You've done Regent Street. Liberty, Anthropologie, and the Hamleys pilgrimage if someone made you. Your bags are full, your feet have a quiet grievance, and now you need somewhere genuinely exceptional to eat—not a chain, not a compromise, not a table wedged between two other tables in a room that smells of last night's oil.
Colonel Saab at Holborn Town Hall is fifteen minutes away on foot, or four minutes by Tube. It is, without qualification, the finest Indian restaurant in this part of central London — a Victorian civic landmark transformed into a dining room of chandeliers, century-old Maharaja antiques, and food that takes Indian cuisine seriously as a culinary art form.
If you're searching for the best Indian restaurant near Regent Street, this is the answer. Here is everything you need to know.
How far is Colonel Saab from Regent Street?
Take the Central Line from Oxford Circus to Holborn. Two stops, four minutes. Walk two minutes from the station exit. You're there. Colonel Saab is located at 193–197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD — approximately 1.2 miles from Regent Street, reachable in 15 minutes on foot or 4 minutes by Tube.
Getting There on Foot from Oxford Circus
If you prefer to walk — and Holborn is a pleasant route through streets that thin out from the West End crowds — the journey takes around 15 minutes. From Oxford Circus, head east along Oxford Street, then south-east via New Oxford Street into High Holborn. Colonel Saab sits in the imposing former Holborn Town Hall, which is hard to miss. The building announces itself.
Getting There by Tube
Central Line from Oxford Circus to Holborn: two stops, four minutes, no changes. Holborn station is a two-minute walk from the restaurant entrance on High Holborn. If you're coming from further along Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus connects you via the Piccadilly Line directly to Holborn in the same time.
Either way, it is not a journey. It is a transition — from shopping to dining.
Why Holborn Is Worth the Extra 15 Minutes
This is not a question of distance. It is a question of what you're walking towards.
Regent Street has restaurants. High Holborn has Colonel Saab — a restaurant that occupies the former public library of Holborn Town Hall, a Grade II listed Victorian building with fifteen-foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and a collection of artefacts owned by Maharajas that most museums would be glad to exhibit. The dining room is not designed to look impressive. It simply is.
The restaurant was founded by Roop Partap Choudhary, whose vision was to honour the journey of his father, Colonel Manbeer Choudhary — an Indian Army officer who travelled widely across the subcontinent with his wife, accumulating stories, tastes, and a philosophy about what Indian food could be when taken seriously. That backstory is not decor. It is the organising principle of every menu decision made here.
The kitchen is led by Head Chef Sohan Bhandari, who brings a decade of award-winning experience in modern Indian cuisine to every dish. The food goes, in their own words, beyond a 1970s curry, beyond street food, and into a world of real Indian regional flavours — dishes that observe tradition but are not enslaved by it.
Ambient music runs between Indian classical and instrumental jazz. The light through the tall windows is generous in the afternoons. It is, in every measurable sense, a better room than anything you'll find directly on Regent Street — and the kitchen matches it.
What to Order After a Day on Regent Street
The right question when you arrive at Colonel Saab is not what to order. It is about how much time you have—because the answer changes significantly.
Indian Afternoon Tea — A Perfect Post-Shopping Ritual
Afternoon Tea is served from 2:30pm to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday, at £35 per person. If you have timed your shopping well — and this is genuinely worth planning around — it is one of the most distinctive afternoon tea experiences in central London.
This is not a tray of sandwiches with an Indian flag in them. The menu is a considered fusion of British tradition and Indian culinary heritage, built around the same narrative that drives the whole restaurant: an army officer's travels across India with his wife, the flavours they encountered, the rituals they carried home.
The menu includes:
• Dhokla sandwiches with coriander and mint chutney
• Vegetarian sandwich and samosa
• Mashed masala potato balls with tamarind and coriander sauce, coconut and garlic crumb
• Freshly baked raisin scones with clotted cream and jam
• Mini cakes and a selection of petit fours and macaroons
• Your choice of coffees, teas, and infusions—or upgrade to Prosecco (£31pp) or Champagne (£41pp)
The setting during afternoon service is particularly good—natural daylight fills the room, the chandeliers catch it, and the background music keeps the energy gentle without being soporific. It is the kind of afternoon that makes you feel the day was well spent.
Book ahead. Afternoon Tea fills quickly, particularly toward the end of the week.
Set Menus and the Tasting Menu — Dinner Done Properly
If evening is your moment — a post-theatre dinner, a special occasion, or simply the conclusion to a day that deserves a proper ending — Colonel Saab's dinner offering is built around several tiers.
• Set Menu from £65 per person — a curated selection that moves through the kitchen's signature dishes at a considered pace
• Set Menu £85 per person — the fuller, more immersive version for when the evening has nowhere else to be
• 9-Course Gourmet Tasting Menu from £80 per person — the complete Colonel Saab experience, course by course
• Lunch Tiffin from £32.95 per person — available at lunch, and one of the better-value meals in this part of London
The menu takes you through India's regions rather than down a standard curry house list. To start, the Banarasi Amrood Ki Chaat — guava cone chaat with tamarind chutney, raspberry sauce and crisp gram flour noodles — sets the tone immediately: this is not food that plays it safe. The Kandhari Paneer Tikka, cottage cheese filled with prunes and pomegranate and served with tomato, garlic and mustard salsa, is among the better vegetarian starters in central London.
