Shree Krishna Vada Pav, Cardiff city centre, Indian street food review

Despite the money spent on regenerating Cardiff’s “Canal Quarter”, it’s still one of the dreariest parts of the city centre.

I’m sure that the canal’s passing resemblance to an open sewer instead of a picturesque watercourse might be something to do with it.

At the same time, over the last decade the city’s focal point has increasingly migrated towards the Hayes, leaving the Capital Centre and its surrounding area as a bit of a ghost town.

So, the arrival of the Shree Krishna Vadha Pav (SKVP), a colourful Indian street food chain with over 20 outlets across the UK, has certainly brightened up the area.

Even more exciting than SKVP’s colourful exterior is the fact that its Harrow branch was named in the usually reliable Infatuation’s top 21 Indian restaurants in London. And the always reliable Andy Hayler enjoyed his visit to the Hounslow branch.

SKVP’s interior matches its exterior - it’s bold, bright and colourful with a fun Indian street food vibe.

Shortly after they opened in May 2026, we visited for a takeaway vada pav and only recently managed to visit for a sit-in meal. 

SKVP has a colossal menu of over 90 vegan and vegetarian dishes that includes pavs, frankie rolls, curries, Indo-Chinese dishes, dosas and chaats, with the focus on dishes from the Maharashtra region of India where Mumbai is located. There are some good value weekday deals and multibuys on offer too, including a meal deal that offers any vada pav, a chaat and a drink for £8.95.

Ordering is done at the till and there’s then a reassuring wait for your meal to be prepared. Except for the vada pav, which come out lightning fast. At £2.95, they’re cracking value and really well worth naming a restaurant after.

A super soft and squidgy white roll is home to a chonky soft spiced potato pattice that’s smeared with tangy tamarind chutney, creamy coconut chutney and the crunch of crispy batter bits. If you want a fiery kick of chilli, then there are accompanying deep fried green chillies to nibble on. I’d happily eat two of these for £6 as a well sized lunch.

On the drinks front, a mango lassi is ice cold with plenty of fragrant tropical fruit and a creamy tang of yoghurt. Masala chai has a lovely hit of warming spice combined with a sweet creaminess. They’re both very good examples of their type.

 The other star of the meal is an excellent mutter paneer curry (£8.95), which is billed on the menu as an “all-time favourite dish”. Golden crusted triangles of creamy paneer and sweet tender peas are bathed in a thick tomato-based curry sauce that thrums with spice and the richness of butter. On the side are two whopping soft parathas.

We ordered a couple of chats to share too. Both are good but we agree that Pooja’s versions are better.

Samosa chat (£7.75) combines a crisp crusted samosa filled with soft spuds and sweet peas sat in a thick, well-spiced yellow pea curry topped with tangy tamarind chutney, diced red onion, and the crunch of spiced peanuts. It’s a very tasty bit of comfort food.

Dahi puri (£7.25) are little flavour bombs – the crisp puri shells are filled to the brim with soft potatoes, creamy yoghurt and topped with crunchy sev, spiced peanuts and tamarind chutney.

We both really enjoyed the well-priced vegetarian street food at Sree Krishna Vadha Pav, and their namesake dish is a particular highlight. If you’re looking to try one of “London’s top 20 Indian restaurants” then head down to Cardiff’s Canal Quarter and save yourself a train ticket to the Big Smoke. 

The Details:

Address - Shree Krishna Vada Pav, 111 Queen Street, Cardiff CF10 2BH

Web - https://skvp.co.uk/

Telephone - 07459 938454