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NYC is an amalgamation of different cultures, races, and ethnicities and it is pretty evident from the food especially Indian food, which NYC does the best!
Indian food is comfort food for me; having grown up eating Indian food, I usually tend to go out of my way to search for the best restaurants, even when I travel, to find that Indian taste. The taste that reminds me of home.
Now, Indian food is pretty complex. And yes, it’s not just the Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic naan!
India has so many regional cuisines that have been passed on for generations going back to almost 5,000 years BCE to the Indus Valley civilization. Plus counting the numerous invasions, trade relations, and fusions from nearby Asian countries has made Indian food really complex but a brilliant affair!
NYC does really good Indian food. Some of the best. And not just the more mainstream North Indian food but a lot of other Indian cuisines – South Indian, Gujarati, North-Eastern Indian, Indo-Chinese, and Indian fusion (yeah – it’s a thing!).
I have listed the best Indian food down per category so it is better understandable and skimmable. As such, some of the Indian restaurants might repeat but that is because they are absolutely amazing.
So let’s get started with the ultimate guide to the best Indian food in NYC!
INDIAN RESTAURANTS THAT YOU MUST VISIT IN NYC
I am starting off with my absolute favorite spots for Indian food in NYC. These restaurants do a lot of things really well – ambiance, food, cocktails, music which makes it a great overall experience.
BAAR BAAR
Baar Baar is a modern interpretation of Indian food visioned by Chef Sujan Sarkar, famous for Rooh restaurant in the Bay Area.
The menu comprises of Kashmiri Duck & Apricot Kulcha, Avocado Achar, and Gin-based Lassi! As you can see, not your standard Indian restaurant.
Modern-Indian food is well known in India and I was really amazed to find such a gem in NYC as well.
I absolutely love their Kulchas and Paneer Pinwheel. In terms of cocktails, you definitely have to try their Kairi Mule which is a twist on the Moscow Mule with mangoes (aka Kairi).
If you’re planning a visit, I would absolutely recommend going there for brunch. The atmosphere is amazing – they have live music, good food, and above all alcohol-infused Mango Lassi!
13 E 1st St, New York, NY 10003, United States | MAKE A RESERVATION
MOTI MAHAL DELUX
I lived in the Upper East Side and ordered from Moti Mahal Delux (MMD) often. MMD serves the most authentic North Indian food I have ever tasted in NYC.
Why is it famous? Moti Mahal opened back in the early 20th century and is well-known for the signature ‘Butter Chicken’ gravy. It is said that Moti Mahal invented the now world-famous ‘makhani’ gravy. This was something I didn’t know when I moved to NYC.
I was ecstatic to find such a legendary Indian restaurant in my backyard!
I absolutely love their Makhani curry, Dal Tadka, and Biryani. Trust me, you have to try their Biryani!
PC: Moti Mahal Delux
1149 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10065, United States | MAKE A RESERVATION
CHENNAI GARDEN BY TIFFINWALLAH
Located in Curry Hill (Murray Hill), Chennai Garden is a small restaurant serving some of the best south-Indian food in NYC.
I have observed that people who tend to dislike Chennai Garden, usually go for their buffet which is mediocre at best.
I would recommend going a la carte.
They have authentic south-Indian flavors in their chutneys and one of the dopest sambhars you will ever taste.
I absolutely love their Chole Batura and Dosas. When I say Dosa, I mean you can go for any of their Dosa – they are all mindblowing!
127 E 28th St, New York, NY 10016, United States | CALL CHENNAI GARDEN
THELEWALA
I cannot even get started on the number of times I have found myself getting blackout drunk in Greenwich Village and ending up in Thelewala at 3 in the morning for a quick bite.
Thelewala means a food cart owner in Hindi. This Thelewala is a really small space serving Nizami Rolls and chaat in Greenwich village.
They serve some of the best Indian wraps (i.e. Nizami Rolls) that you’ll ever have. Nizami Rolls are rotis stuffed with some Indian curry or vegetable.
I personally love their Anda rolls and Jhal Muri. If you’re feeling it, you can go for their extremely spicy phaal rolls. I wouldn’t recommend it. They don’t recommend it. But if you hate yourself that much and want to die eating Indian spicy food, I ain’t judging!
This is a very small space, usually packed with drunk revelers during the night. So don’t expect to get a seat to sit down. Just pick up your food and sit on the sidewalk or stairs, like a normal New Yorker.