Mains follow the same logic. Colonel Saab's Butter Chicken arrives in a smooth tomato and cashew gravy — the version that earns the dish its reputation rather than coasting on it. Old Delhi's Famous Lamb Curry is slow-cooked keema boti enriched with traditional spices, and the Nadan Meen Curry brings a South Indian coastal note that most London Indian menus don't reach for. Vegetarians are particularly well served: the Falahari Curry Kofta — lotus stem, beetroot and raisin rolls in a mild curry sauce — is genuinely distinctive.
Desserts are worth staying for. The Mishti Doi Cheesecake — a Bengali-inspired sweet yoghurt cheesecake with caramelised jaggery syrup — is the kind of thing you'll mention to someone the next day. The Raspberry, Pistachio and Coconut Tart with passionfruit pearls closes the meal on a lighter note.
There is also a full à la carte menu for those who prefer to compose their own evening rather than follow a set path.
The bar deserves a mention independently. Signature cocktails were designed to complement the menu — not as an afterthought, but as part of the dining arc. If you arrive before your table is ready, this is not a hardship.
Indian Food Near Regent Street: What Sets Colonel Saab Apart
There are Indian restaurants between Regent Street and Holborn. What there isn't — apart from Colonel Saab — is an Indian fine dining restaurant of this calibre in this part of London.
A few things worth knowing before you book:
The venue: Holborn Town Hall is a listed Victorian building. The dining room is extraordinary in a way that photographs do not fully capture. First-time visitors consistently mention it as a surprise — they expected a nice restaurant; they got something closer to a private members' club in a civic palace.
The reviews: Colonel Saab holds a rating of 9.4 out of 10 on TheFork, drawn from over 1,885 verified diner reviews—food, service, and ambience all scoring 9.4 or above. On OpenTable and Tripadvisor, the recurring language is consistent: exceptional service, a room unlike anything else in London, dishes that surprise.
Halal: Colonel Saab is fully halal certified—relevant for a significant proportion of visitors to this part of London and not something every fine dining Indian restaurant can confirm.
Private dining: Two private rooms are available—the Memsaab Rooms (oak-panelled, up to 30 guests seated) and the Mezzanine (up to 50 guests). For a group celebration, a business dinner, or any occasion where the table itself should make a statement, these rooms are exceptional.
Reserve Your Table at Holborn Hall Now
Practical Information — Booking, Hours & Getting There
| Address | Holborn Town Hall, 193–197 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD |
| Nearest Tube | Holborn (Central & Piccadilly lines) — 2-minute walk |
| From Regent Street | Oxford Circus → Holborn, Central Line, 4 minutes / 15-minute walk |
| Lunch | Monday–Saturday, 12:00pm–2:30pm |
| Afternoon Tea | Monday to Friday, 2:30pm–4:00pm |
| Dinner | Monday–Saturday, 5:30pm–10:00pm |
| Lunch Tiffin | From £32.95 per person |
| Afternoon Tea | £35 per person (Prosecco £31pp / Champagne £41pp) |
| Set Menu | From £65 per person |
| Tasting Menu (9 courses) | From £80 per person |
| Phone | 020 8016 6800 |
| reservations@colonelsaab.co.uk |
Reserve Your Table:
Tables are available to book online. For parties of six or more, or for private dining enquiries, calling the reservations line is recommended. The restaurant is busy on weekend evenings—midweek evenings and lunchtime offer a slightly more intimate pace if that matters to you.
Regent Street delivers the shopping. Colonel Saab delivers the day's proper conclusion.
A Victorian dining room, a kitchen that treats Indian food as a serious culinary tradition, service that has earned over 1,885 verified diner reviews and a 9.4 rating on TheFork, and a location that—once you've made the journey—will make you wonder why you ever settled for anything closer to Oxford Street.
Reserve your table at colonelsaab.co.uk or call 020 8016 6800.
FAQs — Indian Restaurant Near Regent Street
What is the best Indian restaurant near Regent Street in London?
Colonel Saab at Holborn Town Hall — 15 minutes on foot or 4 minutes by Tube from Oxford Circus. Halal-certified, 9.4/10 on TheFork, with set menus from £65, tasting menus from £80, and Indian Afternoon Tea at £35 per person.
How far is Colonel Saab from Regent Street?
Approximately 1.2 miles — a 15-minute walk or 4-minute Tube journey. Take the Central Line from Oxford Circus to Holborn; the restaurant is a 2-minute walk from the station exit on High Holborn.
Is there a good Indian restaurant near Oxford Circus?
Yes. Colonel Saab in Holborn is the closest Indian fine dining restaurant to Oxford Circus — two Tube stops on the Central Line, under five minutes. Set menus from £65, tasting menu, and Indian Afternoon Tea all available.
Where can I get Indian afternoon tea near Regent Street?
Colonel Saab in Holborn serves Indian Afternoon Tea at £35 per person, Monday to Friday, 2:30pm–4:00pm. The menu includes dhokla sandwiches, masala potato balls, raisin scones with clotted cream, and petit fours — 15 minutes from Regent Street.
Can I book a pre-theatre Indian dinner near the West End?
Yes. Colonel Saab offers set menus from £65 per person, with dinner service from 5:30pm Monday to Saturday. Covent Garden theatres are a five-minute walk; Shaftesbury Avenue is ten. Book at colonelsaab.co.uk or call 020 8016 6800.
