If you’re craving a spicy curry, a tangy tikka masala, or a crunchy onion pakora, Atlanta has what you need. The city is bristling with top-notch Indian restaurants, all doing a fine job of showcasing the country’s vibrant, mouthwatering cuisine. Whether you’re looking for a take-out joint or a dine-in option, here’s where you’ll find the best Indian food in Atlanta, GA.
10. Desi Spice Indian Cuisine (Promenade, 931 Monroe Dr NE 2nd fl suite c202, Atlanta, GA 30308)
Desi Spice Indian Cuisine prides itself on delivering authentic Indian dishes, cooked with care and served with love. Standout dishes include moglai chicken and an onion pakora that could make a grown man weep. The service is quick and efficient, while the friendly staff is always happy to make recommendations if you ask. Home delivery is available.
9. Niramish Indian Cuisine (1138 Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307)
If you’re nursing a craving for some top-notch Indian cuisine, try Niramish Indian Cuisine for size. The restaurant offers a mouthwatering selection of traditional Indian favorites, vegan dishes, and kid-friendly options. If the spices get too much, cool down with a refreshing mango lassi
8. Blue India Restaurant Atlanta (Address: 933 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309)
For British- Indian fusion food,.head for Blue India Restaurant Atlanta, a place where hearty portions, expertly spiced dishes, melt-in-the-mouth meats, and sensational vegetarian dishes combine to create one of Atlanta’s best Indian restaurants. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but the clay oven-cooked paneer tikka is particularly divine.
7. Masti Fun Indian Street Eats (2945 N. Druid Hills Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30329)
Masti Fun Indian Street Eats Restaurant is a bright, contemporary space with a fun atmosphere, great service, and a lip-smacking menu. The portions are more than generous, so ideal for sharing with friends, while the range of dishes is big and varied enough to suit everyone. The skewered meats wrapped in bread are a dream, but then again, so are the stuffed momos filled with vegetables or chicken and served with a spicy dipping sauce. There’s also a heavenly ras malai (a sweet, pistachio dumpling soaked in cardamom-flavored milk) that’s worth breaking the diet for.
6. Cafe Bombay ( 2615 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329)
Cafe Bombay delivers the kind of straight-up, no-nonsense Indian affair that’s impossible to resist. Its menu is huge, boasting a huge array of dishes that spans everything from lamb chop masala to Goan shrimp curry and aloo palak. If you want to fill your boots with a little something of everything, stop by for the daily lunch buffet – a full-on feeding frenzy that no self-respecting Indian food fan will want to miss. For a side of entertainment to go with your food, come Friday or Saturday between 8 pm and 1.30 pm for the live belly dancing.
5. Tabla (77 12th St. NE, Ste. 2 (Crescent Ave), Atlanta, GA 30309)
Tabala is a sleek, stylish affair with contemporary decor and a menu crammed with enough variety of dishes to keep everyone happy. With an excellent selection of small plates, main entrees, and meat, seafood, and vegetarian options, there’s something here for everyone. Keys picks include melt-in-the-mouth lamb ribs in a tamarind-based barbecue sauce, a delectable shrimp curry, and a stuffed baby eggplant with caramelized onions that even committed carnivores will struggle to resist. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, finish things off with a few gulab jamun.
4. Bhojanic (743 Lambert Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30324)
Next time you’re feeling a little peckish in the vicinity of the Shops Around Lenox, stop by Bhojanic, a great little eatery that keels its regulars stuffed and happy with its small plates, tapas, and entrees. For a quick lunch, their perfectly spiced samosas won’t disappoint. For something a little more substantial, try the tender, melt-in-the-mouth braised goat – if you haven’t tried it cooked on the bone before, prepare for a revelation. There’s also a very dreamy dessert menu (the mango lassi is heavenly) and a wine list with an irresistible Indian Chenin Blanc. Visit on Wednesday or Thursday for live music.
3. Chat Patti Indian Vegetarian Restaurant (1707 Church St STE C-7, Decatur, GA 30033)
Make the short drive over to Decatur to enjoy what Eater describes as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Atlanta. If any cuisine shows that you don’t need meat to make a tasty dish, it’s Indian… something Chat Patti Indian Vegetarian Restaurant has been proving for over 20 years. The focus is on Indian street food, with a superb selection of dosas, samosas, biryani, and thali platters. If you’re in the mood for a pan-Asia tour, there’s also a decent assortment of Indo-Chinese dishes to try.
2. Botiwalla (9675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308)
In 2016, Ponce City Maret welcomed a new addition to its restaurant scene with Botiwalla, a charming new eatery from the team behind Chai Pani. With a focus on authentic, affordable street food, it’s a great place to enjoy the same kind of perfectly spiced meats and flatbreads served in Irani cafes and signs around India. Take-out is available, but if you’d rather dine in, you’ll find little to complain about with the cheerful ambiance and friendly service. Try the paneer tikka roll (chargrilled onions, bell peppers, and locally produced paneer marinated in yogurt, lime juice, Kashmiri chili paste, and spices, served with slaw, onions, cilantro, and chutney, wrapped in hot buttered naan) for a quick vegetarian lunch or the tamarind glazed spare ribs served with Desi slaw, raita, and hot buttered naan for something a bit meatier.
1. Chai Pani (406 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030)
Anyone with even the slightest appreciation for Indian food in Atlanta will know the name Chai Pani. Overseeing the kitchen is four-time James Beard-nominated chef Meherwan Irani, a man who’s forgotten more about Indian street food than most of us will ever know. With a menu that includes everything from savory kale pakoras made with curried chickpea batter served with green chutney and sweet yogurt to julienned okra fries tossed with salt and chaat masala, from spicy potato dumplings fried in curried chickpea batter, topped with chutney and served on griddled pav to mixed vegetable uttapam served with sambar and coconut chutney, this is the place to go for the brightest, tastiest, and most innovative Indian street food around.
