Roti Chai, the modern Indian restaurant in Mayfair, is set across two floors, with a clear sense of purpose in how each level is used. On entering, you’re met by the ground floor Street Kitchen, an informal space geared towards lighter eating and drinks. Downstairs, the Dining Room offers a more formal atmosphere. Each floor runs its own menu from a dedicated kitchen, which keeps the food focused and avoids the sense of compromise that can creep into split concepts, especially in a place of this scale.
Across both spaces, the cooking leans on traditional Indian ingredients, using techniques drawn from different regions rather than adhering to a single regional identity. The emphasis is on balance rather than novelty, with contemporary adjustments used to refine flavour, texture and richness without losing the shape of the original dish.
The drinks list follows the same approach. A Mango Aperol Spritz balances ripe mango against Aperol’s bitterness, keeping it refreshing rather than sweet. The Coconut Daiquiri folds coconut into the rum, adding softness and body without sweetness taking over.
From the kitchen, the food favours clarity. Chilli garlic prawns are warming and savoury, with slow-building heat, the Goan chilli cushioned by roasted garlic and coconut rice that absorbs the spice. The mango cumin salmon layers turmeric, mustard and cumin, building warmth before the mango lifts it. Kerala fried cauliflower arrives crisp and light, the panko coating giving a clean, dry crunch, finished with a beetroot and sesame drizzle that adds earthiness and depth.
Classic dishes are treated with contemporary confidence. Butter chicken stays close to its old Delhi roots, rich but measured, the sauce glossy rather than heavy, with fenugreek used for aroma rather than weight. If you’re lucky enough to visit in winter, the Nizami chicken is a more composed dish, pairing spiced keema with saffron and cardamom, fragrant and warming rather than heavy.
Roti Chai focuses on flavour and familiarity, adjusting tradition just enough to suit a contemporary dining room without losing what makes these dishes work in the first place.
