Jai Krishna

It’s quite an odd set up. We were given a piece of paper and a pen but I thought it was for the waiter. We sat there for a good 20min without being served so flagged the waitress who said we have to write our own orders down and hand it back to her. The menu items aren’t numbered, so you have to literally write out every starter, curry, side dish and drinks you want by hand. Needlessly time consuming. The food was pretty good but came out bit by bit and fairly slow. Especially as there were only 2 tables occupied. At the end, we were given our paper back with the amounts written down. It didn’t seem correct but I had to leave. I got my card out and was told cash only. They advised me where the local cash point was so I walked down the street but one of the numbers didn’t work on the machine so I couldn’t take money out. Had to walk back to the restaurant and get my wife to go out and get the money. So much hassle. Can’t believe a business that’s been around for 30-40 years has cash only and requires you to write out your own tickets for the kitchen staff. Seems kind of dodgy… Food is pretty good though and it’s always rammed.

The best Indian Restaurant in London, really. Vegetarian southern Indian food cooked to perfection . Quirky atmosphere, write up your order and take to the counter, bring you own bottles (small corkage charge) and sit back and enjoy. I have been coming for years and was worried when they had a make over it would all change - it hasn’t. Hope it lasts another 40years.

Very busy but sort of "cantine" atmosphere, not helped by the lack of service by the waiter who is stingy with words and smiles. The fact you have to write down your own order is not a problem if you are actually explained to do so. So we waited until we actually got it. Large choice of vegan dishes which possibly explains why it is so busy but, regrettably, the food was bland. No alcohol license but they operate on BYO (fine if you know) but no tap water served at the table either. They got our simple bill of 4 items wrong by £9 which we had to insist to prove and no apologies made when they gave us our change back. No card payment either (which is fine if you know). Very minimalist to the point of being spartan. Never again for us.

Casual Indian spot. BYOB. Great prices! Prepare to be in a loud environment though as it gets quite loud.

Amazing authentic South Indian food that caters to everyone! Most of the menu is vegan and non-vegan options are labeled as such on the menu. The food is heavenly (I highly recommend their saag, dosa, and bhel puri) and the people were very welcoming. It is a casual dining spot with affordable prices and great food, meaning it’s usually packed. Added bonus is that the place is BYOB with a bare minimum corkage charge. Bring wine to share with friends and you’re good to go!

We’ve been coming to this restaurant for about five years now and it’s usually been a great go to spot. However, since their renovation, the service and food has really slipped. We ordered some poppadoms which in most Indian restaurants come with an array of dips and onions. This one only came with a teaspoon of mango chutney. Also the food came out a different times so some peoples food was cold when other peoples food was on the table. While the price is good, The food tastes quite bland. It’s a shame because it’s usually a really good spot so I hope it improves again.

Quite an informal place to eat but with plenty on the menu to offer that will cater pretty much everyone. I would say this is one of those places that is best enjoyed as a group as you can order almost infinite dished to share and try. The only downside is that it gets pretty cramped and perhaps a bit too loud so not a place for a romantic date. They take only cash so remember to withdraw money beforehand

Authentic dishes, friendly staff, and great value for money. I was recommended a few dishes I wouldn’t normally go for, and absolutely loved them! Highly recommend to anyone looking for delicious, authentic Indian food.

I can see that there is a mixture of opinions on this place...so my I just introduce mine as well? One of my earliest Yelp reviews was on a vegetarian Indian place near Tottenham Hale Station...also called Jai Krishna. This place in Stroud Green is very similar in that it is very simplistic in design, but very functional & efficient: As soon as you sit down, one of the staff will bring you a menu and a piece of paper, on which you should write down your order. To me, this seemed to be quite strange at first, but after having come back 4 times already, I actually like it, because you can take your time with your order - no one is rushing you, even though the place gets quite crowded on the weekends. Now, my favourite item on the menu is the masala dosa. But really any dish has been tasty and I recommend ordering a bunch of dishes if you are with a group and then share it all. That way you get a good overview! For dessert (or starter) I recommend their pistacchio lassie...yummy! What I like most about this place is the people who work here: everyone is so friendly and peaceful - especially the lady who works the cash register. She seems to be the lady running this place...but she's just very good-natured! Be aware though: this place is a BYOB, so pop in to the nearby Tesco or Sainsbury's if you want to drink alcohol along with your meal.

