Rasa N16

I recently visited Rasa with a friend and overall had a good time. The food and service were both decent—not bad at all. However, the way the dishes were described on the menu didn’t quite match what we were actually served, which was a bit disappointing. The atmosphere was okay, and the place was quite full, mostly with non-Indian guests, which was interesting to see. While it wasn’t the most authentic experience I’ve had, it was still enjoyable and worth trying once.

Have had better T/A orders previously (Deliveroo) - some issues with quality today. The Red chutney that comes with the Masala Dosa was very watery and seemed diluted - for £11 per dosa, I’d expect a richer, flavourful chutney. The Bagar Baigan (£9) had the same quality; it’s usually a rich well-bodied sauce, but this time it was very watery. It’s a shame as this restaurant has been great previously. Positive today: Tomato rice was delicious!

Exceptional food, great vibes and brilliant service. I would highly recommend and will definitely visit again.

very reasonably priced! felt the menu explained clearly what we were getting - dishes seemed small when delivered but we barely finished it all, so filling. staff were helpful and gave good recommendations on the menu when we asked.

Rasa is one of these little unusual charming restaurants that stands out from the crowd even when you walk past it. Situated in trendy Stoke Newington, the restaurant has a pink facade & an alluring atmosphere inside. Food is not the usual we find in most Indian restaurants, but from Kerala, the Southern tip of the peninsula. For those who have a penchant for something different & exotic, in terms of vegetarian ingredients chosen, the way they are mixed & cooked, this is quite an inviting encounter. But when the dishes were served, it became a bit of an anti-climax for me both in terms of taste & presentation. I also found appam a bit too bland, mindful that it was supposed to be eaten with saucy dishes; curry on the runny side & dosa too much potatoes & not much else. However, I did like the mango lassi & banana boli. Perhaps different dishes next time.

Went on a Friday night without reservation and we only had to wait 10min to get a table. We decided to go for the vegetarian menu, which is £25 per person if I am not mistaken. Good value for money, we couldn't finish it although a couple of dishes were not fully out cup of tea, but nothing wrong with them. Portions are correct and you also get complimentary starter and dessert. The only negative is that when paying, the complimentary tip on the card reader is 15%,20%,25% which seems a bit excessive so you have to select your own tip, which makes it a bit awkward given that the waiter is looking at it and holding the machine. Overall, it's a nice option if you fancy some quality Indian food and you don't want to go super fancy and break the bank.

Lovely buzzy restaurant !!! The food was delicious and the veg feast was great value for money. I think a bit more description about what you were getting on the feast would’ve been better. Lovely little pudding for my birthday too. It’s busy and quick paced, if you are looking for a quiet relaxing dinner, this might not be the place. The paneer is a must!

Been visiting Rasa for their Onam and Vishu Sadhya for the past few years and have never been disappointed. The food tastes authentic and is delicious.

I've been excited try Rasa, the original and vegetarian only location, since I've moved and it did not disappoint! We squeezed in before the 10:45pm closing time, but we were still seated and told to order quickly as the kitchen was about to close and that the restaurant closed at 11pm...fair enough. There are few vegetarian restaurants open late in this town on a weeknight and the hard-working staff understandably needs to go home at a decent hour. The service was very polite and the food came out super-quick. The bright pink decor was eye-catching from the outside and the unique folk art on the walls provided a nice touch. There was a nice warmth to the ambience on a cold night. We ordered the vegan Kerala specialities since we hadn't had Indian food from Kerala before. We had the Banana Boli to start, which were plantain fritters that were savory and sweet at the same time. The peanut and ginger sauce picked up the tastebuds onto something special...so good. The Nair Dosa was very nice, with bits of chopped beetroot and ginger in addition to the usual potato filling. It was so big that we two could only eat half. The meal was rounded out with Cheera Parippu Curry, a mild creamy curry with spinach and lentils in a thick daal, rice, and Appam, a bowl-shaped rice crepe that was slightly sweet and satisfying for any dessert cravings. I couldn't believe how reasonable the prices were for the gourmet-quality food! Most dishes were less than £5, except our giant dosas which was was £6.75. The entire dinner with tea was about £23, such a bargain and leftovers to boot! We'll definitely be back. FYI, parking can be a challenge even at 10:30pm at night, so you can try the residential side street (Lancell Street) to the east, where we had luck.

I arrived here last Sunday night and was very pleased with the array of veg options, especially veg options I don't find on other Indian menus. I opted for the nair dosa full of veggies and was quite pleased with the heft and types of veggies inside: beetroot, onion, potatoes, carrots (I think), etc. Really tasty and filling. However, the rasa idli was very bland and I tossed two of them away at home. The uznunappam was also blander than I would have liked. I would still return for the dosa and some other selections if in the area.

