Oudh 1722 brings Awadhi cooking to a Victorian townhouse near Borough Market

Oudh 1722 is chef Aktar Islam’s first London restaurant, following his success in Birmingham with Opheem. The Birmingham restaurant holds two Michelin stars and draws comparisons to L’Enclume. Islam has taken over a listed Victorian townhouse near Borough Market and opened a restaurant focused on Awadhi cooking.

The name refers to the start of the Nawabi era in 1722. The cuisine emphasizes slow cooking, sealed pots, aromatic spice blends and subtle flavors. The à la carte menu begins with a lamb shorba, a broth poured over finely chopped lamb tartare. Spherical gol guppa filled with sprouting moong shoots and edible flowers follow, served with jaljeera-spiced cumin water.

The menu continues with naashta, including chaat with white peas, tempered yoghurt and sev, and gilawat kebabs. Meat dishes include gulnaar tandoori chicken in smoked tomato and cream. Vegetarian options feature kaddu ki qorma of pumpkin and yoghurt, and gobi mussalam, a whole cauliflower with cashew and poppy seed.

The restaurant combines traditional and modern elements. Dishes such as nihari, ox cheek in bone marrow sauce, reflect overnight cooking traditions. The kitchen is led by George Cooke, formerly of Brat and Noble Rot. An upstairs bar serves mango chutney margaritas and a brandy-based old fashioned with stone fruit.

The building, once used by hatmakers and later home to the restaurant Lupins, has murals and tapestries across multiple floors and narrow staircases. A bar occupies the attic space.

Service is smooth and the food is precisely prepared yet generous. Dal Bukhara combines urad lentils, butter and cream. Enormous lasooni jhinga arrive grilled and covered in garlic with raw mango. The mutanjan dam biryani, made with fragrant rice, slow-cooked oxtail and sweet carrot, stands out. Diners can finish with ras malai, a fresh cheese dumpling in spiced cream with pistachio and cardamom, or nimish, a milk soft-serve with saffron, mango and rose petal.

Oudh 1722 aims to attract diners seeking an alternative to the long wait at Gymkhana. The restaurant opens in 2026.