Jai Khrisna is a slightly shabby Indian vegetarian restaurant in Finsbury Park on Stroud Green road just past the Tescos. It is a family run place and one of the best restaurants in Finsbury Park. Having lived in India briefly as a child I am always keen to find somewhere that does good, authentic Indian food. Jai Krishna definitely delivers; with all the favourites as well as some more interesting dishes. I would particularly recommend the pumpkin and aubergine curries. The food is also great value with prices as low as £3 for a main dish. Jai Krishna does not have a liquor license but you're welcome to bring your own drinks(for which there is a small supplementary fee). The only caveat is that the atmosphere is a little austere, and so perhaps best avoided on a first-date or similar situation. Still, if it is an issue you can also take away.

Jai Krishna have recently added a BYOB brunch to their offering; ran by the amazing Rae's Kitchen, which specialises in Indian street food with a Western twist. It was awesome - great food, lovely service and all for a very reasonable £10. You start with some palate cleansers - spicy little dough balls that I found tricky to eat but were delicious. An unimaginative group, we all had the same roti roll with spicy falafel for our main: fantastically flavoured this was served with perfectly seasoned homefries, adding that Western touch to a traditional Indian dish. You're also given dessert - we had a Nutella porridge with strawberries and, let's face it, any meal that ends with Nutella can't be bad. Even the drinks were great - a lovely chai marsala tea and a fantastic lemonade with mint that was beautifully refreshing for my hungover soul. I could have drank a bucket of the stuff. I hope that the brunch becomes as popular as Jai Krishna's evening fare, as it really would be very well deserved!

Prior to arriving, my girlfriend and I were quite excited about Jai Krishna. It had been highly recommended to us. We brought a bottle of Bourgogne to compliment the meal. We ordered a starter which took about 25 minutes to arrive. Once it had arrived, the potato stuffing was just below luke warm. It almost had a 'reheated in the microwave' feel to it. One of the chutneys served with it was actually warmer. I had a hard time finishing it and left my plate half finished. Although my girlfriend was disappointed with the starter as well, she finished it up due to the fact we waited so long for it in the first place and she was starving. I didn't let this get me down and was still looking to the main course. I ordered the okra curry, aloo gobi, paratha, and a side of white rice. My girlfriend ordered a special potato dish listed on the back page of the menu (the name escapes me) and a side of pulao. The food again took about 30 minutes to arrive, but at least this time it was hot. All the dishes lacked any bit of heat in terms of scovilles, so make sure to ask for a little added heat if you like your dishes spicy. The best dish of the lot was the okra curry. All the dishes lacked that bit of 'zing' that indian food is known for. Instead, all the dishes had an almost sweet finish them. Everything tasted very bland, the parathe tasted like cardboard and were very dry. All that being said, we were quite happy with the bill. The food is very inexpensive. Although the food did take a while, the people working at the establishment were very pleasant. I think a sure sign that the food at an ethnic restaurant is going to be disappointing is if none of the patrons are of that ethnicity. That definitely was the case here.

A bit disappointing really... The food was bland, with little and unimaginative use of spices. The main dishes were all far too sweet, whereas the starters were drenched in either oil or ghee. There are far better south Indian vegetarian restaurants around. Most other reviews complain about the places decor, which is fine in my view. but it is really the blandnes of the food that i found depressing

Amazing and brilliant every time. The portions of your neighbor's food that you'll be eyeing up look tiny but don't be fooled, about 2-3 dishes each is really more than enough. Honest tasty and virtuous. Well balanced flavours- the carrot chutney is heavenly. Also there is the most amazing off licence across the road- Jack's, he stocks a wonderful eclectic selection of booze (Honey Porters and Coconut Beer in Fridge go down well with this tantalising spicy joyful food and the lovely people at Jai Krishna let you BYOB! One of my favorite places.

