Dive into the vibrant chaos of Namak Mandi, a must-visit Pashtun haven in Tooting where massive portions of smoky kebabs and tender lamb karahi ignite a communal feast like no other.
"Namak Mandi is a riot. But no meal is quite as fun, or as gluttonous, as a lamb feast in this Tooting restaurant’s private upstairs rooms. With some planning, you and a group of up to 20 friends can find yourselves sitting cross-legged eating a sumptuous, slow-cooked whole lamb with an extremely necessary fan going full pelt overhead. Just know that without a reservation, you’re not getting a table at this Pashtun restaurant." - jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley
"One of the many joys of eating is the sharing of everything. Be it food, drink, or intimate stories from your teenage years. At Namak Mandi, this sense of sharing is only intensified when you plan ahead and pre-order a quarter, half, or entire lamb. The Pashtun restaurant in Tooting operates at a million miles per hour, but once you’re sitting cross-legged on cushions upstairs—surrounded by friends, loved ones, and what can only be described as a jurassic amount of sumptuous, slow-cooked lamb on a bed of rice laced with sweet carrots and raisins—you’ll find your own pace. The room isn’t fancy and you’ll need a wad of cash but, trust us, this isn’t a meal you’ll eat or forget in a hurry." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing
"Namak Mandi, a cash-only Pashtun restaurant, is constantly fizzing, bubbling, flaming, moving, and smoking. Discus-shaped crispy chapli kebabs being cooked in crackling fat soundtrack the room, enormous hanging Afghan naans float past like edible comfort blankets, and flame-torched woks full of fresh karahi are constantly stirred and swapped. It’s a riot any day of the week (so make sure you book), but no meal is quite as fun as a feast in the private upstairs rooms. With some careful planning and a wad of cash, you and a group of friends (up to 20) can find yourselves sitting cross-legged eating a sumptuous, slow-cooked whole lamb." - rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager, sinead cranna
"There’s little room for dithering at a restaurant like Namak Mandi. The cash-only Pashtun restaurant in Tooting is a constantly fizzing, bubbling, flaming, moving, and smoking box. Families and friends bag one of their tables early, while the hyper-organised head up to their private dining room to attack a pre-ordered whole lamb while sitting cross-legged on cushions. Discus-shaped crispy chapli kebabs being cooked in crackling fat soundtrack the room, enormous hanging Afghan naans float past like edible comfort blankets, and flame-torched woks full of fresh karahi are constantly stirred and swapped. All are essential orders." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, jake missing, daisy meager
"The bubbling, smoking, flaming energy of this cash-only Pashtun restaurant in Tooting clings to your brain like the formative memory of a thrilling house party. While downstairs is for the people, upstairs is strictly VIP. Reservations are essential and a gargantuan pre-ordered lamb sajji is strongly recommended. Group meals take place cross-legged, in one of their stark, white-lit, pillow-laden rooms. The lamb sajji (be it a leg, a half, or an entire creature) arrives in a trough, the meat sitting on a nation’s supply of kabli pulao. It’s pink, tender, and best attacked with hands. Mess and memories are made at Namak Mandi, and the more stomachs, the better." - Jake Oliver, Rianne Shlebak, Sinead Cranna
