Brick Lane is one of London’s most famous destinations for Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, and among its many curry houses, City Spice has built a particularly strong reputation. Located at 138 Brick Lane in East London, the restaurant combines traditional Indian and Bengali-inspired flavours with a modern dining experience.
The phrase City Spice Voted Best Indian Restaurant on Brick Lane reflects the restaurant’s positioning and award-winning reputation. City Spice promotes itself as an award-winning Brick Lane curry house, while its menu combines classic British-Indian favourites with signature dishes and a dedicated vegan offering.
For visitors exploring Brick Lane for the first time, choosing where to eat can be difficult. The street is packed with restaurants competing for attention, but City Spice offers a menu that covers traditional curries, tandoori dishes, biryanis, thalis, seafood, vegetarian choices, and vegan options.
This guide explores what makes City Spice interesting, what you can expect from its food and atmosphere, and some of the dishes worth considering during your visit.
What Makes City Spice Special?
City Spice has established itself as a recognised name on Brick Lane, a neighbourhood closely associated with London’s South Asian food culture.
The restaurant describes its cooking as a combination of Indian tradition, Bengali influence, and contemporary presentation. Its menu is broad enough to accommodate customers who prefer familiar curry-house favourites as well as diners looking for something different.
Its award history is another part of the restaurant’s identity. City Spice lists honours including Best Restaurant in London, Best Indian Cooking in London, Best Indian Restaurant in London, Best Indian Vegan Menu in London, and Menu of the Year. It has also been featured by several British media outlets.
Rather than relying on one particular type of curry, City Spice provides a large selection of flavours and spice levels.
That makes it particularly appealing for groups where different people may have very different preferences.
The Brick Lane Food Experience
Brick Lane has a long association with South Asian food, particularly Bengali cuisine. Restaurants became an important part of the area’s identity as Bangladeshi communities established businesses in East London.
City Spice is part of this wider culinary tradition.
Walking along Brick Lane, visitors encounter a lively mixture of restaurants, markets, cafés, independent shops, and street food businesses. Curry restaurants remain one of the area’s most recognisable attractions.
Eating at City Spice therefore provides more than just a meal. It can become part of a broader Brick Lane experience.
The location makes it convenient for people exploring Shoreditch, Spitalfields, and the surrounding East London neighbourhoods. After browsing the markets or walking through the area’s streets, a traditional curry can be a satisfying way to finish the day.
This combination of food and location helps explain why restaurants on Brick Lane continue to attract both London residents and visitors.
Exploring the Starters
A good way to begin your City Spice experience is with a starter.
The menu includes traditional choices such as sheek kebab, chicken or lamb tikka, tandoori chicken, chicken chat, prawn puri, king prawn butterfly, and lamb chops.
Vegetarian diners can choose from options including onion bhaji, vegetable spring rolls, aloo chat, and a saag paneer roll.
The starters offer different textures and spice levels, allowing diners to decide how adventurous they want to be.
For example, tandoori chicken provides a smoky option, while chicken chat introduces a sharper and more intense flavour profile. Prawn puri combines spiced prawns with soft puri bread, creating a richer starter.
If you are dining with several people, ordering different starters to share can be an excellent way to experience more of the menu.
It also gives you an opportunity to discover your preferred flavours before selecting the main courses.
Classic Curries at City Spice
Classic curry dishes remain central to the restaurant’s menu.
City Spice allows diners to select a curry base and then choose a protein or vegetarian option. The available bases range from mild preparations such as korma through progressively hotter styles including dopiaza, bhuna, rogan josh, karai, garlic madras, dansak, pathia, jalfrezi, and vindaloo.
This structure gives diners considerable flexibility.
Someone who prefers mild food can choose a korma with chicken, lamb, vegetables, or another suitable protein. Customers who enjoy stronger flavours can move towards madras, jalfrezi, or vindaloo.
The ability to select different proteins also makes the menu useful for groups.
Chicken, lamb, chicken tikka, lamb tikka, prawns, king prawns, fish, duck, mixed vegetables, and paneer are among the options listed on the restaurant’s current menu.
Because spice tolerance varies considerably, diners should choose according to their own preferences rather than assuming that the hottest dish will automatically provide the best experience.
Signature and Speciality Dishes
While classic curries are an important part of the menu, City Spice also offers speciality dishes for diners who want to try something beyond the standard curry-house selection.
The restaurant’s menu has included dishes such as chicken chilli masala, black pepper lamb, prawn chana makani, and Uribeesi saag gatta.
Some of these dishes demonstrate the restaurant’s Bengali influence and its attempt to combine traditional flavours with its own style.
Signature dishes can be particularly interesting for returning customers because they provide alternatives to familiar favourites.
If this is your first visit, however, there is no need to avoid the classics. A traditional curry accompanied by rice and naan can provide a straightforward introduction to the restaurant.
For repeat visitors, speciality dishes can offer a reason to explore the menu further.
Why the Thali Is Worth Considering
One of the most interesting choices for diners who want variety is a thali.
A thali traditionally brings several small dishes together on one platter, allowing the diner to experience different flavours during a single meal.
City Spice offers both a Meat Thali and a larger City Spice Thali.
The Meat Thali includes dishes such as chicken tikka masala, lamb bhuna, tandoori chicken, sheek kebab, pilau rice, plain naan, and raita.
The City Spice Thali provides an even broader selection, including chicken Sylhet jalfrezi, lamb Uribeeshi Gatta, prawn rezala, tadka daal, desi-fried Rohi fish, pilau rice, and garlic naan.
