The story
Masala Zone Piccadilly Circus anchors its Indian kitchen within the 1873 historic Criterion Restaurant building, directly opposite the Eros Fountain in the heart of London. This fourth venue for the group occupies the old Criterion space, which has been fully restored to reveal a Parisian-style grand brasserie interior featuring a gold mosaic ceiling and marble walls studded with semi-precious stones. The 180-seater room includes a raised, stage-like private dining area at the rear and displays striking lamps, artefacts, and paintings that bring a visual Indian aesthetic to the Victorian architecture.
The kitchen avoids limiting itself to a single region, instead drawing recipes from Punjab, Delhi, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, Kerala, and Bengal to present a wide spectrum of Indian cooking. Signature curries include the Alleppey prawn curry from Kerala, which balances raw mango, green chilli, and shallot with coconut, and the Chicken Mangalore dish where red chilli heat meets coconut milk and lime. Freshly made paneer features prominently in the Paneer Makhanwalla, a slowly caramelised tomato curry finished with fenugreek leaves, while the Lamb Rogan Josh undergoes a four-hour slow cook with Kashmiri chilli and a blend of fifteen spices. House biryanis also command attention, such as the Traditional Lucknow Lamb Biryani where boneless meat infuses with basmati rice until the flavours meld completely.
Guests can start with a showcase of grazing small plates that transform street food favourites into sumptuous snacks, including Jaipur Gol Guppa Pops filled with potato and chickpeas, or Baroda Vada Pao Sliders served in home-baked caramelised onion pao bread. The menu offers sharing selections where diners graze through items like the Chettinad Fish Cake with star anise and black stone flower, or the crispy Madras Chicken 65 with ginger and red chilli. Dessert options round out the meal with Kulfi presented as pistachio or raspberry malai Indian clotted cream, and the Gajjar Halwa served with rabri and caramelised carrot. The establishment also runs zingy cocktails alongside these food-friendly dishes, maintaining the group's reputation for snappy mixed drinks.
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