Must-Try Tandoori Grills at the Best Indian Restaurant Brick Lane
The tandoori grills worth ordering at the best Indian restaurant Brick Lane has are the ones that show off the clay oven: tandoori chicken and chicken tikka, minced lamb seekh kebab, firm fish, paneer and, often overlooked, vegetables. Look for charred edges, juicy centres and a marinade you can taste right through. That is the mark of a well-run tandoor.
Our tandoor is the hottest, loudest and most demanding corner of the kitchen. Here is what goes on inside it, and what we would order if we were sitting on your side of the pass.
How does a tandoor actually cook food?
A tandoor is a bell-shaped clay oven, traditionally fired with charcoal at the base. Once it is fully heated, the air inside can reach well over 400°C, far hotter than a domestic oven.
What makes it special is that it cooks in three ways at once:
- Radiant heat from the glowing charcoal and the hot clay walls sears the surface of the meat.
- Convection as hot air rises through the narrow neck of the oven, wrapping around the skewers.
- Conduction where dough touches the clay. Naan is slapped directly onto the wall, which is why it blisters on one side and puffs on the other.
The result is a crust that forms in minutes while the inside stays moist. Fat and marinade drip onto the coals, vaporise and rise back up as smoke, which is where the distinctive tandoori aroma comes from. You cannot fake that drip-and-smoke flavour with an electric oven, however hot.
The clay oven has deep roots across Central and South Asia. The tandoori chicken most people know is widely credited to the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi after Partition, where a cook from Peshawar adapted the oven for chicken; like many food origin stories, details vary in the telling.
Why does the marinade matter so much?
In our kitchen, the marinade does half the cooking before the skewer ever meets the fire. Most tandoori dishes use a two-stage marinade.
- First marinade (20 to 30 minutes). Salt, lemon juice, ginger and garlic paste. The salt begins to season the meat deeply and helps it hold onto moisture. The acid starts to loosen the surface proteins so the second marinade can cling.
- Second marinade (4 to 12 hours, chilled). Thick strained yoghurt, spices, a little oil or mustard oil, and chilli for colour. Yoghurt’s lactic acid is much gentler than lemon or vinegar, so it softens the outer layer of the meat without turning it mushy. The milk solids also brown fast in the heat, giving those dark, flavourful patches.
A common mistake is marinating chicken in strong acid overnight. Lemon-heavy marinades left too long make the surface chalky and soft. Yoghurt is the safer long soak.
Thick yoghurt matters too. Watery yoghurt slides off and steams the meat. Hang it in muslin or use a strained style so the coating stays put and chars rather than drips.
Which grills should you order at the best Indian restaurant Brick Lane has to offer?
Here is what you will find on most good Brick Lane menus and what to look for in each.
| Grill | What it is | What good looks like
|
|---|---|---|
| Chicken tikka | Boneless chicken pieces in yoghurt and spice | Charred edges, juicy inside, no dry fibres |
| Tandoori chicken | Chicken on the bone, slashed and marinated | Smoky skin, marinade reaching the bone |
| Seekh kebab | Spiced minced lamb shaped on long skewers | Tight texture, crisp outside, fragrant with herbs |
| Lamb chops | Bone-in chops marinated and grilled | Pink or just cooked, well-rendered fat |
| Fish tikka | Firm fish chunks, often with ajwain | Flakes cleanly, not falling apart |
| Paneer tikka | Indian cheese cubes with peppers and onion | Golden spots, soft centre, never rubbery |
| Tandoori vegetables | Mushrooms, cauliflower, peppers, onion | Blistered, smoky, still with some bite |
If you are new to the tandoor, a mixed grill for the table is the best way in. It lets you taste the difference between minced lamb, chicken and something vegetable from the same fire.
Why do we put vegetables in the tandoor?
Too many restaurants treat the tandoor as a meat oven only. We do not. At City Spice, the tandoor is used for vegetables as well as meat, and it is one of the things that sets us apart from a standard Indian restaurant Brick Lane visitors might wander into.
Vegetables respond beautifully to fierce dry heat. Cauliflower caramelises at the edges and turns nutty. Mushrooms lose water quickly and take on a meaty depth. Peppers and onions blister and sweeten. A light marinade with mustard oil, a pinch of carom seed (ajwain) and chilli goes a long way.
It also suits our dedicated vegan curry menu, created by Chef Niaz with Michelin-inspired chef Rupert Rowley. A vegan guest can start with smoky tandoori vegetables, then move on to dishes such as the aubergine dhal or the thali-style Shahi Sahakari platter. Nobody at the table eats a lesser meal.
Chef Niaz’s Bengali twist shows here too. Mustard, a cooking fat and flavour central to Bengali kitchens, gives vegetables a sharp, warming edge that suits the smoke.
How do you eat tandoori grills properly?
A few habits from our side of the kitchen:
- Eat them fast. Tandoori dishes are at their best in the first few minutes. The sizzle is not just for show; the surface is still crisp.
- Use the lemon. A squeeze of lemon lifts the smoke and cuts the richness of yoghurt and fat.
- Try the green chutney. Mint and coriander chutney is the classic partner. Its freshness balances char.
- Pair grills with a sauce dish. A dry grill followed by a curry with a good gravy, plus naan from the same oven, makes a complete meal.
That last point matters if you have travelled across town looking for the best curry in London. Grills and curries are two halves of the same menu, and the strongest kitchens get both right.
Can you recreate tandoori flavour at home?
You can get close, though not identical. Here is our home method for chicken tikka for four.
- Cut 800g boneless chicken thighs into large chunks, about 4cm.
- First marinade: 1 tsp salt, juice of half a lemon, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Rest 20 minutes.
- Second marinade: 200g thick Greek-style yoghurt, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp mustard oil or vegetable oil. Coat well and chill for 4 to 12 hours.
- Heat your oven to its highest setting, ideally 240 to 250°C, with a rack over a lined tray.
- Thread the chicken onto skewers with space between pieces so hot air can circulate.
- Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, then finish under a very hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes until charred at the edges. The chicken should reach 75°C in the centre.
- Brush with a little melted butter, squeeze over lemon, and serve straight away.
For a hint of smoke, some home cooks place a small piece of hot charcoal in a metal bowl inside the dish, drip a little ghee onto it and cover for a minute. Do this only with care and good ventilation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tandoori chicken and chicken tikka?
Tandoori chicken is cooked on the bone, usually in larger pieces, while chicken tikka uses boneless chunks. Both share a similar yoghurt and spice marinade and are cooked in the tandoor.
Why is tandoori food red?
The colour traditionally comes from Kashmiri chilli, which gives a deep red with gentle heat. Some restaurants also add food colouring, so ask if you prefer to avoid it.
Are tandoori dishes healthy?
Tandoori grills are cooked with dry heat and relatively little added fat compared with many sauced dishes. The yoghurt marinade adds flavour without heavy cream.
Can vegans eat tandoori food at City Spice?
Yes. The tandoor is used for vegetables as well as meat, and City Spice also has a dedicated vegan curry menu created by Chef Niaz and chef Rupert Rowley.
How hot does a tandoor get?
A fully fired tandoor can exceed 400°C inside, which is why meat chars on the outside within minutes while staying moist inside.
Final Thoughts
The tandoor rewards patience in the marinade and nerve at the fire. When you choose the best Indian restaurant Brick Lane offers for grills, look for real char, juicy centres and a kitchen that gives vegetables the same respect as meat. Come and see our tandoor at work at City Spice, 138 Brick Lane; we will be glad to put a sizzling plate in front of you.
