Chutney Mary, the highly acclaimed Indian restaurant in St. James’s in London, was awarded AA Restaurant of the Year London (2024) at a glittering function of over 900 hospitality industry professionals at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
The well-respected AA Restaurant Guide will mark its 30th edition with the 2024 book, although joint hotel and restaurant guides were established in the UK in 1967, and their awards of Rosettes was introduced even earlier in 1956 as the first nationwide scheme of recognition of excellence of restaurants and hotels. Each year, special Award winners in several categories are chosen as best in class following professional inspections, and verified by the AA’s Hospitality Awards Panel, with the results representing the very finest dining experiences.
Commenting on Chutney Mary’s accolade, Simon Numphud, Managing Director of the AA Media Group, explained: “Chutney Mary is one of London’s finest restaurants and a class act. It combines a wonderful stylish location and interiors, accomplished cooking, delivering exceptional dishes with fantastic hospitality and service. Such a great restaurant, loved by so many, is so deserving to be our AA Restaurant of the Year for London.”
Camellia Panjabi, Group Director of MW Eat, the owning company of Chutney Mary, said: “This award is completely unexpected, but greatly appreciated by my fellow Directors and the committed long serving team at Chutney Mary. It is particularly noteworthy since Chutney Mary is a 33-year old restaurant – to be acknowledged now for this significant and esteemed achievement is especially touching, considering the focus among media is so often on the newest restaurants, food trends and rising star chefs.”
To become a London institution, a restaurant must walk a tightrope between acknowledging its original foundation, while avoiding complacency, to embracing the very present, in order to meet the constantly evolving tastes and appreciation of its diners. Chutney Mary has made this journey effectively over the last three decades by concentrating on its cuisine’s originality, regionality and innovation alongside exceptional hospitality.
