Royals

Absolute rubbish! I was there today to take 2 others for a nice lunch and I was at first wondering the fact that at 12.30 on a Tuesday we were the only ones there but have no fear my inquisitive questions were answered in spades!
First the food — ok I am MORE thank happy to spend mucho mula on good food but this was not the place. My friend and I both ordered the prawn curry which was tomato soup with prawns and a little curry powder. I cannot emphasize how flavorless this was, the concept of salt and spice should not be an issue at an establishment like this!
Secondly the price, at their door they advertised 12.95 pound mean with 3 courses; ya we got no 3 rd course bought a total of 6 beers between 3 of us (hardly That unusual) and I ended up paying 98 pounds! Yes about $ 168 in all including a, get this, service charge! Yes this service charge was 11.00 pounds and none of us finished anything but the beers.
If these idiots offered me a life time of free curry I would not take it, unless I was homeless; than I would give it as a present to someone else’s to swap for a burger or a cat turd, and oh I would still feel like I got ripped off in the process.
In a city that has some of the best Indian food please avoid a place that serves the worse this awesome city has to offer; unless it was a gift certicate for a hated in law than by all means … Buy away !

Best Indian cuisine in London. Nice atmosphere for sit down service, simple comforting décor, nice customer service and a nice location in Covent garden. Quite a spacious restaurant, medium large for London sizing. Authentic cuisine, light food and healthy.

Average food and quite expensive. You have order rice separately and an additional service charge of 12.5p is added on the bill. I didn’t like the way they try to trick ppl into the restaurant. I would not recommend this anyone.

The food is inspired by the décor which is beige and unispiring. Not actually offensive, but not very good either. Bland touristy psuedo Indian food that shouldn’t really be consumed unless every other restaurant in the area is unaccountably full.

The food was really nice I think:
BUT: Maybe it was my fault, but we could not find the rice on the menu and ended up paying 10 quid for rice. In total we paid 45 for two kormas, nan bread and 2 beers. Horrendously expensive and the portions were tiny.
And when I refused to pay the sevice charge of 12.5% the waiter refused.
Never going back again.

Ma route a croisé le Royals un peu par hasard, et ce fût pour une rencontre improvisée un instant plutôt sympa.
Ok un restau Indien à Londres ce n’est pas très original, il y en a de très bons, mais là le Royals proposait un menu curry, qui semblait intéressant.
Et oui cétait un bon plan, un service sympa (on a eu le droit a quelques mots de français), un petit peu long, des nans en quantité, des viandes là aussi bien dosées (sans être des plus tendres non plus) et du riz parfumé.
Au final le ventre plein, sans y laisser un rein, un cadre moquetté un peu vieillot, par contre une vue sympa depuis les toilettes (je sais ça né sert à rien), le Royals rempli son rôle sans rêve.

I popped in alone one evening after work, having made it halfway through my long walk to the station and decided that I was feeling tired, faint and ready for emergency not-​cooked-​by-​me food.
I can only give a very limited review, having just had tap water, a vegetable biryani and a masala tea, but I really enjoyed my meal. The biryani was very savoury and nommable, the water cold, the tea softly spicy, and the service faultless.
I can well imagine that there would be a different atmosphere on a Friday or Saturday night, as observed by Tom E, but I was left in peace to read my book, and my fellow diners were well behaved. A couple of groups that left at theatre time and several pairs of what looked like friends catching up over post-​work dinner. All rather civilised. Flowers and a candle on each table, pristine white walls and regal purple and gilt chairs.
It’s true that this could be a curry house anywhere, and that the menu isn’t going to blow your mind, but this is one I’d go to again. I think the prices are a tad inflated because of the location, but still not bad.

One of countless bad curry houses in Covent Garden, Royals’ only saving grace is that it is more affordable and more accessible than the numerous ‘theatre menu’ places around here.
Until about 8.30 pm Royals survives on a steady stream of tourists who find themselves hungry in rip-​off Covent Garden and decide that curry is the English food that they need to try at some point. After 8.30 pm the clientele is groups of lads out on the lash, obviously drunk and soon to be heading over to Leicester Sq chav megaclubs or the tragicomedy that is Stringfellows. I know this because I was in one of these groups last Sat night, but we were fortunate enough to have taste in afterhours entertainment.
Everything is same-​same with the menu, the food and the beers. Kingfisher, poppadoms, naan, pilua and bhuna. You could be in one of ten thousand places across the country, but without the local charm or even the diversions of chefs recommendations and specials. It is what it is. Curry with the boys.
Staff here are a mixture of pushy, apologetic and tolerant. I guess they actually deserve an award given the dealings they have to deal with… foreigner who speak little understandable english, drunk englishmen who speak little understandable english. The two stars are for them.