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Brick Lane
Brick Lane • Things to do • Eat & Drink • Curry Houses
A late-night local constant
Brick Lane’s curry houses still cluster along the eastern end of the street, with window menus and a familiar glow after dark. The cooking runs broad — grills, biryanis, rich sauces — and the rhythm is unhurried. It’s a long-standing part of the lane’s night-time map.
Curry Houses
Aladin
Aladin has been on Brick Lane since 1979, originally serving the area’s Bangladeshi community and now drawing mixed crowds across the week. The menu runs across curries and grills, with a dedicated vegan section and gluten-free options. It’s spread across multiple floors, useful for groups, and operates a BYOB approach rather than a full drinks list.
Bengal Village
Bengal Village is a family-run curry house at 75 Brick Lane. The site previously traded as Sangeeta, a South Asian music shop, before becoming a restaurant in the late 1990s. The menu leans Bangladeshi and North Indian, with a dedicated vegan section. It’s open daily (except Christmas Day). Regular orders include chicken tikka masala and chicken or lamb jalfrezi. Most people drop in, but booking helps on weekend evenings.
Sheba
Sheba is a long-running, family-run curry house at 136 Brick Lane, serving an Anglo-Bangla/Indo-Bengali menu with meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The dining room leans bold and straightforward (Bollywood on screen), and it’s still best-known to many for the John Smith’s advert filmed here. The restaurant lists awards including East London Chef of the Year (ARTA) 2018 and a Cobra Good Curry Guide honour in 2015.
City Spice
City Spice opened in 1996 at 138 Brick Lane, taking over a former sari shop and growing into one of the street’s larger two-floor dining rooms (around 110 covers). The menu sits in classic Brick Lane territory, but it’s also known for being the first here to offer a fully separate vegan menu. Regulars sometimes ask for the “staff curry” — a hotter, off-menu dish cooked for the team.
Preem
Preem opened in 1999 on the corner by Hanbury Street and later expanded into the neighbouring unit, creating two linked dining rooms with separate kitchens. The owner came to Europe as a refugee in the 1970s, ran restaurants in Stockholm, then relocated to Tower Hamlets and set up here. It’s one of Brick Lane’s later-opening curry houses, with regular orders like chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken alongside vegan dishes.
The Famous Curry Bazaar
The Famous Curry Bazaar has traded at 77 Brick Lane since 1996, offering a classic Brick Lane curry-house format that’s especially popular with local university crowds. It’s run by the Ahmed brothers, with a broad Indian menu and a wine list, in a contemporary dining room that suits groups. Unusually for the strip, they also keep a recipe blog and regularly reply to diners on review sites.
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