We Went on an Indian Food Tour in London and Here's What Happened

London is known for having some of the most impeccable Indian food on the planet, so much so that the national dish is tikka masala. Last time George and I were in London, we had what we called one of the best Indian meals of our lives at Tamil Crown. This time, we decided to make a full day out of it and go on an Indian food tour through Brick Lane. We booked a Viator food tour (not sponsored, we just love Viator), George starved himself all day in preparation, and we were SO hyped.

A Quick Note on Brick Lane's Culture

Before we dive into the food, it's important to acknowledge the rich cultural mix that defines Brick Lane. This area of London is primarily a Bangladeshi community, and a lot of the food you'll find here is Bangladeshi, not exclusively Indian or Pakistani. There are differences between these subcultures, and it's worth appreciating each one on its own terms. That said, one thing that unites them all is absolutely delicious food.

Stop 1: Cafe Grill (Bangladeshi Snacks)

Our first stop was very much a snack stop. We had mango lassi, black chana, and fried onion pakora. I wasn't super familiar with Bangladeshi cuisine going in, so this was all new to me. The black chana had more chew to it than the chickpeas I'm used to eating (George probably would have preferred it softer), but the flavor was solid. The pakora was one of those casual street food spots where everything is made in bulk, so it's not the freshest, but I could totally see it being a go-to lunch spot if you lived in the area. You just pop downstairs, grab a curry, grab your favorites, and you're all set.

The mango lassi was the least sweet mango lassi I have ever had, and I actually really enjoyed it. It wasn't very tart either, just mild and smooth. Most of the mango lassis I'm used to having are pretty tart and pretty sweet, but this one was a lot more mellow. My stomach still felt good despite being lactose intolerant, so that's always a win.

Honest take? This stop didn't blow our minds, but it was a solid, authentic introduction to the neighborhood.

Stop 2: Eastern Eye: Starters and Mains

This is where things really picked up. Eastern Eye was our sit-down stop with starters and mains, and the food was genuinely delicious.

Let me start with the chana puri because oh my god. This might have been my favorite dish of the entire tour. It was SO hot, the chickpeas were SO soft, SO flavorful, and that lemon tamarind sauce was unlike anything I've had before. Every element just woke my tongue up and my eyes were glistening. The tamarind sauce was the most red tamarind sauce I've ever seen (I'm pretty sure they added some kind of additive), but it was sweet, tangy, and the chickpeas were just swimming in all that juicy goodness.

We also had a saag with lamb dish that George was really into. The lamb wasn't super tender, wasn't super tough, but the saag combination with the lamb was incredible. It's like getting two dishes in one. Fun fact we learned on the tour: in the US, our "saag" is usually just spinach because we can't easily find palak, which is actually a type of mustard green. So what we call saag paneer back home is really just palak paneer. The more you know!

The chicken dish was... fine. I wouldn't say it was the most memorable. It was mild, easy on the palate, but not particularly bold in flavor. George couldn't even describe the flavor because neither of us could remember it. The chicken was a bit dry, but to be fair, we were chatting for a while and everything got cold.

The lentil dish, though? Creamy, comforting, and incredible smothered on the naan. I accidentally bit into a whole chili that was hiding in there and it was like "whoa whoa whoa," but then it became my favorite bite because I love spice.

The Spice Guessing Game

One of my favorite parts of the tour was when our guide pulled out a bunch of whole spices and had us guess what they were by smell. George and I kind of crushed it, honestly. We had to thank our viewers for encouraging us to make biryani from scratch because we went to the Indian grocery store, bought all these spices, and became super familiar with them. Cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, cumin, fennel, turmeric: we nailed almost all of them.

The guide also told us about the history of the spice trade and how it revolutionized the world. I don't want to give away too much because you really should just go on the tour to hear it yourself, but it was fascinating.

The Dessert Stop: A Bengali Pastry Shop

We stopped at a little Bengali pastry shop where everyone on the tour picked their own dessert. George picked a milk cake made with dates instead of sugar, and I picked a laddu, apparently a traditional festive item that you gift to someone who recently got married. Which we had just done! We literally just got married a few days before this tour, so I figured we should partake in the festivities.

