Paro Indian Restaurant in Covent Garden

If you’re looking for an Indian restaurant in Covent Garden then there is a new place on the block that’s set to become a staple if you are on the hunt for a curry in central London.  Located next to the famous Lyceum Theatre, home to The Lion King (so close in fact that they share some of their backstage corridors if you venture to the bathroom).  Paro is the second restaurant of Chef Niaz and already being a big fan of his first restaurant City Spice (I’m still thinking about the Thatul Tanga Bhujon I had there 6 years ago) I knew I had to go and check it out.

Arriving at the restaurant it’s clear there has been a lot of thought has been put into the whole customer experience.  Not only are all the staff friendly, welcoming and knowledgable but the reception and bar area is beautiful and well decorated; the perfect place to relax with a drink before heading to your table.

The decor themes continue as you head into the main restaurant, with the green lushness feeling intimate and cosy without ever being too dark, making it the perfect place to go for a date or dinner with friends.

Jumping right into the food, I was dining with a vegan so we were able to see how well this menu holds up for carnivores and plant-based people.  For starters, I went for the Toddy Shop Tiger Prawns which were huge, well balanced with the onions and the perfect mix of sweet and sour.  My vegan partner went for a classic, onion barjis which were crispy with a light crunch.

Onto the main course, I went for a Nani-Jaan Chicken curry.  Named after the chef’s Grandma this uses Paro’s signature 48-spice mix and was the perfect mix of mouth-tingling heat and sourness that I love.  I paired it with the Basmati rice which was a great base and the peshwari nan which honestly might be the best peshwari nan I’d ever had!  It was just the perfect amount of sweetness without it being overpowering and coconutty and so pillowy soft!

My partner went for the paro vegan ‘chicken’ which had a pretty similar texture to chicken and was delicately spiced.   They pared it with tasty mushroom rice and roti which is great for mopping up all that delicious curry!

If you are looking for an Indian restaurant in Covent Garden you won’t find better than Paro!  With its perfect location it’s worth checking out their pre-theatre menu which comes up at just £19 for 2 courses currentlyand if you want an extra discount just show the staff your TikTok or Instagram for 10% off.  Have you tried Paro yet?

The meal was gifted for review, all words and opinions are my own