Ask most Londoners what their default Friday night order looks like, and a good number will describe something involving butter chicken, that dependably rich, gently spiced dish that somehow manages to please everyone at the table. It is not a controversial answer. Butter chicken has, quietly and without much debate, become the curry most associated with London’s restaurant scene. But the city’s relationship with South Asian food goes well beyond one dish, and nowhere makes that clearer than Brick Lane in East London, the street that locals and food writers alike have been calling “Curry Mile” for decades.

Whether you have eaten curry your whole life or you are visiting London and genuinely unsure where to start, this guide covers what is worth ordering, what to expect, and why this particular corner of East London became so central to British food culture.

Why London Became a Curry City

London’s deep connection to South Asian cuisine did not happen by accident. From the mid-twentieth century onwards, significant communities from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan settled across the city, particularly in areas like Whitechapel, Southall, and Tooting. The food they brought with them was not a novelty or a trend. It was daily home cooking that gradually found its way into restaurants, corner takeaways, and eventually, the national diet.

Today, London has somewhere in the region of 12,000 Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants, according to London restaurant statistics. That figure may sound inflated, but walk through Whitechapel on any evening, and it starts to feel about right. The more interesting point is not the number but the range. A Mayfair dining room serving refined tasting menus and a Brick Lane balti house charging twelve pounds for a main course are technically operating in the same category. Curry, as a word, covers a lot of ground.

So, What is Actually the Most Popular Curry in London?

Butter chicken, or murgh makhani if you prefer the original name, tends to top most surveys and sales figures when it comes to London’s best-loved curry. The reasons are not hard to identify. A tomato and cream base keeps the heat accessible, the chicken stays tender, and the overall effect is something that even hesitant diners find reassuring rather than challenging.

That said, calling butter chicken “the most popular” probably flattens a more complicated picture. Chicken tikka masala arguably rivals it for familiarity, and in Bangladeshi-heavy areas like Brick Lane, dishes that barely appear on suburban menus, such as fish curry with mustard and slow-cooked haleem, are the ones regulars actually order. Popularity, in this context, may say as much about what tourists order as what Londoners eat week to week.

Still, for practical purposes, here are the dishes you will encounter most consistently across London’s curry restaurants:

• Butter Chicken – Mild, creamy, tomato-based. The reliable starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the cuisine.
• Chicken Tikka Masala – Smoky from the marinade, richer in spice than butter chicken, and frequently described as Britain’s unofficial national dish, which is either a charming piece of cultural history or a slightly awkward one, depending on your perspective.
• Lamb Rogan Josh – Slow-cooked lamb with Kashmiri spices. Deeper, darker, and more satisfying than the milder options if you are comfortable with medium heat.
• Chicken Biryani – Spiced chicken layered with basmati rice, cooked together so the flavours absorb into each other. Technically, a full meal on its own.
• Saag Paneer – The vegetarian option that actually holds its own. Spinach, fresh Indian cheese, and enough spice to keep it interesting.
• Dal Makhani – Slow-cooked black lentils finished with butter and cream. Underrated by people who overlook lentils, and loved by everyone who does not.
• Prawn Jalfrezi – Stir-fried prawns in a hot, tangy tomato sauce. The one to order if mild dishes leave you underwhelmed.

Brick Lane: What the Reputation is Based On

Brick Lane runs from Bethnal Green Road in the north down toward Whitechapel, and the stretch in between has been home to Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants for well over forty years. The concentration of curry houses here is unusual even by London standards, and the street has a specific atmosphere, part food destination, part neighbourhood, part weekend tourist circuit, that does not quite exist anywhere else in the city.

First-time visitors sometimes find it slightly overwhelming. Every restaurant has someone outside attempting to negotiate a deal on the set menu before you have even looked at the board. The approach is worth treating with patience rather than irritation, because the food inside is generally the point, and the competition between restaurants on that single street tends to keep quality reasonably consistent.

If you are eating here for the first time and want a straightforward recommendation: butter chicken or chicken tikka masala, either one, alongside garlic naan. That is a reliable introduction without any risk of misjudging the heat level on your first visit.