Inexpensive, solid vegetarian South Indian food. You have to know what you're ordering though, as we had a hit & miss with one of the curries but brilliant masala dosa and paneer dosas. Pani puri could have been crispier and with added tamarind & yoghurt added to it. Vada was delicious though. Halwa and pistachio kulfi for dessert were outstanding! Service was great, very personal and friendly. Helped that we came here for lunch on a weekday!

Superb, superb vegetarian food. London could do with more places like this as opposed to the hundreds of identikit curry houses. But then, a place like Jai Krishna wouldn't be so special, would it? The decor and seating is as budget as it gets (actually, there is still a carpet and wallpaper), but that's about what it stretches too. When you arrive you'll probably be gestured at vaguely and kind of expected to work out what to do. I guess everyone's a regular here - it's not like the "Have you been to here before? Let me explain" speech you get from an effervescent young man in a certain popular dim sum chain. So, you're given a slip of paper and a pen - you have to write down which dishes you want and take it up to the counter and pay. And oh my, what a tough choice! I could have happily settled for anything on the menu. As it is, because the curries are so cheap, if you're that way inclined and had a big group you really could order everything on the menu. Starters and main curries are £3 - £4.50 each, rice and chappati equally bargainous. I think we got it about right with two starters, three curries, two rice and two chappatis between two people. All for £20. It was so tasty though, I could have carried on munching all night. And then rolled home down the Stroud Green Road

As others have said, inexpensive, solid vegetarian South Indian food. I went with two friends, and the three of us shared the deluxe (I forget the actual name) Thali, which came with two curries, puri, popadoms, some chutneys, dal, 'salad', vanilla ice cream and rice. We also ordered a masala dosa on top of that, it was plenty of food and around £7 per person, so I can't really complain about any of that. Ok, so the ice cream was pretty poor quality and not even worth eating, but what can you do. I didn't come here for ice cream. We had the aubergine curry and the paneer and pumpkin curry. Both were solid, but neither stood out. I wouldn't travel across town to eat here, but if you're in the area, it is certainly a good option for inexpensive and tasty eats.

Fantastic! Very basic canteen like decor and very stressed staff...I got shouted at for sitting down without being seated (my bad really they were really busy) which made me a little uneasy at first. But the food more than made up for it. Everything we ordered was delicious and amazing value. We shared lots of small dishes and rolled out of there so full we practically had to roll home. The fact that it's BYO is great as well. I need to go back soon because there are so many dishes I want to try. But I'll book this time and wait to be seated...

I have to admit that as a lover of meat, a vegetarian restaurant would never usually be my first choice. However, after visiting this restaurant I may have to reconsider as the food we had here was absolutely beautiful! I would love to recommend dishes but a friend ordered lots of different dishes for the table and I have no idea what any of them were but there was not one thing that wasn't really good so you can order with the confidence you're likely to end up with something amazing. I'm already eager to go back!

Such a great little restaurant, service is relaxed. Have gone as a couple and with a group of friends and both times have left very stuffed and very happy. Menu is completely veggie and prices are unbelievably cheap. We ordered an array of starters and main course and shared everything. I would say that all the starters we got were coated and deep fried so I'd probably ease off these and focus on the fab, fresh mains. Amazingly good value, especially with BYO drink. Highly recommend.

After hearing good reports from a number of people, I decided to give this quaint little place a go on a Thursday evening. I have to hold my hands up and say that I have been quite snooty about curry since I moved to London two years ago, from a house in Birmingham's Balti Triangle. Brick Lane seems a poor by comparison, and I haven't actively sought out any fine curry emporiums due to the wide variety of other culinary delights in the capital. Jai Krishna is therefore a delight. The restaurant feels as though it is the front room of a house, with a cosey feel and simple decoration. Food is ordered at a counter in the corner rather than by table service. It was busy, which produced a gentle buzz of atmosphere while remaining a relaxed dining experience. The menu is strictly vegetarian, yet as a rabid meat lover I was by no means disappointed by the offerings. Two delicious starters were followed by an out of this world potato curry dish with tamarind, an excellent spinach dal, and a crazy dish made with limes and a very strange vegetable indeed. All the dishes were excellent, and superb value at £3-4 each. Jai Krishna more than lived up to the good reviews I had heard. An excellent option not just for vegetarians, but for anyone who likes their curry more interesting and authentic than run of the mill curry houses which are ten-a-penny in London.

