{"id":156760,"date":"2026-03-08T09:39:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/156760\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T09:39:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T09:39:37","slug":"where-to-eat-indian-food-in-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/156760\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Eat Indian Food in New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ceylon India Inn opened near Times Square in the early 1900s, the city\u2019s first South Asian restaurant quickly became a hub for New York\u2019s burgeoning community of desi (a term used to describe people of South Asian descent) dock workers, and students. More than a century later, there are more than 400 such restaurants across the five boroughs, enticing a far more diverse array of diners. After decades of enduring cut-and-paste menus that reduced the vast lexicon of Subcontinental cuisines into some combination of butter chicken, saag paneer, and naan, New Yorkers are lately spoiled for choice as chefs double down on regional cuisines<\/a> and authentic flavors.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a scene so vibrant that even London stalwarts want in. Mayfair\u2019s Ambassadors Clubhouse debuted a sprawling Nomad location in February, and rumor has it Dishoom is on its way soon as well. It\u2019ll be interesting to see where they make their mark in a city that\u2019s also delivering some unique, only-in-New York twists\u2014think Onion Tree Pizza Co<\/a>, slinging masala margherita and paneer makhani pies; Rowdy Rooster<\/a>, known for its fiery masala-laced take on fried chicken sandwiches; and Kolkata Chai Company<\/a>, which serves an oat milk chai soft serve.<\/p>\n

While there are plenty of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, and Nepali establishments with their own impassioned fan clubs, for the purposes of this list, we have narrowed down our favorite Indian restaurants. We sifted through Michelin-starred heavyweights, low-key chaat joints, and purveyors of all-you-can eat vegetarian thalis to come up with our take on the best Indian restaurants in New York City.<\/p>\n

ManhattanSemma<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long journey from a paddy farm in a Tamil Nadu village to the heights of New York\u2019s culinary scene for Semma\u2019s affable chef Vijaya Kumar. But through it all he\u2019s remained true to his South Indian roots, playing Tamil hits over the speakers while he doles out authentic plates more commonly spotted in home kitchens than Michelin-starred dining rooms\u2014annasi padam scallops draped in a pineapple sauce, a luscious lobster tail moilee, and paniyaram, a pillowy lentil-and-rice dumpling. But there are also some classics, like a gunpowder dosa that easily gets my vote for the best in the city (even my hard-to-impress mother was thoroughly impressed on a recent visit), and a seasonal mango dessert that will immediately transport you back to summer in India, even if you\u2019ve never experienced it. The accolades haven\u2019t stopped rolling in since Semma\u2019s 2021 debut in the West Village: in addition to being New York\u2019s only Michelin-starred restaurant, it was also crowned the city\u2019s best restaurant by the New York Times, while Kumar recently took home a James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

The menu at ever-popular Bungalow is a nod to the diverse span of Indian cooking, from Kashmir at its crown all the way down to Kerala.<\/p>\n

Katrine Moite\/BungalowBungalow<\/a><\/p>\n

Everyone knows that for a truly authentic Indian meal, you need to score an invite to a family home. Well, Bungalow might just be the next-best thing. Vikas Khanna is India\u2019s best-known chef\u2014a household name for his cookbooks, TV shows, celebrity friends, social-media savvy, and judging duties on MasterChef India\u2014and he\u2019s managed to make his homey East Village restaurant feel like the most sought-after dinner party invite<\/a> in town. My usual order includes the shrimp balchao cones encased in airy puff pastry, yogurt kebabs nestled in wisps of kataifi pastry, and an absolutely decadent black lentil daal, but I always save room for special dishes Khanna concocts with seasonal Indian ingredients like jamun or custard apples or mangoes. While the food never disappoints, the true mark of a successful dinner party is the hospitality, and Khanna is a superlative host: tirelessly swanning around every table personally doling out spoonfuls of shrimp curry and eggplant bharta, and sending diners home with gifts for Eid or Diwali or any number of Indian holidays. If you\u2019re lucky enough to get a reservation (or land a walk-in spot after waiting in a line that often curls around First Avenue), you\u2019re in for a memorable night.<\/p>\n

Musaafer<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s possible to cross Musaafer\u2019s threshold for the first time without gasping. This transplant from Houston\u2014where it has a Michelin star\u2014channels the Taj Mahal in Tribeca, with opulent details that were handcrafted by artisans in India and installed in New York over the span of three years. The grand interiors, complete with marble walls, chandeliers inspired by jewelry, and a glittering mirrored room, are a fitting backdrop for chef Mayank Istwal\u2019s opulent menu: think tandoori octopus with purple mashed potatoes and cauliflower macarons, a 72-hour-slow-cooked black daal, lamb nihari birria tacos, and coriander prawns with coconut bread. The vibes are totally different\u2014but no less alluring\u2014in the subterranean speakeasy Saaqi, where moody lighting and whimsical paintings are paired with Indian-inspired cocktails like a paan negroni and the saffron-laced Zaffran. (Pro tip: Try Musaafer\u2019s to-go Thanksgiving spread to cater your next holiday\u2014my family still talks about the tandoori-spiced turkey and cumin mashed potatoes.)<\/p>\n

Hyderabadi Zaiqa<\/a><\/p>\n

Take it from a Hyderabadi: This place is legit. Ever since it opened in a subterranean hole-in-the-wall in Hell\u2019s Kitchen in 2023, the raves have been endless, with the likes of the New York Times, Eater, and Michelin waxing breathlessly over Hyderabadi Zaiqa\u2019s authentic take on the South Indian city\u2019s signature dum biryani. But the three tables in the original location weren\u2019t designed for lingering, so I preferred to get my chicken 65, bhindi masala (okra), and bagara baingan (eggplant) delivered. No longer. In 2024, chef Mohammad Tarique Khan\u2014who previously worked in kitchens at Eleven Madison Park<\/a> and Sona\u2014opened a much larger second location in the heart of Manhattan\u2019s Curry Hill, adorned with massive images of Hyderabad\u2019s iconic Charminar landmark and plenty of space to order the whole menu. We Hyderabadis are deathly serious about our biryani, and my husband has gone so far as to anoint Hyderabadi Zaiqa\u2019s the best he\u2019s tried after his mother\u2019s\u2014no small achievement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Ceylon India Inn opened near Times Square in the early 1900s, the city\u2019s first South Asian restaurant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[289,9,24,55,54,56,3371,821],"class_list":["post-156760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-food-drink","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-places-to-eat-drink","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}