Beyond those two, Brick Lane is worth exploring for dishes that reflect its specifically Bangladeshi character. Fish curry prepared with mustard, a regional style rarely found outside this particular area of London, appears on menus here in a way it simply does not elsewhere. Haleem, a slow-cooked stew of wheat, lentils, and meat, is another dish that locals order with a familiarity that suggests it has never been considered a novelty.

Famous Dishes You Will Find on Brick Lane

The menu at a typical Brick Lane restaurant covers more ground than curry alone:

• Lamb seekh kebab – Minced lamb grilled on skewers, usually served as a starter, and often better than the mains if the kitchen is having a good night.
• Peshwari naan – Stuffed with almond and coconut, slightly sweet, and genuinely good alongside something with heat.
• Aloo gobi – Potato and cauliflower cooked dry with turmeric. Simple, but one of those dishes that separates competent kitchens from good ones.
• Bangladeshi fish curry – As mentioned above, the mustard-based preparation is a regional speciality that is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.
• Haleem – Dense, slow-cooked, and filling in a way that suggests it was designed for cold weather. Worth trying at least once.

Curry Comparison: A Quick Reference

Dish	Main Protein	Spice Level	Best For
Butter Chicken	Chicken	Mild	First-timers, families
Chicken Tikka Masala	Chicken	Medium	Those who want more depth
Lamb Rogan Josh	Lamb	Medium-Hot	Red meat lovers
Chicken Biryani	Chicken	Mild-Medium	A self-contained meal
Saag Paneer	Paneer (vegetarian)	Mild	Vegetarians
Prawn Jalfrezi	Prawns	Hot	Seafood and heat together
Dal Makhani	Lentils (vegan option)	Mild	Comfort food without the fuss

A Suggested First Meal, If You Want One

For anyone genuinely new to Indian food, there is a reasonable case for building your first meal around a small number of dishes rather than trying to cover everything at once. A starter of samosas or onion bhajis, a main of butter chicken, garlic naan on the side, and raita to manage the heat if needed, that combination is unlikely to disappoint. A mango lassi or masala chai at the end rounds things off without being a cliché.

From there, the natural progression is toward chicken tikka masala, then lamb rogan josh, then whatever on the menu looks interesting. The heat levels can be adjusted at most Brick Lane restaurants simply by asking. Ready to experience it for yourself? Book a table at The Famous Curry Bazaar and taste the best of Brick Lane.

How to Order Without Looking Like You Have Never Done This Before

A few practical notes. Many Brick Lane restaurants keep regional dishes off the printed menu, the kind of thing that only appears when the waiter mentions today’s specials. It is worth asking. Ordering to share, rather than treating it as an individual meal, tends to produce a better experience because you cover more dishes. And do not skip the starters; in this particular cuisine, they are rarely an afterthought.

Beyond Brick Lane: Other London Areas Worth Knowing

Brick Lane is the obvious starting point, but it is not the whole picture. Tooting in South London has a strong South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant scene. Southall in West London is often described as the city’s most concentrated South Asian food area, with Punjabi cooking as its particular strength. Green Street near Upton Park leans toward Pakistani street snacks and grilled meats. Each neighbourhood has its own character, and none of them feels like a tourist destination in the way that Brick Lane occasionally does.

For finding options near wherever you happen to be, searching for curry restaurants in Brick Lane on Google Maps or “best curry near me London” and filtering by recent review volume, rather than overall star rating, tends to produce more reliable results.

Weekday visits are generally calmer and often cheaper, particularly if the restaurant offers a set lunch menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

London’s connection to South Asian food is real, longstanding, and worth taking seriously as a food culture rather than just a dining category. Brick Lane sits at the visible centre of that story, the street where Bangladeshi cooking, tourist appetite, and genuine neighbourhood life have coexisted for decades.

Butter chicken may be the answer to what is most popular, but the more interesting question is what else is on the menu. Start with what is familiar if that helps. Then ask about the specials.