One of the best Indian restaurants I've ever been to. It's South Indian vegetarian cuisine, so maybe a bit different from what you might be used to. From the outside it doesn't look all that special, but don't judge a book by its cover... Amazingly tasty vegetarian food with so many different spices and flavours. The okra curry is one of my favourites, but there are so many to choose from. Extrmely good value for money too, we way over ordered and it still only cam to £15 each inc tip.

Don't be scared by the old looking because the food is fantastic!!!!! Go for it fellas!!!

The food was the best Indian I have had and I have tried quite a few Indian restaurants in London, from the top and most expensive to the authentic East Ham ones. Jai Crishna tops all of them!

I LOVE this place, inexpensive, good honest food. It is a real no-frills type of place, I was there recently for brunch when they had a pop-up brunch place there and that's the first time I've even heard music playing in the background and I've been 3/4 times. They give you a menu, pen and piece of paper to order, I live locally and often come with my housemate, we pretty much always order the Thali for 2 people so we get to try a little bit of everything and from the curries we have ordered I have never been disappointed. The Pumpkin paneer is a big hit with us both and the aubergine curry was really nice. I'm a big fan of the breads, and chutneys, I think I could just eat those forever and die happy. It's BYOB which is great, lots of good places to buy wine/beer from locally Tesco, Sainsbury's and there is an off licence opposite. Recently we went as they have Rae's Kitchen doing a pop-up BYOB brunch there, if you are able to catch Rae's Kitchen anywhere else I highly recommend, it's Indian Street Food with a western style, the menu is fairly small and simple but the food was amazing. We were given palate cleansers and she explained to us why they are used and what they were, they were like hollow dough balls filled with liquid which you had to swallow in one sitting - apparently it is a popular competition in the area they are from to have eating competitions involving these. When it came to the main food we actually all ordered the same thing it was a roti roll filled with spiced vegetables, potato, falafel style food with an indian version of homefries, all the food was amazing but I loved the indian take on homefries. Afterwards she gave us a dessert that was a rice pudding style with Nutella and fruit, anything with Nutella gets my vote, this wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be, it was very light and not as heavy as traditional english puddings. We didn't BYOB but we ordered a sweet chai tea and a traditional lemonade both of which were AMAZING as we were all a little hungover. The downside was my boyfriend ordered coffee over tea and it was a very basic kind of instant coffee which was a little disappointing. Overall brunch (which I hope they do again) or dinner this place is awesome, I really hope it continues to grow in popularity as it really is a gem of North London.

If you're nearby and feeling particularly hungry, a trip here is a brilliant and non wallet-busting solution. This is not the best Indian food you'll ever eat, but it is certainly tasty enough and served in generous quantities. The atmosphere is laid-back and it's a great place to catch up with friends. Being veggie, I love coming here and being able to choose from the entire menu :)

I have been to this restaurant many times. It is an extremely casual establishment so don't go for some big occasion, go to catch up with friends. The food is very yummy and its BYO so your meal is also very reasonable.

one of my favorite restaurants ever. I almost dont want to post this review for fear of it becoming impossibly busy to get into. (Its already often neccesary to book.) The staff are friendly, the prices are cheap and the food is amazing!! All vegetarian indian food, nothing spicy that I have come across, just purely flaversome food that doesnt burn your tounge. Best way is to share dishes as all are fairly small, (but you will be pushing it to spend more that £10 a head if you do share.) BYO too for alcohol.

I love this place. I'm a carnivore and love my meat but Jai Krishna's superb vegetarian food is enough to convert me. The cuisine is authentic, cheap and most importantly absolutely delicious. Dishes are small and cheap so you are encouraged to buy a range and share them with friends or a date, and you can impress them by picking up the bill, we'll secretely know that it costs next to nothing.

