The Desi Pub Resurgence

London’s Desi pubs have always been more than just places to grab a pint. They tell the story of the South Asian diaspora that arrived in the UK around six decades ago. As they built communities in neighbourhoods across the city, they transformed struggling local boozers, blending Britain’s favourite institution with the flavours and hospitality of the Indian subcontinent to which the word “Desi” refers (itself rooted in the Sanskrit word “desa” meaning “land” or “country”). At a time when discrimination and hostility was rife, these venues became safe and welcoming community spaces.

“A Desi pub is a social space first,” says Rahul Sharma, whose family has run The Regency Club in Queensbury for more than three decades. “People come to meet, to drink, to be loud, to watch sport – and the food happens to be extraordinary.”

Now, at a time when thousands of pubs have closed across Britain, a new generation is breathing fresh life into the Desi pub tradition. “Old boozers, working men’s clubs and greasy spoons are all having a moment,” says Prince Durairaj, the co-owner of Islington’s Tamil Crown. “Desi pubs fit that appetite naturally because they were never built as a ‘concept’, they just accumulated character over decades.” Some have taken over longstanding family businesses and others have opened contemporary versions that pair regional Indian cooking with inventive cocktails and craft beer.

Ex-River Cafe chef Avinash Shashidhara’s The Talli Queen, due to open this month in Shepherd’s Bush, is one place introducing new audiences to this cultural hybrid. “People are beginning to see that Indian food doesn’t have to be served only in a traditional restaurant setting,” says Shashidhara. “With The Talli Queen we’ve also taken inspiration from India’s own drinking culture – the pubs of Bengaluru, toddy shops in Kerala, military canteens and neighbourhood bars where food and drink are inseparable.”

For Toni Jaurre, chef at The Black Horse in Hounslow, the appeal is simple. “We used to go to the pub and then go for a curry,” he says. “Come into a Desi pub and you’ve got the whole package in one.”

The Regency opened in 1991 as a members club, rather than a traditional pub, due to licensing restrictions, but that hasn’t stopped it becoming one of the capital’s best-loved Desi drinking spots. Today Rahul Sharma leads the family business. After emigrating from Kenya, his father “wanted to create a home away from home for the East African Indian community”, Sharma says. Three decades later, that community still forms the heart of the pub but the clientele has expanded. “We’ve got corporate clients, young British Asians discovering their roots, food lovers who’ve never tried Kenyan Indian cooking, and the original East African Indian community all under one roof.” The menu reflects that East African heritage, with garlic mogo (cassava) chips appearing on almost every table alongside the pub’s famous crispy tandoori chicken wings.

Archway has no shortage of excellent pubs, but The Great Indian has quickly become one of the neighbourhood’s hottest tables. Opened in 2025, it’s already packed most weekends, with drinkers perched at the bar while diners tuck into hearty biryanis or Sunday roasts with tandoori chicken. Unlike many Desi pubs, it also offers pre-match breakfasts on Sundays, serving crisp dosas, fluffy uttapam and masala parathas, before the focus shifts to cocktails and curries later in the day. Founder Aman Dhir believes that’s exactly why the concept resonates. “It’s not about choosing between a pub and a restaurant – you get the best of both,” he says. “People are looking for places with personality and authenticity.”

Sibling to the wildly successful Tamil Prince in Angel, The Tamil Crown’s famous Desi Sunday roast books out weeks in advance, with diners flocking to N1 for roast masala chicken or slow-cooked lamb shank served with Indian-inspired accompaniments such as coconut stir-fried cabbage and mango pickle. For co-owner Prince Durairaj, the appeal lies in the pub’s dual identity. “A Desi pub carries two identities at once – a blend of East and West. They’re physical proof of integration and multiculturalism.” That philosophy extends beyond the kitchen to the bar, where Indian beers sit alongside house lagers and cocktails like the spicy Masala Mary.

Megha Khanna and her brother Gaurav took over The Gladstone Arms in 2017, initially focusing on British pub staples. “We started selling pies but then we thought, ‘Let’s bring some of our culture into the pub,’” Khanna explains. The result is an Anglo-Indian menu where homemade Yorkshire puddings are served with Sunday roasts of smoked butter chicken breast or “railway” lamb chops (a pre-Independence dish dating from the construction of India’s railways). You’ll also find chicken karahi, pot pies with fillings like kid goat keema and scrambled paneer makhani, and smoked goat bun sliders. Behind the bar, beers from Indian craft brewery White Rhino sit alongside other unique Desi offerings. “Beyond the food, we also mark Indian festivals such as Diwali,” says Khanna. “We invite our regulars to experience and celebrate these traditions with us.”

The Black Horse isn’t trying to be fashionable. It has pool tables, a jukebox, Liverpool FC memorabilia on the walls, live sport on television and interiors that haven’t changed much over the years. It’s reassuringly old school, and one of London’s cheapest places for a pint and a plate of food. The menu majors in Kenyan Punjabi cooking, with mixed grills, lamb keema, butter chicken and chef Toni Jaurre’s renowned tandoori wings among the favourites. Come on the right evening and you might hear live renditions of Bollywood favourites, too.

Southall has long been synonymous with London’s Punjabi community and, just a short walk from the station, Brilliant Gastro by Dipna Anand is a standout. Created by the family behind the much-loved Brilliant Restaurant, a local staple for 50 years, the gastropub reimagines the Desi pub for a younger audience with beautifully presented Indian small plates and well-crafted cocktails. Signature dishes include Bombay nachos chaat, a honey paneer pot, and biryani with nihari (a slow-cooked lamb stew) served beneath golden puff pastry. “We’re not trying to be a traditional pub or a traditional Indian restaurant,” says chef-owner Anand. “We’ve created something that sits comfortably between the two.”

This article originally appeared in the fifth issue of Broadsheet London's magazine.