The story
Gunpowder Spitalfields delivers home-style Indian cooking in East London, earning a Good rating from The Good Food Guide for its unpretentious kitchen. The team reworks family recipes from the owners' native Kolkata into small plates defined by upfront fire and spice, inspired by the energy of a traditional roadside dhaba. Staff recommend ordering three to four plates per person to share.
Signature Indian dishes anchor the menu around crowd favorites like aloo chaat prepared with Norfolk potatoes and black chickpeas, plus the distinct venison and vermicelli doughnut. Heavier options include tandoori sea bass accompanied by samphire pakora or slow-cooked nagaland pork belly. Vegetarian diners can explore karawari soft shell crab or a comforting portion of saag paired with tandoori paneer.
Situated on a backstreet near Spitalfields Market, the dining room embraces a cramped, cosy aesthetic with exposed brickwork and functional furnishings. The decor stays deliberately bare bones, relying on no-frills crockery to keep attention fixed on the food rather than the surroundings. Guests cannot book tables, which reinforces the relaxed, first-come atmosphere of this tight-knit space.
End the meal with the Old Monk rum pudding, a rich bread-and-butter riff that arrives with a generous pour of liquor and can be enhanced with an additional shot. The beverage program supports the heat of the food with twenty-four spice-friendly wines sourced from regions like Languedoc and Alsace. Cocktails such as the gin wala Negroni or lemon cardamom gimlet provide complex alternatives to standard draught beers.
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