Rasa Travancore if it wasn't for your vegetarian sister across the road I would have given you 4 stars. Sadly, by comparison, you will always be second best. Your curries are still great (vegetarian selection starting at £3.90) and your lemon rice so, so tasty. Sadly, your sister just has far more buzz about her. She is the Kylie to your Dannii, the Beyonce to your Solange, the Britney to your Jamie-Lynn (pre-crazy of course!). The food here is still high quality but the service slightly lacking. I hate being seated against the window of an empty restaurant- it's always uncomfortable to have people looking in, staring at your food and weighing up whether it's worth popping in. There was a little fuss when we asked to move tables but to give Rasa its credit, they shifted us over fairly swiftly. We shared a poppadom selection which was great but spiced chicken chutney had an unpleasant foamy texture. The two vegetarian curries we ordered were very tasty but we had to choose from half the selection we could have had across the road. Sharing an over sized beer kept the price down to a reasonable £10 a head. All in all, good, but not great, try Rasa Vegetarian instead!

This ain't no normal India meal I tells ya, it's a taste experience in itself. Dishes I have never tasted or even heard of before are lovingly described on the menu. I mean, how can you not love a place that as you sit down put some fish chutney in from of you..."enjoy" So I had eaten in the veggie version of this place just across the street and decided to try, now in my full carnivorous state, to sample to meaty menu. I was actually surprised, I mean the menu is not as extensive but the service was by far better and the food just as tasty! We ordered a selection, as I always like to, from the starter and mains menu and some soft drinks. It was lovely, really lovely. Now what I think swayed me a little bit more to like this place was where they say us. The venue is 3 rooms and we were on a little table in the back connecting "walk-way" room. This meant that my eating partner got to sit next to each other and not at opposite end of the table, which is something I love, as well as watch everyone else's yummy food pass us.... mmmmm. Perfect!

After dining at Rasa, going to any other Indian restaurant in London, now seems pointless. This is without doubt the best curry I have ever eaten in London. This is not curry for the drunken masses- there is no lurid mango chutney or greasy naan breads in sight. Instead, Rasa serves up the most delicious and subtle Kerala vegetable and fish curries, which should be mopped up with a few of their incredible parathas (I recommend at least two per person) I have tried pretty much everything on the menu and the only thing that slightly disappoints me is that it costs £5 for pappadoms and chutneys. They are delicious but they cost more than the main dishes, which seems quite steep. Like its menu, the service too is impeccable- I have probably eaten there no more than 6 times in the last year, yet the waiters know exactly which wine, starters and main course I like. I love everything about Rasa- even its gaudy pink décor.

Believe all the hype and good reviews, Rasa is amazing. I went for my first time about a month ago to celebrate something... I can't remember what it was, I probably just wanted an excuse to pay this place a visit. I am a big fan of South Indian and I have to say that this is the best I've had in London. My partner and I shared a mixed selection of dips for a starter, which was an incredible amount of food for a very small amount of money. The main courses are quite big, notably the pancakes that resemble a trumpet in their shape and size. The food was all of an amazing quality, and I quickly realized why it was so busy. My only reservation, and the reason I did not give it 5 stars, is the fact that the waiters forgot our water a couple of times. I know that is only a small thing, but I guess that means the place must be great if that was the only problem.

Well its fabulous and pink, and the food was good, but is this really the best curry in London? Well, let's see... We were off to a good start with the snack plate and lovely pickled items, which I can recommend without reservation. Its always a good idea to start a meal this way! Pictures of Jamie Oliver and Tony Bordain on the walls. Okay, confirmation that this meal is likely going to be good! Next a dosa that was tasty and solid. All vegetables and a tomato base in the filling contained in a crunchy pan fried dosa pancake. Whatever that eggplant dish with cream and curry was, it is a stand out. Absolutely fantastic and decadent, and a must order there for any visit to Rasa. Actually, I will be dreaming about this dish for some time to come. Maybe this is THE dish that keeps Tony and Jamie coming back. It was the winner of the evening. We also shared a dahl and spinach curry dish and a tamarand rice. Both were solid and the dahl was packing full heat. A solid offering, but not particularly memorable. (All I could think about was that lovely auburgine dish.) The incense aroma was strong, pungent, unnecessary in the dining room. Should be a rule against incense, scented candles: no thanks in the dining room! All in all, I'm not sure if this lived up to the expectations you might have for a Sauveur award winning and Jaime Oliver and Tony Bourdain lauded establishment, but Rasa's certainly provided a solid and reliable effort, and an enjoyable South Indian meal.

