About us

At the heart of Zayna stands one man, Riz Dar, whose vision, history and experiences have culminated in the creation of a unique restaurant in central London.

Born in the Punjab, Riz grew up in a family passionate about food surrounded by the delights of Indian spices and culinary flare. His father owned a restaurant, which fuelled his love for food and in particular, the delights of North Indian cuisine.

After working in high-end restaurants in California for many years, he moved to the UK. The opening of Zayna in 2009 was the result of his lifelong love of food and his drive, experience and passion for the restaurant industry. The difference is in the subtleties, which you’ll notice are all around you.

I would like my guests to taste the food I grew up eating.

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About us

I would like my guests to taste the food I grew up eating.

What Critics and Customers Have to Say

Will definitely be back! A first visit and the dinner was beautifully cooked and delicious.— David Gower, Former England Cricket Captain

If I was in London I would be at Zayna! You got to check out their curries, lamb chops and prawns.— Amir Khan, Boxer (WBA & IBF World Champion) via Twitter

When a Restaurant is named after the owner’s daughter you know there’s going to be a lot of love around. Zayna reflects the personality of Riz Dar who spent his formative years around Kashmir and Punjab and whose first job was in his father’s restaurant in Pakistan. It’s no surprise then to find a menu of North Indian and Pakistani delicacies. It comes divided according to cooking method, from the pan, grill, tawa or oven; but look out for the refined streed food using offal. He is passionate about produce: spices are roasted and ground in house and only halal meat and free-range chicken are used. Dishes come packed with flavour [...].”— The Michelin Guide

A complete makeover of the interior has rendered Riz Dar’s Pakistani and Punjabi restaurant a seductive haven in this little West End street pleasingly filled with singular shops. Low-slung sofas and intricate woodcarvings distinguish the décor. Free-range meat and traditional recipes such as gurda qeema, where spiced minced lamb is mixed with finely chopped kidneys, make the menu unusually inviting.— Fay Maschler, Food Critic for thisislondon.co.uk

There is no other restaurant in the world that I have visited as many times as Zayna.— David Hasselhoff, Actor

I love coming to Zayna. The food is always on point thanks to Uncle Riz!— Amir Khan, World Champion Boxer

We have had an excellent dinner in this non-standard Indian cuisine restaurant. Very nice, adequate and unobtrusive service and excellent food in a nice offer of Indian traditionals and surprising Indian dishes. Ambiance is great too. Excellent opportunity if and when you are around.— User on opentable.com

... had a delightful Saturday evening at Zayna. The staff were attentive and helpful, the food was fresh, flavourful and authentic - delicious as well. We are not the most informed people when it comes to North India/Pakistani dishes and, so we relied on some of the recommendations, including Gurda Qeema, which was wonderful, despite what sounded an unusual ingredient list (at least to our ears). If you are looking for a pleasant experience, with high quality service and fine food, give this place a try. We thought it earned top marks.— Mike & Jami Christen on london-eating.co.uk

A great experience. Wonderfully decorated, warm welcomed and incredible food. A real delight, a world of spices exploding in your mouth. Next time in London I will definitely go back!— Mr van Rumund via Tripadvisor

This is our first visit to your excellent restaurant. The decor is particularly pleasing, the staff friendly and efficient. Your extensive menu is very interesting and we look forward to working our way through the various dishes! I had your signature dish Ishtu, which was oustanding. My wife had Talipia in a delicate sauce, which was equally good. We will be back shortly and wish you every success with the restaurant.— George Kennedy CBE

Excellent food really loved it and got looked after amazingly well! Thanks!— Wasim Akram, Former Pakistani Fast Bowler & Captain

Great Food! Beautiful Pakistani restaurant, food was excellent. I will definitely return.— Asha Bhosle, Bollywood Legend

The other reviews were right. The food was layered with exceptional flavours and every bite was delicious. there are many choices for Indian in London but this hit the spot.— User on tripadvisor.co.uk

Excellent food! I highly recommend Zayna, Great food and outstanding service!— Emeli Sandé, Singer-Songwriter

I travel around the world, but I can’t find food like Zayna’s food anywhere else.— Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

We had a fantastic meal. My husband had mixed grill and I a prawn dish made to order. This is our third visit and as always the service is attentive and friendly and with great effort to make our meal a pleasure. The food was delicious and freshly made. Thoroughly recommend a visit.— LB on toptable.com

The food was superb - light and extremely tasty - and the ambience was absolutely lovely. A truly enjoyable experience. Thank you so much.— Anthony Head, Actor (Little Britain)

Excellent combination of food, wine and ambience. A must visit venue for us when we come to London.— Bob Carr, 39th Premier of New South Wales, Australia

There is no other restaurant in the world that I have visited as many times as Zayna.— David Hasselhoff, Actor

The food was awesome! Thank you!— Cyndi Lauper, Singer-Songwriter

Great Food! Very enjoyable meal, all the food was well spiced just to our taste everything was freshly prepared and well served!— Saurav Ganguly, Former Indian Cricket Captain

Will definitely be back! A first visit and the dinner was beautifully cooked and delicious.— David Gower, Former England Cricket Captain

If I was in London I would be at Zayna! You got to check out their curries, lamb chops and prawns.— Amir Khan, Boxer (WBA & IBF World Champion) via Twitter

There is no other restaurant in the world that I have visited as many times as Zayna.— David Hasselhoff, Actor