Dawaat on Tooting high street and Chennai Dosa for south indian . Definitely the best non bangladeshi indian I have had so far and I am an Indian vegetarian.

My husband swears by the non veg biryani at Al Mirage.

I used to use Kolam, near Tooting Bec tube.
Sri-lanken and very good chilled white wines.
Great food, but the stained chairs got to me a bit and the dusty popadom straw bowls put us both off.
Have eaten at Spice village, not bad. and had the odd bit of nosh from elsewhere. I still enjoy the style of food served in Wembley, Southall and Brick Lane better and they are all licensed...

I also love the kebabs in Drummond Street near Euston

I want to try the Afghani restaurant further up towards tooting broadway. Look lovely, anyone tried it?

Oh and Phoenix if your visitors fancy a pizza...get down to Franco Manca in Brixton Market - probably the best pizza in south London plus check out Brixton Village at the back of the market at the same time. Really cool, arty cafe's and shops.

Thanks for all this great information...what a great post!

We drive through Tooting often and regularly think of going there for a curry but as with Brick Lane, where do you start with so much choice..?

Now we have some great recommendations and my husband and I will definitely be giving them a go.

Apollo Banana Leaf is incredibly good. It's technically Sri Lankan, not Indian, but all the classics are on the menu. What's more, you can bring your own bottle - great for meals with friends over wine.

Ooh and while you're in Tooting (maybe not right before the meal!) I recommend getting your eyebrows threaded for £3 at Sajnas. You just take a number from the machine and wait for your turn. I used to pay £18 for Blink threading and can't really tell the difference.

I would definitely go to mirch masala. Ask almost any Asian in the area and most of us will recommend going there. As for eating in, it's cafe style and fast turnover so pretty hectic but thats part of the experience and the food is always better and fresher when you eat in. and you can take your own booze if you want to. The mixed grill is a great sharing starter (assuming you like meat). Enjoy!

I really like Mirch Masala but not to eat in - its better as a take away. The lamb chops are amazing.
If you want good food with a more formal sit down service, try Gurkhas Diner which is nearer Balham. Staff are great, they gave my brother in law a minature gurkha sword as a gift when we went . Nepalese food isn't that spicy but its really tasty.
For something different to the usual indian restaurants though, try one of the multitude of south indian restaurants.
If you just want to get snacks, I highly recommend Poojas for takeaway samosas, pakoras, bhel puris etc plus the obligatory indian sweets that will strip the enamel of most teeth.
And finally - right now its mango season so Tooting is awash with shops selling boxes of mangos. I get mine from Bhavins as they show you all the mangos in the box before buying rather than trying to fob you off with a box of bruised mangos which some of the sellers in Tooting are notorious for.
Happy eating.

Masaladar all the way - it's the best!!! Lovely attentive staff - cosy decor and the best in terms of atmosphere and decor in Tooting, have lived here for 12years and always go there with friends - beats brick lane - hate the way they try and pull you in off the street - so annoying, Go Tooting!

Our Indian next door neighbours say go to any Southern Indian cooking restaurant and you'll be guaranteed good food. There is one in particular in Tooting Broadway that has an excellent reputation.

Brilliant! Thanks so much for your help. Should be able to persuade them that Tooting is a better option now!

Spice Village! Near Tooting Bec tube.

I was addicted to Spice Village when I lived in Tooting Bec.

Also - I'm Aussie so have done the tourist thing and have had curries in Brick Lane and Tooting - the annoying thing about Brick Lane is all the people trying to get you to try their restaurant - Tooting really has an amazing range of curry houses and I've tried loads of them...

The one you are thinking of is probably the Kastoori - but that closed a little while ago, due to disputes on the lease hold in the building it was in...

It sort of depends on the kind of curry you want and the kind of experience you want. There isn't really a "fine dining" curry house in Tooting.

If you want a "restaurant" experience, try Masaladar (half way down the high st between the Bec and the Broadway)

If you want an amazing hot curry, try Lahore Karachi - this is more canteen style.

If you want a great South Indian curry - with dosai etc - try Radha Krishna Bhavan (down at the Broadway past Sainsburys) - it has great food and fantastic palm tree wallpaper and a shrine.

Also Vijaya Krishna on Mitcham Road for South Indian.

Really hot - Sree Krishna - much closer to the railway bridge to Colliers Wood.

And my lodger really likes Jaffna House - it is super cheap.

Hope this helps! These are my favourites.

Enjoy your night out!

Thanks for thinking!
Anyone else know what it's called?

there is ONE restaurant in Tooting that is famous for being the best in London

But I can't remember its name!

Will have a think...