Rasa Travancore deserves as many praises heaped on it as its vegetarian partner across the street. The pink decor and heavenly aroma of curries is similar, but Travancore specializes in seafood and meat from Kerela. The cuisine is focused more on fish and seafood, as Kerela is mostly on the coast. I had an amazing lamb curry here, marinated and in a lovely spicy broth. Wow! was my instant reaction. I love being surprised by really good food in London, and at affordable prices too. The staff are lovely, the bagar baingan I wanted was only being served in the other restaurant, but our waiter even offered to go over and bring it for us. We didn't take him up on it, but the thought was nice. You can also bring your own bottle of wine inside - a winner on all counts!

It's actually quite upsetting to write about this restaurant, knowing that it's located within a lamp puffs throw of my house and that today at least, I won't be going there for dinner. Speaking of the lamp puff, that's what I had for starters after devouring the pappadavadai with a special assortment of Keralan chutneys before anyone at the table could get a look in. Sorry to go back to the lamp puff, but I have to say it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and according to the menu, is sold in paper bags in the bakeries of Kerala, which I have to say makes Gregg's look more budget than ever before. For main I consulted the incredibly knowledgeable waiter and ordered his recommendation of the wonderfully fresh lemon rice with the Tharavu duck which was mouth wateringly succulent meat, lacking its usual fatty coat and cooked in a moreish garlic, coriander and ginger sauce. I cant recommend this restaurant enough and aim to go there as often as possible, at least until I have eaten everything on the menu several times over and befriended the staff for recipe pilfering possibilities. For food this good, the prices are ridiculously cheap and quite frankly this restaurant makes a mockery of Brick Lane and its non specific, often very low quality Indian fare.

Had dinner here last night. Food was delicious, amazing value and different to the usual indian fare available. We had starters, mains, sides and nibbles and a bottle of prosecco for £67 including service charge for 3 of us, bargain. Service was good, apart from them being slow bringing tapwater, a universal problem it seems. It was very hot in the restaurant, but it was full. Not sure why they hadn't switched on the air conditioner we could see in the ceiling. My mother in law said it was the best indian she had ever had, high praise indeed. As the only vegetarian amongst us she was in heaven! Us meateaters loved it too! We will be back. V good range of vegan and gluten free dishes too. Only reason for 4 stars not 5 is the having to ask for tapwater 3 times and the heat!

I've given this 2 out of 5 because: * The entrance to the restaurant smelt like urine * The food was extraordinarily bland. We had the Rasa Kayi and the Beet Cheera. I couldn't recommend either.

This place has two spots opposite each other, one veggie and one for the meats! Given it was a mates birthday and that mate happened to not eat meat, we found ourselves on the veggie side of the street. New territory for me then. The restaurant is quite small and like most curry joints, feel a little rammed but we jumped in on a big old table at the back. Drink options seemed a little limited, no cider which is a little disappointing but some solid wine options and beer. Given we actually had no experience of ordering curry without meat, our friend ordered an array of starters and mains to all come out at once. A little wait, probably for the amount of food for 12 people, and the food covered the table, there was a ton! Loads of different options, with the majority including cauliflower and lentils, both great. A highlight was this black bean and lentil spicy mix, went amazing with the deep fried plantains. After the food, it took ages to get the table cleared, the staff seemed to forget about us a little. Little annoying as we were all parched and needed another drink or at least some water. Not a bad spot and worth a try but if I was going back I'd be found across the street topping up my protein. Be nice if it was BYOB too...!

Rasa is my favourite Indian restaurant. I have not always been a fan of Indian meals, having a sensitivity to some of the spices, so have always been a bit reluctant to venture into Indian restaurants. Rasa however was a totally different experience. When I moved into the area a couple of years ago I wandered Church street checking the menus at the abundance of restaurants. Rasa stood out to me with some delicious sounding dishes. My boyfriend was the reluctant one this time being a big meat eater but after our first visit he was converted. I can never decide what I want because it all sounds so good so we always share a selection of dishes, all at very reasonable prices. We always get greedy though and end up with far too much. The best thing is you leave feeling wonderfully full of deliciously flavoured, wholesome and healthy food.

I love Rasa and was delighted to discover it because I've been sorely disappointed by so many of the Indian restaurants in London. Even better that Rasa is not too expensive, completely vegetarian and serves subtly spiced Keralan cuisine. The flavours tend to be provided more by tropical flavours such as coconut and banana than by any overpowering chilli, so its safe for those of a more delicate palate. The staff are very nice and seem used to patiently explaining what each dish is. On my first visit, I was extremely impressed that our waiter actually recommended us to reduce our order by about a third because we would simply have too much. The menu's prices suggest that the dishes are small but they are anything but. Highly recommended. Take note that unlisted in the opening hours are the opportunity for lunch at the weekends - noon until 3pm on Saturday and Sundays.