For someone who finds the menu overwhelming, a thali can be an excellent solution.
Instead of choosing one curry, you can experience several dishes and discover which flavours appeal most to you.
It can also be a good option for visitors who want a meal that feels like a complete introduction to the restaurant’s cooking.
Vegan and Vegetarian Dining
Vegetarian and vegan food is another significant part of the City Spice offering.
The restaurant promotes a dedicated vegan curry menu and has highlighted its work in developing plant-based Indian cuisine.
Vegetarian choices are not limited to side dishes. The menu includes vegetarian starters and curry options, while plant-based dishes can provide a substantial meal in their own right.
Indian cuisine naturally offers a wide variety of vegetable, lentil, paneer, and legume-based dishes, making it particularly adaptable for vegetarian diners.
City Spice has also promoted a specialist vegan menu developed with chef Rupert Rowley.
For visitors following a vegan diet, this provides more choice than simply ordering a vegetable curry from a standard menu.
Nevertheless, anyone with a serious allergy should communicate their requirements clearly to restaurant staff before ordering, as ingredients and preparation methods can change.
The Atmosphere at City Spice
Food is only one part of the dining experience.
City Spice presents itself as a restaurant with a lively yet comfortable atmosphere in the centre of Brick Lane. Its location makes it particularly suited to people who want to combine dinner with an afternoon or evening exploring East London.
The restaurant describes its environment as luxurious while maintaining a casual dining approach.
This balance means the venue can work for several different occasions. You might visit with friends after shopping around Brick Lane, bring family members for a meal, arrange a casual date, or organise a larger group gathering.
The restaurant also has private dining facilities, with space for larger parties and corporate or university events.
Its broad menu contributes to the group-friendly experience because guests do not need to agree on one particular style of food.
Awards, Reputation and Recognition
The phrase City Spice Voted Best Indian Restaurant on Brick Lane is closely connected to the restaurant’s emphasis on awards and recognition.
City Spice’s published awards include Best Restaurant in London from Curry Life, Best Restaurant in London from the Bangladesh Caterers Association, Best Indian Cooking in London from the Masterchef Foundation, Best Indian Restaurant in London from the ACA, and Best Indian Vegan Menu in London from the BCA.
Its current menu also lists OpenTable Diners’ Choice recognition and a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence.
These awards form part of the restaurant’s public reputation, although awards from different years and organisations should not be treated as a single current ranking.
What they do demonstrate is that City Spice has spent years developing a presence within London’s competitive Indian restaurant scene.
The restaurant has also appeared in British newspapers and television programmes, further increasing its visibility among diners.
For first-time visitors, this recognition can provide an additional reason to consider City Spice while exploring Brick Lane.
What Should You Order at City Spice?
If you are visiting City Spice for the first time, the best order depends on your preferences.
For a traditional introduction, you could begin with onion bhaji, sheek kebab, or tandoori chicken before choosing a classic curry with rice and naan.
If you enjoy seafood, prawn puri, king prawn dishes, or Rohi fish preparations provide alternatives to chicken and lamb.
For something more adventurous, explore the restaurant’s speciality dishes or consider the City Spice Thali.
Vegetarians have several curry and starter options, while vegan diners can explore the dedicated plant-based menu.
If you are visiting with friends, ordering several starters and sharing them before choosing individual mains can make the meal more social.
Spice level is also worth considering. City Spice’s curry bases range from mild to very hot, so choose according to your personal tolerance.
Ultimately, the best dish is the one that matches your taste rather than simply choosing the hottest or most unusual option.
Conclusion
City Spice Voted Best Indian Restaurant on Brick Lane is a title that reflects the restaurant’s strong reputation, awards, media recognition, and long-standing presence on one of London’s most famous food streets.
At 138 Brick Lane, City Spice offers a broad Indian and Bengali-influenced menu covering classic curries, tandoori dishes, biryanis, thalis, seafood, vegetarian food, and vegan options.
Its flexible menu makes it suitable for both newcomers and experienced curry lovers. First-time visitors can keep things traditional with a classic curry, rice, naan, and a few starters, while returning diners can explore speciality dishes and thalis.
The restaurant’s dedicated vegan offering is another notable feature, particularly for diners looking for more plant-based Indian food.
Whether you are visiting Brick Lane as a tourist or regularly exploring London’s restaurant scene, City Spice provides an opportunity to experience the area’s famous curry culture in a restaurant with an established identity and award history.
FAQs
1. Where is City Spice located?
City Spice is located at 138 Brick Lane, London E1 6RU, in the Spitalfields area of East London.
2. Why is City Spice called the best Indian restaurant on Brick Lane?
City Spice promotes itself as the best Indian restaurant on Brick Lane and has received multiple awards and recognitions for its Indian cooking, including awards for its restaurant and vegan menu.
3. What should I order at City Spice?
Popular choices can include traditional starters such as sheek kebab or tandoori chicken, followed by a classic curry, biryani, or thali. The restaurant also offers speciality dishes and seafood options.
4. Does City Spice have vegan food?
Yes. City Spice promotes a dedicated vegan curry menu alongside vegetarian options. Its menu has included a range of plant-based dishes designed to provide more than a single vegetarian alternative.
5. Is City Spice suitable for groups?
Yes. City Spice caters to groups and offers private dining facilities. Its extensive menu makes it suitable for groups with different dietary preferences and tastes.
