The Tamil Prince
Indian restaurant · Barnsbury
115 Hemingford Rd, London N1 1BZ, United Kingdom
Highlights
Indian pub hybrid serving channa bhatura, lamb chops & roti
Indian pub hybrid serving channa bhatura, lamb chops & roti
"Although its name refers to a member of the monarchy, The Tamil Prince is the coming together of two other British institutions: the pub and the curry house. The Islington restaurant is on a quiet corner off Caledonian Road, but nothing about the food served at this cool, casual restaurant is pared-back. Onion bhajis are wild vortexes of turmeric-stained, deep-fried onion, and prawns straight off the grill glow orange while being blackened from char. Is it a pub? Is it a restaurant? It doesn’t matter. Go in numbers big and small." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager, sinead cranna
"Given the head chef of The Tamil Prince was in the kitchen at Roti King beforehand, it’s no surprise that the Indian spot is excellent. The reality is 99% restaurant and 1% pub—and it’s the same with its sibling The Tamil Crown nearby—but that isn’t to its detriment. Where the wooden floorboards of this comfortable dining room once soaked up years’ worth of spilled lagers, now it’s taking on the intoxicating aromas of sizzling pungent dhal." - jake missing, sinead cranna
"London has a tonne of restaurants for brilliant slap-up Indian meals, but only one of them is in a former pub off of Caledonian Road. It is one of the great collaborations of our time. Given the head chef of The Tamil Prince was in the kitchen at Roti King beforehand, it’s little surprise that the Indian spot is so good. The reality is 99% restaurant and 1% pub, but that isn’t to its detriment. Where the wooden floorboards of this comfortable dining room once soaked up years worth of spilled lagers, now it’s taking on the intoxicating aromas of sizzling lamb chops, garlicky tiger prawns, and pungent dhal. There’s a buzz about The Tamil Prince. There are whoops of happiness when groups see their hot air balloon-sized channa bhatura arrive at their table. There’s the definite feeling that this, the meeting of two great institutions, is what makes eating out in London so good." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak
"A standout example of the Desi pub phenomenon where British ales and South Asian cooking exist in lively harmony; helmed by a chef with Roti King pedigree, the menu features crackling onion bhaji, a silky, roti-demanding paneer butter masala, and a signature channa bhatura—an oversized fried bread served with spiced chickpeas and raita—that have turned the corner location into a buzzy Islington destination." - ByAmiel Stanek
"It’s such an obvious pairing – a revived old neighbourhood pub with sharing plates of Indian food – that you wonder why there aren’t many more. The appealing menu is nominally inspired by Tamil Nadu but is not bound by its borders and does occasionally venture north. Highlights include Chettinad lamb curry and channa bhatura, while nothing goes with a pint quite like onion bhajis." - Michelin Inspector