This place was embarrassing. I had taken my friends quite some distance away from our normal domain, and i had nothing even remotely decent to show for it. First the tacky colour ... all pink ... but i didn't go there for the ambience, did i ? I started with the lamb puff, which was bad. I left half of it, something i never do. It was wrong to order puff in an Indian restaurant ... what did i expect ... i tried to reason with myself. The main course wasn't any better. The chicken was tasteless and i can make better dal myself. The only saving grace was the malabar paratha which was well made. At the end of it all, we were made to wait for 15 minutes for the privilege of paying them for the pain they inflicted upon us. It was an absolute waste of a friday.

I love this restaurant. The very thought of the moru kachiathu, or the beet cheera pachadi, their parathas, their flavorful rices, the salted lassi... sorry, where was I? Too busy salivating to continue... oh right, the very thought of their food drives me to distraction. It's all so good. The restaurant can get busy, and the back room can be pretty loud, but once the dishes are laid in front of me I cease to care. Make reservations or try to go on a weeknight. I've yet to bring anyone here who wasn't impressed.

Veggie curry. It's not really a term to inspire awe, particularly in a carnivore such as myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to veggie curry, but even at its pinnacle, how good can it honestly get? This good, it turns out. Whether you normally favour animal, vegetable or mineral, you owe it to yourself to give Rasa a spin. All the starters are great, but make sure you order up some Bhel Mix. Then grab a selection of the curry mains to share with the table - they're all under £4 mark and they're all delicious, so you can't really go wrong. But make sure not to skip the Bagar Baingan.

WTF!! is what kept slamming around my brain as we ate that night at Rasa. How could this be so delicious and so affordably inexpensive?! Could it be, as a humble vegetarian restaurant, they have some kind of odd inferiority complex? Because the place was super cute, service was very attentive and helpful, and we left vowing to come back and try out the entire menu come hell or high water. This is South Indian fare, so most of your typical naan 'n curry staples won't be as you expect, but these complex and exotic vegetarian concoctions will blow your mind. Aubergine cashew curry, hello! Do it. Do it all. YUM.

I love Indian vegetarian food and so was looking forward to coming here. Rasa on Stoke Newington Chuch St. specialises in southern Kerala cuisine was distinctly different from other places I've sampled. We opted for the Keralan feast. The flavours that stand out here are different from your standard Indian dishes with coconut, tamarind, some yoghurt and fruity tastes and more delicate too but quite heavy onion flavour also. Snacks of popadoms, banana chips and some crunchy bites came followed by fritters and some great chutneys to accompany (sour, sweet, coconut and tangy). A mix of veg curries and tamarind rice with cashews, then an aubergine dish with a creamy sauce, a more tangy 'dry' mix veg curry, dahl and some yoghurt with soft sweet mango slices which went really well together. The paratha bread was the best I've had and made of coiled strands that pulled apart into soft threads. Perfect for scooping up the delicious mixture. We were full and satisfied at the end. Service was great and the food came pronto. Great value.

This is the best Indian food I've ever had. Only midway though dinner we were already planning how we find ourselves up in Stoke Newington again so we could eat here again. Plus, it's vegetarian, so there was no lamb dish pulling me away from trying delicious veggie things! As I'm thinking back on the experience, it's hard for me to remember details...it's like I was in some sort of cosmic culinary bliss induced by the most unusual and delicious-tasting eggplant dish I've ever tasted. Something with cashews? I do seem to remember a dosa rivaling any I've had before, and the most pleasing mango dessert that was so very different and new to me. We were lucky to pop in midweek - the place isn't huge, and I can imagine it's got quite a following. I would probably steer clear on the weekends.

Stoke Newington favourites for many years, I was keen to try one of the outposts of South Indian restaurant Rasa. Specialising in Keralaite cuisine and particularly that from the southern part of the region, it's traditionally vegetarian or fish based, steeped in coconut, rich spices and fruit flavours and served with plain rice or flaky, butter filled parathas. The two restaurants face each other across Stoke Newington Church Street; Rasa on one side, the more established and entirely vegetarian original and the mixed and more meaty Rasa Travancore on the other. I don't mind a vegetarian restaurant, indeed, some of my favourite restaurants are vegetarian, but given the choice, and seeing the reception that the veggie end of the Travancore menu got from my more health aware guest, we went for the meaty side of the street. Once inside the garish pink portal, you're not transported to a open air joint on the humid Kerala coast, more a generic curry house on a suburban high street. The thick faux leather menu that clumps down does its best to get you there though. First there's the pricing, and that pleasant holiday sense of surprised "how much!". Then there's the list of food, rich in interesting difference, a world of exotic Malabar, Keralian and Travancore rarities poetically arranged in Ariel Bold. A starter of lamb puffs were slightly irrelevant. Homemade sausage rolls in perfectly fine pastry cocoons, the mince richly and appropriately spiced, but nothing that would be cause for more than a murmur appearing in a home packed picnic on nearby Clissold Park. The meat free Travancore Kayi Curry was, considering the restaurant's vegetarian roots and the fact it was labelled as signature dish, surprisingly pedestrian. Potatoes, peas and carrots in a thin mild coconut curry sauce. A student staple, though at £3.90 for a big bowl, student pricing too. Tharavu Roast Duck was a different beast altogether. A thick, technically dry curry, brought to life with a hefty whallop of black pepper, cardamom and ginger. The richness of the meat, braised and shredded, contrasted with the deep and complex sauce. Suggested with the aforementioned doughily delicious parathas, it was the sort of cooking you'd come back for again and again. I wouldn't necessarily say the same for the veggie main, but maybe that's what you cross the street for.

