Modern Indian · East Dulwich
By Monty Khas, Anonymous Critic. Pays every bill.
Spend enough time in London's Indian restaurant scene and you'll notice how much of its best cooking traces back to one kitchen: Gymkhana's. Sanjay Gour ran that kitchen as head chef before heading out to the suburbs and co-founding Dastaan in Ewell and Black Salt in Putney. Kokum, which he opened in East Dulwich in July 2023 with Black Salt co-founder Simeron Lily Patel, is the latest and perhaps best expression of the idea: Mayfair-level cooking, neighborhood prices, no dress code.
The name comes from kokum, the sour, dark-purple fruit of India's Konkan coast that gives Goan and Malvani curries their tang. It's a fitting choice for a menu that roams across India with a confident, slightly playful hand.
The room
Kokum occupies a big former pub site on East Dulwich Road, with white-painted brick, brown leather booths and lantern lighting. The bar sits at the front, the dining room at the back seats around 85, and a terrace out front becomes the best seat in SE22 when the weather turns kind. With all those hard surfaces it gets noisy when full, which is most weekends. In summer there are barbecues on the terrace; on Sundays there's a roast with an Indian accent.
What to eat
Order the khumb palak, even if you came for meat. It's a Dastaan classic, mushrooms folded through intensely concentrated spinach with garlic and dry red chili, and one of the best vegetarian Indian dishes in London. Pair it with the dhal makhani, cooked overnight until it's silky and smoky.
From the snacks, the Amritsari fish is crisp and properly spiced, the fish Koliwada comes in a dramatic squid-ink batter with a chili aioli, and the kasundi prawns bring the sharp mustard kick of Bengal. Then the best-end lamb chops, charred and tender, and the pork ribs in a sticky Indo-Chinese glaze that you'll photograph before you eat, then regret not ordering two of.
For the main event, there are two showpieces. The chicken tikka biryani is sealed under a puff-pastry lid that's broken open at the table to release a cloud of steam and spice. And the raan, kid lamb slow-cooked for 12 hours and served on a soft utthapam, is the kind of dish you plan a return visit around. The Malvani fish curry brings the coconut-and-kokum tang the restaurant is named for, and lamb shank nihari is the slow-cooked comfort dish for a cold evening. Mop up everything with flaky laccha paratha or a peshwari naan.
Vegetarians do especially well here, which isn't always true of restaurants built on a grill-and-chops reputation. Beyond the khumb palak and dhal, there's chutney paneer tikka, paneer makhani and a smoky baingan bharta, and a table can eat very happily without a single meat dish.
Drinks
The cocktails are clever without being fussy. The pink peppercorn old fashioned, warmed with cinnamon and cardamom, is the house standout, and the chocolate orange negroni tastes uncannily like a certain festive chocolate. A clarified mirchi margarita brings gentle heat. There's Kingfisher for purists and a short, sensibly chosen wine list.
Before you go
Book for weekends; the dining room fills with locals, families and the occasional pilgrim from north of the river. The space and the relaxed pace make it one of the easiest places in the area for a multigenerational dinner. Service feels like a neighborhood place that happens to cook like a destination one: warm, unhurried and glad you came. Time Out gave it a full five stars in 2026.
What Kokum proves is that London's best Indian cooking no longer needs a Mayfair postcode. It needs a chef who learned in Mayfair and decided his neighbors deserved the same food. Take the Overground. Order the khumb palak. You'll be back.
The Quick Fix
What to order: Khumb palak; dhal makhani; fish Koliwada; kasundi prawns; pork ribs with Indo-Chinese glaze; 12-hour raan on utthapam; chicken tikka biryani under its pastry lid; a pink peppercorn old fashioned
Pricing: Mid-range, and far gentler than its Mayfair relatives for cooking from the same lineage.
Best for: South Londoners, vegetarians, relaxed date nights, Sunday lunches, and summer terrace evenings
How it compares: Gymkhana pedigree at neighborhood prices; the khumb palak beats most veg dishes in Mayfair; biryani theater to rival Gymkhana's muntjac; the best reason to eat Indian in South London
See where Kokum ranks: The Best Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Restaurants in London: Our Top 10 for 2026
The food was always this good. We're just paying attention.