On the corner of Wellington Street and Exeter Street in Covent Garden, right next to the Lyceum Theatre (the home to The Lion King!) you’ll find Paro Indian Restaurant. Opened in October 2023 by Chef Niaz, the Paro aims to bring a modern Indian dining experience with bright, fresh decor, along with dishes inspired by the bazaars of Calcutta. This isn’t Chef Niaz and the team’s only London restaurant, mind you. They also run the award-winning City Spice in Brick Lane. I went to City Spice for the first time in 2019, and was super impressed, not only with the delicious food on offer, but with the variety of dishes for all tastes.
Kindly, the team at Paro invited me to come and check out their latest London restaurant. And, I had high hopes when I hopped on a tube into Covent Garden to check Paro out for myself. To put it simply, I was very impressed.
Paro Indian Restaurant, Covent Garden – Restaurant Review
Stepping into Paro, I was in awe at just how gorgeous and bright it was. While I think of Indian cuisine as bright and punchy with its flavours, it was a lovely surprise to be in surroundings to match. Entering and awaiting our table, we couldn’t help but notice the eye-catching tiger mural with Paro’s logo. The rest of the bar and waiting area matched the same energy with rich velvet and brass tones throughout.
Soon, we were being led down a corridor with a flower-covered ceiling and to our table. We opted for the A La Carte menu. This features a wide range of both West Bengal style dishes and Anglo-Indian Fusion dishes. I also very much appreciated that the vegan and vegetarian dishes were well labeled, as well as those containing gluten, nuts and dairy.
Selecting a range of West Bengal style and Anglo-Indian Fusion dishes
“Paro celebrates a deep passion for food with a modern Indian menu, featuring a secret blend of 48 spices—refined over generations and known by only five people today.”
As I visited with my mum, we each picked a starter to share. She chose the Onion Bhajis and I went for the Vegetable Samosas. Both were cooked to perfection. The filo pastry on the Samosas was light, crisp and complemented the soft, well-spiced filling and the Onion Bhajis had the perfect amount of crunch. Although these are both fairly staple dishes, they were both some of the better examples I have tried.
For our mains, we both chose an individual dish rather than sharing. (Mostly as my mum eats meat and I’ve been vegetarian for over 10 years now…). Mum went for the Nani-Jaan Chicken. This is a medium-spiced dish with Paro’s 48 spice-mix, tanga curry leaves, coriander, lemon, demerara sugar, mint, and tamarind reduction. When it comes to curries, she’s a fan of the classics and certainly enjoyed this.
I considered getting the Vegetarian Thali, but as this came with its own naan, rice and pickles and we’d already decided to share a naan and rice between us, I instead went for the Vegetable Bungalow Curry. A spicy dish with fenugreek, mace, and stewed tomatoes with fried onions, peppers, and chillis. The sweet tomatoes really complement the spice and I thought it was super tasty.
Aside from being both filling and tasty (we actually ended up taking some leftovers home!) for somewhere right in the heart of London’s theatre district, it also offered great value. Both our meals, excluding any service charges or drinks, came to just under £30 per head. (We chose to go from the A La Carte Menu.) They also offer a two or three-course pre-theatre menu offering some of their most popular dishes. This comes in at £21 for two courses or £24 for three courses, which I think is great value for money.
If you’re heading to see the Lion King on stage, or just in the area, I’d highly recommend trying Paro for yourself!
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