Pink = NICE Food = OVERPRICED, I expected so much more than I got for my money, never mind, there's always Yum Yum's down the road. Went there twice to be sure, a big let down!!!!!

I really don't like being the 'odd review person' but unfortunately I did not enjoy the food at Rasa. I've ordered crab, beetroot curry, idli (the rice pancake) and Kesari. Crab: wasn't fresh: the meat wouldn't separate from the shell and I basically ended up having tiny bits shells being mixed up with my food because it would get tangled up with the meat. Ruined crab. And - it's not a whole crab! Just one side of it - without the delicious body! Beetroot curry: sour. Very sour. I had to send it back. Waiter substituted it with some coconut pea and carrot curry. But I would eat coconut with anything anyway - I actually believe if you add coconut milk to anything it can save majority of the foods. Well, it saved the curry. But it was lacking that something special. Idli - was ok, dry on the outside. I got used to the small putty buns in South Indian places rather than an actual crepe-looking idli. Kesari - made up for my misfortunes with the above - a contributor to a two-star review. Nice, fresh and delicious pieces of the dessert with the mango sorbet on top. If you're at Rasa - definitely try this one. Service - very good - another contributor to the two star. Waiter advised against a green mango curry saying that it was sour and if I'm not a fan of sour I wouldn't enjoy it. He substituted the curry I didn't like and just generally was very nice.

I've been hearing about Rasa for a long time: Had a few dishes that I'd never heard of before. Namely. Kathrikka - Tasty battered aubergine. I do like aubergine so could see myself getting this again. Medhu Vadai - I found these dumplings rather flavourless. They seemed completely reliant on the coconut chutney to have any flavour, which I found a little disappointing. Not awful, just not interesting. Masala Dosa - Ah the dosa, whats not to love? Pancake, potatoe and spices! Will probably order some kind of dosa anytime I eat at one of these restaurants and this was a good one! Bagar Baingin - An unusual curry. Its an aubergine recipe with onions, corriander, chillies, tamarind, yoghurt and cashew nuts all in the mix. It was tasty, but odd. I liked it, would order it again but would probably try some other new things before going back to it. The mains were accompanied by some very nice lemon rice and a Paratha! Right now having only recently discovered this kind of Indian food, every meal at such places is like an adventure. I guess I'll get used to the genre eventually! Place filled up very soon after we sat down, with a large group occupying most of the rest of the back room that we were in. Could get a little crowded in such a case.

Amazing food, good service. All the dishes tasted authentic. This is definitely a food coma place.

Rasa has a few restaurants around London, some are Veggie, some are meat and some are fish. The original 2 are on Church street (opposite sides of the road to each other - both Pink, can't miss them really) and are veggie & meat. It's South Indian /Keralan food at it's best! This is the guy who taught Jamie Oliver how to cook Indian. Rasa also sells his own cook books in his restaurants, I love them, the recipes are really easy to follow and use really fresh ingredients. The few dishes on the menu are so nice and different from the usual English/Indian places (the ones with the dodgy carpets, 20 different types of the same curry and mildly annoying waiters that stand and stare at you whilst you eat because you are the only one in their place, yes, you know the ones! ) The popodoms and dips are great, all different shapes and unusual flavoured dips. If you get the chance, I definitely recommend you try one of his restaurants.

At the original Rasa on Stoke Newington Church Street you get an authentic taste of Keralan vegetarian cuisine. You'll find it very different to the ubiquitous tandoori style of northern India that much of Britain associates with Indian food. Instead, this southern Indian restaurant delivers unusual and delightful combinations of flavours the tang of yoghurt, the delicate heat of ginger combined with spicier chilli, for example. Try the hot and peppery Rasam soup and the chilli onion rava dosa filled with a yummy potato masala and accompanied by a cooling coconut chutney. delicious! The staff are always friendly and welcoming, but book early if you're eating in, it's very popular and usually full.