We also tried a pistachio burfi (George's favorite, super milky, almost like peanut butter in texture), and a kalakand jamun that was similar to gulab jamun but more fried with a cream filling.

George's milk cake with dates was actually my favorite dessert of the bunch. It tasted like condensed milk to me, though George thought it was more like marzipan. The laddu was interesting: kind of a ricey, barley-like texture with a light sweet green flavor. Not the most exciting, but I appreciated the subtlety. George said it was his least favorite but I liked that it wasn't overstated.

Stop 3: Lahore Kebab Shop: Pakistani Classics

Lahore Kebab Shop was the final food stop and it came with an incredible backstory. This place was established in 1972, making it one of the very first curry restaurants in London. Back then, London didn't allow restaurants to serve alcohol past 9 PM, and getting a liquor license was incredibly difficult. So Lahore said, "Fine, we'll stay open into the early morning hours, and you bring your own drinks." British pub culture being what it is (you leave work, hit the pubs, and the party doesn't stop), people started bringing their beer and wine to Lahore and ordering curry to go with it. And just like that, late-night curry culture was born.

Fun detail: all their t-shirts say "1974" even though they opened in 1972. Apparently the t-shirt company printed it wrong and now they just have a bunch of shirts with the wrong year. I love that they just rolled with it.

The lamb chops were my favorite thing at Lahore. Spiced incredibly well, marinated in yogurt and papaya to tenderize the meat. They were chewy (like you could NOT cut them with a knife, you had to bite the meat off the bone), but George actually liked them that way. He said it made him feel primal. The chicken kebabs were a standout too: so juicy, so tender, beautifully spiced. Our guide explained that the cooking style is Middle Eastern, but they infuse Pakistani spices, so it still tastes distinctly Pakistani.

The paneer tikka was probably the most plain paneer I've ever had. I still liked it because I love paneer the way I love tofu, and I'll eat it any way you give it to me, but it was dry, not a lot of sauce, and pretty mild. The pickled onions it came with were refreshing though, and that was new for me.

The whole vibe at Lahore was electric. It was SO loud you could not hear the person next to you. The energy was incredible, nothing like the other spots we'd been to. Our guide also scored us a backstage kitchen tour, which was included in the food tour. We watched the cooks roll out naan, dip it in garlic and coriander, and throw it into the tandoor oven. The second the dough touched the sides of that oven, it started bubbling almost immediately. One of the cooks pulled George aside to show him the lamb chops on the grill, genuinely excited to show off their craft. I noticed every cook working the ovens had no arm hair, completely seared off from the heat. In the food industry, we say if you don't have battle scars, are you really a chef?

The Final Verdict

After the tour, George and I walked it off. We tried to walk the full hour and 35 minutes back to our hotel but settled for about 35 minutes before our feet gave out and we took the train. We only hit 10,000 steps during the tour, which was way less than the 20,000 we expected.

The big question: did anything from this food tour beat our Tamil Crown meal from last year? Honestly? No. Tamil Crown blew us away to another dimension and still holds the crown (pun intended). But this tour wasn't trying to be that. It was about exploring the neighborhood, learning the history, tasting the range of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani cuisines that make Brick Lane what it is.

Our top two dishes from the tour:

1. Chana Puri from Eastern Eye: those soft, juicy chickpeas with tamarind sauce were unforgettable
2. Lamb Chops from Lahore Kebab Shop: that yogurt and papaya marinade with incredible spicing

The tour also got us excited to try Dishoom, which our friends Kirby and Mir had been raving about. And spoiler alert: we did go, and it was phenomenal. But that's a story for another article.

If you're heading to London and want to experience the Indian food scene beyond just tikka masala, I highly recommend doing a food tour through Brick Lane. You'll eat incredible food, learn fascinating history, and walk away with a much deeper appreciation for the diverse cultures that make London's food scene so special.