112 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012, United States | CALL THELEWALA
SIGIRI
Sigiri is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. Even my mom loves Sigiri. And my mom’s standard of taste is higher than mine. So you understand, how good Sigiri is?
Sigiri serves the best Sri Lankan food in NYC. I know what you are thinking. Eh Tapan, Sri Lankan is not the same as Indian food. I know, I know. But the food is pretty similar to south-Indian food and we have a long history of sharing food with our brothers in Sri Lanka, so I am including it here. Also, this is my post. What you gonna do? Dinkin’ flicka my friend, dinkin’ flicka.
I absolutely love their Dal Whade, Pol Roti, and Egg Kothu. I had never tasted Sri Lankan food before Sigiri and the very first bite I took of Kothu blew my mind. It was something that I had never experienced before. So I would highly recommend it.
Sigiri is a really small space in East Village, so I would definitely recommend calling them up and making a reservation. Also, the service is kind of slow but definitely worth it.
91 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003, United States | CALL SIGIRI
Now that we have covered my favorite Indian restaurants, I want to cover each sub-category of Indian food below. After all, this is the ultimate guide to the best Indian food in NYC, right?
CHEAP INDIAN FOOD IN NYC
I understand it’s NYC but it is possible to find the best cheap Indian food in NYC if you just know the right guy 😉
PUNJABI DELI | Punjabi Deli in East Village is a small deli run by a Sikh family and they serve some of the best Punjabi food I have ever tasted. It is straight out of Punjab! They serve some amazing Parathas slathered with butter and crispy samosas. You can get a full meal under $5. No kidding, here is their menu.
DESI FOOD TRUCK | Desi Food Truck is popular among Midtown officegoers. It serves cheap Biryani and Kathi rolls which is pretty good.
THELEWALA | A roll in Thelewala will set you back by $6 which is pretty cheap per NYC standards.
TEMPLE CANTEEN | Temple Canteen in Queen has recently become really famous because of the Insider post but it has been famous among Indians for a time now. Temple Canteen some of the best south-Indian food in NYC. And it’s really cheap!
BEST INDIAN CHAAT PLACES IN NYC
Chaat is a kind of assorted Indian snack and there are a lot of places serving some of the best chaats in NYC.
THELEWALA | Now you see why Thelewala is one of my favorite Indian food places in NYC? Thelewala does really good pani puri (also called puchkas), jaal muri, and ragara patties.
MASALA TIMES | Masala Times in another quick bite place in the Village famous among drunk Indian revelers. This is the only place where I found Anda Bhurji paav. Their Samosa Chaat is really good as well.
KAILASH PARBAT | Kailash Parbat is well-known for its chaat bar in India. They serve really good sev puri and tikki chaat. Would I go to Kailash Parbat if I am in India? Hell no. If I am working abroad and desperately craving some Indian chaat? Hell yes.
DESI GALLI | Desi Galli literally translates to Indian street and they do really good chaat as well.
MUST TRY INDIAN FUSION FOOD PLACES IN NYC
Indian fusion food is pretty famous in India. We have destroyed (and improved) a lot of foreign dishes by fusing them with our spices and curries to match our taste palate. Here are some of my favorites-
TACO MAHAL | Taco Mahal in West Village is famous for the amazing naan tacos that they serve. You select your naan, add curry, and some toppings, and you have an Indian taco!
BABUJI | Babuji serves really good Indian fusion and cocktails with some funky decor. I really enjoy their General Tso Cauliflower and Naan pizza.
SPICE SYMPHONY | Spice Symphony is well known for its Indian Chinese food (Indo-Chinese) and does some of the best Paneer Chilli.
RAHI | Rahi means a traveler. Rahi serves modern-Indian fusion with some amazing Artichoke Chaat and Chili Cheese Toast.
INDIKITCH (now called Deep India Kitchen) | IndiKitch is a chain of Indian fast-food restaurants in NYC with really good tasting Indian food. I absolutely love their Dosa Tacos which are mini Dosas filled with chutney and your choice of protein.
UPSCALE INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN NYC
We have done cheap Indian food, so it obviously makes sense to also recommend upscale Indian restaurants. Most upscale Indian restaurants in NYC, do a modern take on the Indian cuisines which I really enjoy. So here are they.
JUNOON | Junoon is NYC’s only Michelin Starred Indian restaurant. Junoon serves a prix-fixe menu which you can check on their website.
