Rasa is as essential to Stoke Newington as a stroll through Abney Park Cemetery and a pint of Guinness at the Auld Shillelagh. It’s been here since the mid-1990s, through all the changes the area has seen since, standing firm with generous and hugely comforting vegetarian Keralan dishes at wildly competitive prices. The restaurant’s vivid pink front is a beacon for a hearty chana masala, a warming tarka dal and satisfyingly springy paratha flatbreads to soak it all up with. It’s an unshowy place with a homely, welcoming atmosphere – somewhere you can bring the kids, the grandparents and, considering the subtlety of the flavours, even mates who don’t worship at the altar of spice. Anyone who’s ever been to Rasa will retain fond memories of the place. Long may it reign.
Time Out tip
The dosas are comically massive and so reasonably priced you’ll be convinced the bill is wrong.
Order this
For £25 a head you can order the vegetarian feast option, which is basically a Keralan banquet of almost everything on menu.
RECOMMENDED: The best Indian restaurants in London.