Benares Restaurant and Bar since its opening in 2003 has been considered one of the finest Indian Restaurants in the city.
Guests enter an elegant lounge with hand-crafted India inspired furniture and is complemented by a beautiful pond decorated with fresh flowers, creating a luxurious aesthetic.
Benares has 4 private dining rooms, three of which are around the lounge: the Berkeley Room which seats up to 16 guests, the Sommeliers Table which seats up to 10 guests and a Chefs Table overlooking the kitchen which seats up to 8 guests. The lounge area leads into the main dining room which can accommodate up to 80 guests. Our largest private dining area, the Dover room seating up to 36 guests is on the other side of the main dining room.
Benares can be hired for exclusive events accommodating 100 guests for a sit-down dinner and 250 guests for a standing reception.
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Tue - Sat 12:00PM - 2:30PM 5:30PM - 10:30PM
I have many times before however this time food was ok and ambience was not there
Food wasn’t great. Was seated right at the back in a secluded area with no atmosphere. The waiter that served my table was good however, the general manager was so rude and the rest of the staff were rubbish. One of my male friends ordered diet coke as I was the only women on the table, when the drinks came out, the waiter said ‘is this diet coke for you’ because I was the only women on the table. I found that extremely rude. The palak paneer was really bad so we sent it back. When my husband gave it to the general manager to take back and told him it tasted like paraffin, he laughed very sarcastically which triggered an argument as my husband was very annoyed at how rude he was. I would never recommend this place again. Food was extremely expensive and definitely had no value for price that we paid.
Wonderful birthday celebration with excellent food and drink. Our waitress was excellent!!!
Food was absolutely lovely and the service was impeccable
Excellent service - very attentive without being overbearing intrusive. And though it was very quiet due to COVID, there was still a lovely, relaxing atmosphere. We had the taster menu - the mushroom amuse bouche was the standout for me - sensational!! Tor rest of the menu was delicious. We shall return!
Good food. Quiet ambiance when I visited. Good for special occasions and business meetings
Brilliant meal for our first dinner out since September. The food is excellent with refined twists on traditional dishes plus some innovative creations, all with great flavour combinations. Service was charming
Excellent tasting menu with paired wines. Just outstanding
Still a nice institution but main room starts to feel dated. Food is traditional indian with a twist, spicyness adapted to London.
Amazing food and imaginative matching wines. All the food was expertly spiced to provide just the right amount of heat. The tasting menu was just right, and we finished almost everything except the rice the main course. We even loved the dessert even though we were not expecting to when it first arrived. The waiter said a lot of people didn't finish, but we have cleaned the bowl!
Food was poor, taste very average and price was extortionate. £175 for two with two drinks. A lot of the food was inedible. Spicing not subtle just hot but not nice hot.
Treat for me and my partner.
We Had an excellent waiter in Raju who guided us through the menu. The food was fantastic as you would expect but from a Michelin restaurant but literally every bite was a taste sensation! We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary and the attentiveness of the staff was amazing. Definitely my favourite Michelin star restaurant in London!
Genuinely the best food I’ve ever had!! Went for an anniversary dinner and was extremely impressed, every bite was bursting with flavour. Showstoppers: scallops and chicken dumplings!! Stop thinking about it and just go, you will not regret it
Great place
Very impressed by the overall experience. Right from the reservation to the end.
All staff were very courteous, food was AUTHENTIC INDIAN and the ATTENTION TO DETAIL was exemplary.
In my online reservation, I had mentioned that I was coming down to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Hence very pleasantly surprised by the Walnut Chocolate Brownie on a decorated plate, which made our day.
Will certainly visit again and recommend to all my friends.
Thank you to the Benares Team
Lovely good quality restaurant. Coped well with social distancing
Really enjoyed the experience thought the level of service and dinning was exceptional we will definitely be back and will recommend to our friends and family. Made our birthday celebration special, many thanks guys
Delicious food and excellent service. The bottomless thali was excellent value for such a lovely restaurant.
Was hair in my yogurt - wasn’t happy about that. They gave us complimentary desert to compensate that and an additional one for the occasion we were there for.
Food was ok though.
Services was brilliant and couldn’t be faulted. Ambience was lovely. Cocktails and Starters were delicious.
Unfortunately mains and desserts weren’t to our taste. But maybe we ordered the wrong items.
Great take on indian fine dining, some misses but mainly hits
Food fantastic but service not as good as when we were there before.
First time at Benares.
My partner and I got the tasting menu - think it was 98 GBP per head.
Food - 4/5
Absolutely stunning food. Out of all courses, it was only the final 2 that we weren't abosolutely raving about (lamb main, little flavour. the dessert was a complex jelly & cream concoction - we just dont love cream!)
Service - 5/5
Some of the best service I've received in London. Only comparable place for me in terms of service is Luca in Clerkenwell. Really charming waiters who were really attentive and had good chat! They kindly served up a brownie with a candle for my partner's birthday.
Ambience - 3/5
Location feels special - swanky Mayfair without the pretentiousness of nearby Sexy Fish. Well set up for covid-19; screens between tables made us feel very safe. The waiters kept their masks on at ALL TIMES!! I cannot believe the amount of staff I've seen elsewhere who serve without a mask on. The reason I've given this place a 3 is a little out of vanity. When you go to such a nice expensive place it'd be nice to take some scenic photos. I would not say the inside of the restaurant is scenic or particularly memorable.
All in all though, I'd reccommend Benares for a special occassion. For a more affordable meal, their lunch menu comes at a good price!
Great food and service already book to go back next month