Sakonis

I have been to Sakonis (the one in Harrow Town Centre) few times. As others have put it this is a basic Vegetarian Indian Restaurant. Lot of local Indians grew up on a staple diet of Sakonis apparently but to be honest I found it to be average bordering mediocre.
You could so two things here — go for a la carte or the buffet. I recommend the buffet lunch/​dinner. The menu might be tempting as it has a wide variety of stuff like Dosas and Indo-​Chinese but there are a tons of good places near by who specialises in these kind of food.
The buffet is around £12 and has a number of stuff but there is no logic or pattern. They do Indian Street Food (Chat) as well as Pizza! Indian starters and mains like Dal, Aloo Gobi (a Potato Cauliflower Curry) and Chilly Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) accompanied by Rice and Roti.
Some of the dishes are good e.g. Chilli Paneer and some are not so good. Overall an average experience.
This is not a fine dining establishment and go here only if you are curious about Indian vegetarian food and you happen to be in the area and remember to go for the buffet! Also, I don’t believe they have a bar. Three stars only because for £12 buffet is a good value for money.
I am told by my local friends who grew up around here that Sakonis is not what it used to be — guess they should know better.
Three stars because I cannot bring myself to give a 2. It is a business run by hard working people end of the day but they need to get their act together and change with the times.

This place I could take with me to Seattle.
I’ve lost count of the buffet meals I’ve had here.
Their ‘bhel’ & ‘dahi wada’ are excellent 9 times out of 10. The ‘pav bhaji’ is pretty good most days. I’ve also picked up all kinds of Gujrati snacks from their counter on the way out. All the other items on their buffet are worth a try, especially the greasy chilli ‘paneer’.
I don’t care much for the masala chai here as it tends to have a lot of ‘masala’ bits floating around that spoil it for me.
The layout here is basic. Nothing to point at & call an ambience. I’ve seen some people look disappointed when they walked in.
Toilet is upstairs & not accessible (sometimes not very clean, even). The restaurant itself has levels which are not accessible.
Getting to this place is a breeze — catch an 83 from Ealing broadway & it will get you here in less than 25 minutes, unless Hanger is backed up.
I would recommend this place to everyone (especially Desis).

The infamous Sakonis. Indians in London swear by it and visitors flock to it. This ever-​busy casual dining restaurant caters to big parties, people ordering take out, and lots of people of varying ages.
Focusing on a variety of Indian food, Sakonis has buffet dining or a large menu to choose from. Everything is vegetarian, from their indo-​chinese food to their traditional Indian curries.
I’m not saying Sakonis isn’t the best, but I have had better. It doesn’t live up to the hype becuase it is inconsistent. Sometimes we go and the food is flaming hot, leading to some slight discomfort and acid reflux. Other times, it’s bland. The flavors are never the same but the portions are always large. When the food is good, however, it’s mouth-​watering and people practically eat in silence while shoving food down their mouths.
My in laws, sisters in law and their families, fiancé and I went to Sakonis as a large party and there was enough to keep everyone happy. It’s one of those places you continue to go for the sentiment and the love of going there, not for 100% consistent and amazing food. Sakonis does some things well and it is appreciated for those dishes. Head to the Indian movie theatre need bye for a completely desi evening and curb your cravings for inexpensive Indian food in an extremely casual setting. I know we’ll be back because that’s just how it is — beloved by everybody, for a variety of reasons.

You know when you take your parent out and they just do theses things that embarrass you, that make you cringe and then finally you realise that one day you will be like them and you just have to accept it. That is exactly what happened here.
I took my parent s here for dinner, both being seasoned vegetarians and having gluttonous qualities, I thought a veggie Indian buffet would be ideal. It was until my dad decided not to follow my lead and take from both separate tables. Now this wouldn’t normally be bad apart from the fact that the second table is dessert. Yep, he was mixing sweet rice pudding with spicy lime pickle, the problem was being the piggys that we were he had piled his plate high with a mixture even a dog old would turn it’s nose up to. Anyway, after much muttering he ate most of it and then got a clean plate for his next sitting.
(I’m actually shaking my head right now)
As a restaurant thought this place is lovely, very informal canteen style with a nice selection of homemade veggie dishes that you don’t often get in traditional Indian places. If you are in this area, be brave and try it, just remember, one table is sweet, the other savory!