Despite trying ever so hard, literally twice, to get a walk-in table at the big sister veggie restaurant of this place I still haven't managed it. On the last try, at 7.30 on a Saturday night (was definitely hedging my bets turning up then), I failed once more and once more ended up in the quite wonderful Travancore branch across the street. Which can be quite easily distinguished from the other by the presence of meat, glorious meat. During a lengthy pre-dinner discussion about dinner in general, curry in particular, my partner-in-crime had boldly claimed that fish was no good in curry - spicy goodness all too often masking the delicate flavours and not working with the textures of the fishy. So in an attempt to put that sort of chat to bed, we ordered both the fish curries from the menu with a decent amount of spiced lemon rice and some chappattis, and settled down with a bowl of snacks and chutneys instead of starters. The snack basket, what I believe are tiffin (ain't nothing like the tiffin cake I'm used to), was rather yummy. Lots of crispy stuff, banana slices, spicy pappadoms, that kind of thing. We had a tray of exciting chutneys and pickles to go with, too - I was particularly fond of the raw garlic one, though could have done with more than the thimbleful I got. Yet to work out whether the partner felt the same however. They also had a decent lemon pickle - far more palatable than most lime pickles, which I consistently try everywhere I go just in case I am going to start liking it some day, just like I did with avocado. It seems not. I did feel that by the end of startertime I'd overdosed on dried crunchy fried stuff and was more than ready for some curry action. We had a big big dish of tilapia and a smaller dish of king fish. They both disappeared very quickly - the creamy and coconutty tilapia was still light and wonderfully spicy, the meaty king fish easily smacked down our earlier wonderings about fish curry holding its own with some crazy tamarind and lots of chilli. Yummerish. The rice was great too - lemony, spicy, lentilly goodness. I so wish I could cook rice like the curry houses can but I have a sneaky suspicion it might be something to do with the devil's ghee. So yes. Rasa Travancore is an excellent place. It's being held off the full five stars for the moment - I will always feel like I'm missing something until I go for dinner at the original Rasa. Perhaps I'll amend it after I work my way in...

The last time I found myself in Stoke Newington, I moaned at my friend that I wanted to dine somewhere different. Somewhere unique. Somewhere which wasn't bloody Nandos. So, to stop me moaning, he took me to Rasa - the self proclaimed best Indian in Stoke Newington (if not the world). Just on decor alone, Rasa isn't your average everyday suburban Indian. Housed in a building the colour of Pepto Bismol, it serves authentic Karalan fare - a spicy and very dry type of Indian food. There are two Rasa's in Stoke Newington situated on both sides of Church Street. One serves vegetarian food and one serves meat, so do be sure that you've chosen the right one before you head in to dine. From the very first bite of the remarkably tasty deep fried snacks we were served up as an appetizer, I knew I was in heaven. Everything I ate - from my starter of Masala Dosa (a spicy mince filled pancake with potatoes) to the lemon rice which came with my main course of a chicken and chilli dish - was cooked to perfection and lip smackingly delicious. Indeed, I would have licked the plate clean if I wasn't in polite company. All of the staff who served us were incredibly friendly too, and more than happy to help us decide which dishes would make our very greedy stomachs happy. The only dish which didn't hit the spot was a strange gelatinous banana dish which was served swimming in coconut cream. It was too sweet and too strange for our Western palettes, but it would probably be just the thing for any banana lover with a particularly sweet tooth. By the end of the meal, I was very full and very content. Whilst I'm not entirely sure that Rasa is the best Indian in London, it's almost certainly the best I've tried on my travels around the capital so far.

You really can't fault Rasa for its excellent quality, selection and pleasant surroundings. Everything from its interestingly shaped and flavoured poppadoms to its fantastic bread is worth shouting about. As a veggie I love this branch in particular (the original Rasa) as I can eat everything on the menu, and a trip to Church Street is never a hardship! But I love all the Rasas and would recommend every branch equally highly. This one's just a bit special!

When I went there , I was very hungry and I really wanted a chicken korma, I saw the menu on the window and I didn't see anywhere the famous chicken. Anyway, we finally decided to go in.After we obtained a table, it was full even across the street (the second one), we looked the menu and we understood that there are no meat at all. So if you are a vegetarian, you'll be very happy. I was a bit disappointed but to be honest it was really nice, we tried their bananas chips and it was absolutely delicious. The staff was more than nice.Really good indian restaurant but you have to know before going that you won't find meat even chicken korma.

