Halal cuisine at restaurants in London with private dining rooms
The best private dining rooms at London restaurants serving halal food
If you’re in search of a private dining room in London where halal cuisine is not an afterthought but a centrepiece, the capital city – in its infinite, gastronomic generosity – doesn’t disappoint. From the silk-draped salons of Mayfair to the tiled, spice-scented dens of Holborn, the city offers plenty of doors to close, and plenty of reasons to linger behind them.
“Halal.” A word as softly spoken as it is deeply meaningful – Arabic for “permissible” – and, in the context of cuisine, a compass guiding millions toward what may be ethically and spiritually consumed. But for the uninitiated diner perusing a menu in Mayfair or Marylebone, it’s more than just a label; it’s a quiet assurance.
Halal food, in its truest form, is the culinary expression of Islamic dietary law. It’s not just about what is eaten, but how. The meat must be dhabiha – an animal respectfully, humanely slaughtered with the name of God invoked at the moment of its passing. Blood, symbolically and literally, must be drained. It’s not just ritual; it’s reverence.
In a city that oscillates between pomp and punk, finding halal restaurants with private dining rooms that aren’t merely afterthoughts tucked behind a curtain can feel like a futile culinary safari. Yet London, in its usual spellbinding fashion, delivers – if you know where to look.
Kahani – Chelsea
High glamour, low lights, Indian subtlety dialled up to 11.
Peter Joseph’s Kahani is the kind of place where diplomacy could occur over tandoori lamb chops. Hidden behind Sloane Square, it offers the Peacock Room – a private dining room seating up to 14 guests – where the walls whisper of elegance and the butter chicken knows your deepest regrets. Everything is certified halal, and the kitchen respects its ingredients like sacred texts.
Benares – Mayfair
Michelin meets masala. You’ll want to misbehave in a jacket.
Once the domain of Atul Kochhar, Benares remains Mayfair’s crown jewel of refined Indian cuisine. The private dining rooms here – of which there are four – include the majestic Dover Room, seating up to 36 guests. The kitchen is halal-friendly upon request, and the service makes you feel as though you invented the concept of hospitality.
Colonel Saab – Holborn
A sensory trip through India without the jet lag.
Serving fine dining Indian cuisine, Colonel Saab Holborn – sister restaurant to Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square – is all opulent decor and murmured grandeur – more museum than restaurant, but in a good way. The MemSaab1 Room, with its ornate antiques and unapologetically maximalist décor, seats up to 16 private dining guests with other private rooms at the restaurant seating 10 – 36 guests. The food is halal, theatrically plated, and always photo-ready – expect rose petals where none were needed, and thank them anyway.
Brigadiers – City of London
Where Indian barbecue goes boardroom, and nobody minds the smoke.
Part of the JKS empire, Brigadiers is City slick with a shot of spice. It’s got private dining rooms named like colonial lounges – The Pot Luck Room (seating up to 18 guests), Blighters (seating up to 55 guests) – each as rich in design as they are in clientele. Halal options are available, and the butter chicken wings deserve a plaque of their own. It’s loud, louche, and utterly unapologetic.
Where Mayfair refinement meets the culinary geometry of the Indian subcontinent.
Helmed by Atul Kochhar – the first Indian chef to be Michelin-starred in the UK – Kanishka doesn’t simply serve Indian food. It curates it, threading dishes from the unexplored northeast of India through the silk-gloved hand of fine dining.
And yes, for the discerning diner who eats by both principle and palate: the chicken and lamb here are halal – a quiet promise beneath the luxury.
Established in 2008, Private Dining Rooms operates a unique venue finding service for private dining rooms in London of all types of capacities and cuisines and our Events Team can be contacted on 020 7305 5044.
