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Cafe Spice Namaste

Indian, International·
££££
·
Bronze Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Cafe Spice Namaste

Bronze Award

High ceilings, Victorian brass lamps and swagged curtains in spicy shades create a blend of east and west that's as seamless as the fusion in Cyrus Todiwala's "lovely, unusual Indian food".

The high-profile chef is also a renowned champion of British produce, which appears in everything from the homemade pickles and chutneys to the prime fillet from the Duke of Buccleuch's estate that goes into a fiery beef tikka.

Elsewhere, Goan flavours are to the fore in dishes such as a classic 'white' king prawn curry with organic red rice or spicy Chiltern pork vindalho, although regional riffs range from a luxurious Parsee-style chicken curry with puréed nuts and coconut to tamarind-marinated duck tikka from Kerala.

Café Spice Namasté has long championed the pairing of wine with spicy food and there are helpful tasting notes on the list, which includes a Soul Tree Shiraz from India's Nasik Valley.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Indian, International
Eat at Home
Takeaway service
Ambience
Cool, Fun, Lively, Quirky, Romantic, Unique
Food Occasions
All day dining, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
Alfresco And Views
Great views, Outside seating, Waterside
Special Features
Chef’s table, Dog friendly, Gluten-free options, Vegan options, Vegetarian options, Wheelchair access
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Child friendly, Dates, Group dining [8+], Romantic, Special occasions
Food Hygiene Rating

About

It's time to rethink everything you thought you knew about what an Indian restaurant looks, feels and tastes like. Cafe Spice Namaste is a must visit for Indian cuisine, based in a fantastic location on the edge of Royal Albert Wharf in the Docklands, with views spanning the Thames.

Its home takes the form of a modern, new build complex which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing in tons of natural light and creating a contemporary, airy space to get stuck into the forward-thinking menu. You'll love the decor, too, which includes a statement bar covered in colourful tiles and complemented by rustic bar stools. Around the space, industrial pendants and plants aplenty create a stylish design concept, which makes this a great spot for enjoying with friends, family or colleagues. 

Now, onto the menu; the a la carte offers a curated selection of street food-inspired smaller plates which are designed for sharing. There's a good mix of both meat-based and vegetarian dishes, as well as a selection of signatures to choose from. For example, we love the sound of the halloumi shaslik, which brings together classic tandoor marinated halloumi with grilled with cubes of onion and peppers, perhaps combined with the masala spiced roasted chicken in a mild white curry with coconut and cashew, flavoured with cardamom. 

As for sides, we dare you to turn down the caramalised onion rice or the chilli cheese naan which is filled with an impressive mix of five cheeses and blended with fresh green chilli. As for signatures, the team recommend trying the classic goan pork vindaloo, or the signature beetroot and coconut samosa chaat served with chutneys and chickpeas vermicelli. 

Finally, Cafe Spice Namaste has an indulgent selection of desserts to try - we like the sound of the multi-layered Portuguese-inspired Goan coconut pancake warmed and served with vanilla ice-cream - yum! 


FAQs

What kind of food does Café Spice Namasté do?

The cuisine is Parsee, a subcategory of Indian food.

Helpful? 0

Cafe Spice Namaste is featured in

This venue also offers

Cafe Spice Namaste
Private Group Dining

Cafe Spice Namaste

Cafe Spice Namaste
Christmas Parties

Cafe Spice Namaste

Location

1-2 Lower Dock Walk, Woolwich, London, E16 2GT

020 7488 9242 020 7488 9242

Website

Opening Times

Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 17:00-22:00
Wed Closed
Thu Closed
Fri Closed
Sat Closed
Sun Closed
All day
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 13:00-22:00
Thu 13:00-22:00
Fri 13:00-22:00
Sat 13:00-22:00
Sun Closed

Reviews

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10 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

27 October 2022  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5
All-round excellence, worth opening your mind to.

I've visited Cafe Spice many times. It's my favourite all-round restaurant. The food is always excellent, Cyrus Todiwala is often on-hand running the kitchen, and Pervin Todiwala is the consummate host. Some of the reviews seem to miss the point of Cafe Spice. It's a Parsee Indian restaurant with European (often Portuguese) influences. The word "fusion" doesn't really fit - it's more about awareness of the history and provenance of the dishes. As a birthday treat, I also did the Masterclass with Cyrus. He's incredibly well-informed and generous - and seriously cares about producing amazing meals for his guests. If you're hoping for a posh version of your local Indian, this isn't it. It's not supposed to be. It's about smart dishes of sometimes delicate flavours, or bombastic spice combinations to challenge the palate. The Goosnargh Sausage and "mash" is a brilliant take on a classic pairing. The Venison Tikka Aflatoon is always excellent (it's been on the menu for a long time). The Chilli & Cheese Naan is a fiery beast of a bread. These chefs know what to do with a lamb cutlet too - they're always crispily seared but perfectly moist inside. 

