Kebab Festival At Colonel Saab September 2026!
As much as Colonel Saab already feels like stepping into a story, visiting the Trafalgar Square branch for the kebab festival made it feel like Florence and I were walking into a celebration within a celebration. We had gone to toast her GCSE results, a proper mother and daughter moment, and honestly there could not have been a better place to mark such a milestone. Colonel Saab always feels like an occasion, but this time it was an event, a sensory parade, a whole experience wrapped up in one beautiful evening.
The thing about Colonel Saab, and what I have always adored, is that it is never just a restaurant. It is a living museum, a treasure trove of family history, art, heirlooms and nostalgia. Everywhere you look there is something to catch the eye. A portrait, a sculpture, a textile, a relic. Each piece chosen by owner Roop Partap Choudhary as part of his ongoing love letter to his parents. It is impossible not to feel wrapped up in that warmth. Florence kept pointing out little details she had not noticed before and that is the magic of the place. Every visit reveals something new. It is opulent, yes, but never intimidating. Luxurious, but never stiff. It is the kind of space where you feel both spoiled and at home.
And then there is the food. The kebab festival, running until the 19th of September, is not kebabs as you know them. Not even close. This is Colonel Saab after all, where tradition meets theatre and every dish arrives with a flourish. Florence and I began with the Nadru Ke Churm, lotus stem transformed into something almost mischievous. Posh crisps and dips with a texture that danced about like it had its own personality. Crunchy, delicate, surprising. The sort of thing you take one bite of and immediately know you will be ordering again next time.
Then came the Malai Lobster, which was the moment I leaned over to Florence and said that kebabs are not just kebabs at Colonel Saab (as if we expected anything less). It was rich, velvety, indulgent and yet somehow still light enough that we did not feel defeated by it. Colonel Saab has this knack for balancing decadence with ease and the lobster was exactly that. A dish that felt celebratory without being overwhelming. The Banno followed, smoky and tender, the kind of kebab that makes you pause mid conversation because you need a moment to appreciate what is happening on your plate. Florence declared it her favourite of the night and she was not wrong.
What I love most though is how Colonel Saab treats my children. They welcome them with such genuine warmth that I know these visits will become core memories. The sort of stories they will tell when they are grown. Florence felt so special, so seen, and that is priceless. It is why we keep returning, invited or not. It is why the glitterati and London’s celebrity crowd flock here daily. It is not just the food or the decor. It is the feeling. And we haven’t touched on the drinks, the wine they serve is incredible, alas I was driving so mango juice it was and yet that was the best mango juice I’ve ever tasted – wow Colonel Saab, you really do get everything right!
As always it made the perfect pre theatre treat. We wandered out afterwards to see Who Killed Marilyn, which critics may have panned but honestly I think they must have seen a different play. We had cheap seats, did not see Pixie Lott and still thought it was wonderful. The second lead was absolutely tops in our book and Florence was buzzing all the way home.
Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square delivered exactly what it always does. Beauty, comfort, storytelling and food that makes you stop and smile. The kebab festival is a triumph, inventive, elegant and full of heart. If you can get there before the 19th of September then you absolutely should, if Marilyn Monroe was still alive I could see it being somewhere glamorous enough for her, so why can’t it be glamorous enough for you too?!
Collaboration.