The Delhi Club

Of all the Indian restaurants I’ve ever dined at, I must say I’ve never been to one like The Delhi Club. The place reminds me of a child’s bedroom at night, dimly lit with starry skies on the ceiling. A weird setup for an Indian spot much less any restaurant, but their reputation for being one of the more stellar choices in Chungking Mansion has earned them some serious fanfare.
To access the Delhi Club, head to the elevator for Block C in the lobby of Chungking Mansions. There are almost always lines for the small’ish elevators, but know stairs are also an option. The stairwell is uncomfortable narrow, dank and dodgy, even by Chungking Mansions standards. Reach the third floor and walk over a few boxes and/​or buckets, and there lies The Delhi Club.
With only a few tables, the place is not fit for big groups. There is a much darker backroom area where employees seem to dip in and out of, but I’m not sure if that’s additional restaurant space. For the few times I’ve been here, I’ve yet to deal with any kind of wait. The vibe is remarkably intimate but a little awkward at the same time. There are subtle décor nods to Indian culture, but ultimately unmemorable.
The food is tasty, but I’d be hard pressed to say it’s better than anything else in TST or even the Chungking Mansions alone. My butter chicken was almost beet red and tasted nothing like it. The chunks of chicken were lovely, but the spice was definitely lacking. Samosas were a little blander than I would have liked and the onion pakoras weren’t exactly fried to perfection (read: sad and limp).
I’ve fared better with their lamb roganjosh and vindaloo, which were adequately spiced and incredibly filling. When the garlic na’an is eaten fresh, it’s the perfect complement to just about any dish, especially the über creamy saag paneer. I also have good feels about their chicken biriyani, which is fragrant, seasoned well, and an easy sell with the local crowd (印度炒飯 haha!).
While I wouldn’t go out of my way to the Delhi Club, I certainly wouldn’t say no if in the area. Stick to the things they do well and the experience will be an ideal one. At least at Chungking Mansion anyway.

I had an Indian food hankering after more than 2 weeks of Chinese and American breakfast buffet fare. We were thrilled to find out that they were open until 11:30pm on New Year’s Eve since we made no reservations for that evening. After changing yuans for HK dollars on the Chungking Mansion groundfloor, we found the correct elevator to the Delhi Club (do not pick the first set of elevators– check the directory to see which businesses the elevators serve), we got to the 3^rd floor.
We got there at 5:30pm, but the gentleman who was in the elevator invited us into the Delhi Club instead of having us wait 30 minutes. We didn’t want to impose, so we came back later.
However, we were grateful for the welcoming service, which kicks up the review 1 star.
At 6pm on the dot, we ordered the samosas, chicken saag and chicken biryani, which we found to average. It was a touch spicy, so we’re glad we asked for mild seasoning! The naan was very good– not burnt or greasy. All in all, average. But I loved the chai, which was very rich and creamy.
The service was attentive and professional. The Indian waiter spoke fluent Cantonese with the locals and fluent English with tourists like us.

I followed my second cousin who bravely lead the way to Chung King Mansion and found the «Delhi Club» guy with the «club card» who then lead us through the crowds and into an elevator which brought us to the 3^rd floor of the building where the restaurant is situated. Felt like a journey to get there but once on the 3^rd floor and through the doors, it was like a whole new world, or rather just a normal dimly lit restaurant in comparison to the hustling lobby.
The service was friendly and attentive. We ordered Chicken tikka masala, fish curry, chicken korma as well as some mixed fried rice and two garlic naan. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal with my mango lassi. Everything was so delicious! I especially loved the chicken korma and garlic naan. I would like to come back here the next time I visit HK. I definitely recommend to anyone who loves Indian food. However, I feel like the lobby will intimidate first timers, it definitely is an experience on its own. But I would suggest not coming around to Chung King Mansion too late at night, there are random stories and better to be safe.

This restaurant is located within Chungking Mansion and you’ll have to brave the swarms of merchants and creepy staircases to get to it. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds, at least to get to the restaurant…
Food here is just your average Indian food, but supposedly this is the best that can be found within Chungking Mansion. We shared a variety of curry dishes (chicken tikka masala is always a good option) as well as some naan and samosas.
Service at this place is kind of like the polar opposite of every other restaurant in HK — they’re overly friendly. And I mean to the point where they’re kind of invasive while you eat haha. One of my other friends ate here once before me and he said the waiter patted his stomach after he was done eating to check if he was full. When I was here, the waiter overheard us trying to pronounce some of the items on the menu and burst out laughing, then taught us how to pronounce it. I guess they were trying to make up for every other place in HK.