Derby’s newest Indian restaurant – complete with stunning beer garden – is wowing diners with its authentic tapas-style food. More than 1000 people rated House Boat on St Peters Street on Tripadvisor and Google as ‘excellent’, making it the best Indian restaurant in Derby city centre.
The 64-seater restaurant, which also has 40 seats in its beer garden and brand-new café-style seating at the front, scored 4.9 out of 5 for food, service, value and atmosphere.
Johns Geo, who runs House Boat with his friends, said he was thrilled that Derby people are rating the restaurant and the food so highly.
He said: “We were so happy to be shortlisted among the best in the UK by the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA). We were also in the running for Regional Restaurant of the Year in the East Midlands region – and this meant everything to us.“
But to be top of Tripadvisor for a city-based Indian restaurant is the best news ever. We feel very proud and deeply touched.”
Johns says he is planning to enter even more awards during 2026 to showcase the restaurant’s unique food. He says diners also love the restaurant’s unique interior which has bespoke murals of tigers, elephants, a Derby Ram and a Rolls-Royce motor car.
The beer garden is now open to diners and enquiries are flooding in from people wanting to hire the outdoor space for private functions. Diners can also enjoy the new street-side seating at the front of the restaurant.
Last month, a TV crew from India filmed New Year celebrations at House Boat. They recorded Vishu, the Malayalam New Year festival, which will be broadcast across Indian TV news channels in April.
Johns said: “We were really excited to have the film crew. We wanted to show them what makes our restaurant so unique and reveal the secret to our success.
“What makes House Boat special is that we put customers before anything. Of course, we need to make money to keep the business running, but our diners are extremely important to us.”
House Boat launched in August 2024 and welcomed 1,000 diners in its first three months of opening. Now management are planning to launch more culinary offerings and are exploring opportunities across the UK.
“Watch this space,” said Johns. “But it’s definitely coming and it won’t be long.
“I am just getting all the paperwork signed off and then we will be announcing our second venture. The warm welcome in Derby has been so good that we want to build our business and extend the brand.”
As well as being thrust into the limelight for its culinary delights, viral YouTuber Johathan Yates behind Only Scrans visited the restaurant this year to sample the food.
With more than 110,000 YouTube subscribers, 460,000 TikTok followers, and 910,000 Instagram followers, the Doncaster based foodie filmed his visit and gave his meal a glowing review.
House Boat specialises in food from Kerala - a region in South India, and every dish is unique and bursting with authentic tastes and flavours. On the menu are traditional dosas (thin, savoury pancakes), thalis, and unique seafood dishes that showcase typical South Indian food - cooked by chefs from Kerala.
Among the vibrant traditional dishes, there’s also a selection of rich beef, chicken and lamb, popular aromatic biriyanis and a range of South Indian starters.
House Boat still offers diners a lunch special for £9.99 which includes a soft drink and a new bottomless brunch is now available on a Saturday and Sunday, from 12pm to 4pm, for £35 per person. This price includes 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks and a delicious serving of South Indian food.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 12 noon to 10pm. For more details, call 07341 612522.
