Kricket Soho: what to order and when to go

A small correction before the table is booked: Kricket Soho is not on Berwick Street. It is at 12 Denman Street, just north of Piccadilly Circus, in the south-west corner of Soho. Modern Indian cooking, sharing plates, a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide and a price band of two pound signs.

What it is

Two floors. Upstairs there is a long marble counter looking onto the open kitchen, which Michelin calls huge fun. Downstairs is built around large communal tables, with a night-time feel that suits a second bottle. Kricket itself describes the pace as fast and quintessentially Soho. The menu leans towards the southern Indian states, and the chef is Will Bowlby.

A short history

Kricket began in June 2015 as a 20-seat shipping-container pop-up at Pop Brixton, founded by Bowlby on the kitchen side and his university friend Rik Campbell on the business side. Soho was its first bricks-and-mortar restaurant, opening in January 2017 according to Andy Hayler. Michelin now lists four branches across London, and Denman Street remains the original permanent home.

What to order

The menu changes with the seasons, so treat this as a guide at time of writing. The dish reviewers mention most is the samphire pakoras (£11, with tamarind chutney and chilli garlic mayo). Michelin and TripAdvisor both also point to the Keralan fried chicken (£15, with pickled mouli and curry leaf mayo). Build around those two.

• Snacks: tomato rasam pani puri (£2), rice papads with green mango (£5.50), Goan sausage naan (£6).
• Small plates: bhel puri (£8), recheado butter prawns (£17), skirt steak pepper fry (£18).
• Grills and curries: grilled squash makhani with paneer, hazelnuts and puffed wild rice (£16), chicken mappas with bone marrow (£18), lamb chops (£28).
• Breads: masala naan (£5), brown butter lacha paratha (£5.50).

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices are available. Beer runs at roughly £5.50 to £6.50 a pint, according to diners on TripAdvisor. Expect to spend somewhere between £26 and £40 a head, per OpenTable.

When to go

Go at lunch or early evening for the thali. The £20 thali is served from midday until quarter to five, with a choice of chicken mappas or grilled squash makhani. Kricket pitches it as a quick lunch or a pre-theatre meal, and it is the cheapest way in. Order the squash makhani if you want the vegetarian version.

Kricket also lists a £10 drink and snack offer daily from 4pm to 6pm. Check the exact terms on the restaurant's own page before you rely on it.

Booking and walk-ins. Online bookings are open for groups of various sizes, and the restaurant keeps space for walk-ins at the open-kitchen counters and the communal tables. A Saturday evening is likely to be busy, so book for then. If you do turn up on spec, the counter is the seat to take: one diner praised the upholstered stools and the view of the tandoor. If you want a proper table, ask for downstairs. Phone lines are open Monday to Saturday on 020 3019 8120. Hours are listed as noon to half ten Monday to Saturday and noon to nine on Sunday, but check before you set off, as listings differ.

There is a Little Kricket menu for under-tens, and highchairs on request. The dress code is casual.

One place for after

SOMA, 14 Denman Street. Kricket's own late-night cocktail bar is next door: a basement speakeasy, suggested by Kricket for a digestif or a hidden Soho nightcap. Hours per This Is Soho: Monday and Tuesday 6pm to 1am, Wednesday and Thursday 6pm to 2am, Friday and Saturday 6pm to 3am, closed Sunday. Its cocktails take their cues from the Indian subcontinent. Order the chaat cocktail: a smoky mezcal and tequila margarita with kumquat and chaat masala.

The sequence is simple. Thali or sharing plates at Kricket, then fifty steps next door for the last drink.