Curry House Near Me in Soho: Kricket Modern Indian Guide

Kricket Soho is a curry house near me choice for diners who want modern Indian cooking with a practical weekday entry point. The restaurant is at 12 Denman Street, London W1D 7HJ, close to Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, and the West End theatres. Kricket's official site highlights a £20 lunch thali alongside a broader regional menu, so the restaurant can be approached either as a quick structured lunch or as a longer evening of small plates and drinks.

The lunch thali is the clearest first visit. A thali lets one diner see several parts of the kitchen without committing to a large order, and the fixed format makes timing easier for a workday or pre-museum stop. Dinner is a different experience: shareable plates, more discussion, and more room for a cocktail or second round. Choose the format before arriving so the table does not spend the first ten minutes debating whether it wants lunch or a celebration.

Denman Street places Kricket in a very walkable pocket of central London. Chinatown is close enough for a pre-meal wander, Piccadilly Circus supplies the bright West End energy, and Soho's side streets give you a quieter after-dinner route. The restaurant is best used as the anchor for one compact district rather than as a reason to cross the city twice. A short walk makes the meal feel complete without adding another reservation.

Kricket's modern Indian identity is easiest to understand through the balance between familiar formats and regional detail. The food can feel polished, but it should still have heat, smoke, sourness, or the aromatic depth that makes the dish read as Indian rather than merely contemporary. Ask the table to choose different textures: something crisp, something saucy, something grilled, and one cooling or vegetable-led plate.

The £20 lunch thali is the sensible value order when it is available. It is a way to taste across the kitchen without creating a large bill or a table full of half-finished plates. For dinner, let one person choose a dish they know and another choose something unfamiliar. That split keeps the meal grounded while still allowing the kitchen to show its range. Bread, rice, and sides should support the main contrast instead of becoming the meal's whole architecture.

Kricket also works for diners who care about the room as much as the plate. Soho brings theatre crowds, shoppers, office lunches, and people meeting for a drink, so the same table can feel different at noon and at nine. A solo diner can take the thali and watch the room's rhythm. Two friends can use the bar or a small table for a slower meal. Large groups should book with a clear sense of timing.

The queue rule is to avoid the busiest dinner wave if the meal has a hard end time. A West End booking can make every delayed plate feel stressful, especially when the group has not decided what to share. Arrive early, use the lunch thali when it fits, or allow a proper dinner window. If the wait becomes longer than your available time, move toward Chinatown for a simpler meal rather than turning Kricket into a rushed pre-show stop.

The best neighborhood walk after Kricket starts on foot. Go through Chinatown for the lantern-lit streets, continue toward Leicester Square if you want the theatre crowd, or turn north through Soho's quieter lanes toward Carnaby. The route does not need a destination. It gives the table ten or fifteen minutes to reset after spice and lets you see how Denman Street connects three different versions of central London in one small radius.

An honest Kricket order should include at least one dish that is not chosen only because its name is familiar. The restaurant's regional framing is part of the reason to come, and a table of the safest options can make a modern Indian menu seem flatter than it is. Balance curiosity with one reliable favorite. That is also useful for mixed groups: one known dish keeps everyone comfortable while the other plates explore.

The honest skip is over-ordering bread and rice before the main plates arrive. The lunch thali already gives the meal a built-in structure, and dinner plates may be more filling than their size suggests. Add starch after the group sees the first wave. This is a small decision, but it keeps the table from becoming crowded and protects the sharper, more delicate dishes from being swallowed by a heavy base.

For lunch, the £20 thali is the straightforward plan. For dinner, two people can share three plates plus a starch, while four people can add a fourth plate and a vegetable. The order should create contrast rather than repetition. If one guest avoids meat, make that person part of the menu planning from the beginning; a well-chosen vegetable or lentil dish should feel like a central plate, not the apology at the edge of the table.

Kricket is a good match for an early evening when you want food before a show but do not want to eat in a hurry. A later table is better for drinks and conversation, provided the group has no hard last train. If the evening has to move quickly, take the thali route and keep the neighborhood walk short. The restaurant is flexible, but the experience improves when the format matches the clock.

Practical notes: Kricket Soho is at 12 Denman Street, London W1D 7HJ, and the official site advertises a £20 lunch thali. Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are the easiest landmarks for meeting friends. Denman Street is busy, so arrive with the full party and keep the order focused. The official website presents Kricket as modern Indian cooking with regional depth, which is the right expectation for both lunch and dinner.

Choose Kricket when you want a central London curry house with a useful £20 lunch thali, modern regional cooking, and a West End location that rewards walking. Skip it when you want a huge, old-school curry spread or a meal that must finish in fifteen minutes. The best plan is to pick the format first, order for texture, and let Chinatown or Soho supply the after-dinner route.