I was very disappointed by Rasa. Having heard so much about it over the years, I was expecting something wonderful and tasty. I've eaten plenty of authentic Indian food cooked by friends from the sub-continent and in India, well-established Indian chefs in India and in Indian homes not to mention a plethora of restaurants in this country. This is nothing like anything I've had that was the real thing. This was overly sweet and bland and over-priced for the quality of food. Give me formica tables and flavour over table-cloths and over-blown ideas of the kitchen's prowess any day. I may well have been there on the chef's night off. It's the only good reason for my experience being so different from all the other good people's on this page. But I won't be going back to find out. Good luck with your meals! I hope that you enjoy it far more than I did. :D

So went here after having been to the veggie restaurant across the street. Once seated i checked yelp. Reading the reviews i thought disaster! My craving for meat had led me astray from the veggie delights over the road. This however i found not to be the case. My girlfriend is a vegetarian and so the idea of having a restaurant which caters with top notch vegetarian food couple with meat dishes for myself is right up my street. The restaurant got busy fairly quickly (we were here at 7pm on a sunday eve) but easily got a seat. I am giving this 5 stars purely because i feel i need to help up the ranking to at least 4 / 4.5 which the food itself clearly deserves. The waiters were friendly - okay not going to win any awards but being polite is fine enough for me. Food was prompt and not to mention good value. How does it compare to everyones favourite across the street??? My own humble opinion - actually better. Don't get me wrong i loved the veggie food over the way but i found that an hour or so later i was hungry again. This place served up equivalent veggie dishes but its meat and fish selection left me with a full feeling that i simply did not get from the veggie curries. The prawn starters here are an absolute delight - i followed this with the chicken curry which was lovely. Next time i'm down for the crab! To be continued... High five for meat

I am a big fan of the Rasa chain.. Service is great the food is even better and the atmosphere is always lovely.. This where London and not just keralites come for keralan food and that doesn't mean they tone down the spice it's exactly where my mother has it.. One criticism would be that because of the way they prepare the food bases made early and ingredients add after ordering I always come away feeling very bloated.. Doesn't take away from the taste when I am eating tho!

The food is the best Indian I have ever had. Everything is yummy, far better than small town sloppy Indian's i'm used to.

The best Indian food i've even had. They actually have two locations opposite of each other - one of them is vegetarian and the other one is not. We tried both and were really impressed. The vegetarian place is always very crowded. I will definitely be coming back.

I have to say, Indian food is not my first choice when dining out. I have had a lot of not so good, brightly coloured curries glowing as it arrives at the table and a nasty tummy aches the following day. My family and I go to south east Asia a lot so I have had a lot of good curries abroad but not here in the UK. The first time I went to Rasa was for a friends birthday, who is a vegetarian, and can't believe I haven't been here before! It has restored my faith in British Indian food, yey! The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable, they recommended a few things and explained the dishes (which ones were hot and not) I was surprised that most of the dishes are mild so you can really taste all the flavours of the spices. It all tastes fresh and like nothing I had tried before. I'm not a vegetarian but this is in my top 5 restaurants ever and have been back a few times since last April so that's saying something! I am a loyal client of the Bombay Bicycle Club, which I still love, but have to say I would go to Rasa over any other Indian, if not any other restaurant. One thing I have to say is that it is a small restaurant so we always book before. Prices are good too, the dishes look small but, as me and my boyfriend found, filling.

What the hell is the fuss about? These curries were positively average. Even the pappadum starters I was looking forward to were very plain! Bill was 20 quid each with a beer which is pretty pricey. We ordered different curries but the base was exactly the same except mine had some chilli. Left feeling bloated and poor value.

Absolutely fantastic ... I make special trips out to Stoke Newington regularly because Rasa is consistently excellent. Cheera curry with lemon rice is a favourite, and their version of pappadoms (pappadavadai) are remarkable. The rice pudding dessert is outstanding. I love my meats and fish and somehow it always comes as a surprise to me at the end of dinner that I have just had a fully vegetarian meal ........... soooo satisfying!

If you are craving authentic and affordable South Indian food - Rasa is the 5 star pick! I've been here twice and have left there happy with a food coma. I suggest trying the avial and the tart mango curry with the appam instead of the dosas. Everything is so well priced that you can get several curries and sides. Make sure you leave room for the mango halwa!

great indian food in stoke. always packed but seem to have room for me! my go to pace for sit down Indian in stokey. they have a vegetarian place across the street. the best dish we had that nice was the lamb in coconut sauce, but the curry lamb was amazing as well. the fried aurbegine appetizer was underwhelming. rice, nan - its all good...

Now I'm not vegetarian but this place is pretty good! Food is banging and prices are great. The only way it loses stars is the service and table space. Me and my friends were in the back room which was way too cramped for the amount of people. And the service was slow! So I'd say if you do go make sure your on a table with plenty of room and in good view of the waiters.

