The story
Empire Empire is an Indian restaurant at 16 All Saints Road in Notting Hill, London W11 1HH, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026) for good quality, good value cooking. The kitchen serves Punjabi-leaning Indian food alongside a brunch menu, in a room built around the music of India's 1970s disco era.
The restaurant comes from Harneet Baweja of the Gunpowder group. The food draws on northwest India and the Punjab, with snacks and starters, kebabs and tikkas, biryanis and curries. The Good Food Guide singled out fried prawn Amritsari pakoras and a tender bihari ribeye beef kebab from the charcoal grill. A lamb shank dum biryani arrives sealed with butter pastry, and the naan comes straight from the tandoor.
Coloured tiled floors, dark wood furniture and white tablecloths set the tone. Vintage album covers of Indian disco performers hang beside artwork by Jorgensen Chowdhury and Rabin Mondal on the whitewashed walls. A jukebox and a photo booth add to the fun, and the playlist runs through Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar tracks.
Cocktails and beers sit beside a short natural wine list, and the site highlights small-batch biodynamic bottles plus sparkling wine and champagne. For dessert, the gulab jamun and meringue cheesecake pairs syrup-soaked dumplings with a ginger biscuit crumble, and the saffron milk cake comes soaked in saffron milk under fresh cream.
Recognition
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good quality, good value cooking
In recent months, a number of restaurant openings have put the spotlight on Notting Hill as a broadly based foodie destination. Empire Empire, from Harneet Baweja of the Gunpowder group, is one of them. Inspired by India’s 1970s disco scene, it’s a cosy dining space with an old-school look rather than Bollywood-style overkill: think coloured tiled flooring, dark wood furnishings, oval-shaped lighting and white tablecloths. In addition, there's a jukebox and a photo booth, while vintage album covers of Indian disco performers and artwork by leading artists, Jorgensen Chowdhury and Rabin Mondal, adorn the whitewashed walls. Infectious Indian disco tunes provide fun and energy and the whole place is run in a relaxed and amiable manner. The food focuses on northwest India and the Punjab, with nashta (snacks) and starters, kebabs and tikkas, biryanis and curries. We enjoyed moreish deep-fried golden-brown fish and prawn Amritsari pakoras, and the charcoal grill was put to good use for a tender bihari ribeye beef kebab. Flavours are big and rich with spice – witness a gamey sag gosht and a bhindi dopiaza packed with tomatoes and onion. The naan bread, fresh from the oven, is irresistible, while sweet and spongy gulab jamun with ice cream figures among the desserts. To drink, cocktails and beers line up alongside a concise list of natural wines.
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