The best Indian restaurant in London for sure.. The food is exquisite and the menu is extensive. We have sadly moved out of London now and yearn for some South Indian cooking. Be sure to book.

Cosy Indian place to spend some time with the family or just to hang out with friends. Its nicely decorated, has a nice atmosphere. There's a wide variety of authentic dishes and drinks offered in the menu, you literally cant begin to choose from. The staff are nice, polite and welcoming and the prices are average. Recommended!

I am not a vegetarian, but I had a couple of friends from America staying who are vegans, so gave it a try - I'm also the kind of person who will try anything. So other "meat eaters" might disagree with my review. Its been a few weeks since the trip as well so my memory is a bit hazy. When you come in, you are given paper and pen to write down what you want, before taking it to the till. I wouldn't say this felt weird, just different. And we were able to take our time ordering. Also during this time, we went to the off licence directly opposite Jai krishna because its bring your own drinks. The place opposite has lots and lots of beer to choose from! Ales that is, some of them local ales. They also have the usual lagers if thats your thing. Its the cheapest Indian I've ever seen. It think the curries were about £3 each. One would do for a person I think but we got more because we were hungry. We got 5 curries to share between 3 of us. They were: Cauliflower curry, spinach and lentil curry, pumpkin curry... cant remember the other two. One person I was with is allergic to tomato and they helped by cooking it for us without the tomatoes. Each of them were hit or miss. I loved the pumpkin curry. Others were nice, there was 1 or 2 I didnt like so much. I really like my spicy food though and I didnt find them very spicy. I would have liked some chilli flakes on the table that I could add. Although maybe they would have gave me some if I'd asked. There was a nice atmosphere in the place aswell, and its quite small. I wouldnt go regularly, being a meat eater, but I'd go back once every now and then if I fancy a chance.

Having read various reports on Jai Krishna I gave it a try. While waiting for my wife to arrive, a creeping feeling of impending disaster began to descend upon me - like the fog in Hound of the Baskervilles, only it smelled worse. The ratty carpet and threadbare everything looked ominous, and not in an "oh this place is kind of funky but what incredibly food" kind of way. But they have dosa, and I love dosa. My favorite dosa is at the Madras Café in Sunnyvale. Jai Krishna does not have this kind of dosa. Jai Krishna has withered and possibly vulcanized dosa filled with oily and off-tasting potatoes. None of our dishes were any good; everything tasted reheated. Yes, it is cheap, but so is a Tesco sandwich and a bag of Kettle Chips.

I've eaten at Jai Krishna a couple times, but I doubt that I'll be going back anytime soon. The service is very slow, and the food is bland--in some cases watery--and excessively greasy. Why anyone would frequent this restaurant when there are numerous other quality options in the area (in particular I like Dhonia--large vegetarian selection) is beyond me.

yummy in my tummy named after a popular hindu god jai krishna is one helluva place, from paneer dosa -(indian cottage cheese) to the rajma i had here is lush, brilliantm its mouthwatering, yes it seems like a shabby place on the surface but i'm not complaining as i love indian food, this is my 3rd review on indian foods and that is testimony to that, anyway jai krishna has lovely daals, if u wanna experiment pls go ahead with little over a fiver and you could order an indian meal fit for a size of a king, low price - high on tsate. also for starters i knw it sounds crazy but give indian sweets like gulab jamun or rasgoola a sure try - lovely dessert - but mind the cals. cheers.

Uh oh! Another brilliant restaurant succumbing to the demands of the credit crunch? Never thought this place would be one of those. Usually a solid and tasty choice suitable for any occasion - mid week laziness, weekend booze soak-up, parents over special etc. Unfortunately last night was dreadful. Just dreadful. So dreadful that I simply had to write this review. The orders were late and erratic even in a nearly empty restaurant, the bhajis were soft and pancakey, the mains were sour, bitter and tasted as though they had been wallowing in their tastelessness since tuesday. Upon mentioning our disappointment with the food we were ignored. Totally unexpected from this place and this area. Gonna give it a good few months until we repeat, and definitely without guests.

Fantastic fresh Indian delicacies with a bit of a nouveau/fusion touch.