A different Indian restaurant, which serves an interesting selection of dishes from south west India. The restaurant has two buildings on either side of the road. One is entirely vegetarian, the other serves meats and veggie dishes but not the same ones as in the veggie building. The food was a pleasant surprise and the service was very friendly and the staff knowledgeable. A great place for people who would like to try a different taste of India.

There are two Rasas here, just about opposite to one another, one vegetarian one not. I have but been to the vegetarian one, and will always go back. The food is quite simply incredible. Everything is much more exciting than the usual Indian fare. Instead of poppadoms, there are strange curly, crispy things that look like dried starfish but are just perfect savoury biscuit-like things for dipping in special dips. There is an amazingly strange but wonderful mango main course, a variety of rices, and every dish is differently delightful.It is also extremely affordable - there are other Rasas closer to central London (one on Charlotte Street and one near Bond Street, and one strangely in a hotel off Kings Cross Road) but they are more expensive and not exclusively vegetarian either. It is just perfect here. And pink.

This is a restaurant which is reportedly one of the best for serving South Indian food. It has proved so successful that there are actually now eight venues spread all over London. In fact in Stoke Newington, the site of the original Rasa, there are two alone - right across from each other! Rasa N16 in Stoke Newington is a bit of a journey to get to but worth it. Especially when you consider the premium on the prices on the more centrally located venues. We were feeling hungry so nearly everything on the menu was looking good to us. We started off with a Masala Dosa which is a thin pancake filled with a spicy potatoes mix and served with sambar and coconut chutney. Along with this we sampled a number of starters (descriptions from the website): - Bhel Mix. Fresh crispy chickpeas, bhel, sev, peanuts, onions blended in spicy tamarind juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves. - Medhu Vadai. A spongy dumpling in a crunchy case, made from urad beans and chillies - served with coconut chutney. - Banana Boli. Plantain slices dipped in a batter of rice and chickpea flour seasoned with black sesame seeds, then crisply fried. Served with our specially prepared peanut and ginger sauce. - Rasa Idli. Steamed urad dal (black lentils) cakes topped with chef's speciality mixed vegetable masala. Served with coconut chutney. - Kathrikka. Finely sliced pieces of aubergines are dipped in a special batter, blended with coriander and chilli, before frying. Served with a fresh tomato chutney. We were also going to order a curry and rice but our waiter was like, maybe you should eat the dosa and starters first and see how you feel. Good advice indeed. That didn't stop us trying a couple of desserts though - a rice pudding (Pal Payasam) and semolina sweet (Kesari) served with mango ice-cream. Everything we ate, with the exception of the Rasa Idli which was fairly tasteless and quite dense, was delicious with my favourite savoury dishes being the Dosa and Bhel Mix (good use of tamarind juice.) Service was very friendly and quite efficient and they didn't hassle you unnecessarily, which makes for a nice change. Its also great for vegetarians - I didn't even miss my meat tonight! Surprisingly good value for money.

This pink gem is a joy to behold amongst Church Street's fine selection of restaurants. Simple yet elegant, delicious yet great value - this establishment cannot be faulted. The staff are attentive and friendly. As for the food, it is simply brilliant and perhaps the finest Indian Ive come across in London. The ingredients are delicate and expertly prepared, combining a fascintating array of distinct flavours. My curry was a brilliant balance of spinach and daal, while the starter of battered aubergine was cooked to perfection - not too greasy, finely spiced. I would recommend this to everyone.

Still rates as one of the best vegetarian curry houses in london. Pink and cosy and ambient of india and every single dish is mouth watering. I can never decide what to order and so always end up ordering the thali. Reccomend booking a table if its near the weekend.

Sometimes Rasa is amazing, other times the standards slip and you end up with too much sauce relative to the actual food. The flavours are always good, especially the starters. I could happily just eat the variety of mini papadom and banana chips etc with the divine sauces and dips. I mark down by one star, as the smell of incense is a little too hippyish for me- yes I know its Stokey and I should expect this, but I'd rather not taste patchouli while i'm trying to enjoy a curry. The variation in quality should lose Rasa another star, but its such good value it would be mean to criticise this, as even on a bad day they're pretty generous.

My absolute favourite Indian food in London. As a vegetarian it is an absolute delight to come here and have your choice of everything on the menu. Incredible flavours, plenty of variety, very friendly and helpful staff. I cannot say enough good things about this place! This is my favourite neighbourhood spot for dinner with friends any night of the week. I've been here with many sized groups from 2 of us to 10 and they are very happy to accommodate. It's a definite favourite, always crowded, with a great lively atmosphere, so be prepared in case you have to wait.

This place was nice but too tight. Then again everything in this county is a tight squeeze. That being said not a bad place but don't plan on dining with a huge group of people.