Bonoo's Muswell Hill outpost carries the same inventive small-plates philosophy as its Hampstead sibling — colourful, boldly spiced, and entirely worth the trip to N10.
When Bonoo Indian Tapas opened its first restaurant in Hampstead, it quickly became one of the most talked-about new arrivals in NW3 — a small-plates Indian restaurant that brought the energy and variety of the subcontinent's street food culture to a neighbourhood more accustomed to European bistros. The Muswell Hill outpost carries that same spirit north to N10, and it has found an audience just as devoted as the one it built in Hampstead.
The Muswell Hill Location
Bonoo Muswell Hill sits on the main parade of shops and restaurants that makes Muswell Hill Broadway one of the most pleasant high streets in North London. The area has a strong independent retail and dining culture — good coffee shops, excellent delis, a handful of ambitious restaurants — and Bonoo fits naturally into this landscape while bringing something that the neighbourhood previously lacked: genuinely creative Indian cooking in a format designed for sharing and lingering.
The room is somewhat larger than the Hampstead original, with a slightly more open layout, but the design language is consistent: warm lighting, earthy tones, a few well-chosen decorative touches that evoke the colour of Indian markets without tipping into pastiche. The open kitchen is present here too, and the sound and smell of food being prepared on a live tawa provides the same gentle background energy.
The Menu
The Muswell Hill menu shares its core philosophy with Hampstead — seasonal, small-plate, built for sharing — but has developed its own character over time. The kitchen team has introduced several dishes that have become signatures specific to this branch.
The Tandoori Broccoli — charred florets marinated in spiced yoghurt, served with a cooling mint raita and scattered pomegranate seeds — is one of the finest vegetable dishes currently being served anywhere in North London. The Lamb Chops Seekh arrive tender and fragrant with cumin and coriander. The Masala Dosa — a thin, crispy South Indian crêpe filled with spiced potato — is made with more care and skill than you will find in most dedicated South Indian restaurants.
The drinks menu follows the Hampstead template: thoughtful cocktails, aromatic wines, excellent lassis. The Mango Chilli Margarita — a Bonoo original that has built its own following — balances sweetness, heat, and citrus in a way that is both refreshing and genuinely addictive.
For Groups and Families
The tapas format makes Bonoo Muswell Hill particularly well-suited to groups and families. The ability to order many dishes and share them across the table encourages both generosity and variety; it is almost impossible to order a bad meal here, because the range of options ensures that something on every order will be an outright revelation.
The kitchen accommodates dietary requirements with genuine care rather than reluctance. Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly marked and constitute roughly half the menu; the staff are knowledgeable about allergens and happy to advise.
Getting to Bonoo Muswell Hill
Bonoo Indian Tapas Muswell Hill is on Muswell Hill Broadway, N10. The easiest way to reach it from Hampstead is by bus: the 102 runs directly between Golders Green and Muswell Hill, passing through Hampstead Garden Suburb. Alternatively, Highgate Underground station (Northern line) is about a twenty-minute walk.
Booking is strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings. The restaurant is also popular for Sunday lunch, when a slightly shorter menu is offered alongside some weekend specials. Expect to spend £28–38 per person for a satisfying meal with drinks — competitive for the quality of cooking on offer.
Bonoo's Place in North London Dining
Together, the Hampstead and Muswell Hill branches of Bonoo have done something genuinely significant for North London's dining scene: they have demonstrated that inventive, regionally rooted Indian cooking — presented in a format that encourages exploration rather than defaulting to familiar curry-house conventions — has an eager and appreciative audience in this part of the city. The restaurants are busy because they deserve to be busy. In a neighbourhood and a moment full of safe choices, Bonoo takes pleasurable risks and almost always succeeds.
