Restaurants

we went with a group of 7, only two of which had been before. Frankly I was unimpressed. the ambience is more dilapidated working men's club than restaurant and not helped by 505 of the lights being out of order. The food was unexceptional and some of the dishes had a very strange background taste. We probably made a mistake allowing the waiters to bring us their selection of dishes. Brick Lane food may be tourist targetted and variable in quality but there are other corner cafes and small establishments in Tower Hamlets with much the same furnishings as the India Club but much better food.

This was an amazing find. I don't think I have had a good indian like this in such a long time. Service was very good. People were polite. The food has maintained a continually high standard. Will be coming here for years to come.

Sadly, Bhaji 100's experience is entirely consistent with business-as-usual at the India Club restaurant. The cuisine and the décor are both tired.

I was very interested by the reviews of this place, as I am generally a fan of no-nonsense, non-gastro, non-flashy eateries serving authentic and unpretentious food. Unfortunately, the India Club was a huge disappointment in pretty much every way.
I'm not sure if other people have been fooled by the good reviews and cultish reputation of this place, but for "rustic" read "run down", for "understated" read "drab" and for "unpretentious" read "lacking in effort".
Our group of 5 ordered the 14 pound per head set menu, which consisted of 1 plate of battered chillies (cooked in scorched and unfresh oil, which we all independently concluded tasted like battered cigarette butts), 2 plates of onion bhajis (strips of onion battered and fried in the same manner as the battered Marlboro), a large plate of rice, 2 naan bread, some clove-heavy lamb goo and some insipid chicken curry. All of the above was at best edible, and at worst terrible. Strangely though, we all managed to polish the whole lot off!
I hate to write an entirely damning review, and I don't know if we caught the India Club on a particularly bad day, but the service was a bit perfunctory, and at points bordering on rude (to be fair the majority of waiters were friendly, but one was quite frankly grumpy and impolite!).
On the basis of this visit I would neither recommend the India Club nor give it a second chance, and I hope other visitors have a better experience than we did.

Great food! The decor is awful, the service is interesting but there is something charming about it and non-commercial which makes it a true experience. I've eaten in numerous restaurants on Brick Lane and I would rather go here as the food is filled with flavour not chilli powder. It's a hidden gem and if you don't mind pretending the lino covered tables are actually linen this place is great. We go every year for our Xmas curry and I recommend it to people who are bored of "Brick Lane" establishments. I'd recommend the set menu as you receive a variety of delights.
And to top it off the location is perfect for a stroll across Waterloo Bridge (take the stunning views at night) or ice-skating at Somerset House!

Food portions have shrunk under the new management and it is not as good as before. The Chicken Korma was bland.The lamb madras was only acceptable.
A pity as this was quite a find in the West End. I have been visiting this pace for over 20 years and today's visit (4/3/08)will be my last unless the food improves and the portions increase.