which keeps the bill down. Ask before you sit if that matters to you.
• Check whether service is already added before you tip on top.
• Go a little off the main drag. The side streets and the quieter end near the mosque often have better cooking and calmer rooms.
• Lunch is cheaper and less frantic than a Saturday night.
• Order a few dishes to share rather than one each, and get the bread hot.

The wider area

Brick Lane is more than the restaurants. The area around it has grocers and sweet shops for Bengali ingredients and mishti, and the whole neighbourhood is worth a wander before or after you eat. If you are feeding a crowd, several kitchens here will do larger orders, so it is worth asking.

Eat here with a bit of confidence and a plan and Brick Lane still delivers. Skip the touts, follow the locals, order the fish, and you will remember why this street got famous in the first place.

Written by See The Smoke · kept current from the directory, last checked 2026-09-07