TAMARIND BY TRIBECA | Tamarind in Tribeca was previously a Michelin Star restaurant in Flatiron district. Ever since they have moved to Tribeca, they have lost their Michelin Star ranking but the food still remains really good. I personally liked Tamarind over Junoon.
INDIAN ACCENT | Indian Accent is a new addition to Indian restaurants in NYC. It serves artisanal Indian food on huge plates. It is all about the taste and presentation in Indian Accent.
THE DRUNKEN MONKEY | The Drunken Monkey in Upper East Side is known for the British colonial-era Indian food. The last time I went to the Drunken Monkey, I found it to be really loud. But some of my friends, absolutely love this place!
RAHI | Rahi with its white-walls and golden murals serves modern-Indian food with an NYC twist.
aRoqa | aRoqa in Chelsea serves some really kulchas and cocktails in a modern Indian contemporary setting.
PRO-TIP: Check for NYC restaurant week which happens twice a year to get really good offers on these restaurants.
ABSOLUTELY BEST SOUTH-INDIAN FOOD IN NYC
I really love south-Indian food and used to eat south-Indian food at least once or twice a week. Here are some of my favorite south-Indian restaurants in NYC
TEMPLE CANTEEN | Temple Canteen in the basement of a Ganesh Temple in Queens does really good, no-frills south-Indian food for a really cheap price.
CHENNAI GARDEN | Chennai Garden does good food overall but my favorite here are their dosas, chutney, and absolutely killer sambhar.
ADYAR ANANDA BHAVAN | Adyar Ananda Bhavan serves vegetarian south-Indian food which is delicious. Get their filter coffee.
SARAVANNA BHAVAN | It would be a crime if I write about south-Indian food and do not include Saravanna Bhavan on the list. Saravanna Bhavan is established on almost all the continents in the world and provides some of the best south-Indian food. Give their Gunpowder dosa a try.
BEST FAST-CASUAL INDIAN FOOD SPOTS IN NYC
So you’re craving Indian food but don’t have much time? Don’t worry! These Indian food places in NYC got you covered
THELEWALA | I have talked about Thelewala enough in this post. Because it is that good! Get a quick bite in Thelewala, before getting drunk in Greenwich village.
MASALA TIMES | Masala Times serves really good anda bhurji roll which you can take to go.
INDIKITCH (now called Deep India Kitchen) | IndiKitch is like Chipotle for Indian food and serves really good curry-based kati rolls.
KATI ROLL COMPANY | The Kati Roll Company is well-known for a quick Indian roll. Personally, I do not love their kati rolls but they are not bad either. It is really accessible because of its multiple locations in NYC.
INDAY | Inday is pretty famous among Corporate America to get quick Indian meals during lunch hours. Inday serves Indian curry-based bowls.
MUST TRY INDIAN FOOD PLACES PER CUISINE
What does the title mean? There are so many different cuisines and preparation styles in India that are being served in NYC that I wanted to make a short guide of places to try to enjoy different Indian foods.
GUJARATI – VATAN | Being a gujarati, I was really happy to find a restaurant in NYC that served authentic gujarati food in a thali. Vatan has a fixed menu that is served in a buffet-style setting running for three courses.
SOUTH-INDIAN – TEMPLE CANTEEN | We have already talked enough about this place. You have to try south-Indian food in the Temple Canteen. Period.
AYURVEDIC – AYURVEDA CAFE | Based on the 5000-year-old knowledge of Ayurveda, Ayurveda Cafe serves vegetarian food based on the ayurvedic principles. The food is really simple which is usually found daily in Indian households.
INDO-CHINESE – SPICE SYMPHONY | Indo-Chinese cuisine was invented when some Chinese immigrants from Hakka settled in Kolkata a long time back. Indo-Chinese is spicy Chinese food prepared in Indian style and Spice Symphony does it really well.
NORTH INDIAN – MOTI MAHAL DELUX | Moti Mahal serves the best north-Indian food in NYC. I absolutely love their makhani gravy and Biryanis.
We have covered a lot of places from the ever-expanding list of Indian food spots in NYC which I completely understand. So, I have created this Google maps list of Indian restaurants for quick reference in the future. It includes all the places I have discussed in this post plus a lot of other Indian restaurants. You can save it in your Google maps and refer to it later.
What are some of your favorite Indian restaurants in NYC? Leave a comment!
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