It’s a relatively recent development that some of London’s best lunches are homemade curries found in corner shops around town. All wonderfully affordable, too: rice and a choice of one, two, sometimes three curries for £6 or thereabouts. Often there are breads and well-spiced samosas for little more than a quid; bags of poppadoms aren’t irregularly thrown in for free. More reason to avoid Leon.
Not to be too parenthetical, but it’s a heartening and welcome trend in London and testament to the city’s diversity and intrigue. Corner shops aren’t just places to buy baked beans and knock-off Dubai chocolate, they’re family-run, independent locales that serve a community — none more so than those which sell some of the best dals around.
Londis N16
I first visited Londis N16 in 2021 when the curry business was still in its infancy. Pots of veg curry were just £2.50 back then. Today, as predicted, the place has become London-famous, with a considerable following on social media and a fair amount of press coverage. Glass Animals even hosted a DJ set there not long ago.
Londis is more commonly and traditionally associated with Happy Shopper products (remember?) such as sliced white bread, cheap baked beans and the most basic of chocolate bars. The brand has almost entirely disappeared today but it can be found at this branch, a franchise run by the Patel family for decades.
Priyesh and Alpesh, the new generation, started stocking new-age items (alongside the basics) about five years ago, including gentrifier-friendly local produce, craft beers and natural wines. But, really, it’s all about the curries, which are prepared by their mum, Anju. She specialises in Gujarati food and dishes include palek, matter, or methi malai paneer; kadhai tofu; spiced black beans; aubergine with potatoes and peas, and so on. It’s all about the richness and depth of the dals and the green chutney is sensational.
The brothers announce a set menu on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and food is available to take-away or as a thali.
76 Fountayne Road, N16 7DT, @londisn16
The Shoreditch Stop
Blink and you’d miss it. This is an understated, unassuming convenience store amidst the hustle and bustle of Shoreditch, mere steps away from some of the biggest names in London dining: Gloria, Manteca and Flat Iron to name a few.
Called the Shoreditch Stop, the only tell that there’s warm curry available is a small sign across what used to be a cash machine. The Daily Dose canteen is found at the back of the shop, past the energy drinks, crisps and budget wine, and operates as a separate business.
On any given day, five or six curries are available, from chilli paneer to chicken curry, dal makhani to sag aloo. I’ve tried them all and each one is excellent — a combination of two or three can be added to basmati rice and two poppadoms come as standard. Samosas include veg, chicken and lamb, though these sell out quickly. In recent weeks, big, proper Punjabi samosas have been replaced by the sort Kerry Katona used to flog for Iceland, but hopefully this is a temporary supply issue. Occasional onion bhajis and pakoras to boot. Service is always warm and speedy and prices are low (change for a tenner).
53 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HP, @theshoreditch_stop
Best Foods Supermarket
This is the most extensive of the lot — a whole counter not dissimilar in size to the ones at the likes of Paradise in Wood Green and Dawat in Tooting, where the aromas are also ever enrapturing. This one is found at the back of Best Foods in buzzy Walthamstow, past the snacks, fresh fruit and veg and bags of lentils, rice and the like.
Food here is predominantly Sri Lankan and South Indian but not exclusively so. Dishes are laid out on trays and range from aubergine curry to biryanis. Every one bursts with flavour and fragrance. A must-try is the mutton curry, which is deep and generous, and the paneer, sweet but heady with chilli, is a standout, too. There are dals and vegetable dishes such as okra to green beans.
Then there are the snacks. If nothing else, be sure to order a mutton roll, but there are mutton and egg rolls, fish and egg rolls, samosas, buns, pakoras… the list goes on. Go wild.
156-158 Forest Road, E17 6JQ, 020 8509 3322
