Oudh 1722 Brings Awadhi Lucknow Cooking to London
Aktar Islam’s Borough opening puts a named regional cuisine on the London fine-dining map, with early awards attention.
- opening
- london
- chef
- awadhi
Aktar Islam’s Oudh 1722 opened at 66 Union Street in London’s Borough, putting Awadhi cooking from Lucknow on its own London stage. About six weeks after launch it was named One to Watch at the National Restaurant Awards: early industry attention, not a long review track record.
Islam is already known for Opheem in Birmingham, which took a second Michelin star in 2024. Coverage of the London room frames it as a regional project: Nawabi Awadhi technique (shorba, naashta snacks, kebabs, dum plates) using British produce, rather than a pan-Indian tasting menu with a new address.
Lucknow’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation shows up in the restaurant’s own framing. Useful as context. It does not automatically transfer to every plate in SE1.
What stands out is the naming. The menu claims a place and a court cuisine (Awadhi / Lucknow) instead of a generic curry-house label. A Birmingham-rooted chef is expanding to London with a second concept, not a first try, in a UK fine-dining press culture that still treats “Indian” as a rare Michelin lane.
Go for the Awadhi claim and Islam’s Opheem track record. Confirm what is on tonight before you book around a single dish. Menus and booking details move; check the restaurant directly.