I've eaten better food at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons (but that's got two Michelin Stars and costs many times over what dinner at Cafe Spice costs) and a few other VERY expensive places (only ever as a treat - I can't afford such ridiculousness often!). But taking everything into consideration, this is the restaurant I'd choose 9 times out of 10.

Matt G

28 June 2019  
Always good food and relaxed atmosphere.

Rustam D

28 June 2019  
This restaurant provides you with delicate flavours of India. The food is top quality and Cyrus always tries to have British ingredients for his dishes. The service is excellent led by Pervin Toddywala and for me very good value considering some other Indian restaurants are more expensive, but the quality is not as good.

Dev A

21 March 2018  
Love Cote. Haven't found one that isn't good. Cocktails, food and service. Brunch is very good.

Lloyd S

12 March 2017  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Fantastic Indian
A fantastic Indian meal in east London and so different to your local restaurant here we experienced such an amazing array of stunning Indian flavours and spices that enhanced each dish. On arrival you get a nice friendly greeting then you get to see the menu and believe me you want to order everything as it all sounds fantastic. We in the end decided to go for the Tasting Menu which includes 3 glasses of wine and was also told that it is actually unlimited food so when you say stop they will then serve you Dessert to finish . The one thing is that you don't know what you get until it arrives which to us was great . We managed to survive 10 courses before surrendering and having Dessert . So it all started with popadoms & dips followed by Samosa , potato cake , fish fingers , a sweet and crunchy rice , duck , chicken , prawns with spinach , salmon and cheese then to curry dishes of chicken and lamb that forced us into submission so we're then served dessert to finish to which on was a delightful spicy creme brûlée. Most of the dishes were brought to us by our very friendly waitress Martina .

Sean M

13 May 2016  
Exceptional food, particularly liked the Haggis Samosa Chat! V friendly, great meal.

james M

20 October 2013  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 1
Appalling, no better than your local takeaway
I have Cyrus's recipe book, I have cooked his lamb dhansak recipe many times, it is amazing, one of my favourite curries. I was looking forward to comparing the lamb dhansak in his book to the restaurant and I was hugely disappointed. It tasted like a generic curry gravy, it was watery and the texture was not right, even worse than your bog standard takeaway. I then tasted the other curries my family ordered (Goan pawn, beef curry a' la dada and murghi ni curry nay papato) and they all had the same generic curry gravy taste, literally like curry powder stirred into a gravy, bland and boring. I complained to the waiter who was attentive and helpful. I then spoke to Cyrus himself, I explained that I have cooked his dhansak recipe many times and that the curry I was served was nothing like it. He didn't listen, he was very defensive and patronising, he repeatedly said was 'you're the expert, you're the expert'. He obviously doesn't care about his customers now he is a ‘celebrity cook’. I have cooked hundreds of curries over the years, I make my own masala blends, I make my own ghee, I research recipes for the authentic methods etc, I would like to think I know about curry and I can tell you this was one of the worst curries I have had at a restaurant. I will continue to cook at home and save money, Cafe Spice is a complete rip off.

Mittal S

07 April 2013  
Food & Drink 2.5
Service 2.5
Atmosphere 1.5
Value 2.5
An average night
I've seen Cyrus Todiwala cook up some magical dishes as various food events across London and so it was with great anticipation that we booked our meal at Cafe Spice Namaste. I must add this review is of a meal going some time back now, but the memory is fresh and unfortunately I still remember the disappointment with which my fellow diners and I left the restaurant with. Whilst the food was fresh, the flavours lacked the depth and variety I was expecting and this was a common theme across the table, despite some initially promising starters. The atmosphere did very little to compensate; on a cold winters night, the lofty, sparsely decorated brick interiors, together with the surprisingly basic furniture made it difficult to warm up or feel truly welcome. Service was good but the wait staff lacked further knowledge of the dishes when asked a few questions. All in all, it just didn't add up to the expectations Mr Todiwala had set in my mind, which was a shame indeed.

mark D

18 December 2012  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4.5
First time I have visited the restaurant and it was really very good. Pleasant, relaxed but attentive service put my lunch guests and me at ease. The menu was diverse and really descriptive; we were all spoilt for choice with the great sounding dishes on offer. Scallops and tandoori duck followed by pork, chicken and mutton main courses in various guises were superb. A special mention has to go out to the selection of chutneys on offer, they were delicious. Overall a great restaurant, I would not hesitate to take my clients here and I know all of my friends would love it!

Andrew S

13 July 2009  
Food & Drink 4
Service 1
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2.5
Ordered a takeaway and were told 50 minutes to deliver. Called the restaurant to chase our order 1 hour 25 minutes after ordering, and was told the food was just leaving. It eventually arrived 30 minutes later. We live 5 minutes from the restaurant. Very disappointed! The food, thankfully, was good.
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