Why Gymkhana matters.
Gymkhana is a celebrated Indian fine-dining restaurant where Mayfair's historic clubland meets the culinary traditions of northern India and one of London's most influential expressions of contemporary Indian gastronomy.
Set along Albemarle Street near Dover Street and just steps from the Royal Institution, the restaurant occupies a Georgian-era Mayfair townhouse between the Burlington Gardens cultural quarter, the galleries surrounding Cork Street and the luxury retail streets extending west toward Bond Street. Dark timber paneling, polished brass, leather banquettes and vintage sporting photographs establish an interior inspired by the private members' clubs of colonial India. The dining rooms occupy two levels, with intimate seating arrangements, richly colored walls and carefully controlled lighting creating distinct environments for lunch and evening service. A basement bar introduces a more secluded setting through dark green finishes, decorative glass and furniture associated with traditional club interiors. The result is a restaurant whose architectural intimacy and historically inspired interiors establish a distinctive setting for some of Britain's most accomplished Indian cooking.
What defines Gymkhana.
Gymkhana is best known for becoming the first Indian restaurant in London to receive two MICHELIN stars through a culinary program that combines regional Indian cooking, exceptional ingredients and the traditions of the Indian social clubs from which it takes its name. The restaurant was founded by Karam Sethi and opened in 2013 as part of the hospitality group that subsequently became JKS Restaurants. Sethi grew up in a family with longstanding connections to the restaurant industry, developing an early understanding of Indian cooking and the relationship between regional culinary traditions and professional hospitality. His family's involvement in London restaurants included the establishment of Trishna, which opened in Marylebone in 2008 and became an influential destination for coastal Indian cuisine. Sethi worked with his siblings Jyotin and Sunaina to expand their restaurant interests, creating a hospitality organization whose portfolio developed across multiple culinary traditions. Gymkhana emerged from Sethi's interest in the private clubs established during British colonial rule in India, where sporting activities, social gatherings and elaborate meals formed central elements of club culture. The restaurant's name refers to institutions associated with polo, cricket, tennis and other recreational pursuits, connecting its interior design and culinary program with a distinctive historical setting. Sethi developed the menu around northern Indian preparations, tandoor cooking and richly spiced dishes associated with formal dining and celebratory meals. The restaurant received its first MICHELIN star in 2014, establishing its position among London's leading Indian dining establishments shortly after opening. Its reputation expanded through dishes that combined traditional cooking methods with carefully selected British ingredients, connecting regional Indian techniques with London's contemporary restaurant culture. A fire in June 2019 caused substantial damage to the property, forcing the restaurant to close for an extensive restoration. Gymkhana reopened in February 2020 following a renovation that preserved its club-inspired interiors while updating the dining rooms and kitchen facilities. The restaurant subsequently continued its development under JKS Restaurants, whose portfolio expanded through establishments including Brigadiers, Hoppers, Lyle's and Bao. MICHELIN awarded Gymkhana a second star in 2024, making it the first Indian restaurant in London to achieve that distinction. The recognition established a major milestone for Indian fine dining in Britain, reflecting the growing international standing of chefs and restaurateurs working with the culinary traditions of the Indian subcontinent.
Karam Sethi's culinary approach emphasizes the depth and complexity of northern Indian cooking through precise spice combinations, carefully controlled heat and preparations that develop flavor across multiple stages. The kitchen's tandoor forms a central component of its cooking, using intense radiant heat to create charred surfaces, tender interiors and concentrated aromatic flavors. Achari paneer tikka demonstrates the relationship between dairy, pickling spices and high-temperature cooking, with the paneer absorbing a marinade that develops acidity and warmth. Wild muntjac biryani introduces a distinctive British game ingredient into a preparation rooted in the rice traditions of northern India, combining aromatic basmati rice with carefully layered spices and slow cooking. The dish draws on the historical development of biryani through Mughal and regional Indian culinary traditions, where rice, meat and aromatic ingredients are assembled into elaborate compositions. Kid goat methi keema presents another interpretation of northern Indian cooking through minced meat prepared with fenugreek and a carefully developed spice base. The preparation emphasizes the relationship between the meat's richness and the slightly bitter, aromatic character of fenugreek leaves. Chicken butter masala develops a more familiar northern Indian preparation through a sauce built around tomatoes, butter, cream and carefully balanced spices. The kitchen's approach to seafood introduces contrasting textures and regional influences, connecting the restaurant's northern Indian foundations with broader traditions of Indian coastal cooking. Seasonal ingredients influence the composition of individual dishes, with British produce incorporated into preparations that retain recognizable regional techniques. The bread program includes naan and other tandoor-baked preparations, providing essential accompaniments for sauces, grilled meats and richly spiced dishes. Desserts develop the culinary program through Indian ingredients including cardamom, saffron, pistachio and tropical fruits, combining traditional flavor combinations with contemporary pastry techniques. The drinks program incorporates Indian-inspired cocktails and a substantial wine selection, creating pairings that accommodate the intensity and complexity of the menu's spice combinations. Service follows the structure of formal Indian hospitality, with dishes presented for sharing and courses arranged to develop contrasting flavors and textures across the meal. The restaurant's culinary distinction rests on its ability to preserve the character of regional Indian cooking through technically accomplished preparations and a carefully developed relationship between tradition and contemporary fine dining.
How Gymkhana fits.
Gymkhana works as the dining centerpiece for a Mayfair itinerary connecting an internationally significant collection of eighteenth-century art, the architectural history of London's aristocratic estates and one of the capital's most influential centers of contemporary art.
Begin at Royal Academy of Arts, the distinguished institution founded in 1768 under the patronage of King George III to promote the development of painting, sculpture and architecture in Britain. The academy occupies Burlington House, a historic mansion whose origins date to the seventeenth century and whose later alterations established its prominent position along Piccadilly. Its membership has included major figures in British art, among them Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough and J. M. W. Turner. The annual Summer Exhibition, first held in 1769, became one of the institution's defining traditions, presenting contemporary artworks selected through a process involving practicing artists. The academy's galleries also host major temporary exhibitions devoted to international artistic movements and individual creators. Continue to Handel Hendrix House, the historic Mayfair property associated with two influential musicians whose lives were separated by more than two centuries. George Frideric Handel lived at the Brook Street residence from 1723 until his death in 1759, composing major works during a period when London became central to his professional career. His compositions from this period include Messiah, first performed in Dublin in 1742, and numerous operas and oratorios developed for British audiences. Jimi Hendrix occupied an adjoining upper-floor flat during 1968 and 1969, connecting the same address with the emergence of modern rock music and the cultural transformation of London during the late 1960s. The museum preserves interiors associated with both musicians, establishing an unusual historical connection between Baroque composition and twentieth-century popular music. Conclude at The Wallace Collection, housed within Hertford House on Manchester Square and assembled through successive generations of the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace. The collection includes major works of European painting, sculpture, furniture, arms and armor, with particular strengths in eighteenth-century French decorative arts. Paintings by artists including Jean-Honoré Fragonard, François Boucher and Diego Velázquez establish the collection's importance within the history of European art. Fragonard's The Swing forms one of its most celebrated works, representing the theatrical elegance and intricate symbolism of French Rococo painting. The museum opened to the public in 1900, preserving the collection within the domestic architectural setting associated with its original owners. The progression moves from the institutional development of British art through the musical history of Georgian and modern London and culminates in a major collection of European painting and decorative arts preserved within an aristocratic residence.
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