Dark wood, brushed brass, and just enough glamour to feel like someone’s spent money with taste. Passan’s dining room hums with quiet confidence, elegant without trying, indulgent without showing off.
Passan’s is new, and you can tell, but not in a bad way. This honest Passan’s Nottingham Review starts in a dining room that already feels established: dark wood, low light, a touch of 1920s India imagined through modern eyes. It’s opulent without being gaudy, luxurious without tipping into cliché, and proof that serious money’s been spent in all the right places.
It’s right in the heart of Nottingham, at 22–26 Carrington Street, though the entrance up to the first floor is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. My first thought was whether we’d wandered into the wrong doorway – the stairwell could definitely do with a proper sweep, but once you’re through the door and up the stairs, it’s a different story entirely.
First Impressions. They’ve Got the Bones Right.
The greeting’s warm and confident. Our server tells us how Passan’s is the family’s latest venture, an evolution of their long-running Bombay Delicatessen business, founded back in 1995. It’s their fourth opening, but the first proper sit-down restaurant, and there’s real pride in how she tells the story.
The dining room is impressive. Each table has its own little lamp casting just the right amount of light, enough to see what you’re eating, low enough to feel supremely intimate. We’re seated at what I reckon is the best table in the house – good views of the whole room and a direct sightline into the open kitchen where you can watch the team working at pace. The chairs are comfortable, the table’s a decent size, and the furnishings feel high-quality. There’s a Defected house soundtrack playing, cool, modern, exactly the right vibe for this type of setting. It’s not trying to be a heritage curry house, and it’s not apologising for that.
If I am being super critical, the toilets, mind you, could use some of that same investment. They’re functional but feel a bit neglected compared to the dining room. Hopefully that’s on the list to do soon?
Starters: Where Passan’s Shows Its Hand
We order three starters to share, and they arrive at a pretty good pace. The Palak Patta Chaat (£9) is the dish I’m still thinking about days later. Spinach leaves battered to a delicate crisp, then buried under tangy tamarind, sweet yoghurt, jewel-like pomegranate seeds, and enough spice to make your mouth properly tingle. The textures are sensational, crunch giving way to cream, then heat building at the back of your throat. It’s one of the two standout dishes of the night.
Bang Bang Cauliflower (£9) arrives glossy and sticky, each floret coated in a sauce that’s sharp, sweet, and mildly fiery all at once. It’s properly addictive and you will keep reaching for another bite even when you’re trying to pace yourself. The cauliflower itself has bite to it, not mushy or overcooked, and the sauce clings without drowning it. I’d genuinely eat this for breakfast.
The Saffron Chicken Tikka (£11) The chicken’s tender, the colour looks inviting with those appealing char marks, but it lacks the complexity and punch of the other starters. It’s perfectly decent, don’t get me wrong. Certainly better than the generic tikka that haunts too many curry house menus, but it doesn’t make you sit up and take notice like the other two do.
Where This Passan’s Nottingham Review Gets Interesting
There’s a long wait between courses. The restaurant’s rammed on a Saturday night, and you can see the evident pressure on the team. Our server actually mentions as we’re finishing starters that he’s going to hold the mains back a bit so they come out hot rather than sitting under the pass. Fair enough, we’re happy to relax and take in the atmosphere. There are a couple of massive tables clearly putting strain on the bar and the kitchen, but the owner’s moving between tables checking everyone’s alright, which goes a long way. These feel like teething problems rather than systemic issues.
When the mains finally land, they’re worth the wait.
Tandoori Monkfish (£26) is excellent, the standout main of the night. The fish is firm and meaty, with proper char on the outside that stops just short of bitterness. There’s real smoke there, not just cosmetic grill marks. The sauce underneath has layers, a creamy base with building heat and a subtle kick that lingers without overwhelming. It’s gets better with each mouthful as you start picking up the different spices working together.
Malai Chicken (£22) is rich, silky, and deeply comforting. The sauce has sweetness to it, you can taste raisin working in the background, but it’s balanced by restrained spicing that builds rather than hits you immediately. And here’s where Passan’s does something interesting, it comes with roasted potatoes and asparagus. It’s an unmistakably British touch, and it works well. The potatoes soak up that creamy, spiced sauce beautifully, and the asparagus adds vegetal freshness that cuts through the richness.
We order Garlic Naan and Pilau Rice on the side, and both are spot on. The naan’s got proper char and chew, the rice is fluffy and fragrant. You need them, because that Malai sauce is good enough to keep dipping back into again and again.
Both mains show a kitchen with good instincts, the balance is right, the restraint’s there, and the flavours land exactly where they should.
Dessert and Drinks
The Mango Parfait (£7) is cool, bright, and silky. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, it’s just a well-executed tropical dessert that cleanses your palate without feeling heavy. The portion’s judged right, and the sweetness level is spot on. The fruit was fresh and nicely prepared also.
Drinks-wise, I had a Mango Lassi (creamy, not too sweet, proper mango flavour) and a Zero Gin and Rhubarb Tonic which did the job. We also had still filtered table water throughout, which was topped up without having to ask.
Service across the night was stretched, we had three different servers, but everyone stayed friendly and attentive despite clearly being under pressure.
Passan’s Nottingham Review: Final Verdict
This is Passan’s fourth opening, the others were Bombay-style delis, and you can tell they know exactly what they’re doing with flavour. But this is their first proper restaurant, and a few new-opening wobbles still show. The stairwell could do with attention, the toilets need a bit of investment in my honest opinion, and service stretches when the room’s full. Still, as this Passan’s Nottingham Review proves, those are fixable details that wouldn’t stop me coming back.
What they’ve got right is everything that matters. The food has confidence, the flavours are on point, and the dining room works. That old-world Bombay glamour could easily tip into pastiche, but it doesn’t, it just feels luxurious and well-judged. The lighting’s perfect, the music’s cool, the kitchen’s visible and the place is humming.
The Palak Patta Chaat and the Tandoori Monkfish alone are worth ordering. And those British touches, the potatoes, the asparagus, the pared-back elegance of the room, prove this place isn’t trying to imitate anyone. It’s found its own rhythm, and it works.
Portions are generous enough that the so-called “small plates” don’t feel small, and prices are fair for the quality. The bill came to around £65 per head with drinks, though worth noting, none of them alcoholic, which puts it in “occasion” territory rather than midweek casual. Still, given the ingredients and attention to detail, it feels justified.
Hey Lolly’s Passan’s Nottingham Review Takeaway.
New restaurant energy with experienced operators behind it. Grown-up Indian cooking with a British backbone. Some teething issues, but the fundamentals are solid.
- 8.5/10 – Think Dishoom vibes but with a very clear British infusion, opulent “Old Bombay” India meets modern interiors in the heart of Nottingham City Centre.
- Would I go back? Absolutely. Already planning brunch.
- Who’s this for? Couples / Date Night, Girls’ nights out and Special occasions. Anywhere you want to feel looked after and celebrate.
- Book ahead? Yes, especially weekends, it fills up fast and I think they’re still finding their rhythm when they’ve got a full house.
Hungry for more? I’ve rounded up a few more spots worth your fork over here
Book Passan’s Here
Address: 1st floor, 22-26 Carrington St., Nottingham NG1 7FF
Telephone: +44 7344264660 / +44 7496296609
