SOHO RESTAURANT
Top Floor, Kingly Court,
off Carnaby Street,
London, W1B 5PW
02033753772
About Us
Darjeeling Express started as a dinner for twelve guests at my home, serving food lovingly cooked from family recipes that go back generations.
The food is a true homage to my royal Mughlai ancestry and the busy streets of Calcutta, where I grew up. What results is a lovely mélange of street food like dahi papri chaat and slow-cooked Kohsa Mangsho, that take you on a journey from Calcutta in the east of India to Hyderabad in the south. Food here is served the way Indian food is meant to be eaten. Platters of dishes boasting texture and flavours which complement each other, encouraging you to gather and share in the style of the traditional ‘daawat’ (feast). An all-women team of housewives runs the kitchen at Darjeeling Express, and have been doing so from day one. What you will taste is home-style food, cooked to nourish your body and soul.
Asma Khan
Indian-born British restaurateur Asma Khan is a trailblazer in London’s culinary scene and an outspoken activist. Her Michelin Guide restaurant, Darjeeling Express, known for its revolutionary all-female kitchen has become a favourite of Hollywood A-listers while remaining a safe space for women. Through authentic, homestyle food, it has risen to the upper echelons of the food world while staying true to Khan’s commitment to grassroots social and environmental causes.
In 2024, TIME magazine named her one of the world’s 100 most influential people. She is a chef advocate for the UN World Food Programme and holds honorary fellowships from Queen’s College, Oxford, and King’s College London, where she earned a PhD in British Constitutional Law.
Khan was the first British chef on Netflix’s Chef’s Table and has appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and Top Chef. Her third cookbook, Monsoon, celebrates seasonal Indian home cooking. In 2025, she hosts the 10-episode series ‘Secrets of the Curry Kitchen’ on the Food Network and become the first patron of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, championing food justice.
From the Press
Michelin Guide
"Darjeeling Express is the definition of honest, traditional Indian food. Conjuring the ambience of a home-cooked dinner enjoyed with your nearest and dearest, the all-women kitchen team at Darjeeling Express lovingly create a multitude of flavours and textures served on sharing platters, with recipes drawing influence from the length and breadth of India."
Sadiq Khan
“Since opening its doors to Londoners, under [Asma Khan]'s leadership, Darjeeling Express has been one of London's culinary highlights.”
Eater London
“The flavours are like a culinary orchestra.”
Anna Mah, The New York Times
“Humble British vegetables shine in dishes like the beetroot chop, a croquette of mashed beets that balances spice and earthy sweetness. Beets also lend their rich color and flavor to raita, staining the cooling yogurt sauce bright pink. A pile of tender baby eggplants hummed with the striking flavors of peanut and coconut.”