Diwana Bhel Poori

This little vegetarian cafe opened in 1971, located very near Euston station. There is an all you can eat buffet at lunch and a la carte selection in the evening. The tables are plain and quite small and the seating cramped, but the food is lovely. I have been coming here even since I moved to London in 1983.

At my latest meal, I had the excellent bhel poori (14/20), a mix of puffed rice, pooris, potatoes, onion, sev (crunchy noodle pieces made from chickpea flour that are combined with turmeric, cayenne, and carom seeds before being deep fried), garlic relish, chilli chutney and sweet and sour sauce. The mixture of textures is pleasing and the balance of the spices and flavours was spot on (14/20).

Aloo papri chaat was made from potatoes and chickpeas on flat pooris along with sweet and sour sauce, topped with yoghurt and spices. The cooling yoghurt works well with the spices, and the pooris gives a textural contrast to the chickpeas. This is another dish that I almost always order here (13/20). Sev poori was flat pooris along with onion, sev, garlic relish, chilli chutney and sweet and sour sauce. The sev gives a nice crunchy texture and again the spices were vibrant and well-balanced (13/20). A trio of vegetable samosas used filo pastry rather than regular pastry, but are none the worse for that. They are filled with potatoes, vegetables and spices, the crisp exterior barely containing the generous filling (13/20).

Service was friendly and efficient, and the dishes arrived quickly. The bill came to just £17 per person including service and with very good lassi to drink, the yoghurt-based drink being an ideal foil for spicy food. Diwana Bhel Poori offers some of the very best value food to be found in London. Where else can you eat genuinely good food for £17 a head?

Further reviews: 11th Nov 2023 | 10th May 2016 | 25th Jul 2013