Moti Mahal

As a managing director of as leading hotel and restaurant in the lake district and also an ex corporate senior manager of senior hotels hyatt in middle east, Princess hotels in Bermuda and 12 happy years at the Savoy it was refreshing to have booked and dined in a memorable restaurant, Moti Mahal in Covent Garden. We had the pleasure of booking a table on Friday 23rd March which was just going to be a normal night out but turned into a truly exceptional dining experience from start to finish. The level of service is attentive but not rushed, the product knowledge from the staff shows their passion for their job and we were able to look in to see the chefs preparing their exquisite dishes. We both had two of their set menus, mine being on the meat and fish selection and my wife with the vegetarian each accompanied by fine wines. The different course that came matched and exceeded each other, it was very hard to pick which one we enjoyed most as they were all delectable. We were able to interact with each other’s set menus and it certainly became a banquet. With all the hotels I have worked at top outlets of the Asian varieties and I must say that this certainly is up there with them whereabouts I would say they are world innovators and leaders in a very highly competitive London restaurant market where people are demanding and expect exceptional service.

I cannot recommend this establishment highly enough.

What a rip off! we paid £200 for a couple for what was a very disappointing dining experience. At first we were seated near the service exit, which was used by staff every 2-3 minutes; when we complained we were moved to another table and our original table was given to a group of 4 who were unfortunate enough to arrive after us; a restaurant that charges as much as Moti Mahal does should not seat anyone near a service exit. that the (average) food arrived – my partner found hair int he food on 3 occasions – needless to say, that wasn't great for our appetite. Bill was ridiculously high at £200 for the 2 of us given i can get better indian food at the local take-away joint. London has way too many places for you to risk it – just stay away.

What a lot of poor reviews for this place! Im going to give a mixed view! We went just before Xmas and it was heaving. Its very much a posh indian restaurant. I've had a lot of indian meals and this was the same food, just with a posher, more confusing menu.

Food itself ranged from perfect to so so. The lamb kebabs were outstanding, and the starter paneer with tamarind was very tasty too – i had the lamb curry to follow, with some side spinach, and these were very nice, and not covered in gloop, well spiced and certainly well presented, despite the slightly confusing menu. My friend had paneer for her main, but didnt finish, mainly because we were stuffed from the starters. Id recommend sharing starters, or missing them altogether given the prices! Service was fine given how busy they were, and all our food was served quickly.

What id object to is the price – the food just isnt good enough to constitute £50 per person for just starters and mains! There are other comparable and much better places in London, which give better value for money. It is for this reason, i would not recommend the place. I suspect that they get a lot of post theatre crowds as the location is good. However the best indian restaurants in this part of town are Veeraswamy (Piccadilly) and Tamarind (Mayfair) where the food is just out of this world and worth heading to instead.

I couldn't agree more with the previous poster!
The food is so badly executed!
The childish MENU descriptions are no better.
Everything is so overpriced that I will not bother again.
This place need to be sorted.

I rarely bother to compose poor reviews, normally it is not worth the effort. However in this case Moti Mahal is so very appalling that I feel duty-bound to warn my fellow diners.

The food is genuinely horrible; poor meat; sauces which have not been properly reduced; rice tasting of soap.

The service is bumblingly amateur.

There is a consistent attempt to persuade you to buy more expensive dishes.

Utterly abismal.

Moti Mahal is a delightful restaurant for some interesting Indian cuisine. I'm glad to see that the design of the restaurant has expunged all traces of the previous owners venue. The menu holds great promise of a selection of rustic and traditional dishes from the grand Trunk Road and delivers perfectly – an example being the Sorpotel dish with intense and complex flavoured Wild Boar and the Sagar Rattan with it's fragrant flavours. Service is smooth and knowledgeable. Prices are on the steep side but reassuringly – these are some of the best Indian dishes you will taste in London. Chef Ani has done a great job in the kitchen and I look forward to visiting again soon.

The food is very good but the girls are trained to push a great amount of dishes… As you order they kindly ask you if “while waiting” you would like some “papadam” making it sound as it is on the house, instead they charge Lgs 8 for them… If you know indian food well enough do not listen to the “pushy” but very kind girls (instructed by the owners) and choose from the menu. But the food is fresh very well done. Very good evening out

A M
Italy

We went on a Saturday night, 30 mins before our reserved time. They had a table available so we could go straight ahead. We opted for the set menu and tried both the veg and non-veg options. Overall, the fod was extremely flavourful and tasty. The chicken makhani was very well cooked, so was the paneer makhani. We were a little surprised by the huge pieces of tandoori broccoli, I think it may not suit every Indian's palate. Overall, the portions were a good size and we were very happy with out meal.

Thoughtful reinterpretations of traditional (and exotic) recipes using quality ingredients, and resulting in real depth of flavour. You wont find your favourite masala here but you will leave having been introduced to some new ideas and still having had a great curry night out! Great informal atmosphere. Heartily recommended.